Games Hub Edinburgh in Edinburgh, City of

Amazing store and the staff are always friendly and helpful! 10/10 will shop here again!

My husband and I love board games and there were soooo many to choose from! For locals, they have a serious DND thing going on and Pokémon too. I was impressed

Fantastic selection of board games! Friendly environment, great food, very affordable and highly recommend!

Nice place with a lovely lady who runs everything. 🙂 (Never really interact with the owner as he mostly plays games upstairs) -edit The owner is also lovely 🙂

Ran by a chinese guy who employs an irishman and a Romanian. Why he can't employ Scottish people i dont know. This type of place gives nothing back. Try employing Scottish people. Otherwise you give nothing to this city

I was visiting Edinburgh and made the walk to the shop in hopes of trying out some board games. Within the shop, there was two people and I asked to go check out the games room... The basement room stank of dampness, the lack of music left the downstair area feeling eerie without people, and the lack of organisation of the board games made it hard to find what they have. The staff member I talked to did not seem super interested in the hobby, which probably isn't the best for a small store. Despite this, they had a quite reasonable selection of board games to rent and a good selection of Flames of war models to buy.

perfect place to relax and play some games

Popped in here to kill some time before an apointment and also to get a warm drink on a cold rainy day! Nice atmosphere and friendly staff who like a chat which is very refreshing these days. Aso I have to say that was the best mocha I had inj a long long time! Thanks guys and good luck with you rennovation /extention work! Katie :)

Just returned from a 2 night stay at the hub royal mile edinburgh and it was fantastic. Great location aswell just off the royal mile and a short walk to Waverly train station no car parking. The reception area and cafe were spot on with free yes free tea and coffee lovely comfy seating and really friendly staff. Foods a bit basic just snacks really but its next door to a premier inn so food not a problem bit pricey though. The rooms very high tech all touch screen didn't take long to figure how it all worked . Nice touch was on tv screen a greeting with my name pure class. Bed spot on lovely clean fresh. No need for service tray as it's free downstairs just take a cupper up to your room whenever you fancy one. TV has movie channel aswell. We loved our time there and cant praise the place enough deffo give it a go for 2 night max stay prob to small for any longer.

We visited Games Hub while staying in Edinburgh for the weekend. After a day of sightseeing we just needed somewhere to sit and relax for a while, and this proved to be a good spot! The cafe is upstairs, and seemed to serve a selection of tray bakes, paninis, tea and coffee. We had chips, tea and coffee, and all were good. Prices were reasonable. The upstairs bit is quite small, but food can be taken downstairs, which is where the board games are. People have commented on it being a bit smelly and dingy, and it's certainly not the cleanest place I've visited, but it didn't feel dreadfully dirty or anything like that. There's a great selection of board games, and at £2.50 per person (stay as long as you like) it's excellent value. The games were mainly in good condition, and the ones we played were all complete and clean. They didn't seem to be organised on the shelves, but it was easy enough to browse through and find something good to play. There's free WiFi which seemed reasonably fast (we only used it for browsing etc) and had no problems. One downside is that the basement where the games are is down a flight of stairs, and there was no sign of a lift (although we didn't ask, so there may be one out the back or something). This means that anyone in a wheelchair would have to stay upstairs, and small children in buggies would need to be carried down. Having said that, the staff were helpful, and I would imagine that they'd be happy to bring games upstairs for anyone who needed them to. They seemed to have lots of gaming meet-ups happening every evening, including specific ones for people on their own to come along and meet other "group less" gamers. Overall, we really liked this place. If we lived in Edinburgh, I imagine we'd visit often, and if we're ever back in the city we would certainly visit again. I did feel that if I had a spare few hours I'd love to get in there and do a bit of tidying and sorting the games, and maybe give it a lick of paint, but apart from some of the cosmetics this is a great little cafe!

Cute little games café where you can buy and play games, a good sized games room in the basement with an amazing selection of games! I went on one of the game club nights from MeetUp :)

Fantastic place to meet fellow gamers if you're not a member of South East Scotland War games Club. Table hire is reasonable and the food, while limited is tasty. Nice staff and friendly atmosphere every time I go.

Games Hub Edinburgh Edinburgh Great gaming and grub 697716547 As Tabletop Gaming fans, my brother and I were looking forward to finding a spot in Edinburgh to play whilst up for the Fringe Festival. After a quick Google search, Games Hub came up as a go-to, and was a short 15 min walk from the Royal Mile. The chap behind the counter was welcoming and helpful, letting us know that they were open til 10pm, and offer somewhere in the region of 700 games!!! For a mere £2.50 each, you gain access to the vast games library, which contains everything from the classics to recent releases and even some of the more obscure editions! Taking the chance to sample some of the food on offer, we tried the homemade deserts which were delicious - rich without being too heavy. Definitely a recommended gaming venue, don’t be put off by the seemingly tiny shop - it literally has hidden depths of gaming area and games! Great selection of products are on offer to buy too. Three word address for What3Words: ///rocket.scarcely.hooks

Open till 10pm which is perfect for something to do in the evening, so many board games to play, really good fun. Entrance is £2.50 per person then you can play as many board games as you wish. You can also get food here if you wish.

great friendly place. large selection of games to play downstairs.

