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Buying a gift for a gamer is a minefield, as gamers are notoriously picky about their set-ups and their interests. If your giftee is into Stardew Valley, they're going to turn their nose up at a force feedback racing wheel, no matter how realistic it makes driving sims; if they're into Valorant, they probably don't want a squishy pastel cat-paw seat cushion for their gaming chair.
The trick is matching the gear to the gamer. To help you sidestep that forced "Um...thanks?" response, I've broken down the best gifts by player personality, and also included one gift you should not, under any circumstances, give any gamer this Christmas.
The best overall gift for gamers: Steam Deck
The Steam Deck is the Swiss Army Knife of gaming—a single device that will please portable gamers, PC gamers, and console gamers alike. It's a PC in a slip-it-in-a-backpack form factor that can be taken anywhere or plugged in to play on your TV. Handheld gamers will like the portability and the touchscreen display. The simple UI and XBox games will make console gamers happy. PC fans can use it to play their backlog of Steam Games while sitting on the couch or riding a bus. They can even wipe the whole drive and use it as a PC if they grow out of playing video games (like that will happen). You can buy the Steam Deck exclusively on Valve's website.
The best gift for a hardcore gamer: Razer Huntsman Elite
Hardcore gamers want to be better at gaming. This keyboard could help by providing a millisecond's advantage. Instead of mechanical switches, the Razer Huntsman uses analog optical switches to register key presses. Gamers can fine-tune how hard they have to press a key to get it to register, and the rapid trigger feature resets the keys the very instant a user lifts their finger. That means faster firing, and faster firing can be the difference between a respectable kill/death ratio and a rage quit.
The best gift for the portable gamer: Backbone One (2nd Gen)
The Backbone One snaps onto almost any Android or iPhone and turns it into a handheld console so you can play mobile games, or stream your XBox or PlayStation games from the Cloud. It not only fits over most iPhones and Android phones, it fits over most phone cases, so you won't have to strip your phone down to jump into a game. Just make sure you get the right one: They come in Xbox and Playstation 5 varities.
The best gift for the cozy casual gamer: The Ferghana Velvet fabric gaming chair
Some gamers are looking for the opposite of the adrenaline rush of heated PvP—they turn to gaming for comfort instead of action. If that's the person on your gift list, consider this velvet gaming chair. It offers all the ergonomic goodness (lumbar pillows, high back, footrest) of a traditional gaming chair, but it's upholstered in a soft velvet instead of that tatty faux-leather.
The best gift for the console gamer: a 2TB storage expansion drive
Gaming is fun; managing storage space is not. It's a constant headache for both Xbox Series X owners and PlayStation 5 gamers. Huge game files eat up both consoles' relatively small hard drives, forcing gamers to delete old games every time they install something new. But a nice, big 2TB drive, like the WD_BLACK SN850P for PS5 or the Sandisk 2TB Optimus GX C50 Storage Expansion Card for Xbox, solves the problem, so why not give the gift of breathing room? Be sure you get the right drive for the console they play, and personally, I wouldn't skimp and get them the smaller sizes. They want as much storage as possible, I promise.
What do you think so far?
Best gift for the streamer: Elgato Stream Deck MK.2
If your giftee is a streamer or aspiring streamer, the Elgato Stream Deck MK.2 is a must-have. This stand-alone control pad features 15 programmable LCD keys that can be programmed to switch camera angles, mute a microphone, play sound effects, control the lights, and do just about anything else with a single keystroke.
Honorable mention: A DoorDash or UberEats gift card
If none of the above gift ideas quite work, consider a gift certificate from DoorDash or UberEats. No matter what kind of games you play, when you're locked in a heavy gaming session, the last thing you want to do is stop to make dinner.
The one gift not to get for a gamer (unless they ask for it): Grand Theft Auto 6
The release of Grand Theft Auto 6 is one of the biggest gaming-focused events in decades, but please don't give the gamer in your life GTA 6 for Christmas. Making someone wait one day beyond the Nov. 19 release date to play it is simply cruel. Have a heart, and give it to them early.
