What was GameStop's compound annual growth rate (CAGR) since 2018?

GameStop's CAGR from 2018 to September 2026 was 22.6% per year. For comparison, the S&P 500 has historically averaged around 10% annually. GameStop significantly outperformed traditional equity markets on an annualized basis.

How does GameStop compare to the S&P 500 since 2018?

The same $1,000 invested in an S&P 500 index fund in 2018 would be worth approximately $3,300.00 today. GameStop outperformed the index by $2,657.12 — 1.81x the return of the S&P 500.

How much of the GameStop gain would you keep after taxes?

Sold today, the $4,957.13 gain would be a long-term capital gain for US federal tax. At the 15% rate most people pay, you'd keep about $5,213.56. At the top rate of 23.8% (20% plus the 3.8% net investment income tax) you'd keep about $4,777.33, and lower incomes pay 0%. State tax is extra, and gains inside a Roth IRA aren't taxed.

What is the inflation-adjusted return on $1,000 in GameStop since 2018?

Adjusted for cumulative US inflation since 2018, the real purchasing-power value of the GameStop position is approximately $4,588.45 in 2018 dollars. Inflation shrinks the gain, but the investment still grew faster than prices.

How did GameStop perform in 2018?

GameStop fell 21% during 2018, from $3.99 at the start of the year to $3.16 at the start of 2019.

What If You Invested $1,000 in GameStop in 2018?

Try your own numbers

If I had putintoat the start of…

it would be worth today

$5,957

+$4,957 profit5.96x22.6% a year

The same $1,000 in an S&P 500 index fund: $3,300

Aftertax on the gain, you’d keep$5,214

US federal long-term rates: 15% for most people, 0% on lower incomes, 20% + 3.8% on high incomes. No state tax included; none inside a Roth IRA.

Compare with

Growth Over Time

Performance Metrics

Total Invested

$1,000.00

Current Value

$5,957.13

Total Profit

$4,957.13

Multiplier

5.96x

CAGR

22.6%

Max Drawdown

-86.4%

Inflation-Adjusted

$4,588.45

Benchmark Comparison

How does $1,000.00 invested in 2018 compare across different asset classes?

Asset	Value Today	Return
GameStop	$5,957.13	5.96x
S&P 500	$3,300.00	3.30x
Gold	$3,234.15	3.23x
Savings (2% APY)	$1,189.06	1.19x

Dividends

Price growth alone turned $1,000 into $5,205; reinvested dividends added the other $752.39, 15% of the gain.

Dividends from Yahoo Finance. Shares today assume every dividend was reinvested.

Back in 2018

In November 2018, GameStop agreed to sell its Spring Mobile business, which ran 1,289 AT&T wireless stores, to Prime Communications for $700 million. sec.gov
In 2018, a gallon of gas averaged $2.72, a movie ticket averaged $9.11 and the new iPhone XS started at $999. eia.gov apple.com hollywoodreporter.com
During 2018 itself, GameStop fell 21%, #70 of the 94 investments we track. The best was The Trade Desk (+150%); the worst was Cardano (−94%). Full 2018 results →

$1,000 in GameStop, year by year

Of the 94 investments we track that were available at the start of 2018, GameStop ranks #22 by growth to today — just behind Bitcoin and ahead of Costco. See the full 2018 ranking →

GameStop started 2018 61% below its start-of-2008 high, after falling 23% in 2017. It was worth less than the $1,000 put in at the start of 2019 and 2020, and has been above it since the start of 2021. Its best January was 2022, at $9,580. Today it's 38% below that, so selling then would have beaten holding. It rose in 3 of the 8 full years since. It moved ahead of the same $1,000 in the S&P 500 at the start of 2022 and has stayed ahead since. Month by month, the deepest fall ran from Jan 2021 ($20,596) to Apr 2024 ($2,811), a drop of 86%. At its lowest month-end, in Mar 2020, it was worth $221.81.

When	Worth	Change	S&P 500
Start of 2018	$1,000	—	$1,000
Start of 2019	$792	−21%	$956
Start of 2020	$396	−50%	$1,257
Start of 2021	$1,081	+173%	$1,489
Start of 2022	$9,580	+786%	$1,916
Start of 2023	$4,312	−55%	$1,569
Start of 2024	$4,180	−3.1%	$1,981
Start of 2025	$7,687	+84%	$2,477
Start of 2026	$5,170	−33%	$2,920
Today	$5,957	+15%	$3,300

Values at the start of each year (first trading day for stocks). The S&P 500 column includes reinvested dividends, like the stock values.

Historical Context

At the start of 2018, GameStop was priced at $3.99 (adjusted for later splits and dividends). $1,000 would have bought about 251 shares. GameStop sells video games and consoles; its stock became famous in the January 2021 short squeeze.

Measured from one January to the next, GameStop's best year since then was 2021 (+786%) and its worst was 2022 (−55%). Holding on wasn't easy: between the start of 2018 and the start of 2020, the position fell 60% from its high.

Frequently Asked Questions

A $1,000 investment in GameStop at the start of 2018 would be worth approximately $5,957.13 today — a 5.96x return ($4,957.13 profit) over 8.7 years.

Methodology & Sources

Price data: Historical prices are the closing price on the first trading day of each year, adjusted for splits and dividends (so returns assume dividends were reinvested), from Yahoo Finance and MacroTrends. Current prices come from Yahoo Finance and refresh hourly; if that source is unavailable, the last saved price is used.

Calculation: Assumes a single purchase at the start of 2018 (or the first trading day, for companies that listed that year), held until today. No transaction fees, taxes, or slippage are included.

Benchmarks: The S&P 500 comparison uses the S&P 500 Total Return index (dividends reinvested, like an index fund) at the start of2018 and today. Gold uses the price per troy ounce. Savings account assumes a 2% APY compounded annually.

Inflation adjustment: Uses U.S. CPI-U annual averages from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The 2026 CPI value is estimated.

Educational purposes only. Past performance does not guarantee future results. Not financial advice.