Games Plus

Games Plus is a hobby game store at 101 W Prospect Ave in Mount Prospect, Illinois, open since 1982. It is a general tabletop shop rather than a card-only counter: roleplaying games, miniatures, board games and collectible card games share the floor, with a large game room in back. It suits Magic: The Gathering players who want a weekly Commander night, and anyone who likes a store with a long local memory and a big twice-yearly auction.

What's on the shelves

Over four decades the store has carried roleplaying games, miniatures games, board games of every stripe (euro, family, conflict, historical), paints, tabletop scenery and hobby magazines, along with collectible and living card games. On the card side, the store's games are Magic: The Gathering and Star Wars: Unlimited. The store also stocks new tabletop releases as they arrive, including recent roleplaying books and zines for Dungeons & Dragons 5e, Dungeon Crawl Classics, Mutant Crawl Classics and Traveller.

Weekly play

Monday nights are casual Commander, and the same evening hosts a weekly Dungeon Crawl Classics roleplaying group from 6 to 10 PM that has room for new players.

Organized play and events

Magic prerelease events run when a new set has just launched, in place of the regular Monday night. A prerelease for the Hobbit set, for example, was held on a Monday, August 10, at the usual time. The store also runs periodic demo events with game designers and has exhibited at GenCon.

The auction

The auction is the store's signature event, held twice a year, in March and October, with more than 6,000 items brought in by the local community. Sellers receive 100% store credit for what their item sells for, with no fees. Each category gets its own night or day: the fall 2026 schedule put collectible and trading card games, along with magazines, deck boxes and accessories, on a Wednesday night at 7 PM, with a preview when doors open at 6 PM. That sale covers collections and sealed product, and it can turn up older collectible games. Historical and conflict games go on Thursday, roleplaying games on Friday, euro and family board games on Saturday morning, and miniatures on Sunday. The game room closes for a day beforehand so the store can set up.

The game room

The game room has a dozen tables for board games, crafting, roleplaying and miniatures. Tables are first come, first served, and reservations are accepted and recommended. Weekly and monthly groups use the space, and the store also hosts a monthly miniatures day.

Hours

Holiday hours differ: the store has closed early on Christmas Eve and closed on Christmas Day and on July 4th for the downtown parade.

Getting there

The store sits about a block west of the Mount Prospect Metra station on the Yellow line, in a bright blue building with a red door, and just off the 234 bus stop.

History

Games Plus has served the Chicago area hobby crowd since 1982, which puts it well past 40 years in business.

The local scene

Several stores sit within a few miles: Turbo Toyz Collectibles and Game Knight Armory in Prospect Heights, each about 2.2 miles away, a Digimon Card Game group and a One Piece Card Game group in Arlington Heights at about 2.5 and 2.6 miles, and R S Cards in Des Plaines at about 2.9 miles. For card shows, the Vernon Hills Card Expo is the closest, about 10.6 miles away, with its next date on November 15, 2026. Farther out, the Chicago Card Show and Chaser's Cards & Collectibles Exchange Show both start November 8, and Pokemon and TCG at the station starts November 7.