4 Great Game Shops In Seoul To Play or Shop
If you’re new to Korea, it can be tough to find a place to go and hang out with other people or to just find like minded people. If you’re interested in playing games in Korea, though, I’ve got some cool places you can go in Seoul. Some are better if you have people to bring, while others will allow you to meet someone or multiple people right then and there to hang out and play games. If you are a fan of board games, card games—especially Magic: The Gathering, or just analog games in general, these are the places you are going to want to visit during your time in Seoul.
A Quick Guide To The Game Shops:
- Best places for card games like Magic: The Gathering: Rolling Dice and KindleShop
- Best place to meet foreigners, play Dungeons & Dragons, and make friends: The Diced Latte
- Best place to play games with friends: Dalmuti Game Lounge
Which game shop in Seoul do you want to check out?
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KindleShop
If you want great deals on cards from Magic, Pokemon, and Yugioh, or even a place to buy dice and other analog-game-related products—Kindle Shop is one of the best of the best options. Their products are around 10% cheaper than those back in the United States currently due to the current currency exchange. This allows you to get more bang for your buck.
They have a lot of English cards as well as Korean. The one caveat is that a lot of the older Korean magic cards cost a hefty sum more than their English counterparts if they were printed back around 2012-13. The staff are incredibly friendly there and have two English-speaking employees if you haven’t learned Korean yet. For any specific cards, you can type what you’re looking for on their website and see what they have in stock. You can do this while you’re at home, or on the computers in their store.
It’s truly a paradise for any analog gamer. There are many tables to hang out and play, as well as many cool posters, artwork, and rows and rows of rare and expensive cards that are difficult to find in good condition back in the United States when it comes to Pokemon, Yugioh, and especially Magic: The Gathering.
As stated earlier, there are people that speak English at the shop. I even played a game with two patrons and one of the employees during a weekend and had a great time, despite only hearing what the other two thought through the English speaker. They were all very considerate. They have both English and Korean tournaments for some of the card games that take place on the weekend.
It’s an especially fun experience to be able to go there with friends and just play whatever game you want to play. If you just want to buy deck boxes, dice, sleeves, or cards, then one of the English-speaking employees would be happy to help you, and may even ask if you wanted to play in one of their tournaments whenever they come up.
Plan A Trip
- Address: 197 Achasan-ro, Gwangjin-gu, Seoul (서울시 광진구 아차산로 197)
- Admission: Free
- Days: Monday – Sunday
- Hours: 12:00pm ~ 10:00pm
- Notices: There is a public bathroom right before you come in on the third floor.
- Website: MTG KindleShop
The Diced Latte (다이스 라떼)
If you are a fan of comic books, board games, Magic: The Gathering, or D&D, and if you like great food and beverages while you play any of those games, then you will love the Diced Latte! The owner has lived in Seoul for a long time and created the shop back in 2015. He’s a pool of knowledge for anything game related and is a very pleasant guy to talk and play with. He will make sure you feel right at home the second you walk in.
They have rows and rows of comic books for sale, an arcade machine to play with while you wait for your food, and tables to sit and play with your friends. The comics are cheap and it only costs around W5,000 per hour to hang out and game on the tables. They also host a lot of events like card game tournaments, comic book artist signings, and nights dedicated to Dungeons & Dragon sessions.
There are rows and rows of comic books to check out as well as many containers, labeled with different marvel, DC, and other comics that you can get for around W3,000! They have a deluge of posters from comics and games, as well as many figures and even a few rare cards. On top of that, it’s very comfortable to just hang out there and enjoy reading or playing.
Unlike the other three locations that are Korean-owned, The Diced Latte’s owner hails from Idaho, U.S.A. He was a former teacher at a university in Seoul and has a lot of knowledge about all the other game shops as well since many others are focused more on the card side of games, while he is more on a general game store.
Many foreign teachers from around the globe come to hang out and play during the night, and they are always happy to have more people to chat with or play with. If you want to go to a place that will make you feel at home, despite being thousands of miles away, this is your best spot when it comes to playing games—especially D & D.
Plan A Trip
- Address: 93 Cheonho-daero 83-gil, Dongdaemun-gu, Seoul (서울 동대문구 천호대로83길 93)
- Admission: Free
- Days: Monday-Sunday
- Hours: Monday – Friday: 2:00pm ~ 10:00pm; Saturday & Sunday: 11:00am ~ 1:00AM
- Notices: It’s American-owned, so you expect to be able to converse with fellow English speakers there if you are interested. If you want to play games there with multiple people on the weekend, it is better to come earlier than later since many foreigners, as well as locals, come in quite frequently to play with their friends. Also, they are moving to a more spacious location in the middle of July, so there will be even more space for people to play.
- Website: Diced Latte
Rolling Dice (롤링다이스)
This store is very big into Magic: The Gathering, while also providing a section where you can purchase board games. That being said, it’s really a nice place to play card games. They have an insurmountable amount of products and even a computer where you can search up the cards. If you ask, they can supply you with binders full of single MTG cards, booster boxes full of packs from sets from the past few years, as well as boxes full of dollar singles that you can look through after you ask them to bring them out.
They host a lot of Magic events and have a similar amount of tables as Kindle Shop, but they have more English boxes of different MTG sets than Kindle. You’ll be overwhelmed by the sheer number of open boxes containing card packs at their counter.
It’s both cool and crazy that they can keep MTG sets from five years ago. They even have more sealed boxes of the product behind them. There are displays with rows and rows of different card sleeves for any card game, deck boxes, and a row exclusively for board games.
They do have English-speaking employees if you don’t speak Korean. It’s another place where you can play in card game tournaments like MTG pre-releases or just play games at the tables with a similar time fee as Diced Latte. They are all very friendly and have a lot of new products in stock that are in English if you are looking for a reduced price on Magic goods thanks to the current currency exchange rates.
Plan A Trip
- Address: 193 Donggyo-ro, Mapo-gu, Seoul (서울 마포구 동교로 193)
- Admission: Free
- Days: Closed Monday
- Hours: Monday – Friday: 3:00pm – 11pm; Saturday & Sunday: 2:00pm ~ 11:00pm
- Notices: There is a bathroom within the store as well as trash cans.
- Website: Rolling Dice
Dalmuti Game (달무티교대)
Dalmuti is more of a lounge or club than a game store. It’s a place to relax and have fun while getting drinks. They don’t sell much outside of drinks and board games, so come there with the intention of playing with some friends. It’s a smaller shop than the other three but built for the enjoyment of its customers.
There is a myriad of board games to use as well as a bar to drink while you play with your buddies. It’s a place where you should never be alone, so make sure to bring a friend or two if you plan to go to the lounge. The space on the right side is all taken up by the magnificent bar, while a few tables take up the middle part of the room. On the left are rows of black bookshelves containing board games that are mostly in English. You can order drinks with no problems, so it should still be a great experience and fun time.
Plan A Trip
- Address: 18 Seocho-daero 58-gil, Seocho-dong, Seocho-gu, Seoul (서울특별시 서초구 서초동 서초대로58길 18)
- Days: Closed Monday
- Hours: Monday – Friday: 4:00pm – 12:00am; Saturday & Sunday:1:00pm ~ 12:00am
- Notices: It’s the smallest of all the locations.
- Website: Dalmuti
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One Comment
Harriet Chase
Asher Chase, you did great resesrch and wrote a very informative/ well written article on where to game in Seoul, even including the specific directions for getting there! Very impressive!