The first time I went looking for a gift for a gamer, I made the same mistake everyone makes: I typed "gifts for gamers" into Google and got served a list of products with "gaming" in the name. Gaming gloves. Gaming socks. Gaming pillows. A $200 chair shaped like a race car.
I read through 3 threads on r/videogames, r/gamers, and r/patientgamers — around 148 comments from actual gamers and the people trying to shop for them. The pattern is unusually clear, and it starts with what not to buy.
What gamers explicitly don't want
The most-upvoted comment across all three threads, with 254 upvotes, opened with a direct warning: gaming gloves are unnecessary, and gaming chairs are usually no different from regular office chairs except for "fancy logos." A follow-up comment with 47 upvotes went further — gaming chairs are often cheap racing seats bolted onto a chair frame, and a $100 office chair will be more comfortable for long sessions than a $200 gaming chair.
The pattern repeated for almost every "gaming" branded category. Gaming socks, gaming underwear, gaming crocs — all mocked as gimmicks. One comment summed it up: most of these products are scientifically developed to separate gamers from their money.
The second warning: be careful with peripherals. A 77-upvote comment laid this out clearly — a gifted mouse or keyboard creates an obligation for the gamer to learn new equipment. That "beaten shitty keyboard" they've had for five years works precisely because they're used to it.
What gamers actually want
A Nintendo Switch (with a major caveat)
The single most-recommended specific product was a Nintendo Switch. The reasoning: it's a console most gamers don't already own, it adds portability, and a lot of major PC titles have been ported to it. For a partner who shares gaming time, the Switch is also one of the best couch co-op platforms available.
The caveat, raised in an 18-upvote comment: there's a real cultural gap between PC gamers and Nintendo. Some PC purists genuinely don't want a Switch. If your gamer has expressed any opinion at all about Nintendo, listen to it before spending $300.
Browse Nintendo Switch on Amazon →A Pro Controller
If they already have a Switch, the Pro Controller was the consistent upgrade recommendation. An 11-upvote comment: the Joy-Cons cause hand cramps for anyone with larger hands or long play sessions, and the Pro Controller is "very ergonomic" by comparison.
Browse Pro Controllers on Amazon →An art book of a game they love
This was the most pleasantly surprising recommendation — a 21-upvote comment described art books as "so pretty and kinda out-of-the-box as a gift." The logic: gamers who love a specific game's visual world rarely buy the art book for themselves, but display it proudly when given one. Studios like FromSoftware, Naughty Dog, and Square Enix all publish high-quality art books for their major titles.
A Humble Choice subscription
A 16-upvote comment surfaced this. For roughly $12/month, the subscriber gets a curated bundle of games each month, keeping them after the subscription ends. Good for the gamer who plays widely; less good for the one who only plays Counter-Strike.
A mechanical keyboard — but only with a major asterisk
This came up positively in a 139-upvote comment, but every reply added caveats. Mechanical keyboards are deeply personal. If you go this route, Brown switches were the consensus middle-ground recommendation — tactile feedback like blues, but much quieter.
View Mechanical Gaming Keyboard on Amazon →Game-themed merch from their favorite specific title
Funko Pops, posters, figures, t-shirts — all came up across threads with the same condition every time: it has to be from a game they actually love, not gaming-as-a-category. A figure of Geralt for someone who finished all three Witcher games is a great gift; a "GAMER" mug is not.
The shopping trip workaround
Take them to a game store (or just Steam) with a budget. Multiple gamers said they'd love being told "you have $50 to spend on whatever Steam sale stuff you want." It removes the guess-the-right-game problem while still feeling thoughtful.
Co-op games worth knowing
For couples shopping for partners, specific titles that came up positively: Stardew Valley, ARK: Survival Evolved, Borderlands (any of the numbered ones), Monster Hunter World, and Divinity: Original Sin II.
So what should you actually buy
If they don't have a Switch and aren't actively hostile to Nintendo, get them a Switch. If they have every console already and you have less than $50 to spend, get them a Humble Choice subscription or an art book for their favorite recent game. And skip anything with "gaming" stamped on it that isn't a console or a controller.