How to Fix ‘Access Denied’ Error When Visiting GameStop Website?

GameStop is one of the largest gaming merchandise retailers and mainly deals in video games and consumer electronics. A lot of users reported to fail to access the GameStop website with the access denied error, as shown in the image:

The issue is nearly reported on all the major browsers like Chrome, Firefox, Safari, etc. Also, the issue is reported to affect all desktop operating systems including Windows, macOS, Linux, etc. as well as mobile operating systems including Android, and iOS.

What Causes the Access Denied GameStop Issue?

The GameStop website may show an access denied error message mainly for the following reasons:

Corrupt Cookies and Cache of the Browser: If multi-persons used a system to log into the GameStop website, then the stored cookies of these logins or expired cookies may become corrupt, leading to no access issue on GameStop.
ISP Restrictions: If your ISP is restricting access to the GameStop website based on any rules like NSFW, then you may fail to access the GameStop website.
Blockage of the GameStop Website by the Security Product: If your security or privacy product (like SurfShark) is configured to block access to the GameStop website, then you may not be able to access GameStop.
Blacklisting of the System/ Device’s IP by GameStop: Keep in mind that if you refresh the GameStop page again and again in a short period (especially pressing the F5 key) may make the GameStop servers “think” that your IP is triggering a DDoS attack and it may blacklist your device’s IP. This can be very true if no device on your network can access GameStop.

Try Incognito or InPrivate Mode of the Browser

If any of the browser extensions or its cookies/data are corrupt, then you may fail to access the GameStop website. Here you can fix GameStop access denied by trying the incognito or InPrivate mode of the browser. But before proceeding, make sure the GameStop website is up and running from Down-Detector or a similar website.

Launch the Chrome browser and open the Chrome menu by clicking on three vertical ellipses, near the top right.
Now select New Incognito Window and in the new Chrome window, head to the GameStop website to check if it is working fine.

Open New Incognito Mode in Chrome

If you can access the GameStop website without issue in the Incognito (or InPrivate) mode of the browser, then make sure none of the extensions or add-ins especially, adblockers, etc. are not causing the issue.

Clear the Browser Cookies and Cache

GameStop website might show the access denied error if the browser cookies or cache is corrupt. In such a case, clearing the browser cookies and cache will fix the issue. For elucidation, we will discuss the process of clearing the Chrome browser cookies and cache.

Delete GameStop Cookies

Launch the Chrome browser and navigate to the GameStop website.
Now, in the address bar of Chrome, click on the padlock icon, and in the resulting pop-up menu, choose Cookies.

Open the GameStop Cookies
Now, in the upper portion, select a cookie and in the lower portion, click on Remove.

Remove the GameStop Cookies
Then, repeat the same to remove all other GameStop Cookies, and afterward, relaunch Chrome to check if the GameStop website can be accessed without issue.

Delete All the Browser Cookies and Cache

If deleting the GameStop cookies did not do the trick, then open Chrome’s menu by clicking on three vertical ellipses.
Now, hover your mouse pointer over More Tools and select Clear Browsing Data.

Open Clear Browsing Data in the Chrome Menu
Then, near the bottom of the window shown, click on Sign Out (so that the history remains with the Google account) and select All-Time in the Time-Range dropdown box.

Clear the Browsing Data of Chrome
Now, select all the categories by check-marking all the relevant checkboxes, and afterward, click on the Clear Data button.
Afterward, relaunch Chrome and check if the GameStop access denied issue is resolved.

Restore the Browser’s Settings to the Defaults

If the browser settings or configurations have become corrupt, then the browser may show the access denied error on the GameStop website. In this context, restoring the browser of your device to the default settings will solve the problem. Before proceeding, make sure to back up the essential browser data. For elucidation, we will discuss the process of resetting the Chrome browser to its defaults.

Launch the Chrome browser and click on the three vertical ellipses in the top right of the window to open the Chrome menu.
Now select Settings and in the left pane, expand Advanced.

Open the Chrome Settings
Then navigate to the Reset and Clean Up tab and in the right pane, click on Restore Settings to Their Original Defaults.

Reset Chrome Settings to Defaults.png
Now click on the Reset Settings button and relaunch the Chrome browse to check if the GameStop access issue is resolved.

Try Another Browser

The access denied error on the GameStop website could be a result of a temporary communication glitch between the browser and the website. Here, trying another browser may let you access the GameStop website.

Install another browser (preferably non-Chromium-based liked Firefox) on your device/system (if already not installed) and launch it.
Now check if the GameStop website can be accessed from another browser like Firefox. Make sure the problematic browser is not even running in the background.