Barato mais a biblioteca de jogos deixa muito a desejar. E quando fui estava completamente deserto, tanto em publico como em empregados.

I visited this place in order to use its computers. The staff was ok and seemed to have a big variety of games. I paid for two hours and I went downstairs to the playroom. The toilet smell was pretty annoying from the stairs.. The room was dirty, extremely dusty, the carpets were filthy and that smell.. I managed to sit there for just a couple of hours despite the fact that I had a lot of work to do more. Besides all that the internet connection was not the best one. I really can t understand how is possible to let a place so dirty and just don t care.. I definitely do not recommend it at all!

There's a good selection of games, including a tabletop room. Cafe-style drinks, paninis etc, which are fine.

Great having a venue like this on your door step. Friendly staff with a nice cafe and a small but decent selection of games in the shop. Downstairs is where the real magic happens with a mammoth amount of board games to choose from. Nice and friendly atmosphere!

This is an amazing place! The cafe & shop are Good, the coffee was great and baking tasted nice. We went on a Thursday night and stole a table downstairs from the local games group but they didn't kick up a fuss (sorry guys! And thank you!)

Gamers' paradise and good café too

My favorite nerd place in the city! And a great cafe too if you don't play. Very accepting of solo players and group less Gamers. Not just a store, a community!

Great fun place with loads of games and tasty drinks and food!!

A nice quiet area to play games, preferable for my Aspergers as I'm noise sensitive and other gaming cafes are very noisy. The food is okay and there's a range of drinks to pick from. It's strength is it's privacy for gaming but there is room for casual visits. Staff are friendly but mostly leave you to your own devices which I prefer. A nice place to visit. Only concern is the stairs leading down to the game rooms.

Great selection of games to play. I enjoy going here.

Walked in with two friends who were women, a member of staff made comments at them about how “all women” think. I chose not to purchase from them and mentioned how this could contribute to a hostile atmosphere, got no apology and the proprietor did not seem to understand what they had done wrong. On mentioning my concerns via Facebook, they suggested it was my fault by using the phrase “sorry you felt that way”, and did not apologise for having made my friends feel awkward. Another game’s story in Edinburgh were wonderful, welcoming, and treated my friends as equals instead of separate, and offered them hospitality. I hope that one day Games Hub’s attitude improves and they show half the welcoming attitude I received elsewhere. I would love to chat to them about roleplaying games someday.

This is a wonderland for boardgame lovers and geeks. You can play dozens of games just by paying a small entry fee. You can order food and drinks, which are quite cheap.

The cafe is adequate and the facilities do the job. It's not amazing but they do a good cup of earl grey and some nice home made cakes amongst other things. It is as you'd expect for a venue of this type, given the clientele.

So many board games! Loads of space downstairs. Keep learning and loving new board games each day :) Great food and drink. Good prices! Just consider your ergonomics if you're going to use the PCs here to game for a while.

I've been going to the games hub since it opened and it still surprises. Its well stocked library of games would take an epic amount of time to work your way through and is added to all the time. Classics to old school your only problem will be working out which game to play. PC's are available for online gaming. The staff are knowledgeable and more than willing to hand out advice and information to start your adventure. The food is good if limited in choice, however if the specials are on I would grab a hub Burger before they are gone. The staff are friendly and will chat about new and upcoming games all day. Grab lunch and a chat or stay all evening and play till late closing. Try the cakes!

Very friendly and helpful staff. Great venue for gaming with a surprisingly well stocked shop too. Also serves food and drink to keep you going.

The Game Hub has a very large collection of board games in its underground floor. The staff is nice and some small snacks are available as well.

