Gabe is married to Lisa Mennet[16] and has two sons.[17] He suffered from ♥♥♥♥♥' dystrophy, a congenital disease which affects the cornea, but was cured by two cornea transplants in 2006 and 2007.[18] He is a financial supporter of the Democratic Party.[19]

His favorite games are Super Mario 64, Doom, and Star Trek played on a Burroughs mainframe computer. Doom convinced him that video games were the future of entertainment, and Super Mario 64 convinced him that video games were art.[20]

Newell has said that he has tried to grow into his public image: "They hug me when they run into me. I'm not a hugging person, but that's what they want. I was with my kids the first time that happened in public, and my kids were pretty cool with it. But I wasn't. 'Dad, roll with it.' Even now, I'm learning from our customers."[21] Within the gaming community, he is nicknamed Gaben (/ˈɡeɪbɛn/ "Gabe N." or /ˈɡeɪbən/ gay-bən), after his work email address.[22]