Tips & Ideas for Naming a Game Store

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If you’re struggling to name your game store, don’t worry. You’re in the right place. In this article, I cover some of the top tips for naming your new business as well as how to make sure the name is legally available for you to use.

Let’s get started!

Related: How to start a game store

Quick Reference

Naming a business is hard, especially if you don’t have any ideas or a place to start. So, before you dive in, grab a piece of paper and a pen or open up a blank spreadsheet.

Then, use it as a place to brainstorm ideas and write down words or phrases that come to mind as you go through the tips below.

From there, we’ll talk about how to narrow things down and land on the perfect name.

1. Keep It as Short as Possible

Short business names are usually snappier, catchier, and easier to remember. Ideally, you want to stick to two to five syllables and hopefully no more than 25 characters total.

However, the shorter the name, the better.

With that said, there are exceptions to this, and it’s not a hard rule. But, when you think about huge, notable brands, which ones come to mind?

Nike. Apple. Ikea. Febreeze. Target. Honeywell.

They’re easy to remember because they’re short, simple, and brandable.

Obviously, there are exceptions to these rules. But typically, the shorter and simpler your name, the easier it is for everyone to remember.

2. Avoid Words That Are Hard to Hear and Pronounce

Voice to text and voice search is more popular now than ever before. So, it’s important to consider making your name easy to pronounce and hear.

To do this, avoid using:

Commonly misspelled words
Complex terms that are hard to spell
Words that have several pronunciations
Homophones like to, too, and two

Try to keep things as concise and simple as possible.

3. Consider Gaming-Related Terms

Since you’re opening a game store, it might make sense to use game-related terms in the name, especially if you’re feeling stuck. It may help to just start brainstorming terms, phrases, and words to get all your ideas down on paper.

A few examples of this could include; Dark Side Games, Dragon’s Den Cards & Games, Hero’s Corner Games, or Player One Games.

For a boost of creativity, expand use the thesaurus to find synonyms around the words of what your business does. You can either use the thesaurus function from your word processor or thesaurus.com to come up with additional synonyms.

From there, you can cross off bad ideas or any terms you don’t like.

4. Phrases Your Audience and Competition Uses

Your business exists for your target audience, so it’s important to consider phrases and terms they use when talking about gaming.

There are quite a few places you can look to see what your customers (and competitors) are saying, including:

Facebook groups, posts, and stories
Forums related to the gaming industry
Competitor websites, brochures, and flyers
Trade journals
Magazines or blogs

Alternatively, you can ask friends or relatives in your target audience. Hearing it directly from them may help you brainstorm and narrow down your choices.

Remember to avoid anything limiting your business’s future growth if you decide to go in another direction down the road.

5. What’s Your Specialty?

Do you specialize in a particular genre or niche? Maybe you focus on video games, or board games, or gaming events.

Regardless of your specialty, consider alluding to it in the name of your business.

6. Examples of Names for Inspiration

Here is a list of existing game store names that may help give you some creative ideas. While many of these names may be available for you to use, be sure to check first to be sure the name can be used.

Tips on how to check business name availability are after the list of names!

1 Up Gaming
A A A Game Zone
A W O L Games
Above The Game
Action Gaming
Action Star Games
Advance Gaming
Advantage Games
Adventure Game Store
Ages Of Gaming
Akashic House Game Studio
Aktion Games
Akupara Games
All Fun & Games
All In Gaming
Alpha Gaming
American Consoles & Games
Angry Badger Games
Ankor Game
Apostrophe Games
Atari Games Cafe
Atlantic Games
Banter Board Games
Beautiful Game
Big Duck Games
Black Key Games
Black Realm Gaming
Blahcow Gaming
Blume Game Studio
Board Fox Games
Board Game Knights
Board Game Republic
Bold Move Games
Bombshell Games
Born To Game
Bottoms Up Game
Brain Game
Brute Force Games
C & S Gaming Empire
California Game Girls
Cannabis Gaming Sesh
Cash Crunch Games
Cash For Gamers
Center Stage Games
Circle Game
Connected Games
Contigo Games
Cool Games Puzzles & Toys
Coolstuff Games
Crazy Games
Creator’s Game
Crushed Ego Games
Cyber Dice Gaming
Dark Side Games
Day & Night Games
Descent Into Gaming
Dicelab Games
Don’t Play Games
Dragon’s Den Cards & Games
Echo Night Games
Emerald Dragon Games
Enchanted Grounds
End Game Productions
Entertainment Games & Trading
Envee Game
Envisage Gaming
Epic Fail Games
Everyone’s Game
Evolved Gaming
Exit Games
Exodus Gaming
Eye Gaming
Fair Play Games
Faith Based Games
Fallen Oaks Game Farm
Fandom Gaming
Fantasy Gaming
Fare Game
Feast Or Famine Games
Firefly Games
Flippen Out Games
Florida Gaming Partners
For The Love Of The Game
Fun Game
Game Academy
Game Cave Paradise
Game Changer
Game Chest
Game Face
Game Haven
Game Kings
Game Nation
Game Night
Game Of Life
Game On
Game Over
Game Portal
Game Quest
Game Realms
Game Runner
Game Set Match
Game Station & Lounge
Game Time Group
Game Time Hobbies
Gamers Guild
Gamers Kingdom
Gamers Net
Gamerz Lounge
Gamerz R Us
Games N More
Games On South Florida
Games To You
Gaming Hub
Gaming Lifestyle
Gateway Gaming
Get In The Game
G-Force Gaming
Giant Gnome Gaming
Goblin King Games
Gold Mine Fun & Games
Gold Mine Game Room
Golden Rule Games
Goodwill Youth Games
Got Next Game
Grapevine Games Comics & Cards
Grass Valley Games
Guardian Angels Gaming
Gulf Coast Gaming
Hall Of Fame Games
Head In The Game
Heart Of The Game
Hero’s Corner Games
Hideaway Games
High Noon Game
High Velocity Games
Imperial Games
In Yo Face Gaming
Infinite Gaming
Insomniac Gaming
Java Game House
Jellybean Games
Jester Games
Just For Fun Gaming
Kingdom Games
Kingslayer Games
Knight & Day Games
Kraken Unlimited
L A City Games
Legends Comics & Games Fresno
Level 7 Games
Level Up Gaming
Mad Over Games
Magic Fuel Games
Maryland Gaming
Mastermind Games
Middle City Games
Midnight Games
Moonlit Moor Games
Mythic Cards & Games
Noodle Haus Games
Ocean King Games
Off Script Games
Off The Shelf Games
On Your Game
Outflank Games
Over Powered Cards & Games
Play This Game
Player First Games
Player One Games
Prime Hobby Gaming
Pro Fantasy Gaming
Punch Bowl Games
Quantum Realm Games
Quest Monkey Games
Ragnarok Games
Raindrop Games
Real Life Games
Respawn Gaming & Modz
Retro Games Plus
Road Dawg Games
Rogue Knight Games
Rollin With The Game King
San Diego Video Gaming
Score Gaming
Scoundrel Games
Second Star Games
Secret Society Games
Shamrock Games
Spellhold Games
Spicy Doodles Gaming
Square One Games
Take Aim Games
Think Adventure Games
Thorny Games
Trainwreck Games
Umbrella Games
Virtual Haven Games
Warhammer
Warp Rider Games
West Coast Combat Center
Westworld Board Game
Wobbly Pop Games
Wolf Gaming
Z Game Spot
Zander’s Game House