It is with a heavy heart and after a lot of deliberation that I come to write this review. My friends and I have been frequenting the Games Hub since it first opened, some years ago. As one of the only large-scale gaming enterprises that offers extended opening hours, this has been convenient for fitting around our working schedules. Sadly, we have witnessed the Hub changing from a potentially invaluable addition to the Edinburgh gaming community into a poorly run, unkempt and unwelcoming venue that we will not be patronising again. The number of problems that are visible in the Hub now are legion, and would take too long to elucidate in full detail, but they may be summarised by the following observations: 1) The overall appearance and tidiness of the Hub is simply not to a professional standard. The decoration is tired, but one may forgive this of a venue with 7-day opening, and a large footfall. The upkeep of the surroundings and fixtures, however, is unacceptable. One room in the gaming area formerly housed a shop. The room is still full of clutter and detritus from its former use, with shelving units, other PoS accessories and associated rubbish/recycling left scattered around the place (including unsold stock that is housed in an open cupboard -- it is truly a wonder if this has not been affected through theft/loss). The main gaming room is little better, with former display cases and sales stands dotted haphazardly around the space. These are left to accumulate dust and do little to enhance the already Spartan feel of the venue. These areas are apparently only infrequently checked, since dust is visible, and there are often used plates and other customer refuse still visible throughout the gaming rooms. 2) Following from this, there is little done to improve air circulation throughout the building. While the ground level café has the benefit of the main entrance door, the basement gaming area lacks any discernible airflow. Firstly, this means that the temperature of the space is often uncomfortably warm in summer, cold in winter, but the air quality itself is also poor. This is a high volume gaming space, often with many people in close quarters -- lack of any kind of air conditioning sometimes leads to highly unpleasant experiences. 3) The quality of the games library stock is declining noticeably. This cannot be wholly blamed upon the staff/owner, since the patrons themselves must bear some responsibility, but the apparent lack of any staff activity in re-organising the game stock (or the purchase of new game stock to replace worn out copies) is disheartening. Many of the most popular games within this library have become either physically unpleasant to use, or are now missing numerous components. Given that the games library is one of the Hub's most important and attractive features, it is surprising that they should be left to decay at the whim of careless consumers. 4) The toilet facilities are, frankly, appalling. The male toilets are marked by a sliding door that is troublesome to close, meaning that one cannot use the available urinal, for fear of being seen from the main thoroughfare into the gaming space. The toilet cubicle in this space is beyond description. The toilet bowl is often left dirty and stained, empty toilet roll tubes are left to gather, even the available toilet brush cover is dotted with myriad questionable marks and stains. For a venue that sells food and drink, the standard of cleanliness in this area does little to inspire confidence in custom. I may not speak for the ladies' toilets, but my female friends similarly avoid using the facilities at the Hub, whenever possible. 5) I realise that in a market where profit margins are precariously small, running a business with few staff seems appealing, but the Hub is often chronically understaffed, in my opinion. With one member of staff on at certain points of the day (whenever we have been in the past 12 months, there has ever only been one member of staff on duty), it becomes impossible for the Hub to address many of the above concerns as they unfold. Indeed, either more staffing is required, or additional hours to see to the upkeep of the store. Added to this, I wonder how far the staff themselves feel pressurised or put upon, since I have not had a totally positive customer service experience in quite some time. Often staff are caught up in following up food orders from other customers, leaving new arrivals to wait for considerable time before being served. At other times, they can be brusque to the point of rudeness, almost seeming unaware that custom beyond the cadre of 'regulars' is required for the business to survive, let alone prosper. One does not need to have worked in retail or the service industry to observe that some staff training is necessary, if the current cohort cannot interact naturally with patrons. I do not write this review necessarily to complain, although I think that it has reached the stage where this is more than valid. I write it in the desperate hope that the Hub takes these points to heart and act upon them. As I say above, I have been a customer of the Hub since its opening. I was a fully paid up member for three years, not because I attended regularly, but because I wanted it to succeed. I used to bring friends to the Hub, in the hope that it would encourage them to frequent it themselves. No longer, however. I cannot bring new friends to this venue, since to do so would be embarrassing, and I will not purchase membership of a venue that I do not believe is utilising the money and good faith of its patrons responsibly. I appreciate that it takes a lot of dedication to own and operate any business venture. I fear, however, that until the Hub is operated more like a business and less like a hobby-horse or friends' social club, it will remain extremely unappealing to the wide variety of people now finding entertainment in a resurgent gaming market.

We needed a break from tourist stuff and most things close at 5 so it either pub, restaurant or walk. We were tired of that so we wanted to get some board game action over coffee and dessert. This place had an amazing selection of all types of games, modern to classics. Lots of room to play in the basement. Food was a fair price and the entry fee is worth it for the selection. We could of only asked for more time. 😀

The Edinburgh Games Hub is a cafe with rooms downstairs where people can meet with other people to play an assortment of board, card and dice games. They do not allow people to consume any of their own food and drink within the premises as they are a cafe, however they do sell a variety of hot and cold things to eat and drink upstairs. The Games Hub has a number of computers which can be used for gaming, printing, or anything else if time is purchased for their use, and they also provide Wi-Fi which people can use with their own devices. The staff are pleasant and friendly, with wait staff coming downstairs from time to time to ask if anybody would like to order food or drinks. The Games Hub has a website, with a clear to understand and properly updated schedule of events. They have events for blind gamers and their friends or helpers, and also frequent evenings for people to meet and play games if they have nobody who they can invite to play. Along with this there are plenty of specific game events like MTG tournaments and suchlike. They are open from 12pm-10pm on weekdays and 10am-10pm on weekends. For one price people can play for any or all of this time during a day. The Games Hub have many games of all sorts, so there is plenty of choice of games to suit any number of players, skill levels and ages. People can also bring their own games and use the Games Hub space for playing them, if they wish. The entry fee is £2.50 as standard, however I was only charged £1.50 for meeting up with my sight challenged gaming chums to play at the 'blind gamers' event. The staff say this is a special price, to try and encourage people to play with them. The staff person was visibly amazed when I turned up for the blind gamers event, and asked who out of them I knew. As it turns out, all of them - :-) lol. I gather that they also have a shop section where they sell games with discount prices on the RRP.