The holiday season is here and it’s time to find the perfect gift for our loved ones, which can sometimes be a little overwhelming. Buying a gift for someone requires knowing their interests, and players have a lot of interests in common. For starters, gamers love tinkering with hardware, unboxing new blockbusters, or even unboxing a new console. But consoles and games can be quite expensive, so what can you do?

You don’t have to think too much because we have all the answers. Our Christmas gift guide offers budget-friendly options that will please any gamer.

The best Christmas gifts for Xbox gamers

Xbox Design Lab Controller

Xbox controllers are great, but what makes them even better than the competition is that you can design them however you see fit. Xbox Design Lab lets you change the colors and customize any Xbox controller however you want. Take the gift of a regular controller one step further with the design lab and make one that truly reflects the personality of the gamer you cherish.

Xbox Game Pass subscription

Xbox Game Pass is one of the best budget gifts you can give any gamer if they own an Xbox console or a device that supports its library. This includes anything from a Windows PC to a smartphone to an Amazon Fire TV stick. It’s perfect for introducing younger players to the medium without having to make money. The service will also get all first-party games for Xbox, such as Indiana Jones and the Great Circle on day one, so players don’t have to buy them separately.

Game Pass has four tiers – Core, Standard, Ultimate and PC. The best option is to get an Xbox Game Pass Ultimate gift card, which includes access to Xbox cloud gaming in select countries.

Xbox Series S

The Xbox Series S has always been a great entry point for new gamers, but its lack of storage space has always been an issue. Fortunately, Microsoft’s console update now includes 1TB of storage, so you can download more than two Call of Duty titles. It’s still less than $400, and the console usually includes an Xbox Game Pass subscription, making it a sweet deal just in time for the holidays.

The best Christmas gifts for PS5 gamers

PlayStation Plus subscription

PlayStation Plus has quietly become a strong contender in the gaming subscription space. Sure, you don’t get every first-party PlayStation Studios game released on day one on a service like Game Pass, but it’s still very tempting with new games added to its catalog every month. It’s perfect as a gift for new PlayStation owners who want to catch up on iconic PlayStation franchises.

Over three hundred games can be played on your PS4 and PS5 via PS Plus, with most older first-party PlayStation titles including games for PS One, PS2 and PS3. It’s also a better value if you buy an annual subscription and pay its monthly price, so go ahead and gift that special gamer a 12-month membership.

PlayStation Astro Bot DualSense Controller

If the Game Awards celebrated the best game controllers of the year, then the PlayStation Astro Bot The DualSense driver would easily sweep the category this time around. The white and blue controller is based on the playful personality of the cute robot that led the 2024 game winners. The controller is nice, but the pair of eyes on the touchpad are the icing on the already well-rounded hardware.

The best Christmas gifts for Nintendo gamers

Nintendo eShop Gift Cards

It can be hard to track down which game would make the best gift for someone. Why not let them choose the title themselves? You can simply gift them eShop credit and let them spend as they see fit. Buying games from the eShop also rewards players with Gold Points, which can be used to get a discount on other games in the digital store.

CultureFly The Legend of Zelda Premium Collector’s Box

Most of the gifts we’ve mentioned so far are individual items, but the CultureFly Collector’s Box contains goodies that just about everyone will appreciate this Christmas. It’s just a bonus that it happens Zelda– themed! The Legend of Zelda Premium Collector’s Box includes a satin varsity jacket, mini backpack, LED light, drink stand, socks, and snapback hat, all for just $45.99 or less during holiday sales.

SanDisk microSDXC cards for Nintendo Switch

Nintendo Switch games don’t take up a lot of space, but with the way most of us start piling on loads of titles during the holiday sales, it’s easy to run out of storage space. That’s where the SanDisk microSDXC cards for Switch come in, available in a variety of sizes, colors and themed around classic Nintendo game characters. We really like the 512GB card for its cool teal color.

Nintendo Switch Lite: Hyrule Edition with bonus Nintendo Switch Online + expansion pack

Nintendo will release the Switch 2 next year, so why get the original Switch now? Conventional wisdom suggests you wait for a new console, but the Switch Lite is a small and inexpensive package that makes it perfect for the current holiday season. The console’s Hyrule Edition comes with a bonus Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack subscription that includes online play and a library of retro games. You can get the bundle for $209.99, making it the perfect gateway to Nintendo’s console ecosystem for newer gamers.