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GameFAQs Review

Worth it

Should I use GameFAQs?

Free fan-written video game FAQs, cheats, reviews, and message boards since 1995 - gamefaqs.gamespot.com

· 1 month ago

Use it if you're stuck on an older game and want a fan-written text walkthrough — it's free and still the go-to archive for retro titles. Skip it if you learn from video or want modern wiki-style guides.

Confidence

Medium. Based on 20+ public sources; heavy on Reddit discussion and site pages, no formal review ratings found.

Ratings

  • Value for money
  • Ease of use
  • Feature depth
  • Support qualityNo support evidence found
  • Security postureNo public vulnerability reports found

Pricing

$0

Free

ModelNot disclosed
Monthly feesNot disclosed
HardwareNot disclosed
Free tierYes

Best for

  • Retro gamers stuck mid-game
  • Text-walkthrough purists
  • Completionists hunting obscure titles
  • Old-school forum dwellers

Not for

  • Video learners — YouTube walkthroughs fit better
  • Modern-game players wanting wiki-style quick answers
  • Anyone allergic to old-school forum culture
  • Buyers expecting support, SLAs, or anything to purchase

Gotchas - check before you buy

medium

Owned by Fandom since 2022 (with GameSpot, Metacritic); long-term direction tied to Fandom

medium

Board culture clashes pushed some 20-year veterans to quit entirely

low

Free site means no support SLA; outages tracked on third-party status pages

low

Guess: Fandom monetizes via display ads, so expect cluttered pages

Pros and cons

Pros

  • Massive fan-written walkthrough archive dating back to 1995
  • Still called the definitive walkthrough source for retro gamers in 2025
  • Free, with active message boards covering nearly every game
  • Survived YouTube, wikis, and Reddit — still running and updated

Cons

  • Dated text-heavy site; YouTube, wikis, Reddit eroded relevance
  • Some longtime users call the community hostile and left
  • Volunteer-written guides; depth and quality vary by title
  • History of deleting "negative" reader reviews

Sources & method

- 11 sources - No known vulnerabilities found in the sources reviewed.

official x1review x6security x2news x2

Key stats

  • Value for money: 5/5

    Rating

  • $0

    Starting price

  • 11

    Sources

  • Analyzed

  • Value for money: 5/5. Free, decades of content
  • Ease of use: 3/5. Dated, text-heavy interface
  • Feature depth: 4/5. Guides, cheats, reviews, boards, videos
  • Support quality. No support evidence found
  • Security posture. No public vulnerability reports found
  • 1995 Founded One of the earliest gaming sites on the web
  • 40,000+ FAQs & guides Fan-contributed, per site homepage
  • $0 Price No paid tiers found in sources
  • Fandom Owner Acquired with GameSpot and Metacritic, 2022

Pricing

Free

$0

  • All walkthroughs, cheats, reviews, boards
  • Free account needed to post

Security

No known vulnerabilities found in the sources reviewed.

What users say

Retro-gaming loyalists call it the definitive walkthrough archive, while critics find the site and boards dated and sometimes hostile.

“Even in 2025, I still use GameFAQs”
Reddit, r/retrogaming
“Its honestly impressive that gamefaqs is still running”
Reddit, r/gamefaqs
“GameFAQs is a cesspit and it was time to leave for good.”
Reddit, r/gamefaqs

Alternatives

Compare GameFAQs with each alternative.

  • Game-specific wikis and Reddit

    Faster, community-maintained answers for new releases

Full analysis

Based on 20+ public sources; heavy on Reddit discussion and site pages, no formal review ratings found.

Free text walkthroughs still king for retro games; dated site and boards — skip if you want video guides.

Methodology

Based on 20+ public sources; heavy on Reddit discussion and site pages, no formal review ratings found.

Read how a report is made.

Sources

  1. GameFAQs - Video Game Cheats, Reviews, FAQs, Message Boardsgamefaqs.gamespot.com
    official
  2. Even in 2025, I still use GameFAQs - r/retrogamingreddit.com
    review
  3. It's honestly impressive that gamefaqs is still running - r/gamefaqsreddit.com
    review
  4. GameFAQs is a cesspit and it was time to leave - r/gamefaqsreddit.com
    review
  5. Decided to leave gamefaqs after nearly 20 years - r/gamefaqsreddit.com
    review
  6. Fandom acquires GameSpot, Metacritic, GameFAQs - TechSpottechspot.com
    news
  7. GameFAQs Alternatives - AlternativeToalternativeto.net
    review
  8. GameFAQs deleting "negative" PSP Reader Reviews - Nintendo World Reportnintendoworldreport.com
    news
  9. What motivates GameFAQs walkthrough authors - ResearchGateresearchgate.net
    review
  10. Is Gamefaqs.com down? Live statusdownforeveryoneorjustme.com
    security
  11. GameFAQs security pagegamefaqs.gamespot.com
    security

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