GameStop's short interest rose 5.47% to 56,990,026 shares at the Monday, August 31, 2026 settlement, according to FINRA short interest data. That's 2,953,443 more shares than on August 14, the biggest percentage rise since September 30, 2025, and the highest count since June 15. Average daily volume fell 42%, to 5,864,237 shares, and days to cover jumped from 5.31 to 9.72.
From the data
FINRA Short Interest & Days to Cover
Volume Did Most of the Work
Days to cover is the short position expressed in days of average trading. It nearly doubled, and the drop in volume, not new shorting, explains most of that. Short shares rose 5.47%. Volume fell from 10,171,317 shares a day to 5,864,237. Had volume held at the mid-August level, days to cover would have been about 5.6.
The mid-August file was the odd one out. Heavy trading, more than 10 million shares a day, pushed days to cover down to 5.31 even as the short count edged up 0.56%. Late August moved back toward the thin trading of July. On July 31, with volume at 3,150,012 shares a day, days to cover hit 17.06.
A Second Straight Increase
August 31 extended the 0.56% rise of August 14. It's the first back-to-back increase since September 2025.
Before that, the short count had fallen for most of the year. It went from 64,227,044 shares on March 13 to 53,736,062 on July 31, the lowest since May 30, 2025. Of the 11 changes from March 13 to August 31, eight were declines. The three increases came on May 29 (1.72%), August 14 (0.56%) and August 31 (5.47%).
| Settlement date | Short shares | Avg daily volume | Days to cover | Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-03-13 | 64,227,044 | 5,246,169 | 12.24 | -2.12% |
| 2026-03-31 | 62,823,134 | 6,066,043 | 10.36 | -2.19% |
| 2026-04-15 | 61,907,606 | 6,610,420 | 9.37 | -1.46% |
| 2026-04-30 | 59,374,474 | 7,005,031 | 8.48 | -4.09% |
| 2026-05-15 | 57,937,281 | 13,910,930 | 4.16 | -2.42% |
| 2026-05-29 | 58,930,916 | 4,914,100 | 11.99 | +1.72% |
| 2026-06-15 | 57,054,439 | 6,841,859 | 8.34 | -3.18% |
| 2026-06-30 | 55,856,110 | 5,196,127 | 10.75 | -2.10% |
| 2026-07-15 | 55,426,276 | 3,433,961 | 16.14 | -0.77% |
| 2026-07-31 | 53,736,062 | 3,150,012 | 17.06 | -3.05% |
| 2026-08-14 | 54,036,583 | 10,171,317 | 5.31 | +0.56% |
| 2026-08-31 | 56,990,026 | 5,864,237 | 9.72 | +5.47% |
GameStop (GME) short interest by settlement date, with days to cover as FINRA reports it. Change is against the prior settlement.
The Same Pattern in May
May showed the same swing. The May 15 file had heavy volume, 13,910,930 shares a day, and days to cover of 4.16, the lowest of the year. Two weeks later volume fell to 4,914,100, the short count rose 1.72%, and days to cover jumped to 11.99. When GameStop's volume spikes and fades, days to cover swings with it, even when the short count barely moves.
What 9.72 Days Means
At late-August volume, short sellers would need nearly 10 days of trading to buy back every share. That's the highest reading since July 31. It says GameStop traded less, and that shorts grew for a second file. It says nothing about when, or whether, they'll cover.
The Next File
FINRA publishes short interest twice a month. The next file, for the September 15 settlement, went the other way: 39,069,126 shares short, down 31.45%, with days to cover at 4.29.
Every settlement is on the GameStop stock page and the Short Interest Tracker, and in the free Short Interest API.
Primary Sources & Disclosures
This article was written with AI tools. It's information, not investment, legal or tax advice. Editorial policy
Written by
XOOMAR
Data desk
XOOMAR publishes free market data from primary sources, with an open API. When something we publish is wrong, it's corrected in place.
