Buying Christmas gifts for a console gamer might seem daunting, but there’s plenty of room for creativity and ingenuity, thanks to the wide array of cool, weird, and wonderful gaming accessories available online. Whether your gift recipient is a Nintendo fan, a PlayStation fan, an Xbox fan, or something else entirely, there’s plenty of fun gifts you can consider to brighten up their holiday season.
From funky lights to fandom-related plushies, read on for a few ideas for great gifts for console gamers this Christmas.
All prices are listed in Australian dollars and link to products available in Australia.
Christ gift ideas: console gamers – quick links
A favourite Pokémon plush
Price: $25-50
If you’ve got a Nintendo fan to buy for this Christmas, consider gifting them a plush (or two) of their favourite Pokémon. Pretty much every Pokemon has its own plush, even the lesser-loved ones, and they’re all adorable.
With The Pokemon Center now shipping to Australia at reasonable prices (and most retailers stocking general, popular plushes), there’s a bounty of picks available to you.
A charging dock or controller holder
Price: $35
- Check out the Kytok RGB Controller Holder on Amazon.
When you’ve got multiple consoles and controllers, your gaming setup can get messy fast. That’s where a thoughtful Christmas gift like a controller holder or charger becomes handy. While you may not need a grand stand like the Kytok one pictured above, even something small will prove useful. Having a central hub to store gaming accessories lets you clean up your space, and adds convenience.
A spare controller
Price: $50-100
A new controller is always a great Christmas gift for a gamer, no matter which console they prefer. It’s great to have a spare controller handy, particularly when batteries run down, or when multiplayer sessions are on offer.
You can pick from an array of licensed first-party controllers for a thoughtful gift, as well as more affordable (and sometimes more colourful) third-party controllers. 8BitDo have some great, cheaper options, as does PowerA and GameSir.
A console case, cover, or decals
Price: $25-90
You might like to consider a vibe shift through a new console cover, decal, or case this Christmas. Head online, and you’ll find an array of cool options to add colour and flash to any console, from handheld consoles to stationary ones.
You can buy a fuzzy brown bear case for the Nintendo Switch, or pink decals to add a pop of flair. You can also purchase an array of sticker decals for PlayStation or Xbox console gamers, or even officially-licensed hard cover cases. They all lend new flavour and personality.
A gift card for a digital console store
Price: Your choice
- Video game gift cards are available at Coles and Woolworths, as well as other retailers.
Now, this gift guide entry is a bit of cheat. If you’re buying for a console gamer this Christmas, what better thing to buy than a new video game? But you don’t know exactly what your gift recipient enjoys, and they might not know either. The simple solution is to buy them a handy-dandy gift card for the console they own (Xbox, PlayStation, Nintendo), and let them decide for themselves.
An older, not-quite-retro console
Price: $50-200
- You can find many not-quite-retro consoles going very cheap on eBay, and at your local video game store.
There’s a wide world of video games out there, and so many aren’t available on modern consoles. This Christmas, if you’re looking to give the console gamer in your life a genuinely game-changing gift, consider buying them an older console they don’t already have.
The Nintendo DS is a particularly good pick, because it has a robust library of fantastic games, many of which were never remastered or ported to other consoles. You can also find fantastic experiences on PlayStation 2 and PlayStation 3, both of which are packed with underrated, semi-forgotten games you can also likely find cheap online.
Pixel Frames artwork
Price: $75-95
- Check out Pixel Frames on Amazon.
Pixel Frames is a company creating very fun-looking video game artworks using a 2D-3D style. While relatively simple in nature, their works are standout, and look fantastic in any gaming setup. To date, the company has produced an array of works featuring key moments from Battletoads, Sonic the Hedgehog, Street Fighter, and Castlevania, so there’s plenty of options to choose from, to decorate any gaming space.
A video game-board game
Price: $50-230
Plenty of video games have been adapted into fantastic board games which offer new experiences, or expansions of story and mechanics. For players who want to experience their favourite games in a brand new way, the Christmas gift of a video game-board game would be a fantastic option.
Here’s a few choice picks, curated for this ScreenHub gift guide:
- The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim – The Adventure Board Game
- Resident Evil: The Board Game
- The Witcher: Old World Board Game
- Horizon Zero Dawn Board Game
- Stardew Valley: The Board Game
- Frostpunk: The Board Game
A funky neon sign or licensed lights
Price: $30-70
- Check out the Attivolife Game On Light Up LED on Amazon.
- Check out the Paladone Super Mario Icons Light on Amazon.
A cool light can jazz up any gaming space. Consider buying your Christmas gift recipient one of these fun decorations, particularly if their gaming space is bare or dull. We’re particularly enamoured by the Super Mario Icons Light from Paladone, which introduces bright, retro charm into any room. If you’re looking for something sillier or louder, an obnoxious ‘gamer’ neon light is also a fun option.
A video game cookbook
Price: $40-60
Video games and cooking go hand-in-hand, surprisingly. No matter which video game your gift recipient loves, it’s likely there’ll be a cookbook adaptation, or something adjacent, so they can dive deeper into the worlds of their favourite games by cooking a meal directly from those worlds.
There’s plenty of options, including the following:
- The Official Stardew Valley Cookbook
- Minecraft: Gather, Cook, Eat! Official Cookbook
- The Witcher Official Cookbook
- Heroes’ Feast: The Official D&D Cookbook
- Destiny: The Official Cookbook
- RuneScape: The Official Cookbook
- Sonic the Hedgehog: The Official Cookbook
- The Elder Scrolls The Official Cookbook
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