GAME Retail Limited, company number 07837246, is recorded as in administration on the Companies House register, following the appointment of joint administrators from KR8 Advisory. Reported creditor claims total around £15.8 million, including roughly £12 million owed to unsecured creditors, a group that includes shoppers holding unredeemed gift cards or pre-order deposits.
TL;DR · LAST REVIEWED 21 July 2026
- GAME Retail Limited has been confirmed as in administration, with joint administrators from KR8 Advisory now managing the process.
- The retailer's remaining high street stores had already closed before this update became public.
- This guide explains what UK insolvency law actually says about gift cards, pre-order deposits, warranties and card payments when any retailer collapses, using GAME as the working example.
How your GAME purchase is protected, by payment method
| Credit card, £100 to £30,000 | Section 75 of the Consumer Credit Act 1974 makes the card issuer jointly liable with the retailer | Your credit card provider |
| Debit card, any amount | No statutory right, but card scheme chargeback rules may allow a claim, usually within a limited window after payment | Your bank or card issuer |
| Gift card or store credit | No statutory protection; the balance becomes an unsecured claim against the company | The administrator, via a Proof of Debt |
| Cash, bank transfer or cheque | No card-based protection available; the amount becomes an unsecured claim | The administrator, via a Proof of Debt |
| Faulty item already delivered | Consumer Rights Act 2015 rights still exist in law but have limited practical value against an insolvent company | The administrator, or a card-based claim if available |
Source: House of Commons Library, GOV.UK
KEY FACTS
- Company status: GAME Retail Limited, company number 07837246, is listed as "In Administration" on the Companies House register.
- Administrators: joint administrators from KR8 Advisory are managing the case; the company's registered office has moved to their Manchester address.
- Reported debts: creditor claims are reported at around £15.8 million in total, roughly £3.5 million owed to a secured creditor and £12 million owed to unsecured creditors.
- Stores: Companies House records administration as starting 24 February 2026, the same point at which GAME's last standalone high street shops closed. The business had already narrowed to concessions inside Sports Direct and House of Fraser before that; press reports are inconsistent on whether those concessions are still trading, so check locally rather than assume either way.
- Ownership: GAME has traded under Frasers Group ownership since 2019; this is the second time the Game brand has entered administration, after 2011 to 2012.
- Creditor ranking: shoppers owed money for gift cards, vouchers or undelivered pre-orders rank as unsecured creditors, behind secured lenders and certain employee claims.
What does it mean that GAME Retail Limited is in administration?
Administration is a formal UK insolvency process. An appointed administrator takes control of the company to try to rescue it as a going concern, achieve a better outcome for creditors than an immediate wind-up, or realise assets to repay secured and preferential creditors. It is a distinct legal status from liquidation, which closes a company down for good.
For GAME Retail Limited, the Companies House record now shows a company status of In Administration, with the registered office moved to the Manchester address of KR8 Advisory, the firm whose partners were reported as joint administrators. That is the clearest official confirmation available to shoppers and creditors, and it sits alongside filings on the company's page at Companies House and any notices published in the Gazette, the official insolvency record. Administration comes with a legal moratorium, a period during which most creditors are prevented from taking legal action to recover what they are owed while the administrator works out the best way forward. This is the second time the Game brand has gone through the process. The original Game Group entered administration in 2011, before the business and assets were bought out and continued trading as Game Retail Limited from 2012 under, eventually, Frasers Group ownership from 2019. Companies House records administration as having started on 24 February 2026, the same point at which GAME's last standalone high street shops closed. The business had already narrowed to concessions inside Sports Direct and House of Fraser before that, and press reporting on whether those concessions are still trading is inconsistent, so anyone near one should check locally rather than assume either way. For most former customers, the practical questions now are about money already paid, a gift card, a pre-order or a faulty item, rather than about goods still to collect from a shop.
What happens to GAME gift cards and store credit?
