Top Gaming Cities: 100 Best US Cities for Gamers in 2023

Privacy Journal has just completed a comprehensive study identifying the best US gaming cities. They meticulously compared the 100 largest U.S. cities by considering 17 key gamer-friendly indicators. These spanned from livability and internet quality to gaming community involvement, video game store access, education, and career opportunities.

There is no shortage of factors to consider when looking at cities in which you could potentially live. If you’re a gamer, in addition to all the other factors, you are probably considering what the best cities for gamers are in the U.S? Which gaming cities have the best internet infrastructure? Where is it easiest to buy physical games? 

Even though most cities have a solid selection of reliable and fast internet service providers, not all of them have plenty of video game stores, gaming conventions, or even small-scale organized meetups. Last but not least, if you’re a student, you may be considering video game college programs or a career in game development.

The PrivacyJournal team did the research, and after looking at the most populated cities in the United States, we came up with a list of the 100 best cities for gamers, ranking them overall and in several categories. Overall there were 17 factors considered, such as internet quality, availability of video game stores, gaming environment and culture, and study and career opportunities. 

Map of the 20 Best U.S. Gaming Cities

7 Key Takeaways: Best Cities for Gamers

1. New York City is the top city for gamers in the U.S., offering a thriving gaming community with a wide choice of conventions and meetups, and plenty of job opportunities.
2. Raleigh, North Carolina’s excellent livability and impressive internet infrastructure make it a prime choice for both at-home and on-the-move gamers who want speedy internet wherever they are. 
3. Plano, Texas, also has an excellent infrastructure and great livability, but the lack of gaming communities and low number of professional opportunities push it lower on the list. 
4. If you’re looking for blazing-fast mobile internet speeds, the cities that lead the pack are Kansas City, Missouri; Glendale, California; Scottsdale, Arizona; Columbus, Ohio; and Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, ensuring seamless online gaming experiences. 
5. If you want affordable internet, Aurora, Colorado; Portland, Oregon; and Indianapolis, Indiana, offer cost-effective internet plans without significantly compromising on quality. 
6. For prospective students, Los Angeles, New York City, and Houston lead the way when it comes to gaming-related university programs. 
7. The biggest names in the game development industry are established in San Francisco, Los Angeles, and New York City, making them prime locations for career growth and professional development.

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Best 100 US Gaming Cities: Overall Rank List

