2024 Holiday Gift Guide Creative Ideas for All Budgets and Preferences

This holiday season, level up your gift-giving with our ultimate guide packed with the best gaming gear and gadgets of the year-from powerhouse consoles like the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X to cutting-edge PC accessories and must-have games that will thrill any gamer on your list. Whether you’re shopping for casual players or hardcore enthusiasts, discover the hottest picks that promise to deliver next-level excitement under the tree.

The holiday season is upon us, and if you haven’t started crossing names off your shopping list, it’s a very good idea to start soon. It can be tempting to wait for deals, but keep in mind that shipping times vary depending on the retailer, and we want your gifts to arrive on time as much as you do. So, whether you’re shopping for that lucky gamer in your life or just looking to treat yourself to something special, we’ve found games, accessories, toys, and other gadgets across various price points that anyone can appreciate.

Some of our favorites this year include great stocking stuffers like Lego’s Dungeons & Dragons minifigs and the spicy game of secrets Love Letter, along with perfect gifts for new and longtime TTRPG players, like the Starter Collection for Magic: The GatheringFoundations and the new Dungeons & Dragons Player’s Handbook. If you have a gamer in your life who wants to get into PC gaming, the best 14-inch gaming laptop is featured in our list.

So let us help you put a bow on your holiday shopping with these 44 gifts, handpicked by the AELGAMES staff. And if you’re looking for even more ideas, we have plenty of other gift guides, including what to get that hard-to-shop-for PC gamer in your life, D&D players of any experience level, and your favorite Studio Ghibli fan.

What are you looking for? Video gamesGaming accessoriesGame consolesBoard gamesElectronicsBooksLegos and collectiblesMagic: The Gathering How much do you want to spend? Under $25$26 to $50$51 to $100$101 to $250$251

Lego Dungeons & Dragons minifigs

$24$3020% off $24

This collection of 12 D&D-inspired minifigs comes packaged with at least one unique accessory each, and they’re the perfect addition to any campaign.

Govee TV Backlight 3 Lite

$63$9030% off $63

The Govee TV Backlight 3 Lite is an easy way to add accent lighting to your living room that reflects the on-screen action. Composed of a sensor and light strip, the Backlight 3 Lite is available in three tiers based on the size of your set – i.e., the length of the backlights required – supporting TVs that range from 40 inches all the way up to 85 inches.

8BitDo Ultimate Bluetooth controller

$51$7027% off $51

If you want a controller to use with your Steam Deck, whether it’s docked or on a stand, you have many options. The Deck supports most controllers that connect via Bluetooth or USB. This includes controllers you may already have laying around if you own consoles, like those that control the Xbox Series X, PS5, or Nintendo Switch, and more.

Steelseries Arctis Nova Pro wireless headset

$299$35015% off $299

There are multiple reasons why the Arctis Nova Pro Wireless is one of the best gaming headsets you can buy. It’s comfortable, it looks like a set of high-end headphones, and it sounds incredible. What’s more, the Arctis Nova Pro base lets you plug in two audio sources (say, your PS5 and PC) at once, and you can flip between them with the push of a button.

The Complete Calvin and Hobbes box set

$135$16016% off $135

The story of a boy with a vivid imagination and his best friend (a stuffed tiger, naturally) defined many a childhood. This four-volume paperback box set – also sold as three hardcover books – features every Calvin and Hobbes cartoon that appeared in syndication from 1985 until Bill Watterson’s retirement in 1996. Use the on-page coupon to save $41.66 on the hardcover version at Amazon.

Steam Deck

$549 $549

While competition has stiffened with powerful portables, Valve’s delightfully chunky Steam Deck is great for playing even the latest AAA releases on the go. Having the Steam store at your fingertips means you’re never far from another tempting deal or demo. And if you’re OK with paying more, the new Steam Deck OLED features a gorgeous OLED screen and longer battery life.

Magic: The Gathering Foundations – Starter Collection

$60 $60

Intended as a guided tutorial to building your own decks, the Starter Collection includes 387 cards, a trio of booster packs, and a bunch of cool accessories.

