The best gifts for gamers work with what they already play on. A controller for the wrong console is the easy mistake to make. Below are 33 ideas for console, PC and tabletop players in three budgets. Filter by what they play, star a shortlist and share it before anyone buys.
Updated by the Frugal Santa elves
Each idea has a budget and the kind of gaming it suits: console, PC or tabletop, plus setup gear and games to play together. Star what fits, then share or print the shortlist. Our Christmas gift ideas cover everyone else on your list.
Nintendo eShop, Xbox, PlayStation or Steam, matched to what they play on and the country of their account. They pick the game.
For a Switch or Switch 2 player. Many Nintendo games need it to play online with friends, and it adds a library of older Nintendo games.
Controllers park in it after a session and are full the next time. Buy the one made for their console.
Wide enough for the keyboard and the mouse together, so the mouse glides the same everywhere on the desk.
A home for the headset, so it stops sliding off the desk or getting sat on.
A full set of seven, from the four-sided die to the twenty-sided one, in a color that is theirs, so nobody borrows them at the table.
Short rounds and simple rules, so relatives who never play games can join in at the holiday table.
More players, new cards or a new map for a game they already love. Check the game's name and edition on the box first.
Clear sleeves keep trading cards and game cards from bending and scuffing. Count the cards in their deck before you buy.
So a friend or sibling can play too. Check the console first: a Switch 2 controller won't work on a PlayStation 5.
For talking with friends in online games, with no battery to charge. Check that the plug fits their controller or PC.
Ask, or look at the wish list on their console's store. Buy the version for the console they own, and check the age rating.
A library of games to try for a few months instead of one game to keep. Xbox and PC plans differ, so check which they use.
Keys with a clear click or a smooth press. A compact size leaves more room on the desk for the mouse.
Light and quick, with no cable dragging on the desk. Ask if they are left-handed before you buy.
It sits on top of the screen and lights the desk without shining on the glass.
Stick it behind the desk or the TV and pick the color from a phone. Measure the length first.
Trading, building and planning over an hour or two, for a family that wants more than a party game.
Rules, a first adventure and ready-made characters in one box, so a group can start the same night.
Switch 2 takes only microSD Express cards, not the older kind, so check the label. More room means fewer deleted games.
Sketches and paintings from the making of a game or a show made from one, for the shelf next to the console.
For the player who streams or talks to friends on a PC. It plugs into a USB port, with no extra gear.
Talk to the parents or their partner first, then pick the console their friends play on, so they can play together online.
Extra buttons on the back let them jump or reload without moving a thumb. For someone who plays the same game every night.
No cable to trip over from the couch. Check which consoles it connects to, since some work with only one.
A screen that refreshes 240 times a second makes fast games look smooth. Check that their PC can keep up.
A high back and padded armrests for a long evening of play. Check the weight limit and seat height for their size.
It works on its own, with no console or PC. Check the age rating on the box and the open floor space in their room.
It plays the games from their PS5 over home Wi-Fi on a handheld screen. It needs a PS5, so it's only for someone who owns one.
For the kart or racing fan. Wheels are made for one console, so match the name on the box.
Heroes, monsters and miniatures in one box, with one player as the game master who runs each quest.
A light strip behind the TV with a small camera that matches the glow to the colors on screen.
Wide enough for a monitor, a keyboard and a mouse. Measure the wall before you order.
Find out what they play on before anything else. A Nintendo Switch 2, a PlayStation 5, an Xbox Series X|S and a gaming PC each take their own games, controllers and gift cards, and most of it works on only one of them. Tabletop gamers play board games and role-playing games around a table, with no screen at all.
Then fill a gap. Gear around the game is easy to get right: a second controller so a sibling can join, a headset with a mic, a light for the desk or a better chair for a long evening. A game they named themselves is a fine gift too, if you buy the version for their console and it carries an age rating their parents allow.
Still unsure? A digital gift card for their console's store lets them choose. Target's digital game cards say they arrive by email within four hours.
9 of the 33 ideas here were under $25 at US stores in October 2026. The best of them are small upgrades they use every session: a charging dock that keeps two controllers full, a wide desk mat, a stand that keeps the headset off the floor, or a year of Nintendo Switch Online for a Switch player.
Tabletop players are the easiest to please at this price. A set of dice in their favorite color, sleeves to protect a deck of cards, a quick party card game or an expansion for a board game they already own all fit. Check the game's name and edition on the box before you buy an expansion, because editions don't always mix.
Show only the ideas under $25, or browse stocking stuffers and cheap Christmas gifts for more small things to wrap.
Games, controllers and memberships are tied to one system, so match the gift to the console's full name. Check the box, the TV stand or ask the parents: "Switch" could mean the first Switch or the newer Switch 2, and "Xbox" could be an older Xbox One.
A few details catch gift-givers out. The Switch 2 takes only microSD Express cards, so an older microSD card won't add storage. Nintendo eShop cards only work on accounts set to the card's country. The PlayStation Portal plays games from a PS5 over Wi-Fi and needs a PS5 to work.
