
Christmas is right around the corner again! Itโs a time of either excitement or disappointment. Letโs face it, if youโre not a gamer yourself, it can be pretty hard to pick a good gift for gamers. Itโs also easy to accidentally get some cringe-worthy gift thatโll immediately get returned.
If you want to avoid seeing your gift returned, take a look at this list of the best gifts for gamers in 2021. I’ll also include some tips and guidelines to help you figure out the right gift for the gamers in your life.
The Latest Game Consoles

Alright, Iโm sure that a next-gen console is on every gamerโs wishlist, and itโs obviously the absolute best gift for a gamer (or even for someone who wants to get into gaming) so letโs just get this out of the way.
The best ones you can get right now are the PS5 and Xbox Series X, but thereโs a catch. Unlike a few years ago, you canโt just go into your local GameStop or Best Buy and walk out with the new console in your hand โ unless you have God-level luck.
A silicone shortage that’s been going since last year has led to a shortage of consoles so it’s not going to be easy to find them. To add to that, when consoles are in stock, scalpers are pretty quick about swiping them to resell at a serious markup.
Your best bet is to wait out on online stores or follow accounts like @Wario64 and @PS5StockAlerts on Twitter that post restock updates. If you happen to nab one to give the gamer in your life, Iโm sure theyโll appreciate the effort it took to get your hands on a next-gen console.
It’s worth noting you’ll be in a similar situation shopping for the latest graphics card for a PC gamer. Supply chain issues have created a shortage in that market, too.
If you’re looking for a console or system upgrade that isn’t going to be a nightmare to find, there are little to no problems getting a Nintendo Switch (even the new OLED ones), Oculus headset, or a PS4 (which is still worth it in 2021).
Gift Cards
Unless you already know what system they’re playing on and what kind of games they like, I really don’t recommend gifting games to gamers. Instead, vouchers or gift cards that they can use to buy the games they want is both easier for you and more rewarding for them.
If you don’t know what system they play on, opt for a store gift card from somewhere that sells games like GameStop, Best Buy, Target, or Walmart. If you do know the system they play on, it’s better to get them a gift card specifically for that system.

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With a PlayStation gift card, for example, they could also opt to spend the balance on subscription services like PS Plus or PS Now that give them access to an entire library of games.

Meanwhile, Xbox gift cards can be used to buy games as well as pay for Game Pass, the subscription service for Xbox’s video game library.

Nintendo also has e-shop gift cards that can be used to pay for Nintendo Online Subscriptions.
Regardless of which gift card you get, try to load enough to buy at least one game. New games on all systems are usually around $60, while used games and indie games are closer to $30.
Also, take note that the links I included above are for digital codes, not physical cards. If you want to get something you can wrap, I recommend picking up a Christmas card that you can put a print-out of the code into โ or going to a store to buy a gift card in person.
Lights and RGB
RGB Strip Lights
Most gamers love RGB. It’s a lighting system that illuminates the backside of a monitor in red, green, or blue. In addition to looking cool, it can help reduce eye strain, improve the contrast and clarity of images on the screen, and make the monitor seem bigger.
As cool as it is, itโs a thing that most gamers donโt buy for themselves since they might be more focused on saving up for that brand new graphics card or next-gen console. So why not get them some RGB strip lights?

For under $20, you can get a kit with a 15-foot spool of strip lights and everything else they’ll need to set up RBG lighting on their monitor.
Monitor Lamp
Another good gift is a monitor lamp. This LED bar light goes on top of a monitor and provides ambient light that’s great for late-night gaming sessions. It offers similar benefits to RBG light system but is much easier on the eyes. It might not be designed for gaming, but if your giftee is a gamer who loves to play comfortably, then a monitor lamp is a great gift.

PlayStation Icon Light Dรฉcor
Your gamer giftee has probably already seen these Decoration lamps with the PlayStation Icons all over the internet. The stylish desk light was a hot gift for PlayStation Gamers when it first came out, and it still is today (if your giftee doesnโt have it yet). I think it’s pretty unique that only PlayStation offers decor like this since other consoles use letters on their controllers as well.