The Lord of the Rings Illustrated Edition

$47$7537% off $47

The single-volume hardcover includes 30 color illustrations, maps, and sketches (all produced by the author) sprinkled throughout its 1,248 pages. Inside, you’ll also find a pair of removable fold-out maps of Frodo’s journey and of Middle-earth produced by J.R.R. Tolkien’s son, Christopher.

Dungeons & Dragons Player’s Handbook (2024)

$50 $50

The latest version of the D&D Player’s Handbook features a lighter rules introduction and streamlines character creation, making it more welcoming to new players.

Azul

$32$4020% off $32

This lovely tile-laying game is enchanting, easy to pick up, and great to keep around for chill game nights. Specific tile patterns and complete sets earn you points, but wasting tiles can set you back. Once all the tiles are gone, the player with the most points wins.

Dragon Age: The Veilguard

$25$7064% off $25

The first Dragon Age title in nearly 10 years, Dragon Age: The Veilguard places a renewed emphasis on combat, but still carries the hallmarks of BioWare’s role-playing roots.

Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom

$60 $60

The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom puts the eponymous princess front and center after Link gets lost in a mysterious rift. Despite the shift in protagonist, this game shares a lot of DNA with modern Zelda titles.

PlayStation Portal

$200 $200

This dedicated remote player lets you play your favorite PS5 games anywhere in the house over Wi-Fi, or stream about 120 PS5 games without a console. The Portal maintains DualSense’s key features, such as realistic haptics and adaptive triggers.

Read More $200 at GameStop$200 at Sony $200 at Amazon

Arcs: Conflict & Collapse in the Reach

$60 $60

One of the best board games of 2024, Arcs: Conflict & Collapse in the Reachis a 4X sci-fi experience that compresses the sweeping space opera of games like Twilight Imperium into more manageable sessions.

Meta Quest 3S

$350$40013% off $350

The Meta Quest series continues to be one of the best entry points into VR gaming, and it also includes a free copy of Batman: Arkham Shadow.

Read More $350 at Amazon (256 GB)$350 at Walmart$350 at Best Buy

Mechanism gaming pillow

$58$649% off $58

In addition to cornering the market on Steam Deck mounts, Mechanism supplies a nice lap-friendly pillow that’ll make playing on your couch or in bed even easier. The gaming pillow utilizes the Deckmate’s clever attachment to let your Steam Deck be angled toward you just right, so that it’s both comfortable to look at and to use.

Grid Game Boy

$269$29910% off $269

Grid makes shadow box-style art pieces from the authentic, dissected remains of your favorite gaming gadgets, including the classic Game Boy, the original PlayStation DualShock controller, and more.

Love Letter

$15 $15

Love Letter packs all of the spicy drama and intrigue of Bridgerton into a deck of just 16 cards. Similar to Coup, Love Letter is a game of secrets as you attempt to deduce the contents of other players’ hands and uncover the single princess card among them.

Metaphor: ReFantazio

$50$7029% off $50

The creators of Persona have created a high-fantasy epic with a lot of loving nods to Hieronymus Bosch. It’s one of the year’s best, and if you’re the sort who likes maximum playtime with each purchase, you can be sure that Metaphor will provides dozens of hours of intrigue.

Read More $50 at Amazon$50 at Best Buy$61 at Fanatical (Steam)

Unmatched: Cobble & Fog

$43$5014% off $43

There’s a brilliance to Unmatched, wherein each set is its own self-contained starter kit featuring famous heroes versus villains, which can then be mixed and matched into other Unmatched sets to get very weird battles. We’re fans of Cobble & Fog – with Sherlock Holmes, Jekyll/Hyde, the Invisible Man, and Dracula – but it’s hard to go wrong with any of them.

Nintendo Alarmo

$100 $100

This may not have been the big Nintendo hardware announcement we wanted this year, but those that have picked it up really enjoy this nightstand buddy. This alarm clock plays Nintendo sounds to wake you up, getting more intense if you snooze through the alarm.

Lego Jaws

$150 $150

This perfectly sized 1,497-piece Lego set pays homage to Steven Spielberg’s classic movie, and goes one step further by providing a decorative stand for when you want Bruce the shark to take a break from all the destruction.

