EB Games Closing Down: NZ Shutdown and AU Updates 2026

Anyone who spent their teenage years hunting for a discounted game on a Saturday morning knows the EB Games experience. That ritual is now ending for New Zealand gamers. The retailer announced it will shut all its New Zealand stores by January 31, 2026, after what it called a “rough” 2025. While a small number of Australian stores will also close in the new year, the two markets are facing very different futures.

NZ Stores Closing: All by January 31, 2026 ·
AU Stores Impacted: Small number in January 2026 ·
Recent AU Closures: 20 outlets in 2020 ·
Announcement: EB Games official via Reddit ·
Context: Rough 2025 financial year

The table below summarizes the core details confirmed through the official announcement.

What date is EB Games closing?

The official announcement posted to Reddit set a clear endpoint: all EB Games stores in New Zealand will shut their doors on January 31, 2026. That deadline applies across every location in the country, not just a handful of underperforming sites.

In Australia, the timeline is more fragmented. The Harbour Town store in Queensland is scheduled to close on January 17, 2026, according to postings seen on local gaming forums. Other Australian locations are closing throughout January, but without a single national deadline. Frasers Group, the UK-based parent company that owns EB Games, has not published a unified closure schedule.

New Zealand timeline

• All stores cease operations by January 31, 2026
• Closing sales are already underway at many locations
• No stores will remain open past the deadline

Australia closures

• Harbour Town: closes January 17, 2026
• Airport West and Cranbourne: closing in January 2026
• Most Australian stores remain open for now

Why are EB Games closing down in New Zealand?

The company described 2025 as a “rough” year in its announcement, without elaborating on specific causes. For a retailer built on physical disc sales, the structural headwinds are well-documented: digital downloads have reduced foot traffic, trade-in margins have compressed, and competition from online-only sellers has intensified across both markets.

EB Games NZ had been part of the EB Games chain under Frasers Group ownership since the parent company acquired the business. Frasers Group, controlled by retail magnate Mike Ashley, has been restructuring its retail holdings globally, closing underperforming stores and cutting costs where margins have turned negative.

Financial struggles

• Rough 2025 financial year cited in official announcement
• Parent company Frasers Group has been cutting costs globally
• Physical retail gaming has faced declining margins for years

2025 rough year

• No detailed financial breakdown provided by the company
• Industry analysts note shift in gaming purchase habits away from physical stores
• Pre-owned game market has contracted as digital libraries have grown

Which stores are shutting down in 2026?

In New Zealand, every single store is on the list. There are no exceptions, no regional carve-outs, no stores being retained as a smaller footprint. The January 31 deadline applies uniformly across the country. The Reddit announcement did not specify how many locations are affected, and the company has not released a store-by-store breakdown.

In Australia, three stores have been specifically named in reports: Airport West in Victoria, Cranbourne in Victoria, and Harbour Town in Queensland. Community posts on Australian gaming forums have tracked these closures as they have been announced, often with staff notifying local customers directly.

NZ full closure

• All locations shutting by January 31, 2026
• No stores being retained or transferred to new ownership
• Specific location count not publicly disclosed by the company

AU specific list

• Airport West (VIC) — closing January 2026
• Cranbourne (VIC) — closing January 2026
• Harbour Town (QLD) — closing January 17, 2026

What is happening at EB Games?

Closing sales have drawn notable crowds at several New Zealand locations, according to social media posts from the gaming community. Photos and videos show lines outside stores, with customers hunting for final deals before the January 31 shutdown. Gaming forums have been tracking the sales frenzy, with some describing the atmosphere as “busier than usual” for the chain.

The announcement itself arrived through Reddit, not through any official corporate communication channel. A post on the platform, attributed to what community members identified as an official EB Games account, laid out the closure plan and the timeline. This unconventional method of announcing a major business shutdown drew attention in itself, with some commentators noting the stark contrast to how such closures are typically handled by major retailers.

Closing sales rush

• Large crowds reported at NZ stores during closing sales
• Community posts on Reddit and gaming forums tracking the rush
• Some customers posting about finding deals, others about missing items they wanted

Proposals and announcements

• Announcement made via Reddit post, attributed to official EB Games account
• No press release from Frasers Group or EB Games corporate
• Community members verified the account as official through prior posts

Is EB Games closing in Australia?

Not in the same way as New Zealand. The three stores identified for closure represent a small fraction of EB Games’ Australian footprint, which has already been reduced significantly over the years. In 2020 alone, the company closed 20 Australian outlets as part of a broader restructuring effort during the pandemic period.

The closures scheduled for January 2026 follow that established pattern of gradual reduction rather than a coordinated shutdown. Unlike New Zealand’s clean sweep, Australia’s stores will continue operating across most locations, with those facing local lease or performance issues being resolved on a case-by-case basis. Community posts from Australian gaming sites have described the closures as “small number” events, without predicting any imminent national shutdown.

Limited closures

• Three stores confirmed for January 2026 closure
• No indication of broader Australian shutdown plans
• Other AU locations continuing normal operations

Ongoing operations

• Majority of Australian EB Games stores remain open
• No corporate announcement suggesting national withdrawal
• Parent company Frasers Group appears to be retaining AU operations

Timeline signal

The announcement came via Reddit rather than official corporate channels, which marks it as an unusual communication for a major retail shutdown. Community members identified the account as official based on prior activity, but the lack of a press release or investor statement is notable. The upshot is that Australian gamers are losing three specific locations but keeping the rest of the chain, a contrast that reflects different market conditions and presumably different assessments of viability by Frasers Group management, with the New Zealand Super 2025 increase also being a point of discussion. New Zealand Super 2025 increase

The timeline below tracks the key events leading up to the 2026 closures.

The phased approach in Australia contrasts sharply with the unified shutdown in New Zealand.

“These stores have been part of communities for years. Watching them close is hard for those of us who remember when gaming meant walking into a shop.”

— Community member on Australian gaming forum

“The crowds are bigger now than they’ve been in years. It’s a strange way for a retailer to go out—not with a whimper, but with one last rush.”

— Press Start (Australia gaming outlet)

For New Zealand gamers, the choice is stark: visit an EB Games store before January 31, or lose physical access to the chain entirely when the doors close. For Australian gamers in Airport West, Cranbourne, or Harbour Town, the same deadline applies locally. Everyone else keeps their store, but the pattern of closures suggests more pressure ahead if the financial picture does not improve. The era of walking into a dedicated gaming shop for every purchase is ending market by market, and New Zealand is the latest casualty.

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