7. Check if Your Name is Available to Use

At this point, you should have several top considerations to choose from. And the best way to narrow it down further is to check each one for availability.

This step is vital because using a name that someone else is using could be very costly, time-consuming to rebrand your business, and possibly embarrassing. There are several places to look to check whether a name is available to use, so let’s walk through each one.

Trademark Search

Trademarks are the most critical, so we’ll start here.

If a name or phrase is trademarked, you’re not allowed to use it in a similar capacity. So, run a trademark search for each business name you’re considering and cross off those that aren’t available.

Learn more about

Local Search

Just because there isn’t a federal trademark on a name doesn’t mean the name you want is available. That’s because there is a trademark known as a common law trademark. A common law trademark isn’t filed anywhere but provides someone who uses that name in commerce some limited rights in their geographical area to use the name. It can be hard to define how far geographically these rights extend as each industry is different, but at a basic level, someone can’t open a business and name it the same or similar name as a competing business in town. If you think the name could potentially create confusion with customers, it is usually best to just find another one to use to avoid potential legal issues down the road.

To do a local search, open up the phone book (if you still have one), and do a Google search to see if there are any local competitors with a similar business name to the one you want to use.

Cross off any similar names from your list and take the rest and let’s keep checking.

State Entity Search (If Applicable)

If you plan to register your game store as a corporation or LLC, you have to register with a unique business name. Each state requires every corporation or LLC to register a unique name for their entity. This doesn’t necessarily protect your name from anyone else using it, but nobody can register a corporation or LLC under the same name in your state.

Related: ?

If you find the name is in use, cross it off your list and move on.

Domain Name Availability

Website addresses aren’t as critical as the first three searches, but it’s still worth doing. Typically, you want your domain name to be “yourbusinessname.com” without any numbers, dashes, etc.

It’s easiest for customers to remember, but these are hard to come by.

However, you can explore other configurations and extensions if your preferred domain name isn’t available. Just remember your customers may have a more difficult time finding you online.

You can start with . Type in the domain name you want to use to see if it’s available. The tool also returns other possibilities you may want to consider.

Social Media Profiles

Next, especially if you are stuck between a couple of names, check and see if anyone is already using your potential game store names on social media. Consider which platforms you plan to use and start with those.

Keep in mind you may have to shorten your company name for some platforms. Twitter only allows 15 characters, for example.

Start with your preferred platforms and do a quick search for your name. If nothing pops up, that likely means no one is using it, and you’re good to go.

Example: Someone is using on Instagram, so I would have to choose a different handle, making it more difficult for customers to find me.

Finding the Perfect Name: Putting It All Together

By now, you should have a lengthy list of words, phrases, and terms you can use in your business name. At this point, I highly recommend going through and removing any that are hard to spell or pronounce.

Now, you can start combining pieces together until something stands out. It may help to create a list of potential names you can use. From there, you can narrow things down to your favorites.

But before you make your final decision, it’s important that your new name passes a few tests.

Say It Out Loud

Make sure you say your new name out loud. It may look great as a logo, domain name, and on a business card. But it also needs to sound good when you say it out loud.

You can also sit down with someone and talk about your business. Does saying the name in casual conversation sound natural? If not, you may want to consider something simpler or easier to say.

Logo Design

Lastly, think about how to incorporate your new name into a logo. Logos should be simple, memorable, and indicative of your brand.

Take Apple, for example. Their business name easily incorporates into a logo. And today, it’s a household symbol that everyone immediately recognizes.

A logo is an important part of your brand identity, so don’t forget to consider turning your name into a memorable logo as you make your final decision.

Related: .

Hopefully, you now have some ideas to name your game store. Once you have this list narrowed down to just a few and researched that they are all available, start asking friends, family, and potential customers their thoughts to get feedback, and then pick your perfect game store name!