Console prices also rose this year. Nintendo raised the Switch 2 to $499.99 on September 1, 2026, and Microsoft raised the Xbox Series X to $799.99 on August 1, 2026, so check today's price before you plan around a console. The table below shows what each system takes.
| They play on | What to buy, and what to check |
|---|---|
| Nintendo Switch 2 | Gift card: Nintendo eShop. Membership: Nintendo Switch Online. Storage cards must be microSD Express. eShop cards work only on accounts set to the card's country. |
| PlayStation 5 | Gift card: PlayStation Store. Membership: PlayStation Plus. The PlayStation Portal needs a PS5 to work. Buy DualSense controllers for a PS5. |
| Xbox Series X|S | Gift card: Xbox. Membership: Game Pass. Xbox wireless controllers also work on Xbox One and Windows PCs. |
| Gaming PC | Gift card: Steam or Epic. Membership: PC Game Pass. Ask which store they use. Steam cards come in $5 to $100 and are sent through Steam. |
| Board and card games | Gift card: their local game store. Read the edition and the player count on the box, especially for expansions. |
If the gamer is under 18, check the rating before the price. In the US, look for the letter from the Entertainment Software Rating Board, the ESRB, on the box or the store page: E is for everyone, E10+ for ages 10 and up, T for teens 13 and up, M for 17 and up, and AO for adults only, 18 and up.
The letter is only half of it. Next to the rating, content descriptors name what earned it, such as violence or language, and notes like in-game purchases tell you the game sells extras inside it. Two games with the same letter can feel very different.
Ask the parents which ratings they allow, then match it. For a teen, our Christmas gifts for teens has more ideas. For a game the whole family can play on the same evening, look at the Play together ideas, or our Christmas games.
Entertainment Software Rating Board ratings guide, checked October 2026.
Start with their screens. Console and PC stores let players keep a wish list, so ask them to share it, or ask a sibling to peek. Younger players can fill in a Christmas wish list with the console's name next to each game. Note the console's exact name and the gear that looks worn: a frayed cable, a cracked headset band, a sticky controller stick.
Santa can ask grown-up gamers. Santa's interview is a link you send. They open it for a short video call with Santa, an AI video character, who asks about their year, what they've been into lately, what they'd rather not get and what they're wishing for. Santa says at the start that their wishes come to you, and they tick a box to agree. Which one you choose is still the surprise.
Afterwards you read a short summary, their likes and dislikes, and each wish with store prices. Your minutes cover it at $1 a minute, and only talking time is used. Gamers under 18 tell Santa their wishes on a grown-up's own call.
Digital gift cards are the fastest. Target's digital cards for Nintendo eShop, Xbox, PlayStation and Epic say they arrive by email within four hours. Steam's digital cards, from $5 to $100, go through Steam to a friend, who has to accept them. Match the card to the console, and eShop cards to their country.
Membership codes are quick too: months of Switch Online or Game Pass start the day they redeem one. Under federal rules in force since August 22, 2010, gift card money can't expire for at least five years.
Or send minutes with Santa. With gift minutes, you choose minutes at $1 a minute, write a short note and get a gift card with a code to print, save as a picture or send as a link. They open it on the redeem page, sign in with their email, and the minutes go into their account. The minutes have no expiry date, and each code works one time.
Fix the budget first, then shop one band. Controllers, headsets and keyboards come at every price, and the filter above sorts them under $25, $25 to $75 and $75 and up. Family members can pool money for one big board game or a console accessory.
Compare the exact model, color included. On October 16, 2026, Target listed the same Xbox Series X|S Wireless Controller at prices from $48.99 to $69.99, depending on the color. Check three stores and compare the total with shipping and tax.
Timing helps on PC: Steam's Winter Sale runs from December 17, 2026, to January 4, 2027, so a Steam card can be spent during the sale. Santa's wish list compares stores for you: after a live video call with Santa, each wish comes back priced across stores, lowest first, with links. Target takes price-match requests within 14 days after purchase. Share one shortlist, so two people don't buy the same game.
No. Buy the one made for their system. Xbox wireless controllers work on Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One and Windows PCs. Switch 2 and PlayStation 5 controllers are sold for those consoles.
Usually not. Nintendo says eShop cards can only be redeemed on systems and accounts set to the same country as the card. Pick another gift, or buy from a store in their country.
For someone who likes to try lots of games, yes. Since April 21, 2026, Game Pass Ultimate costs $22.99 a month in the US. When the paid months run out, the games in the plan go away unless they buy them.
Gear and games away from the screen: a light for the desk, a better chair, an art book or a board game night. More in our gift ideas for someone who has everything.
Often, especially strategy games and role-playing starter sets. Read the player count and the playing time on the box, and pick one the family can learn in one evening.
Your stars stay in this browser on this device and aren't sent to us. A shared link holds the picks after the # in the address, a part browsers don't send to websites.
Yes. Grown-ups can call Santa themselves on a live video call in the browser, and a child can talk to Santa on a grown-up's call. See how calling Santa works.
See Christmas gifts for teens and Christmas gifts for your boyfriend for ideas past the console.
Live videoGrown-up gamers call Santa too. On a live video call they name the game, the headset or the board game they want, and the wishes come back as a list with store prices, lowest first. $1 a minute.
Call Santa