Customized Signs
When it comes to customized gifts for gamers, thereโs only one thing I recommend: custom light signs.

Acrylic ones, like the one above, look really cool. They are usually laser-etched and you can put virtually any image, lettering, or design you want on one.
There are also LED light signs that imitate the look of Neon lamps like the one below.

You can find these lamps on Amazon and you can customize them before placing your order. Other sellers, including those on Etsy, let you send in designs that are even more customized. You could make your own design with Photoshop and send that out to an Etsy seller for an extremely custom gift.
Headphone Stands
Headphones are the most used item by gamers, but I really donโt recommend grabbing a pair of new headphones for them (especially if they have one) because gamers can be really particular about their audio.
If theyโre playing FPS games competitively, they might prefer a headphone with some surround sound functionality, and you might end up gifting a headphone thatโs worse than the ones they currently have.
Instead, grab a headphone stand. This is an item that most people want but are reluctant to buy (especially if theyโre not an audiophile) because there’s always seems to be something more expensive and more urgent to save up for.
There are lots of different designs and it’s hard to go wrong no matter what you pick. Some headphone stands have RGB lighting. Some can be customized with their name or username. If your gifteeโs room is filled with a ton of RGB, get the RGB headphone stand.

T-Shirts
T-shirts are a good way to avoid getting the wrong game or gamer gear but they can turn bad pretty quickly.
While they might seem like a good idea, avoid shirts with quotes like โGamerโs Donโt Die They Respawn,โ or any shirt that shouts โIโm a gamer.” You should also steer clear of shirts with video game characters on it.
A lot of gamers see T-shirts as a practical item more than a fashion statement so it’s better to pick something that will add to their comfort while gaming. E-sports jerseys, especially if you know their favorite e-sports team.
You could also just pick up some Dri-Fit shirts. They use the same fabric that you find on most e-sports jerseys. This might not be the first thing you mightโve thought of, but gamers do be sweaty sometimes, especially when they’re in their leather gaming chairs while playing intense matches.
Mugs
With the right design, a mug can be a great gift that gamers will actually appreciate. This color-changing mug, for example, looks like a plain black mug at first but when you pour hot liquid in it, the Skyrim Opening Meme appears.
You can also get mugs that have minimalist designs on them, like Super Marioโs hat or a Super Mushroom. There are also ones with the Skyrim logo or the Tri-force symbol from The Legend of Zelda. But be careful with the tri-force symbol since thatโs similar to an old KKK symbol.

If your giftee is a kid or a teen, though, I really donโt recommend gifting a mug. Kids and teens rarely drink coffee or any beverage that is usually served in a mug.
A Retro Gaming Console
Perhaps you have an old Gameboy, Gamecube, SNES, or a 1st gen PlayStation lying around collecting dust. If youโre close with your giftee, think about gifting that to them. Retro gaming is becoming more and more appealing in 2021 and the interest around it is only predicted to grow as time passes. So, itโs a pretty good gift to introduce your young giftee to retro gaming. It might also make a great nostalgic gift for older giftees.
If you donโt have an old console just lying around, finding one is pretty easy. You can go two routes. Route one is to get a brand new modernized one like the PlayStation Classic (which already has 20 games built-in).

If your giftee has some Nintendo nostalgia or theyโre a current Nintendo Switch gamer, you could get them a Nintendo NES Classic Edition which has 30 games built-in.

Route two is to head down to your local pawn shop or thrift store. I’ll bet you can find some original retro consoles there. They might need some repairs or cleaning, but nothing really beats the genuine originals when it comes to nostalgia.
Get Your Giftees a Gifts Now!
Have you picked out your gift for your gamer? Maybe you were reading this to find a great gift for yourself. If you found a great item you want to get, just click the links on each product we listed here.
Is there something missing in the list? Let us know in the comments. I also recently wrote an article on How to Game Comfortably that lists a lot of items for gaming that are also extremely gift worthy. Check that out if you want more gift ideas for gamers! Thanks for reading!