GameStop Pre-owned Games Don't Work: Simple Solutions

Get your games working again with this simple fixes

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Key notes

  • If your GameStop pre-owned games are not working, it might be due to problems from the manufacturer's end.
  • You can fix this issue for good by cleaning the disk with a soft cloth.
Deus Ex - Gamestop pre-owned games don't work

If your visit to GameStop concluded in buying some pre-owned games that don’t work, you are not the only one. A large number of people have complained that most of the used games they bought from GameStop either don’t open the game at all.

This can be extremely frustrating, especially if you manage to play the game and get lost in the virtual world, only for the game to get stuck while trying to read some of the most important parts of the story.

In today’s article, we will explore some of the best things you can try to fix or replace your broken Blu-ray game.

What can I do if my GameStop pre-owned games don’t work?

1. Clean the disk with a soft cloth

This method has worked wonders in the past with dirty CDs, and it can still be applied today with the Blu-ray disks that contain your games.

Even though this method can’t fix the scratches found on the disk, it will allow you to remove any residue that might affect your game’s capability of being read properly.

This is what you will need to be able to clean the disk:

  • rubbing alcohol (Isopropyl alcohol), or toothpaste
  • microfiber cloth
  • water

Follow these steps to clean the disk properly:

  1. Get some rubbing alcohol on your cloth. (or spread some toothpaste on the surface of the disc)
  2. Gently rub the disc using the cloth by brushing the alcohol outward from the center of the disc in straight lines (if using toothpaste, rub with a cloth gently and then clean with water).
  3. Rinse the disc with mid-temperature water to remove any residue.
  4. Lean the disc on a stable surface and let it completely air dry for the best results.
  5. Insert the disc in your system and check to see if it works.

2. Contact GameStop for a refund

In the case the above method didn’t work, the only thing you can do is to return the disc to GameStop and ask for a refund.

Depending on your exact location, the policy for returning discs will vary. Generally, you have 30 days to return any damaged disk to GameStop. You can either get shop credit for the value of the disc/discs or a full refund.

In this article, we explored the best methods to deal with the issue caused by GameStop’s pre-owned games not working.

We hope cleaning the disc as mentioned above managed to make your favorite game run normally. If that is not the case, you can always contact GameStop and try to change your game.

Please feel free to let us know if this guide helped you in any way. You can do this by simply using the comment section found below.

More about the topics: Game issues