Donate Video Games · Albuquerque

Donate Video Games in Albuquerque: Discs, Cartridges and Consoles

To donate video games in Albuquerque, drop the discs and cartridges in my covered 24/7 box outside the gate at 5445 Edith Blvd NE: games for any console from any era, boxed or loose, working or not, with no appointment. Consoles, controllers and handheld systems get handed over instead. Bring those 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. any day, or text 505-250-3804 and they can join a free pickup anywhere in the Albuquerque metro, scheduled by route.

I'm Josh Eldred, and I run New Mexico Literacy Project alone from a North Valley warehouse. It's a for-profit book and media donation business, and video games count as media. I sort every disc and cartridge by hand, and the games that still play are resold to pay for free pickup.

Text 505-250-3804 Request a Free Pickup

Video Game Donation, the Short Version

Drop box: A covered, waterproof box by the road, outside the gate at 5445 Edith Blvd NE. It never closes, costs nothing and needs no appointment. Discs, cartridges, cases, manuals and strategy guides all fit. Getting to the box.
Consoles and accessories: Systems, handhelds, controllers, cables and VR headsets come 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. or on a pickup, never in the box. What stays out.
Unloading help: Someone at the warehouse helps carry in bigger loads from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m., every day of the week.
Free pickup: Anywhere in the Albuquerque metro, scheduled by route; games count as media, and consoles and controllers ride along. Pickup details.
After it's donated: Every game is hand-sorted, and resale of the playable ones funds the pickup.

Games That Go in the Drop Box

If a game lives on a disc or a cartridge, it goes in the box, whether it's scratched, unlabeled or fifteen sports seasons old. Unsure? Text a photo to 505-250-3804 and I'll sort out box versus pickup for you.

Cartridge games

Home-console cartridges from any era, the earliest systems through today's game cards, loose or boxed, faded labels and marker-written names included.

Disc games

CD, DVD and Blu-ray games for every disc console, from the first CD systems to the current generation: annual sports releases, licensed movie tie-ins, greatest-hits reprints and bundled games. Scratched discs go in too.

Handheld games

Cartridges and game cards for portable systems. A zip bag keeps the tiny ones from scattering; the handheld itself isn't a box item.

PC games

Big-box PC games, with or without the manual, jewel-case CD-ROM titles and DVD-ROM releases.

Cases, manuals and inserts

Empty cases, loose booklets, fold-out maps and posters. They don't need a matching game; I sort them separately.

Strategy guides and gaming magazines

Strategy guides, hint books and gaming magazines are print, the center of what I do, so they go in with any other books. For the neighboring shelves, see donating DVDs, the media donation page and donating board games and puzzles.

Before the Games Leave the House

Keep the memory cards you care about. Older consoles saved progress on plug-in cards; hold on to any card with a save you want.
Sign out and factory-reset newer consoles. Current systems hold your account and sometimes a saved payment card. Sign out, then reset from the settings menu.
Open the disc tray. A console that sat in a closet for years often still has a game inside.
Pull any removable battery that's leaking or swollen. Crusty AA cells in a controller come out first; the hazardous waste center listed further down accepts them. If a swollen pack is built into a handheld, don't pry it out or haul it; text 505-250-3804 first.
Bag the small stuff. A grocery bag keeps loose cartridges, game cards and discs together.

There’s no need to sort the bin first. Discs, cartridges, cases and manuals can all go in the box together, and if consoles are coming too, the whole lot can ride one pickup or one 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. visit. For the rest of the media shelf, see the media donation page.

What Stays Out of the Drop Box

✕Consoles and handheld systems. Home consoles, portable systems and plug-and-play units, working or not, come in 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. or ride on a metro pickup.
✕Controllers, cables and chargers. Gamepads, joysticks, light guns, power bricks, AV cables and charging docks travel with the consoles. More on the free e-waste pickup page.
✕VR headsets and other electronics. Headsets, racing wheels, arcade sticks and the gaming PC come 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. or on a pickup.
✕Televisions and monitors. Working sets can ride on a pickup or come in 8 a.m. to 3 p.m.; broken ones aren't accepted.
✕Damaged batteries. Leaking or swollen ones don't come to me at all. Take them to the Household Hazardous Waste Collection Center listed further down.

When the box is full, or the load is too big for it, please don't stack bags around it. Send a text to 505-250-3804, or come by from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. and someone will help carry it in.

Dropping Off, Pickup, and Where the Games End Up

At the box, any hour

Because the box sits outside the gate near the road, you never go through the gate or up to a door; Unit A is only a postal address, not a drop-off point. For a console collection or a hatchback full of bins, come 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. instead.

Pickup across the metro

Send a photo and your address by text to 505-250-3804, or fill in the callback form further down. Games are media, so a game shelf gets scheduled like any other media pickup, and its consoles and controllers ride along.

Where the games end up

Everything is sorted by hand at the warehouse. Playable games are resold, and that income pays for the box and the free pickup. Anything unsellable is routed as responsibly as possible; not every cracked disc finds a new player, and I won't pretend it does.

Video Game Donation Questions

Where can I donate video games in Albuquerque?

Any hour, in the covered drop box by the road outside the gate at 5445 Edith Blvd NE: discs and cartridges for any console, loose or boxed, working or not. Consoles and controllers come in 8 a.m. to 3 p.m., or ride on a free pickup anywhere in the Albuquerque metro, scheduled by route; text 505-250-3804 to set one up.

Can video games go in the drop box?

Yes: game discs, cartridges, handheld game cards, PC games, empty cases, manuals and strategy guides. The hardware is the exception; consoles, handheld systems, controllers and cables come 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. or on a pickup.

Does a game have to work? What about scratched discs?

No. Scratched discs, cracked cases, faded labels and dusty cartridges all go in. The playable ones are resold; the rest gets routed as responsibly as possible.

Where can I donate old game consoles in Albuquerque?

New Mexico Literacy Project takes old consoles, working or not, just not in the drop box: bring systems, handhelds, controllers, cables and VR headsets 8 a.m. to 3 p.m., while someone's there to help unload, or add them to a free metro pickup. Sign out and factory-reset newer consoles first.

Do I need the cases or manuals?

No. Loose discs and cartridges with no box are fine. Cases, manuals and inserts are welcome too, with or without their games.

Can you pick up a whole collection with the consoles?

Yes, anywhere in the Albuquerque metro. Send a photo and your address to 505-250-3804; pickups are scheduled by route, and a game shelf with its consoles and controllers rides along. Or haul it over yourself between 8 a.m. and 3 p.m. and get a hand unloading.

Do you pay for games?

No. I don't buy games; every game comes in as a donation, and reselling the ones that still play keeps the drop box and the pickup free.

Can I write off a video game donation on my taxes?

No. My business is for-profit and isn't a registered 501(c)(3) charity, which means giving me games isn't tax-deductible.

What if I'm outside the Albuquerque metro?

Pickup stops at the metro edge, but the drop box works whenever you're in town, or you can ship games at your own cost to the address on the donate-by-mail page. Skip that page's Media Mail tip for games: USPS excludes video games from Media Mail, so they go at a regular parcel rate.

Pickup Area and Mail-In

Albuquerque, Rio Rancho, Corrales, Bernalillo, Placitas, Valencia County and the East Mountains make up the free pickup area, and I schedule every stop by route.

Outside the metro there's no pickup: use the drop box on your next trip into town, or ship games at your own cost to the address on the donate-by-mail page. Under USPS ruling PS-334, video games don't qualify for Media Mail, even though movie and music discs do, so send them Ground Advantage or with another carrier.