Lego X-Men: The X-Mansion

$330 $330

There are so many Easter eggs in this 3,093-piece set that’s based specifically on the recent X-Men ’97 animated revival. Our favorite? Seeing Gambit’s power at Lego scale.

Mega Showcase Xbox 360

$150 $150

This scale model replica of the Xbox 360 is full of fun details. In addition to a replica copy of Halo 3 and the 360 controller, this model console features a fully modeled interior with lights and a working disc drive.

iFixit Pro Tech Toolkit

$75 $75

The iFixit Pro Tech Toolkit is equipped with 64 individual bits and other handy tools to mod or repair virtually any controller or handheld.

Wavelength

$31$4023% off $31

In one of AELGAMES’s favorite party games, players are tasked with guessing where one of their teammates thinks a clue lands on a given spectrum (e.g., hot/cold, need/want). Endlessly replayable and great for large groups, Wavelength is a riotous test of how well you understand the ways your friends think.

The Expanse box set

$120 $120

Any self-respecting sci-fi fan should read (and reread) James S.A. Corey’s award-winning series. Set in a future where a mass conspiracy threatens the already rocky peace among the colonized solar system, The Expanse is a sweeping space opera with complicated political machinations and even more complex characters.

Cowboy Kirby plush

$19 $19

Kirby has been many things and used many weapons to defeat foes (including his own voracious appetite), but this adorable plush dares to ask the question: What if Kirby had a gun?

Analogue Pocket

$220 $220

A must-own handheld for any retro gaming enthusiast, the Analogue Pocket is easily the best way to play cartridge-based Game Boy games natively without the need for emulation.

Nintendo Switch bundled with Mario Kart 8 Deluxe Switch Online

$300 $300

Nintendo’s latest Switch and Switch OLED bundles offer $79 in free goodies, including Mario Kart 8 Deluxe and a full year of the Nintendo Switch Online membership, granting you the ability to play online and to check out a growing library of classic NES, SNES, and Game Boy titles.

Read More $300 at Best Buy (standard)$350 at Best Buy (OLED)

Balatro

$13$1513% off $13

The simple but engaging gameplay in poker-based deck builder Balatromakes it way too easy to say “just one more game,” and it has become absolutely flush with free content since launch.

PlayStation 5 Slim bundle

$375$45017% off $375

This year, Sony has bundled the new, slim digital version of the PlayStation 5 with a bunch of free cosmetics for Fortnite.

Astro Bot

$50$6017% off $50

If you love the responsive, bouncy, and endlessly creative spirit of Mario 3D platformers, you’ll love Team Asobi’s PS5-exclusive game of the year, Astro Bot.

Panasonic UB820 4K Blu-ray player

$387$49822% off $387

You can rent or buy most movies through digital services, but nothing beats actually owning your favorite films on 4K Blu-ray. Panasonic makes the best disc players around for watching them at their best quality.

LG B4 OLED TV

$600$80025% off $600

LG’s entry-level B4 OLED has many of the same great gaming features as the pricier C4. Its HDMI 2.1 ports and 120 Hz refresh rate will get you the most out of your PS5 or Xbox Series X.

Magic: The Gathering – Assassin’s Creed Starter Kit

$20 $20

This ready-to-play set includes two 60-card decks that serve as a great entry point into MTG and also works as a sampler to one of the newest Universes Beyond expansions. It’s such a great fit that we’re surprised it took this long to happen.

Secretlab Titan Evo gaming chair

$519$5506% off $519

It’s no secret that this is one of the most comfortable gaming chairs you can buy, and that’s before you use its complimentary memory foam head pillow. The plainer designs are great, but if you’ve got the budget, you can also splash out on fancier upholstery and esports brand colors.

Anker two-in-one USB-C charging cable

$21$2619% off $21

The only thing better than a durable, braided USB-C cable is one that can charge two gadgets at the same time. This 2-in-1 cable can adapt to the wattage necessary to recharge other gaming and non-gaming devices at their fastest-possible charging speeds, too.

