Gamers can be a difficult bunch to buy for. Most of them will get their new games digitally from Steam, Xbox, Nintendo or PlayStation’s online shops, so you can’t just wrap up the latest version of Call of Duty and be done with it. Fortunately, there are plenty of useful accessories and fun lifestyle gifts to look out for, and gamers tend to have a lot of other interests that intersect with games in different ways.
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So if you have a player in your life, whether they’re young or old(er), here are some ideas chosen by the Guardian’s games writers. And naturally, we’re starting with Lego …
Adults
Game Boy Lego
Photograph: Lego
£54.99 at Lego
£44.99 at Amazon
A near 1:1 scale replica of the original Game Boy, complete with buildable carts to slot into the back and a stand to display it on. A retro gamer’s dream.
Luxury video game books
Photograph: Tune & Fairweather
£32 at Tune & Fairweather
Video game books for adults is a booming market with companies such as Tune & Fairweather and Lost in Cult producing gorgeous high quality books, featuring in-depth studies of titles such as Elden Ring (pictured) and Outer Wilds, as well as historical guides to classic consoles. If you know their favourite game, there’s quite possibly a sumptuous book about it.
Arzopa Z1FC portable gaming monitor
Photograph: Arzopa
£89.99 at Amazon
This lightweight, 16.1-inch display is the perfect companion to handheld gaming devices such as the Nintendo Switch or Steam Deck, providing a bigger screen experience wherever you are. The image is crisp and colourful and the 144hz refresh rate means it can keep up with fast-paced games.
Insert Coin clothing
Photograph: Insert Coin Clothing
£84.99 at Insert Coin
For 15 years, Insert Coin has been designing quality clothing based around new and retro games. Latest arrivals include a ridiculously cool Resident Evil 4 bomber jacket (pictured), Persona 5 blazers and Cyberpunk 2077 beanie hats.
Vinyl soundtrack albums (£35+)
Photograph: Laced Records
£36 at Laced Records
For anyone who loves video games and vinyl there’s a growing range of labels offering high quality, beautifully packaged soundtrack albums. Laced Records has Doom, Zelda and Hellblade records, but also check out Data Discs, IAm8Bit and Black Screen for a whole host of new and retro gaming audio.
Anime Blu-ray special editions
Photograph: Crunchy Role
£29.99 at HMV
Anime has always heavily influenced video game designers, so the player in your life may appreciate the inspirations behind titles such as Metal Gear Solid, and Silent Hill. There are lovely new Blu-ray versions of seminal animated movies Perfect Blue and Ghost in the Shell (pictured), both available from HMV, Amazon and others, or try Akira, Mobile Suit Gundam or Neon Genesis Evangelion.
Video game board games
Photograph: Contention Games
£86.99 at Zatu Games
£79.99 at Amazon
Take your gamer offline for a few hours with a board game based on a video game. Slay the Spire is a brilliant, easy-to-learn take on the collectible card strategy title, or for retro fans the Pac Man themed version of Quoridor is very classy.
Cook and Becker art print
Photograph: Cook and Becker
$135 at Cook and Becker
Working with both artists and video game developers, Cook and Becker sells extremely high quality prints inspired by a vast range of titles from Astro Bot to World of Warcraft. The Ghost of Yotei concept art (pictured) is particularly lovely.
Children and teens
PowerA controller
Photograph: PowerA
£19.99 at Currys
£19.99 at Amazon
It’s always useful to have a spare controller ready for when a friend comes round to play and PowerA has basic, hardy pads for Xbox, Switch and PC that do the job just fine. The Advantage controllers for Switch 2 (pictured) are especially nice.
Omy video game sticker poster
Photograph: Omy
€11.83 at Omy
£22.31 at Amazon
We love this stylish poster that comes with dozens of colourful stickers, each with a specific place to find on the picture. Inspired by classic arcade games and kawaii design, it’ll look great on any young gamer’s bedroom wall. Available from Omy and from various UK stockists.
Super Micro game
Photograph: Blaze Entertainment
£19.95 at The Game Collection
£19.99 at Argos
A retro experience you can take anywhere, the Super Micro range is a collection of teeny handhelds, small enough to fit on a keychain. Choose from Asteroids, Centipede, or Burger Time (each of which comes with two extra games) or go with the legendary Space Invaders.
Dungeons & Dragons: Heroes of the Borderlands starter set
Photograph: Hasbro
£45 at Hobbycraft
£42.99 at Amazon
The perfect way to get started in D&D, this new self-contained set comes with basic guides for the dungeon master and players as well as dice, character sheets, pre-written quests and more.
Minecraft chess set
Photograph: The Noble Collection
£56.99 at Robert Dyas
£61.99 at Amazon
Convince your favourite gamer to put down their controller and play chess instead with this Minecraft-themed board. Villagers take on creepers on an authentic grass-coloured surface, but sadly, you can’t build a giant fortified castle or plant TNT everywhere.
Raspberry Pi 400 personal computer kit
Photograph: Raspberry Pi
£76.80 at The Pi Hut
£97.91 at Amazon
For anyone looking to get into coding, or just playing about with computers, the Raspberry Pi 400 is a tiny PC built into a keyboard. Running the Raspberry Pi OS, it comes with everything you need including mouse, cables, wi-fi support and a beginner’s guide. There’s also a 40-pin GPIO header so you can connect it to other electronics projects, and a more powerful version the Raspberry Pi 500 is also available for £96.
Turtle Beach Atlas 200 headset
Photograph: Turtle Beach
£49.99 at Argos
£49.99 at Amazon
Every gamer needs a headset they can rely on, and you don’t have to spend a fortune. The new Turtle Beach Atlas 200 for consoles and PC is a lightweight, comfortable option with crisp, immersive audio. Otherwise we like the Razer Barracuda X (£70), one of the best wireless headsets for under £100.
Legend of Zelda Bokoblin chest light
Photograph: Paladone
£16.99 at HMV
£11.29 at Amazon
Zelda fans will be familiar with the Bokoblin chests scattered around the world of Hyrule offering valuable loot to adventurers. This officially licensed replica features mildly scary glowing eyes, and when you open it, you’re treated to the classic Bokoblin tune.