Unredeemed GAME gift cards and store credit carry no statutory protection. Once a retailer enters administration, the person holding a card becomes an unsecured creditor for whatever balance is left on it, and the administrator has no legal duty to keep accepting cards, even though some administrations choose to honour them for commercial reasons.
House of Commons Library research on company insolvency sets this out clearly: a gift card is really a pre-payment, an exchange of money now for goods later, and if the retailer collapses before that promise is fulfilled the cardholder simply joins the queue of unsecured creditors. That queue is paid, if at all, after secured lenders and certain preferential claims, most commonly some employee entitlements, have been dealt with first. There is no equivalent of the Financial Services Compensation Scheme for gift cards, because they are not regulated as a financial product. Past retail collapses illustrate the range of outcomes. Some administrators have continued to accept vouchers, at least for a limited period, purely because it supports trading value during the sale process. Others have stopped honouring them from the day of appointment. Whether GAME gift cards are still being accepted is a decision for the administrators, not a matter of consumer right, so the only reliable way to check is through the administrator's own updates on the company's Companies House page rather than social media or old GAME channels, which may not be maintained during the process.
Can shoppers get refunds on GAME pre-orders and deposits?
A deposit or pre-order payment made directly to GAME is treated the same way as a gift card balance: an unsecured claim against the company. The realistic route to a refund is usually the payment method used, not the insolvency process itself.
If the pre-order was paid for on a credit card and the amount was between £100 and £30,000, Section 75 of the Consumer Credit Act 1974 makes the card provider jointly and severally liable alongside the retailer for the same breach of contract. That means a claim can go straight to the card issuer instead of waiting on the outcome of the administration, and it applies to the full transaction value even if only part of it was put on the card. Debit card payments do not carry a statutory equivalent, but the major card schemes run voluntary chargeback processes that can produce a similar result, usually within a set number of days of the original payment, so time matters. Payments made by cash, bank transfer or cheque have no card-based fallback at all, which leaves the Proof of Debt route as the only option, and recovery through that route is often partial or nil once administrators' fees and higher-ranking creditors have been paid. Keeping the order confirmation, payment reference and any delivery correspondence makes either claim easier to evidence.
Do statutory consumer rights still apply to goods already bought?
Rights under the Consumer Rights Act 2015, covering goods that are faulty, not as described or not fit for purpose, do not disappear because a retailer enters administration. What changes is how realistic it is to enforce them against a company with no trading income and creditors ahead of the queue.
In practice, a claim for a faulty item bought from GAME before administration is legally valid but sits in the same unsecured creditor category as a gift card balance or an unfulfilled pre-order, competing for whatever funds the administrators eventually have available to distribute. That is why, wherever a card payment is available to fall back on, pursuing Section 75 or a chargeback tends to produce a faster and more complete outcome than relying on statutory consumer rights alone. Shoppers who paid in a way with no card-based protection, and whose item was faulty, are not without any right, but should expect the claim to be dealt with as part of the general unsecured creditor process rather than resolved quickly. Retaining proof of purchase, photographs of the fault and any prior correspondence about a return or repair strengthens a claim regardless of which route ends up being pursued.
How do unsecured creditors actually get paid, if at all?
Creditors are paid in a fixed legal order: secured creditors first, then certain preferential debts such as some employee claims, and only then unsecured creditors from whatever remains, usually split pro-rata rather than paid in full.
Official government guidance for insolvency practitioners describes unsecured creditors typically receiving a proportion of what they are owed, sometimes only a small fraction, rather than the full amount, because there is rarely enough left once higher-ranking claims and the costs of running the administration itself have been covered. For GAME Retail Limited, reported figures put the total creditor claims at around £15.8 million, with roughly £12 million of that owed to unsecured creditors, the category that includes trade suppliers as well as any customers still owed money. Whether that group receives anything meaningful will depend on how much the administrators are able to realise from the company's remaining assets once the secured creditor and the costs of the process have been paid. None of this is guaranteed or quick. Formal updates are published to the company's page on the Companies House register at set intervals during an administration, and that remains the most reliable place to check progress rather than news aggregation or social media speculation, which tend to move faster than the actual process.