Year of the Ring

$33$4527% off $33

Authored by AELGAMES’s Susana Polo and a number of AELGAMES contributors, Year of the Ring pulls together our yearlong editorial package revisiting Tolkien’s work and Peter Jackson’s epic film adaptation.

Just One

$20$2520% off $20

Players: 3-7, aged 8
Playtime: 20 mins.

Just One, the hit word-guessing game, is a snappy little gem that can easily kick off a night of longer games with a bang. Or kick back with a few beverages and play it all night, your call.

Exploding Kittens Horrible Therapist

$25 $25

The Oatmeal creator Matthew Inman turns the stress of having intrusive thoughts into a fun card game where players try to play therapist, which goes horribly by design.

What are the must-have gaming gadgets for 2025 this holiday season

The must-have gaming gadgets for 2025 this holiday season include a mix of cutting-edge VR headsets, high-performance peripherals, and powerful gaming hardware:

Meta Quest 3 VR Headset: Leading the VR revolution with wireless freedom, 4K resolution per eye, advanced hand-tracking, and mixed reality capabilities, making it ideal for immersive gaming and beyond.
PlayStation VR2: Sony’s latest VR system offers an OLED display with 120Hz refresh rate, advanced haptics, and a growing exclusive game library, perfect for PS5 owners seeking console VR excellence.
Gaming Mice: Top picks include the Razer DeathAdder V3 Pro with 20,000 DPI accuracy and ergonomic design, the ultra-light Logitech G Pro X Superlight 2 for fast reflexes, and budget-friendly options like the Razer DeathAdder Essential and Logitech G203.
Gaming Controllers: The DualSense Edge Controller for PS5 stands out with customizable features and adaptive triggers, enhancing precision and gameplay immersion.
Gaming Headsets: The Razer BlackShark V2 Pro Wireless headset delivers crystal-clear audio and noise cancellation for focused gaming sessions.
Gaming Laptops and GPUs: The Alienware m18 R2 with 14th-gen Intel Core and Nvidia RTX 40 Series graphics offers top-tier performance, while the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 GPU sets new standards for 4K and 8K gaming.
Portable Gaming Devices: MSI Claw 8AI+ and Lenovo Legion Go S provide powerful handheld gaming experiences with high-refresh-rate displays and advanced processors.
Gaming Chairs: Innovative models like Razer’s Project Arielle offer integrated heating, cooling, and ergonomic comfort for extended play.
Additional Gadgets: The Sony PlayStation Portal enables seamless remote PS5 play, and the Logitech G Cloud handheld supports on-the-go cloud gaming.

These gadgets collectively enhance immersion, control, and performance, making them top picks for gamers looking to upgrade their setups in 2025.

Which gaming accessories will boost my skills in 2025

To boost your gaming skills in 2025, focus on accessories that enhance precision, comfort, and immersion:

Gaming Mouse: The Logitech G502 HERO is a top choice with its ultra-precise HERO 25K sensor, customizable buttons, adjustable weight system, and mechanical button tensioning, all of which improve accuracy and response time crucial for competitive play.
Mechanical Keyboard: Responsive mechanical keyboards with customizable keys help improve speed and accuracy in complex game controls.
Gaming Headsets: High-quality headsets like the BENGOO Pro offer noise-canceling microphones and immersive bass surround sound, enabling clearer communication and better spatial awareness in multiplayer games.
High-Refresh-Rate Monitors: Monitors with 240Hz or higher refresh rates and technologies like NVIDIA G-Sync reduce screen lag and tearing, giving you faster visual feedback and smoother gameplay.
Ergonomic Gaming Chairs: Chairs such as the Secretlab Titan Evo Nanogen provide comfort and reduce fatigue during long sessions, helping maintain focus and performance.
Advanced VR Headsets: Devices like PlayStation VR2 offer immersive experiences that can enhance hand-eye coordination and reaction times for certain game genres.
Gaming Controllers: Customizable controllers like the Xbox Core Controller or DualSense Edge improve control precision and adaptability to your play style.

These accessories collectively sharpen your reflexes, precision, and endurance, giving you a competitive edge in 2025 gaming.