The PC Gamer Holiday Gift Guide
Greetings, consumer! Welcome to CAPITALISM, where you show love for others in your life by BUYING GOODS. Beyond that, it’s the best buying season of the year: the holidays! If your loved one, friend, or acquaintance is a PC gamer, then we have the perfect guide to gifts for you.
It can be hard to swim through the absolute sea of video game merch out there looking for the coolest stuff. This is a season with limited time and limited budgets for each person in your life. Let us pick out some of the best so you can spend more time doing what matters: Playing games in the same room with other people and maybe sometimes talking.
Gifts under $20
Deathclaw Keychain
If you’re from the American south then you’re surely familiar with the little preserved alligator foot keychains that people love so much. Let me ask you: What if, instead, it was a Deathclaw hand? It’s a wonderfully subtle idea for showing your Fallout love and will only get you the same weird stares that other people with odd reptile parts on their keys get.
Pachimari Plush Hangers
Everyone loves Pachimari, Overwatch’s unofficial in-world mascot turnip thing. Loving Pachimari in all its forms and incarnations is mandatory. Do not consider other emotions in relation to Pachimari. If you feel yourself disliking Pachimari, report to your local special Blizzard police office for RePacheducation. Thank you for being considerate in this matter.
Phantom Keystroker
This is hands down one of the funniest office prank objects there is, turning someone’s computer into a haunted and frustrating mess for a brief period of time is guaranteed laughter—especially when the game becomes sneaking it onto a computer when nobody’s looking.
Anime Was A Mistake
If there is one thing in this world that all anime and non-anime fans can completely, totally agree on, it’s that Anime Was A Mistake. Let those around you know that you understand the truth of this world as fake-espoused by animation legend Hayao Miyazaki with a pin holding this most important catchphrase of the gaming generation.
Shovel Knight Playing Cards
Shovel Knight has some of the most memorable character designs of the last few years, ones you should absolutely commemorate through these cards. Whether you know a card game player, run a poker night, use cards in roleplaying games, or just have a friend who loves to shuffle, this is a lovely deck to dig up and put under the tree. (If you just like the art, you could buy and frame an uncut sheet of them as a gift, on sale at that same link for $30.)
Board Games
Keyforge
$40 for a starter set from Amazon
Keyforge is this year’s hottest new card game, a design from the creator of Magic: The Gathering where every deck of cards is unique. That’s right, they’re literally unique, unable to be swapped or customized between decks, each deck procedurally generated by some weird, proprietary manufacturing process. The game itself is about balancing defense and offense to gather enough resources to win, a bit of a twist from the standard Magic or Hearthstone goal of reducing your opponent’s life in a head to head conflict.
Betrayal Legacy
Betrayal at House on the Hill is a gaming mainstay, a horror game about exploring a haunted house where one player is inevitably revealed as a cultist/monster/killer and tries to hunt down the others for sport and pleasure. Betrayal Legacy is the persistent, campaign game version of the old classic that has you hunting each other over and over, making permanent changes to the house, and revealing the story of why and how it got so very, very evil.
Gloomhaven
Last year’s newest, coolest hotness in board games is still pretty new and cool this year. Gloomhaven is pretty much the ultimate dungeon crawling board game, a massive persistent campaign that’s good from start to finish. You unlock new characters, open secret boxes, and wind your way through the story of the eponymous city and its seedy underbelly. It’s one of our Best Board Games and has stayed on the list for two years running.
Discover: Lands Unknown
Using the same unique-game tech from Keyforge, Fantasy Flight has this game about exploring an undiscovered country. Each copy is, again, unique, so your layout of tiles and locations is unlike anyone else’s. It’s a neat little adventure, not as punishingly difficult as other similar adventure board games, so a little more suitable for the less hardcore among your gaming crowd.
The Rise of Queensdale
This year’s other coolest legacy game is Rise of Queensdale, where players take on each other to build a fantasy town. Its neat trick is that it’s all about rolling dice and customizing your strategy based on what dice you have and how they work. Queensdale is a fun, relatively deep economic strategy game. One of the better ones you can play, and a unique buy as a gift—a lot of board gamers skipped or overlooked this one in a year overrun with other good titles.
Hardware
iFixit Pro Tech Toolkit
The god of repair kits, the iFixit is not just useful for a PC Build or laptop repair, but has the weird and wonderful tools you find yourself needing for odd jobs around the house. The driver bit set alone is a thing of beauty, with near every conceivable bit you’ll need for weird and wonderful jobs, be they under the sink or inside your PC case.
Corsair HS70 Headset
The Corsair HS70 is our pick for best budget wireless gaming headset, and it’s easy to see why. Corsair has taken nearly every feature from its higher-end models and put them into a more affordable gaming headset. One of the most important features next to great sound and a comfy headband is the battery life. The Corsair HS70 can last for up to 16 hours, which means the only time you have to worry about using a back-up pair is during a 24-hour stream or gaming marathon with friends. Otherwise, just keep playing. It’s hard to dislike something that is both cost-conscious and quality-made.