How to register a claim as an unsecured creditor
- Find who is managing the case. Search the company's page on the Companies House register or the Gazette's insolvency notices for the appointed administrator's contact details.
- Gather your evidence. Keep gift card balances, order confirmations, payment references and any GAME correspondence showing exactly what you are owed.
- Check the £1,000 threshold. If you are owed £1,000 or less, you generally only need to give the administrator your contact details and the amount. Above that, a Proof of Debt form is usually required.
- Try card-based protection first. A Section 75 claim on a qualifying credit card payment, or a debit card chargeback, is normally faster than waiting on the insolvency process.
- Watch official updates, not rumour. Administrators publish progress reports to the company's register at set points; treat those as the primary source over social media.
RELATED GUIDES
- Getting an Overdraft Fee Refunded: When Banks Actually Say Yes
- Before You Buy Sainsbury's Bank Pet Insurance: Administration, NatWest Transfer and What to Verify First
- PCP Refunds 4U Ltd: FCA Warning - Not Authorised (19 June 2026)
- Monevium Ltd Enters Special Administration: What Customers Must Do Before 13 August 2026
- More UK business regulation and consumer rights coverage
DISCLAIMER
This article explains the general legal position for UK consumers when a retailer enters administration, using GAME Retail Limited as a current example. It does not constitute financial or legal advice, and it is not connected to or endorsed by GAME Retail Limited, Frasers Group or KR8 Advisory. Outcomes depend on decisions made by the appointed administrators and the assets available to the company, and will vary case by case. Anyone with a specific claim should contact the administrators directly using the details published on the company's Companies House record, or seek independent legal advice.
Frequently asked questions
Will GAME gift cards still be honoured after administration?
That is a decision for the appointed administrators, not a consumer right. Some retail administrations continue accepting vouchers for a period to support trading value, others stop immediately. The reliable way to check is the administrator's own updates published to the company's Companies House record, rather than GAME's old website or social accounts.
Is a GAME pre-order deposit protected if it was paid by debit card?
There is no statutory equivalent to Section 75 for debit cards, but the card schemes operate voluntary chargeback rules that can produce a refund in similar circumstances. These usually have a time limit measured from the original payment date, so contacting the card issuer promptly matters.
What is the difference between administration and liquidation?
Administration is aimed at rescuing the company, achieving a better result for creditors than an immediate wind-up, or realising assets in an orderly way, and it comes with legal protection from creditor action while that happens. Liquidation ends the company's trading permanently and sells off assets to repay creditors, with no attempt at rescue.
Do shoppers need to do anything if they are only owed a small amount?
Where the amount owed is £1,000 or less, government guidance indicates that giving the administrator your contact details and the sum owed is usually enough, without needing to complete a full Proof of Debt form. Above that threshold, the formal form is generally required.
Where can shoppers find official updates on the GAME Retail administration?
The company's own page on the Companies House register, searchable by its company number 07837246, carries the current status and links to filings. Formal insolvency notices are also published in the Gazette, the UK's official public record for this kind of announcement.
SOURCES
- Companies House, GAME RETAIL LIMITED insolvency register (company number 07837246) – accessed 21 July 2026
- GOV.UK, Register as a creditor in a bankruptcy or liquidation – accessed 21 July 2026
- GOV.UK, Technical guidance for Official Receivers: creditors and liabilities – accessed 21 July 2026
- legislation.gov.uk, Consumer Credit Act 1974, Section 75 – accessed 21 July 2026
- legislation.gov.uk, Consumer Rights Act 2015 – accessed 21 July 2026
- House of Commons Library, Company insolvency FAQs – accessed 21 July 2026
