Game Informer

Series

Identifier: MAG-GAMEINFORMER

Staff Only

Game Informer

Scope and Contents

The library has a complete physical collection of Game Informer magazine from 1991–2024, including a single special edition of Game Informer published in 1999. The collection also includes a digital copy of the email sent to subscribers by GameStop when the magazine was discontinued, as well as a final letter from the editor written after the magazine was shut down.

Dates

Publication: Fall 1991 – August 2024

Creator

Sunrise Publications (Publisher, Organization)

Extent

369 Magazines

2 Items

Language of Materials

English

Additional Description

Abstract

Game Informer was one of the longest-running monthly American video game magazines. Game Informer was originally a promotional magazine owned by the game retailer FuncoLand, which was reorganized as GameStop in December 2000. For many years, the magazine was tied to GameStop's reward program; it was decoupled from the rewards program and relaunched as a standlone subscription in March 2024 before being discontinued shortly after in August 2024.

The magazine was acquired and revived by Gunzilla Games in March 2025. At the time of cataloging, no additional print issuse of the magazine have been produced.

Arrangement

The special Final Fantasy edition of Game Informer, published in 1999, is shelved at the end of the collection.

Historical Note

Starting around spring 2022, Game Informer transitioned to a new publishing model, with only ten issues per year rather than monthly. This was likely due to disruptions at Game Informer (including significant staff layoffs) and changes to the business model of its parent company GameStop. As part of this change, GameStop loyalty members began receiving only the digital version of the magazine. These issues were still physically printed, but they appears to have only been sold in stores.

Game Informer re-launched a physical subscription, indepedent of GameStop's loyalty program, in late March 2024.

Holdings

Held:

Issues 1–368
Game Informer Special Edition: The Final Fantasy Companion
"The Final Level: Farewell from Game Informer" subscriber letter
"One Last Time" letter from the editor

Notes on Issue Numbering and Order

Game Informer used a volume-and-issue numbering system until the magazine's redesign in November 2000 (Issue 91). Due to an apparent error, there is only one issue of Volume 4 (Volume 4, Issue 1). The magazine continues as Volume 5 in the following issue.

The first seven issues of Game Informer are unnumbered; they have been assigned issue numbers here based on the rest of the series.

From December 2020 to the end of 2021, Game Informer appears to have experienced some publishing irregularities that resulted in the magazine skipping several months.