The Best Gaming Gifts Under $100

Gaming is one of the most endlessly fun hobbies around—and, unfortunately, one of the most expensive. Or at least it can be. While major consoles like Sony’s PlayStation 5 and Nintendo’s Switch 2 might be a bit out of your holiday-gifting price range, there are still plenty of gifts you can snag at an affordable price. So don’t fret: Gizmodo’s Consumer Tech team has you covered this year. We’ve put together a list of the best gaming gifts that won’t set you back too much, including plenty of accessories, video games, knickknacks, and even furniture. Nintendo Switch 2 Pro Controller © Nintendo / Gizmodo composite If your loved one is spending lots of time gaming on the Switch 2, the Pro Controller is a no-brainer gift. No hate to the Joy-Cons (love those little guys), but they can definitely get your hands cramped up after a long session. The Pro Controller is super ergonomic, even if it’s a bit less fun to look at than the Joy-Cons. And if your friend already has one, a second will make multiplayer adventures better for the both of you. See Switch 2 Pro Controller at Amazon Anbernic RG SP © Anbernic / Gizmodo composite Anbernic offers a huge lineup of retro-inspired gaming consoles, with form factors similar to classics like the original Game Boy, the Nintendo DS, and the GameBoy Advance. The RG SP—which, as you may have guessed by the name, looks and feels a whole lot like the Nintendo Advance SP—is a perfect hit of nostalgia. It comes in four great colors (platinum, graphite, pearl blue, and pearl pink), has Wi-Fi and Bluetooth, a six-hour battery life, and can even be connected to your TV. See Anbernic RG SP at Amazon DualSense Charging Station © Sony / Gizmodo composite The PS5’s DualSense controllers last a pretty long time on a single charge, but refilling that battery juice is something you’ll have to do fairly often. This official Sony charging station lets you ditch some messy cables and just set your controller (or two, actually) on it when you’re not playing to charge up. It’s a small but meaningful quality-of-life improvement for any PS5 fan. See DualSense Charging Station at PlayStation Rhythm Heaven Groove © Nintendo / Gizmodo composite The Switch 2 has had lots of exciting game releases this year, and one place where Nintendo really leads is local multiplayer games. Rhythm Heaven Groove has an infectious art style, catchy tunes, and a solid variety of game mechanics, making it easy to come back to again and again. If your friend has ever loved Dance Dance Revolution, Guitar Hero, or any other rhythm game—have them check this one out. See Rhythm Heaven Groove at Amazon Lego PlayStation © Lego / Gizmodo composite Lego sure is milking out brick versions of retro consoles. First it was the Game Boy and now we have the PlayStation. This 1,911-piece set faithfully recreates Sony’s first console and its controller. The coolest part is when you pop open the CD slot to find mini dioramas for Ape Escape and Gran Turismo. Now we just need a Lego Xbox. See PlayStation at LEGO Gaming Controller Pillow © Moginno / Gizmodo composite Holding up a controller for many hours can cause your arms to hurt, but that’s the price to be a gamer these days. This game controller pillow hugs your waist and provides a place for your arms to rest while you grip your gamepad and headshot an annoying player in Fortnite. Available in three colors, the only questionable aspect of the design is the, err, joysticks, which look like um… well, you can see for yourself. See Gaming Pillow at Amazon The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time © Nintendo / Gizmodo composite Nintendo’s classic N64 RPG is back. Widely considered one of the greatest games ever made, The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time for the Switch 2 is a remake with HD graphics, a remastered soundtrack, and improved gameplay (Link can jump now!). See The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time at Amazon Paladone PlayStation Controller Icons Light © Paladone / Gizmodo composite This light set is for real PlayStation fans. The lights are shaped like PlayStation’s iconic game buttons and light up in three different modes. They can glow, shift between colors, and react to music. It’s even portable, so long as you pop in three AAA batteries. See Paladone PlayStation Controller Icons Light at Amazon Star Wars: Galactic Racer © Sony / Gizmodo composite All I need to say is “scrib doon!” and that should be enough to convince anybody to play Star Wars: Galactic Racer. If you need more convincing, it’s a racing game set in the Star Wars universe that takes after venerable series like Burnout with ultra-fast, tactile arcade racing that’s all the more addicting thanks to its rogue-like campaign. The game is available on PC, Xbox, and PS5. See Star Wars Galactic Racer at Amazon Logitech G305 Lightspeed © Logitech / Gizmodo composite Logitech’s lightweight gaming mouse is a no-frills classic option for gamers who deserve their first real gaming mouse. The G305 Lightspeed combines a high max DPI, fast polling rate, and an excessively long battery life built into a supremely lightweight shell. Sure, you can find even faster mice, but there are few that can beat the G305 on performance for its price. See Logitech G305 Lightspeed at Amazon 8BitDo Retro Mechanical Keyboard © 8BitDo / Gizmodo composite Gaming-ready mechanical keyboards don’t have to be some black hunk of metal and plastic, nor some RGB-infused Christmas tree. The 8Bitdo Retro Mechanical Keyboard comes in several styles, but its most popular version is bedecked in the classic red and white NES colors. The keyboard also comes with a separate “Super Button” accessory that you can program to quicksave or quickload or perhaps set to mute your annoying teammates in a multiplayer match. See 8Bitdo Retro Mechanical Keyboard at Amazon Onimusha: Way of the Sword © Nintendo / Gizmodo composite If there’s one word to describe Onimusha: Way of the Sword, it’s “satisfying.” The game takes a tight, hard-but-fair combat system and swaths it in spectacle, making every player feel like they’re a swashbuckling samurai, surviving for the most part on skill alone. It’s a game that’s easy for most players to fall in love with thanks to its likeable characters and snickering villains that make defeating them feel that much more cathartic. Onimusha is available on PC, Xbox, PS5, and Nintendo Switch 2. See Onimusha: Way of the Sword at Best Buy Ikea Ykstaby Thumbstick Stool © Ikea / Gizmodo composite What’s gaming without a place to put your butt? You could sit on the couch or a gaming chair as most do, or you could show how hardcore you are about living the gamer lifestyle with this thumbstick-shaped stool from Ikea/Xbox. We can’t guarantee that it’s comfortable, but it’s unique to say the least. See Ykstaby Thumbstick Stool at Ikea Super Nintendo Entertainment System Controller © Nintendo / Gizmodo composite It’s great that so many old SNES games are playable on the Switch and Switch 2, but it’s just not the same as playing on a Joy-Con or a Pro controller. To really get into the spirit of it all, use this refreshed SNES controller, which is wireless and rechargeable via USB-C. It’s got the look without the annoyance of needing wires. See Super Nintendo Entertainment System Controller at Nintendo Razer Hammerhead V3 X Hyperspeed Wireless Gaming Earbuds © Razer / Gizmodo composite Gaming headsets are the more popular category, but gaming earbuds can be just as useful. For just $100, you can get this pair from Razer, which has a USB-C dongle that allows you to stream 2.4 GHz super-low-latency audio to basically any platform that isn’t Xbox. Plus, there’s RGB lighting on the case, because (duh) Razer. See Razer Hammerhead V3 X Hyperspeed at Amazon Funlab Game Case © Funlab / Gizmodo composite Physical games are on the downslope, which is all the more reason to preserve the ones you own. Any case will do, but this one for Switch games is shaped like a Pokédex, which, if you’re a ‘90s kid is actually unfair. Take one look See Funlab Game Case at Walmart