The 26 Best Gaming Gifts of 2025

Best gaming consoles and VR Sony PlayStation 5 For popular exclusive games like Astro Bot, the PS5 is the way to go (although many of these games eventually make it to PCs much later on). The PS5's big advantage is its modernized, redesigned controller, which provides better haptic feedback. The PS Plus subscription service offers a big, Netflix-like catalog of monthly games, although mostly older ones. The model without a DVD drive (aka the Digital Edition) costs $50 less than the model that includes one; if your recipient wants to play older games or just likes physical copies, they can always attach a drive later . Read our PS5 review and slim PS5 hands-on . Xbox Series S The smaller, cheaper Series S version of the Xbox plays all the same games as its bigger, pricier brother, the Xbox Series X, but does so at 1440p resolution, which lies somewhere between traditional HD and 4K. More importantly, it's great for downloading and playing the huge catalog of Xbox Game Pass games or for free-to-play online games like Fortnite. There's a black model with twice the storage, the Xbox Series S 1TB, for about $50 more, but it's not necessary unless you specifically want to gift the black one, or you know your gamer keeps having to delete games because storage is tight. If you want to give the white model, you can always spring for a plug-in drive to go with it. Read our Xbox Series S and Series S 1TB reviews. Meta Quest 3S VR headset The Editors' Choice-winning Meta Quest 3S is currently VR pro Scott Stein's pick for the best entry-level VR headset. Replacing the Quest 2, it's got improved graphics over that model, and is compatible with Quest 3 games and uses the same controllers as the Quest 3. Its primary drawback compared to the Quest 3 is the lower-quality displays, which remain the same as those of the Quest 2. The Quest 3 is still a better headset, but the $300 price tag on the 3S makes it a more attractive gift option than the $500 Quest 3 and a nice choice for first-time VR players. Nintendo Switch 2 handheld game console It's not worth it for a giftee who already owns a Switch, but for first-time buyers, the $449 Switch 2 is a no-brainer. Almost all existing Switch games play on it, and many older games play better on it than on the older model; it's got the biggest, highest-resolution screen to date and more power, among other things. Valve Steam Deck OLED I've got a hoard of gaming laptops, a powerful desktop and more, but the Steam Deck OLED is still my go-to gaming device. It's not for everyone -- really just gamers who have large libraries of games from the popular Steam store and whose games are listed as at least playable on the Steam Deck, if not on the Great on Deck list. The more expensive OLED version is worth the...

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