What Does GG Mean In Gaming? (Find Out!)

GG means “good game” in gaming. It is a polite and friendly way of signing off at the end of a match, and can be used by both the winners and the losers. It is meant as a cordial and sportsmanlike way of acknowledging the end of the game—whether the skill of the winners or the losers.

Despite its reputation, online gaming is generally populated by friendly people looking to have a friendly competition.

It is not all toxic players who want to gloat over their winnings or make excuses for their losses.

That’s where gg comes in.

Let’s find out more.

In This Article

What does gg stand for in gaming?

Gg stands for “good game” in gaming.

It is meant to be used at the end of a competitive online match, usually typed in the game’s chat, as a way of saying that they enjoyed the game, they had fun, and most importantly, all players put up a good competition.

There are many ways you might use this, but anyone can use it at the end of a game.

It can be used both by the winners or the losers—it is, at its core, an aspect of friendly sportsmanship. It’s like football players on the opposing teams shaking hands at the end of a game.

They are acknowledging a good game well-played, that they all enjoyed and had fun with.

There’s no saltiness from the losing team, and there’s no toxic gloating from the winning team.

This is really how it is meant in online gaming, too.

Though, naturally, there’s not as much of a need to acknowledge this kind of thing when the players can’t see each other’s faces, so you don’t know if someone is very angry or upset about losing, most of the time.

But a quick “gg” in the chat costs nothing and is a friendly way of letting everyone know that you enjoyed yourself and, though you may have lost, it was all in good fun.

Of course, some people do take gg in a slightly different way.

Sometimes, it might be used in a kind of ironic way. Say a game was extremely one-sided, with very unevenly matched players, and one didn’t manage to score any points against the other before losing.

The winning player might say “gg” in a sarcastic way. For the most part, though, it’s still meant in good fun.

Equally, the losing player could say “gg” here as a way to jokingly acknowledge their round defeat.

Where does gg come from in gaming?

We don’t know precisely when the term gg started being used, but we can certainly make a pretty good guess.

The earliest examples we find come in the middle of the 1990s, when LAN-party gaming was becoming a bigger thing.

Here, with early multiplayer games like Counter-Strike, players soon picked up the term gg to indicate the end of a good game.

That said, we don’t know when the first instance of this being used was, so it may well have been in a different game.

However, it’s very unlikely that this term predates the 1990s.

Most games, at that time, did not have much functionality in terms of a chat feature.

Since then, it’s expanded to virtually any kind of multiplayer online game.

Indeed, friends might even say it to one another in person now, if playing local multiplayer games on the same system.

This is the level to which it has infiltrated society.

How do you respond to gg, then?

How do you respond to gg?

For the most part, the simplest way to respond to gg is just to repeat it back to them.

Acknowledge that you also thought it was a good game, that you had fun, and whether you won or lost, you’re not gloating or salty.

This will pretty much always work and be appropriate.

However, as I said, you might sometimes think that gg is being used as an insult. I’ll look into that question shortly, but even if they are, then you can simply ignore them.

They are trying to frustrate you, so even better would be to simply act like it was meant sincerely, saying gg yourself or thanking them.

This will frustrate their plans to frustrate you, and saves you the time of trying to decipher their intention.

Is gg an insult?

So, is gg an insult?

Broadly speaking, no, it is not.

There tends to be an assumption of insincerity on the part of gamers, and it can often feel like this if someone says gg after you have just been squarely beaten by them.

But give them some credit.

They are almost certainly just trying to be friendly, to acknowledge a fun game that they enjoyed playing, and are not trying to take a dig at the fact that you lost.

While people obviously do this, they are by far in the minority.

For some people, regardless of the details of the outcome, “gg” is just what they say at the end of any match. It doesn’t have to mean anything beyond that!

GG, then, is one of the main bastions of online friendliness in modern online gaming. It is a way of bridging a gap between strangers online, or even just a quick way for friends to acknowledge another great game.

While some might use it in a more sarcastic, insulting, or even toxic way, this generally is not the intention people have when using it.

More in Gaming Meanings

Founder - @PollyWebster

Polly Webster is the founder of Foreign Lingo and a seasoned traveler with a decade of exploration under her belt.

Over the past 10 years, she has journeyed to numerous countries around the globe, immersing herself in diverse cultures, traditions, and languages.

Drawing from her rich experiences, Polly now writes insightful articles about travel, languages, traditions, and cultures, sharing her unique perspectives and invaluable tips with her readers.

Was this article helpful?

Thanks for your feedback!