Buying gifts for a gamer can be pretty easy, as long as you make sure you’re buying a game or accessory for the right console and know it’s something they don’t already have or need. If you don’t regularly buy gaming products, you might also be scratching your head and wondering what’s a good price for a game, or even where’s the best place to buy them. This is where our handy gift guide comes into play, so you can buy the latest games, consoles and more for the best price and stretch your budget a little further.
There’s something for everyone in our guide packed full of gifts for gamers. From PS4, PS5 and Nintendo Switch to Xbox Series X and Xbox One– you’ve come to the right place to find excellent gifts, birthday presents and everything in between.
If you’re after gifts for PC and tech savvy recipients, be sure to check Digital Foundry’s PC hardware and peripheral recommendations.
Whether you’re treating yourself for no specific reason or looking for the perfect gifts for gamer friends and family, you can check out the best of what’s on offer below.
Best gifts for gamers
If you’re in a pinch for time and want to see our best gifts for gamers, we’ve compiled all of our top picks for Switch, Xbox and PlayStation just below. Need more thorough gamer gift inspiration? Keep scrolling down to our full gift guide as we’ve probably found something that’s on your gamer’s wishlist.
- Nintendo Switch with Mario Kart 8 Deluxe bundle This bargain bundle includes a Switch (improved battery), the console’s bestselling game and three months of Nintendo Switch Online – all for just £259.99.
- Nintendo Switch OLED with Pikmin 3 bundle Get the new Nintendo Switch OLED with the super fun Pikmin 3 for only £319.99.
- Animal Crossing New Horizons for Nintendo Switch ACNH is pure endless fun and great value for money. And it’s on offer for £36.99 right now.
- Pokémon Let’s Go Pikachu for Nintendo Switch Replay the original Pokémon game in a whole new way or pick it up for the first time for just £36.99.
- Pokémon Sword for Nintendo Switch The latest Pokémon game is hours of fun for Pokémon and RPG fans alike. Catch it while it’s still on offer for £36.99.
- Horizon Zero Dawn: The Board Game If you’re buying for a New Horizons fan, this £63 Horizon Zero Dawn: The Board Game should keep them busy whilst waiting for 2022’s Horizon: Forbidden West.
- PS5 Pulse 3D Wireless Headset Shopping for a PS5 owner? Give them the gift of premium sound with the console’s official headset for £83.95.
- Elden Ring Launch Edition (pre-order) Sometimes the best things in life come to those who wait, and a £45 pre-order for Elden Ring is a game worth waiting for.
- Xbox Series S bundle with Rocket League and Fortnite An Xbox Series X console is hard to come by right now and if your recipient isn’t fussed on owning physical copies of games, then the Xbox Series S is an excellent option. This bundle with Fortnite and Rocket League extras is £249.99
- Halo Infinite Halo Infinite is hands down Microsoft’s biggest game release of the year and you can order a copy for £46.85. It will also be available on Xbox Game Pass, which is just £10.99/$14.99 per month and only £1 for a one month trial if they’re a new user. Game Pass also gives your recipient access to over 100 Xbox games.
- Seagate Storage Expansion Card Expanding an Xbox owner’s internal storage space means they can store more of their favourite games in one handy place, including the ability to store and play Xbox One games too. Prices start from £125 for the 512GB option but we reckon the 1TB version is better value for money.
- Xbox 20th Anniversary Wireless Controller Xbox fans have more than likely been eyeing up this special edition Xbox controller, so you could make their dreams come true by popping one of these in their gift bags.
Best Nintendo Switch gift ideas
There are three Nintendo Switch models to choose from: the original Nintendo Switch, the hand-held only Switch Lite, and the Nintendo Switch OLED, which is essentially the base console with an OLED screen and some other minor improvements.
Nintendo Switch Mario Kart bundle – £259.99
Let’s start with this fantastic deal on the original Nintendo Switch console with a new and improved battery that’s perfect for long gaming sessions when you’re playing in handheld mode. This Nintendo Switch Mario Kart bundle includes a digital copy of Mario Kart 8: Deluxe, the best-selling game on the console, and a 3-month Nintendo Switch Online subscription, which lets you play online with friends and access over 100 retro NES and SNES games.