Overall Rank	City	Overall Score	Livability	Internet structure	Gaming Community & Retail Access	Gaming Career & Education
1	New York City, NY	55.1	45	30	3	3
2	Raleigh, NC	52.9	5	2	10	11
3	Tampa, FL	50.4	13	10	9	22
4	Los Angeles, CA	49.0	80	65	8	1
5	Orlando, FL	48.4	76	73	2	7
6	Columbus, OH	47.0	18	13	12	36
7	Frisco, TX	46.7	19	6	17	29
8	Austin, TX	46.5	52	4	36	4
9	Jacksonville, FL	46.0	28	19	7	90
10	Plano, TX	45.9	2	1	80	40
11	Pittsburgh, PA	45.6	26	17	16	21
12	Houston, TX	45.3	75	66	5	10
13	Las Vegas, NV	45.0	31	51	4	74
14	Garland, TX	44.2	9	7	33	28
15	Jersey City, NJ	44.1	1	5	88	14
16	San Antonio, TX	43.8	82	14	20	16
17	Portland, OR	43.6	95	9	14	71
18	San Francisco, CA	42.8	97	38	28	2
19	Irvine, CA	42.2	23	28	65	5
20	North Las Vegas, NV	41.9	48	36	13	57
21	Atlanta, GA	41.9	43	88	6	12
22	Virginia Beach, VA	41.2	6	12	39	86
23	Miami, FL	41.0	71	97	1	37
24	Cincinnati, OH	40.9	40	70	11	45
25	San Diego, CA	40.1	35	44	19	47
26	Seattle, WA	40.1	41	46	38	9
27	Philadelphia, PA	39.9	14	48	47	13
28	Louisville, KY	39.7	32	25	29	58
29	Scottsdale, AZ	39.6	36	11	68	48
30	Madison, WI	38.9	10	67	24	41
31	Kansas City, KS	38.9	65	3	73	79
32	Gilbert, AZ	38.8	29	15	82	43
33	Chesapeake, VA	38.8	47	8	83	75
34	Charlotte, NC	38.7	22	27	61	33
35	Aurora, CO	38.7	90	24	21	83
36	Indianapolis, IN	38.6	27	20	43	81
37	Sacramento, CA	38.5	42	56	23	42
38	Arlington, VA	38.4	64	22	37	54
39	Fort Wayne, IN	38.2	24	26	50	64
40	Chandler, AZ	37.9	30	16	78	72
41	Phoenix, AZ	37.6	50	71	22	31
42	San Jose, CA	37.6	55	43	30	51
43	Oklahoma City, OK	37.5	69	32	32	59
44	Boston, MA	37.2	12	74	64	17
45	Santa Ana, CA	37.1	78	23	96	8
46	Anaheim, CA	37.0	87	50	79	6
47	Nashville, TN	36.8	49	18	89	52
48	Chicago, IL	36.7	7	83	34	18
49	Colorado Springs, CO	36.7	53	34	42	65
50	Richmond, VA	36.4	11	84	15	76
51	Durham, NC	36.3	34	60	44	39
52	Dallas, TX	36.3	38	94	18	19
53	Boise, ID	36.1	8	45	84	53
54	Glendale, CA	36.0	37	29	90	35
55	Fort Worth, TX	35.7	39	40	46	82
56	Tucson, AZ	35.7	85	57	26	70
57	Newark, NJ	35.5	3	62	100	15
58	Mesa, AZ	35.4	57	35	77	50
59	Long Beach, CA	35.4	86	21	93	30
60	Riverside, CA	35.3	91	68	40	23
61	Lexington, KY	35.1	46	47	53	80
62	Wichita, KS	35.1	84	31	60	66
63	Irving, TX	34.6	4	87	45	27
64	Henderson, NV	34.6	54	33	85	68
65	Denver, CO	34.5	98	59	35	38
66	Corpus Christi, TX	34.2	61	58	55	67
67	Chula Vista, CA	34.1	74	49	75	56
68	Minneapolis, MN	34.1	73	55	70	46
69	Spokane, WA	34.0	93	53	31	96
70	Milwaukee, WI	34.0	59	64	52	62
71	Fresno, CA	33.8	60	81	27	73
72	San Bernardino, CA	33.5	79	54	66	63
73	Winston-Salem, NC	33.4	77	75	54	34
74	Norfolk, VA	33.0	56	78	59	44
75	El Paso, TX	32.9	15	77	62	95
76	Bakersfield, CA	32.7	72	37	87	100
77	Baltimore, MD	32.7	17	92	69	20
78	Albuquerque, NM	32.7	67	76	56	60
79	Lincoln, NE	32.6	16	52	92	98
80	Honolulu, HI	32.5	92	41	81	93
81	Omaha, NE	32.1	25	69	86	94
82	Cleveland, OH	32.0	58	93	41	25
83	Greensboro, NC	31.9	62	79	48	84
84	Port St. Lucie, FL	31.5	20	63	94	87
85	St. Petersburg, FL	31.4	63	61	91	78
86	Lubbock, TX	31.4	89	80	51	69
87	St. Louis, MO	31.4	100	86	25	24
88	Buffalo, NY	31.0	44	82	57	92
89	Washington, DC	31.0	93	53	31	96
90	St. Paul, MN	30.5	83	39	99	77
91	Oakland, CA	30.3	99	42	95	49
92	Tulsa, OK	28.6	94	85	63	61
93	Reno, NV	28.0	81	89	72	89
94	Detroit, MI	27.5	51	90	98	32
95	New Orleans, LA	27.5	66	95	67	55
96	Stockton, CA	27.0	88	91	71	99
97	Anchorage, AK	26.4	70	96	58	97
98	Laredo, TX	26.3	21	99	49	88
99	Toledo, OH	25.5	33	98	76	85
100	Memphis, TN	22.1	96	100	74	91

Table Notes:

• ^{1 = Best}
• ^{Livability: Cost of living + safety + average salary}
• ^{Internet Infrastructure: Mobile internet speed + fixed broadband internet speed + fiber Coverage + cost of internet + number and percentage of households with internet access + number and percentage of households with computers}
• ^{Gaming Community & Retail Access: GameStop Store (per 100K residents) + Best Buy stores (pre 100K residents) + video game convention + video game meetups + ages of 15 to 44}
• ^{Gaming Career and Education: Video game job openings (per 100K residents) + university programs related to gaming + number of video-game companies}

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Conclusion

Privacy Journal‘s research revealed some interesting things. For example, gamers care about multiple things when choosing a city to live in — having a good internet infrastructure, but also meetups and conventions where they can share their passion for playing video games. It’s also important that the city has job openings, university programs, and even scholarship opportunities in the industry.

All of this resulted in some rather amusing ranks. For example, Los Angeles came in 80th in the livability rankings and 65th when it comes to internet infrastructure. However, the fact that it has an excellent gaming community and retail access and the best career and education opportunities pushed it to an overall fourth place. 

It’s not the only upset on our list, though, with plenty of small things impacting the overall total score of many cities. Which rank surprised you most on our list? Was it San Francisco’s absolutely horrendous livability score or Plano’s top-notch internet infrastructure and fairly low cost of living?

For a more in-depth look at Privacy Journal‘s research visit their website here

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