If you bought shares in nearly any publicly traded video game company five years ago and held your investment, you would have enjoyed strong returns. Even after the market-crushing performance that many stocks in the space have posted in recent years, the industry still offers great investment opportunities. A backdrop of strong industry growth will help top players in the space deliver strong performance for shareholders. Read on to see why you won't want to miss out on these video game stocks this month. Image source: Getty Images. 1. Electronic Arts Electronic Arts (NASDAQ: EA) stock has seen a significant pullback following indications of underwhelming performance for the latest installment in its highly important FIFA soccer franchise and a recent pullback for the broader market. The company's stock trades down roughly 18.5% from its 52-week high, 19.5% from the peak it hit in 2018, and is now roughly flat over the last three years. EA data by YCharts With Sony and Microsoft due to launch next-generation consoles this month, Electronic Arts should get a boost from the start of a new console cycle. The upcoming console launches may also explain the underperforming sales indicators and critical reception for FIFA 21. Some gamers may be waiting to purchase the latest FIFA on the new PlayStation and Xbox consoles, and it's also not unusual for EA's sports franchise games to see a bit of a dip in quality in the release year of next-generation hardware platforms. Development teams are often stretched a bit thin supporting new platforms and starting to work on more advanced engines and resources for the following year's release, which are normally tailored for the new platforms. EA's strong lineup of core franchises and collection of tested development studios and marketing teams put the company in good position to take advantage of industry trends including high-margin digital distribution, the sale of virtual goods and content expansions, and the growth of esports. Investors have an opportunity to buy an industry leader at a discount. 2. Glu Mobile While most video game stocks have crushed the market over the last half-decade, Glu Mobile (NASDAQ: GLUU) only managed to match the total return level of the S&P 500 index over the stretch. The gaming company's share price trades off roughly 34% from its 52-week high, and the stock is looking cheap trading at roughly 20.5 times this year's expected earnings and 2.2 times expected sales. In addition to an unexpected loss in the second quarter and guidance for a substantial slowdown for bookings growth in the third quarter, news about Glu's upcoming product pipeline helps explain why the stock is trading well off its recent highs. Management indicated that resources were being shifted away from its in-development story-based game platform Originals following underwhelming audience test numbers, which may indicate that the game will no longer be released. The company also announced that Deer Hunter World had been pushed from a planned release this year into a 2021 release in order to add better online multiplayer functionality. Indications that Originals may not see release are certainly disappointing, but the extra development time for Deer Hunter World could actually wind up giving the game much more staying power and lead to greater profits over the long term. More importantly, Glu Mobile still has other titles due for release next year -- including a new game from CrowdStar, its top development studio. Investors should look past the near-term setbacks and use recent pullbacks to build a position in this potentially explosive company. 3. Take-Two Interactive Take-Two Interactive Software (NASDAQ: TTWO) has delivered stellar stock performance as its portfolio of video game franchises has grown stronger and stronger. The company's share price is up roughly 367% over the last five years and 1,340% over the last decade. Much of that incredible performance has stemmed from incredible longevity for Grand Theft Auto V (GTA V), a title that first launched in 2013 and saw subsequent rereleases and content updates that helped it remain one of the world's top-grossing games in each following year. GTA V has now shipped more than 135 million copies worldwide, making it the most successful entertainment product of all time by some metrics. It continues to post solid unit sales and strong engagement for its online mode, which generates high-margin revenue through the sale of in-game currency. Take-Two is now gearing up to launch an updated version of its record-breaking game for PlayStation 5 and Xbox One, and it now looks like the title will manage to surpass 150 million units in lifetime sales. Even more importantly, the new release should help sustain player engagement for the game's hugely profitable online mode. And when GTA V finally starts to lose steam, Take-Two is in good position to deliver a successful full-on sequel in the hugely popular franchise. As important and impressive as Grand Theft Auto's performance is, Take-Two stock wouldn't be nearly as attractive if the company didn't have other strong franchises and a stable of proven development studios. Franchises including NBA 2K and Red Dead Redemption also put up blockbuster sales, and Take-Two's strong balance sheet puts the company in a strong position to launch new properties and acquire promising development studios that can help accelerate growth. 10 stocks we like better than Electronic ArtsWhen investing geniuses David and Tom Gardner have a stock tip, it can pay to listen. After all, the newsletter they have run for over a decade, Motley Fool Stock Advisor, has tripled the market.* David and Tom just revealed what they believe are the ten best stocks for investors to buy right now... and Electronic Arts wasn't one of them! That's right -- they think these 10 stocks are even better buys. See the 10 stocks *Stock Advisor returns as of October 20, 2020 Teresa Kersten, an employee of LinkedIn, a Microsoft subsidiary, is a member of The Motley Fool's board of directors. Keith Noonan owns shares of Glu Mobile and Take-Two Interactive. The Motley Fool owns shares of and recommends Microsoft and Take-Two Interactive. The Motley Fool recommends Electronic Arts and recommends the following options: long January 2021 $85 calls on Microsoft and short January 2021 $115 calls on Microsoft. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.Source