This bundle has appeared before, and most retailers have now sold all of their stock. Thankfully, you can still pick this up from Nintendo Store UK at the bargain price of £259.99 – a saving of over £50 if you were going to purchase all of the items included in the bundle separately.
Nintendo Switch Lite Animal Crossing bundle – £229.99
With the hand-held only Nintendo Switch Lite that’s ideal for gaming on the go or if you prefer to play in handheld mode only. This Nintendo Switch Lite Animal Crossing bundle includes a digital copy of Animal Crossing New Horizons, one of the most popular games on the console, plus a 3-month Nintendo Switch Online subscription. If you have a friend or family member who also plays ACNH and is subscribed to NSO, it means you can play together online and visit each other’s islands. This bundle is available at Argos for £229.99 – saving you about a tenner off the game.
Nintendo Switch OLED with Pikmin 3 Deluxe – £319.99
If you’ve already got a Nintendo Switch console in the house but it’s perhaps in need of an upgrade, you may want to consider upgrading to a Nintendo Switch OLED. It’s a tad more expensive than the original Switch model but comes with a fancier OLED screen, which makes a massive improvement when you’re using the console in handheld mode.
The Nintendo Switch OLED has been selling out fast since its release in October this year, but it’s currently in stock at Very and GAME. If you’re after the best value for money, we’d recommend GAME’s bundle which includes the console and a physical copy of Pikmin 3: Deluxe for £319.99 – that’s just an extra tenner for one of the best puzzle games on the Nintendo Switch.
Animal Crossing and Pokémon games from £37
There are plenty of must-have games on the Nintendo Switch and a lot of them are on sale at the moment. Not only is Animal Crossing one of the best games on the Nintendo Switch, it’s also a beautiful form of escapism that you can easily sink hundreds of hours into – excellent value considering it’s only £36.99 from Currys right now. If your recipient already owns the game, you could get them a Nintendo gift card so they can get the new DLC, Happy Home Paradise.
Similarly, the Pokémon games are always excellent presents, whether you’re buying for someone who used to play the original games when they were younger or someone diving into the world of Pokémon for the first time. Pokémon: Let’s Go, Pikachu! is a refreshing remake of the original titles on the Game Boy, while Pokémon Sword and Pokémon Shield are the latest entries in the mainline series (not counting the Diamond/Pearl remakes, of course).
Nintendo Game and Watch
If you’re looking for something with a retro twist, why not treat your recipient to one of the Nintendo Game and Watch handheld devices. These retro-inspired consoles not only look awesome and come presented in presentable packaging, but they’re packed with the classic Nintendo games and other cool features. The Super Mario Bros. Game and Watch is £39.99 and features Super Mario Bros., Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels, Ball (Mario Version) and a digital clock.
The recently released Legend of Zelda Game and Watch is also now £39.99 at John Lewis, and includes three classic games from the action-adventure franchise: The Legend of Zelda (Original NES version), Zelda 2: The Adventure of Link, The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening (Game Boy version). It also features a digital clock and a special version of Game and Watch classic Vermin starring Link as the playable character. These affordable handheld systems would make an excellent gift for a retro gamer, or someone who might want to experience playing the classic Nintendo games for the first time.
Don’t forget these great deals on Nintendo Switch consoles, games, and accessories. And if your still stuck on what game to buy, you can check out Eurogamer’s best Nintendo Switch games guide for more inspiration.
Nintendo Switch consoles
More Nintendo Switch games at great prices
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Nintendo Switch accessories
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Best PlayStation gift ideas
First things first: if you’re trying to get your hands on a new PS5 any time soon, we’d recommend bookmarking our PS5 stock updates page and following Jelly Deals on Twitter, as it’s the first place we’ll share news on any stock updates.
Hopefully, more consoles will become available as global supply issues slowly get sorted, but in the meantime, you can make the most of these great deals on PS5/PS4 games, accessories and discounts on PlayStation Plus subscriptions. Still can’t find what you’re looking for? Check out Eurogamer’s list of the best PS5 games and the best PS4 games to find even more gift inspiration.