Blue Yeti Microphone
Whether you're a budding streamer, are starting your own podcast, or just need a great mic for voice chat and video calls, the Yeti from Blue Microphones is a longstanding favorite. It's been the reigning champ in our guide to the best mics for gaming and streaming for years now, offering fantastic audio quality at an affordable price.
G.Skill Trident Z RGB 16GB DDR4-2400MHz
Memory today is often more about making a fashion statement than actual performance. You could potentially improve overall performance by 1-2 percent with faster RAM, or you could get something like this G.Skill Trident Z DDR4 memory kit that comes with an awesome RGB ‘skin.’ We figure if gamers are willing to shell out $20 to look good in a digital world, spending a similar amount on some slick memory to do the same for your PC isn’t asking too much.
Desk Accessories
Scented Candles from GameTee
Sometimes, for reasons that I will not describe here involving burritos, someone’s gaming desk tends to smell less than ideal. Here, then, is the nerdiest solution to the problem: Burn up that extra methane while adding a pleasant scent to cover other odors. Pleasant scents like the citrus and bergamot of Wizard’s Tower, or the champagne and peach of Luck Potion. No? Maybe go for Elven Wellspring? Unicorn Tears? Sweet Roll? Song of Spice and Fire? Just please pick one for the flatulent gamer in your life. Please.
Lumiy Lightblade
A dim desk lit only by the soft glow of monitors and RGB components might seem like a romantic scene, but it’s really just a recipe for eye strain and daytime misery. Here, then, is the ultimate desk light, a 1500 lux monster that’ll let you read paper manuals and take notes in peaceful comfort, safe in the knowledge that you’ll be gaming well into the future. It’s also tuned away from that harsh LED glow by using dual LEDs, right at 93 CRI to mimic natural light.
Overwatch Throw Blanket
Winter’s a chilly time for many gamers, especially those of us with frames, so why not pick up a blanket to swaddle yourself in? Whether that’s big picture mode on the couch or in your desk chair, this 5x7 sucker is large enough to cover even the biggest nerds. Plus, it’s lambswool, so you won’t need more than just the one layer to stay warm and comfy—remember, warmth improves circulation, and circulation improves APM.
Miracle Time Cube Timers
Simply flip these cube tibers to the allotted period and they’ll start, beeping later to remind you that time has passed and you should either be on a new task, or get back on the old task, or that your gaming break is over. An invaluable time management tool and a great gift for anyone in your life who has trouble keeping a set schedule or staying on task.
Secretlab Omega Gaming Chair
The creme de la creme of gaming chairs, the Secretlab Omega is absolutely the most comfortable thing we’ve sat in this year. If you spend eight to fourteen hours a day working and gaming at a desk then you need to care for your body with a nice chair just as well as you need a nice mattress. That’s this one, and if you don’t believe if, check out our review. For the very tall or small, there’s also the Omega’s little cousin the Throne and big brother the Titan. We don’t lightly recommend this chair, and we think it easily compares to chairs $100 more expensive.
Apparel
Myst Sweater & Strapback Hat
$39 sweater from Fangamer
$19 hat from Fangamer
Would you like everyone you know to understand that you have mastered the island beyond the last page of a book? Would you like to subtly remind others that you have been gaming for longer than they’ve been alive, on computers less than half as powerful as a smartphone? Here, then, are the ultimate duo of sweater and fashionable hat. Plus, it’s chilly in the winter. Not as chilly as the relationship between Atrus’ sons though. Heyoooooo.
Hitman Beanie
We love a subtle bit of game merch. You love it when your shiny, bald head isn’t on display at all times, signaling you as a definite assassin who’s going to murder one particular target at all costs, but hopefully as subtly as possible. This beanie with a tastefully sized logo is a win-win situation for everyone, isn’t it, Agent?
Into the Breach Shirt
Only some have the disposition required to abandon their own timeline in favor of another, seeking redemption for the human race by taking on the alien bugs which seek nothing short of our total annihilation. This shirt marks you as one of those people. One who knows how to destroy those who oppose them with ruthless efficiency, scything down alien invaders with razor sharp tactics and plans which cannot, will not, contain even a single flaw. The puzzle of how to save mankind is not easy to solve, the decision to buy this shirt is very easy.
Fantasy Class Shirts
Gametee does immaculately designed shirts, but these ones displaying the classic fantasy gaming classes are some of the absolute best they’ve done in a while. They come in Wizard, Paladin, Rogue, Druid, Barbarian, Bard, Cleric, and Warlock flavors. (Of course, there’s also a separate one for The Dungeon Master.) What did the Sorcerer and Fighter do to be excluded from this lineup? Shh. We don’t talk about the Sorcerer and Fighter.
Mimic Necklace
The monster that everyone loves to hate, the dread Mimic, immortalized here around your neck in all its mouthy glory forever. This is one of the best Mimic sculpts there is, based on the many-eyed D&D miniatures version of the critter, and second in Mimic design power rankings only to the Dark Souls mimic. Here’s the questions, though: Can a mimic pretend to be a statue of a mimic? Can a mimic pretend to be a dead mimic? Can a mimic pretend to be a dead adventurer? Anyways, these are the questions that keep me up at night.
