Core Gaming

The Nashua outpost of a fifteen-year Salem operation, with a large trading card area covering Pokemon, Magic, and Yu-Gi-Oh next to the retro game wall.

Core Gaming spent more than fifteen years building a reputation in Salem before opening the Nashua store, and the Amherst Street location arrived with that playbook already worked out. Retro and modern video games anchor the floor, but the trading card area is large enough that plenty of customers come in for cards and never look at the console wall.

The card section spans Pokemon, Magic: The Gathering, and Yu-Gi-Oh in both singles and sealed. Because the shop is trade-driven, the singles case shifts with what walks through the door, which rewards repeat visits more than a single planned trip. Sealed product tracks current releases, and supplies are stocked for people who need a sleeve or a toploader on the spot.

Staff knowledge is the recurring theme in reviews, particularly for customers who are new to a game and trying to work out where to start. The counter will walk you through what a card is, what it is worth, and whether the sealed option or the singles route makes more sense for what you actually want. Trade-in pricing on video games draws the occasional grumble, though the card side has not attracted the same complaint.

Monday through Saturday the doors are open 10am to 8pm, with Sunday shortened to 11am to 5pm. Hours have shifted at least once recently, so a quick call is worth it if you are driving in for the tail end of the day.

Unit 6 sits on the Amherst Street strip, minutes from Route 101A, and shares the corridor with several other Nashua card shops. If you are running a loop, this and the neighbors make a reasonable afternoon.