Horizon Zero Dawn: The Board Game – £63.40 / Horizon: Zero Dawn (Complete Edition) – £10
One of the PlayStation’s best games gets a physical board game to play through with up to three other players. Horizon: Forbidden West is already shaping up to be one of 2022’s most anticipated releases and while PlayStation owners still have a little longer to wait until they can play it, this should keep them busy enough in the meantime.
If whoever you’re buying for somehow missed 2017’s Horizon: Zero Dawn, it still holds up as a fantastic game in 2021. Right now, you can grab the complete edition of the game with all of its DLC included for just £10 from JD Williams in the UK. That’s a fantastic deal for the hours of gameplay on offer.
PS5 Pulse 3D Wireless Headset – £83.85
The Tempest Engine audio chip in the PS5 lets you hear games as you’ve never heard them before thanks to the spatial audio support when you’re playing with headphones. Spatial audio is essentially 3D sound, adding new directions and a dimension of depth to the audio you experience through your console.
It adds a whole new sense of realism and immersion to games. In first-person-shooters such as Call of Duty: Warzone and Apex Legends, spatial audio makes it easier to pinpoint the location of your enemies as you can work out where their steps are coming from. In adventure games, whether the person you’re buying for is playing God of War or The Last of Us: Part 2, in-game environments sound more real as sound reverberates according to the landscape.
While the Pulse 3D wireless headset is fantastic, it’s not the only way to experience spatial audio on the PS5. Any decent headset allows you to do this, so if the price tag on the Pulse 3D is a little out of budget, we’ve left some choices for other top gaming headsets below.
Elden Ring Launch Edition (pre-order) – £45
What would happen if George R.R. Martin collaborated with Dark Souls creator, Hidetaka Miyazaki, is a question we never thought we’d be asking, let alone get an answer to. But now we know. As the lucky few that managed to make their way into the Elden Ring beta found out, Elden Ring is shaping up to be something special.
The launch edition of Elden Ring is a fantastic gift for any PlayStation owner that hasn’t already pre-ordered a copy of the game. Just bear in mind that this isn’t out until February, so you’ll need to get creative with the way you present this as a gift.
PlayStation games
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PlayStation accessories and PS Plus subscriptions
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Best Xbox gift ideas
The Xbox Series X is currently out of stock everywhere at the time of writing, but if you’re hoping to get one soon we’d recommend bookmarking our Xbox Series X stock updates page and following Jelly Deals on Twitter.
There’s no guarantee that more consoles are on the way, though, so you may be better off grabbing an Xbox Series S instead. It’s the all-digital version of the X, so while it can’t play physical games, you can still play the latest titles by downloading them using digital codes or through Xbox’s Game Pass Ultimate subscription, which is essentially the gaming equivalent of Netflix.
For just £10.99/$14.99 per month, Xbox Game Pass lets can access over 100 Xbox games, including first-party titles such as Halo Infinite and Forza 5. If you know where to look, you can get the price down even more. You can find out how to do that and pick up more Xbox gifts at great prices using the links below. Also, be sure to check out Eurogamer’s article about every game that’s currently available on Xbox Game Pass, so you can decide if it’s the right subscription for you. You might also want to take a peek at this list of the best Game Pass games to play in 2021, too.
Still wondering about what Xbox game to buy? Pop on over to Eurogamer’s list of the best Xbox Series X/S games to play in 2021 to narrow down your options. You can also find out about the best Xbox One games too.
Xbox Series S bundle with Rocket League and Fortnite – £249.99
This is, without doubt, the best Xbox Series S bundle available at the time of writing. The RRP of the Xbox Series S is £249, so this bundle essentially gets you a load of Fortnite and Rocket League goodies for free.
With the recent release of Halo Infinite and with Microsoft confirming that some future Bethesda titles will be Xbox exclusives, there are plenty of reasons why Xbox Series S stock is flying off the shelves right now.
Just bear in mind that if you are buying this for someone, the Xbox Series S is an all-digital console, meaning it can’t play game discs. Many of the best games available on the Xbox can be played through a monthly gaming subscription called Game Pass Ultimate, which costs £10.99 per month, but you can find a link lower down that will save you even more money if you want to gift a subscription.