Official Merch
Space Marines Hoodies
Games Workshop’s licensing policy might lead to games of questionable quality, but these Warhammer 40,000-inspired space marine hoodies from Gametee are incredibly rad. They come in Ultramarine, Black Templar, and Blood Angel flavors with subtle variation depending on which faction of the Emperor’s children you pledge loyalty to. They’re the next best thing to radically altering your body via geneseed implants and extensive surgery.
Vault 76 Onesie
Sure, you could actually get a real jumpsuit and sit at your computer pretending to be a vault survivor, but that wouldn’t be particularly comfortable. After all, the artificial materials must chafe after a while… well, you’re just better off with this. This being a metallic-gold-fronted Fallout 76 inspired Vault 76 onesie. It’s comfy! It’s warm! It’s perfect for a marathon wasteland survival binge! We’ve already discussed why being warm is important in this list, so I won’t remind you.
Assassin’s Creed Odyssey Spartan Snapback
Odyssey is an Assassin’s Creed game that’s going to be remembered for years to come, ranging in scope and story so far from the series’ roots that it’s barely recognizable but for the stabbing. Remind your friends and family at all times how much stabbing you’ve done by donning this sassy snapback with Alexios and Kassandra’s spartan insignia stitched on the front and an embossed helm on the side. It’s a good look, and much more subtle than a funny pointed hood.
Overwatch LEGO
$25 Bastion exclusive from Blizzard
A match made in heaven for many, Overwatch and Lego is a really solid sell this year. Available right now is the exclusive Bastion set from Blizzard. But, to be honest, an order for any of the sets coming next year is one of those great delayed gifts that builds in anticipation and shows up in the mail as a box of pure fun. Assuming, of course, that the postal service’s team stays on the payload.
Dark Souls Onion Knight Figurine
Mmm… mmmm. Mm! Oh-hoh! Ahh, where did you come from? I was just considering here… well, more thinking about… what would be the perfect gift for the Dark Souls lover in your life? I’m in quite a pickle. Can you think of anything, anything at all?
Reading
Fallout: The Vault Dweller’s Cookbook
Ever wondered just how Yum Yum Deviled Eggs taste? What the consistency of BlamCo Mac & Cheese is? How to properly, authentically recreate the taste of deathclaw at home? Here’s a cookbook of Fallout-inspired food that probably tastes better than anything you can find out in the wastes of post-nuclear America, though it’ll still give you the same thrills. Truthfully, though, I just wish I knew precisely what was in Cram.
Art & Arcana: A Visual History
An absolutely stunning dive into the history of fantasy gaming through the art of Dungeons & Dragons, Art & Arcana takes you back through the years with writing and commentary by some of the absolute best gaming historians there are. It shows you how the game that inspired it all grew from simple budgets and art drawn by friends in basements to sprawling, hand-painted fantasy art that defined the genre. It’s indisputably the most comprehensive history of fantasy visual art ever made and a must-own for any gaming history or fantasy art fan.
The Broken Earth Trilogy
Readers of nerdy novels should drop everything and read these, if they haven’t. They’re an absolute tour-de-force by author N.K. Jemisin. They’re the only novels to ever win the Hugo award for best novel three years in a row, one for each in the trilogy. Seriously, these are going to affect fantasy and sci-fi writing for years to come—read them, gift them, know them. They even come in a slipcase.
Boss Fight Books
Boss Fight has one of the most interesting and unique projects in games writing there is. These are little exposes on a single game, each having an author look through and really talk about a game in an interesting way. Some of them are personal works about the game and the author’s place in the world, others are development breakdowns by the game’s creators It’s hard to pin down a single one as best, but I can recommend them generally and a few specifically. Particularly the Spelunky, World of Warcraft, and Shovel Knight books. You can check out their full catalog on their website.
Dungeons & Dragons Books
$105 for the Core Rulebooks Gift Set from Amazon
$30 for Waterdeep: Dragon Heist from Amazon
$30 for Waterdeep: Dungeon of the Mad Mage from Amazon
Dungeons & Dragons is selling more than ever, if you haven’t heard, and the 5th Edition is as good a place as any to start playing it, and it’s now cheaper than ever with the core rulebook gift sets that’ll save you a solid $75 on the basics for getting started with the game. This year’s newest adventures, Dragon Heist and Dungeon of the Mad Mage, are pretty good entry points too. Dragon Heist starts out with a sprawling city-wide mission focused on interesting and weird characters to roleplay with. Dungeon of the Mad Mage expands that into crawling beneath that city in search of loot and glory.
A PC Gamer Subscription
$24.00 from My Favorite Magazines
Get our 116-page magazine sent to your door every month, and read original features, reviews, retro stuff and more. We're one of the longest-running games magazines in the world, and it's a cool thing to have arrive in the post, alongside the usual bills and pizza menus. We think it’s pretty neat.
Luxury Goods
Tokidoki x Overwatch Backpack
Tokidoki’s twee character designs are absolutely in for urban nerd fashion right now… as is Overwatch. Thus, we have this: A gloriously detailed panorama of Overwatch splashed across an entire backpack. For when you absolutely, positively have to both wear a backpack, there’s only one way to do it and show off your nerd cred at the same time.
