If you’re a gamer and you’ve often wondered: “Why doesn’t this city have anything cool for gamers?” you should thank your lucky stars that you’re not in one certain Texas city.
A new national study just ranked the worst cities in America for gaming enthusiasts and, unfortunately, a Texas city landed near the very bottom. Not exactly the kind of ranking you want to flex.
McKinney, Texas Ranked No. 2 Worst for Gamers
According to a report from Japanese iGaming hub eSportstars.io, McKinney ranks as the second worst city in America for gamers. Its score? A painful 0.44 out of 10.
The study looked at 125 of the most populated U.S. cities and analyzed:
- Gaming cafés
- Game stores
- Gaming conventions (2024–2025)
- Gaming-related job opportunities
Researchers used data from Fancons.com, LinkedIn and Foursquare’s map API. Each factor was weighted equally to create a gaming index score.
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Meaning that the fewer events, fewer stores, and fewer industry jobs meant a lower score. And in this case, McKinney dropped hard.
Atlanta Named Best Gaming City in America
While McKinney struggled, Atlanta, Georgia ranked No. 1 with a 7.01 out of 10. With ore gaming spaces, more conventions, and more industry opportunities, ATL really seems like the best place for gaming enthusiasts; it’s basically, the opposite of a gaming dead zone.
READ MORE: Add Texas’ National Video Game Museum to Your Bucket List
Before you throw your controllers this ranking focused on specific cities, not entire states. Texas is massive, and rest assured that Austin, Dallas and Houston all have growing tech and gaming communities.
Still, it’s surprising to see a Texas city rank this low when gaming culture is bigger than ever,,, from esports arenas to streaming careers and major conventions.
If you’re a gamer in McKinney and feel like options are limited… this study might explain why!
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