Seagate Storage Expansion Card – Starting at £134
Any Xbox owner making the most out of their Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscription is eventually gonna run out of storage space on their console. This makes the Seagate Storage expansion card the perfect gift for any Xbox owner, as it’s the only way to expand the internal storage of their console.
There’s a 512GB version of the card available for £134, or you can upgrade to a 1TB card for £194. While these expansion cards are currently the only way to upgrade the console’s internal memory, external HDDs and SSDs can be used to store and play older, backwards-compatible Xbox games. You can find all of these below.
Xbox 20th Anniversary Wireless Controller – £60
With so many great couch co-op and multiplayer games available on the Xbox, from It Takes Two to Gears of War, no Xbox owner will ever turn their nose up at an extra controller, especially when it looks as great as this.
This 20th-anniversary wireless controller is essentially a throwback to the golden days of the Duke controller on the original Xbox. Thankfully, the design has improved a little since then and this controller comes with all the features you’d expect from a next-gen pad, including the ability to map your own buttons using the Xbox accessories app.
Xbox Series S consoles
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Xbox games
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Xbox Game Pass Ultimate deals and accessories
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Best VR headset gift ideas
With major franchises debuting VR spin-offs now, whether it’s Half-Life: Alyx or Resident Evil 4: VR, there are plenty of reasons to pick up a VR headset. The immersive feel means gameplay packs way more punch than staring at a TV or monitor with a controller in your hand. You can find the best deals below.
Best TV gift ideas
If you’re going all out and looking for a new TV, be sure to check out Digital Foundry’s best 4K gaming TVs for 2021 guide.
Their top TV pick, the LG C1, is one of the most sought after televisions on the market today thanks to its combination of price, performance, and HDMI 2.1 features. This 4K OLED TV would make an excellent gift for any gamer or cinephile.
Whether you’re after a 48, 55 or 65 inch 4K TV, the LG C1 performs brilliantly at all sizes. If you’ve got the space and the cash, there’s even a whopping 77-inch version. Prices start from £1,099.
Right now, you can save £200 at John Lewis with the discount code 83700215 at the check out – when you buy this LG TV and the LG QP5 Bluetooth Sound Bar which is usually £699 on its own. We’ll be sure to update this section if we spot any reductions on some of the current gaming favourites.
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In the US
- LG C1 48 inch – $1,196.99 at BuyDig via eBay (plus $100 eBay Credit)
- LG C1 55 inch – $1,299 at BuyDig via eBay (plus $120 eBay Credit)
- LG C1 65 inch – $1,796.99 at Newegg (plus a free $150 Promotional Visa Gift Card)
- LG C1 77 inch – $2,896.99 at BuyDig (was $3,799)
- LG C1 83 inch – $4,996.99 at Newegg (plus a free $500 Promotional Visa Gift Card)
Best gaming gifts, collectables, books, figurines and more
Our friends over at Dicebreaker are also bringing you the best gift ideas for board game fans, including Dungeons and Dragons, Pokémon and other tabletop and TCG related gifts such as rulebooks, tabletop accessories and more. Take a look at some of their gift ideas below:
Best deals on SSDs
Seagate FireCuda 530
The best way to upgrade your existing PC or laptop is through an SSD, especially if you’re not running at least the operating system from one already. The good news is even the most basic ones can be bought at incredibly low prices these days. However, even better are the NVMe SSDs, which speed up load times a whole lot more, including the latest games which have massive file sizes. Here are just some of the deals that would make awesome gift purchases.
Looking for awesome gaming collectables, books, figurines and more? If so, be sure to head on over to our Jelly Deals site where you can find Nintendo amiibos, anime figures, gaming merch and much more.
Congrats on making it to the end of our gift guide! Keep checking back as we continue to add more exciting gift ideas for gamers. If you’re looking for a present for a specific platform, be sure to check out our deals guides for gamers with a PS5, Xbox or Nintendo Switch. You should also go give our Jelly Deals Twitter page a follow, where we’ll be sharing all the best deals on gaming gifts, right up until the last delivery date.