Change the DNS Settings of Your System/ Device

If the DNS server of your system/device is failing to resolve the GameStop-related web addresses, then the GameStop website may show the access denied error. In such a case, changing the DNS settings of your device/ system may solve the GameStop issue. For elucidation, we will discuss the process of changing the DNS server for a Windows PC.

Right-click Windows and select Network Connections.

Open Network Connections
Now, select Change Adapter Options and right-click on your network connection in use.

Open Change Adapter Options
Then choose Properties and double-click Internet Protocol Version 4 (TCP/IPv4).

Open Properties of Internet Protocol Version 4 (TCP IPv4)
Now, in the properties window, select Use the Following DNS Server Addresses.
Then fill the following Cloudflare DNS:
```
Preferred DNS Server: 1.1.1.1

Alternate DNS Server: 1.0.0.1
```
Use the Cloudflare DNS for Preferred and Alternate DNS
Now apply your changes and restart your system.
Upon restart, check if the GameStop website can be opened without issue.

Try Another Network or Use a VPN

The issue could also be the result of ISP’s restrictions to limit access to the website or if the IP address of your system/device has been blocked by GameStop (“thinking” it as suspicious or geo-locked). In this context, trying another network or VPN (although, many of the known VPN IPs are blocked by GameStop) may solve the GameStop access problem. Before proceeding, make sure to disable any proxy on the device/ system.

Try a VPN

If not, install and launch a VPN application.
Now connect to a server (preferably, USA) and check if you can use the GameStop website without issue.
If not and you are already using a VPN, then check if disabling the VPN application does the trick for you.

Disable the VPN Client

Try Another Network

If VPN did not work, disconnect your device/system from the current network and connect to another network (like the phone’s hotspot or in case of a mobile device, cellular data).

Enable Hotspot of Your Phone
Now check if the GameStop website can be accessed from a browser. If so, then you may contact your ISP to check if they are limiting access to GameStop or renew the IP lease to your router. If they are not, then you may contact GameStop support (preferably, on Twitter) to unblock your device’s IP.

Whitelist the GameStop in the Antivirus or Firewall Settings

If your antivirus/firewall or any other privacy application (like SurfShark) is blocking access to the GameStop website, then the GameStop website may show the access denied error. In this context, whitelisting the GameStop website in the settings of Antivirus, firewall, or any other privacy application (like SurfShark) may solve the problem. For illustration, we will discuss the procedure to exempt the GameStop website from ESET Internet Security.

Warning: Advance at your own risk as editing the antivirus, firewall, or privacy protection applications may expose your system/data to threats.

Launch the ESET Internet Security and in the left pane, head to the Setup tab. Then open Internet Protection.

Open Internet Protection in ESET
Now, in front of Web Access Protection, click on the Settings icon and expand URL Address Management.

Open Settings of ESET Web Access Protection
Then, in front of Address List, click on Edit and select List of Allowed Addresses.

Open Edit Address List in URL Address Management of ESET
Now, click on Edit and then click on Add.

Edit List of Allowed Address in ESET
Then enter the following and click on Add:
```
https://www.gamestop.com/
```
Add GameStop in the Allowed Addresses of ESET
Now click on the OK or Apply buttons on the opened windows of ESET.
Then launch a web browser and check if the GameStop website can be accessed.

Reset Router to the Defaults

This issue might also occur if the settings or configurations of your router are corrupt. Here, resetting the router to the defaults may clear the access denied GameStop error.

Restart Router and Try a Direct Connection without Router

Before resetting the router, restarting it may refresh the IP and thus solve the problem.

Firstly, restart your network router and check if that resolves the access denied issue.
If not, then check if connecting directly to the Internet (without a router) solves the GameStop issue. If so, then check your router for any conflicting settings causing the issue.

Reset Router to Factory Defaults

If the GameStop works with the direct Internet connection and you cannot locate a router setting causing the issue, then resetting the router may solve the problem. Before proceeding, make sure to back up the essential info/configuration of your router, so that you can set it up later on.

Locate the Reset button on your router, either it will be on the back of the router or for some routers, the power button also works as the reset button.
Now press and hold the reset button of the router for around 30 seconds. You may need a pointing object like a paper pin to press the reset button.

Reset Your Router
Then release the reset button and wait till the router is powered on and its lights are stable, then set it up as per your ISP instructions.
Once the router is set up, hopefully, the GameStop access denied issue is resolved.