The holidays have arrived once again, so ‘tis the season for glittering lights, too much honeybaked ham…and of course, great gifts. If you’re a longtime Xbox owner like me (or have just gotten one, or are planning to buy one as a present), here are some great gift ideas that Xbox players will love. Check out the guide below to find gift ideas that range from absolute necessities to fun splurge items, all catered to my fellow Xbox gamers.
Give them an Xbox Stereo Headset
When my older brother first got me the Xbox Stereo Headset, I gave him a look of confusion. A wired headset??? I thought it was so stupid and old-school and would be a nuisance to have that wire dangling down all night as I gamed. But, being older and wiser, he told me a few things that have turned out to be very true.
Since it’s made by Xbox and plugs directly into the controller, you don't need to do any pairing, it truly is plug-and-play. Also, you don’t need to charge them! They get juiced directly from the controller. That means it won’t suddenly disconnect mid-game or run out of batteries right before the big boss fight. These two factors have made these the easiest, simplest headset I've ever owned…and I love that. Finally, they’re good quality and sound great. That combo of ease and quality is enough to make me a firm believer in this wired headset. And trust me, I use it almost nightly now.
Get Some Xbox Exclusives
Look, let’s all just be real here. For some reason, Microsoft seems to be self-sabotaging the Xbox and destroying it from within. At this point, we Xbox owners are a coalition of the willing, and we need to stick together. It can also feel pretty disheartening to see that Xbox is getting rid of all their exclusive games, making many wonder why they ever invested in the console instead of a PS5.
But, there are still some true Xbox exclusives out there, and if you've just gotten an Xbox for the holidays, you owe it to yourself to play these exclusive gems. Better yet, since Xbox is porting many of their newer games to other consoles, that means the remaining true Xbox exclusives are mostly older games – aka cheap games!
Games like Sunset Overdrive, Screamride, Ryse: Son of Rome, and Quantum Break are still true exclsuvies, and since they’re all 10 years old now, you can almost always find them on sale in the Xbox store. I often see these game in the Deals section for anywhere between $4 and $10. If you check and they aren’t on sale…trust me, wait a week and check again. They will be.
Utilize Xbox’s Backwards Compatibility and Go Physical Retro
For those out there with the Xbox One or the Xbox X model with the disk drive, you can take advantage of the consoles’ backward compatibility with older games from the Xbox One, 360, and the original Xbox. Check out your local retro video game store or scroll through big online retailers that sell used games like GameStop or Amazon to find some seriously amazing deals on classics from the original Xbox, like Manhunt or Max Payne, or from the 360, like Bully or Tron: Evolution. It’s a great gift idea for gaming enthusiasts, especially those who love having a physical collection. Check out the full list of backward compatibility games here.
Get Some Extra Storage…Especially if You Got a Series S
So, I love my Xbox Series S and I don’t care what anyone else says. I love how portable and sleek it is, all while being able to run current-gen games. The downside is that, If you’re like me and got the cheap one that only has 512GB of space, you will need extra storage.
If you check the back of the console, you’ll see that big slot where a nice chunky memory card goes. While you can get third-party ones, Xbox originally partnered with Seagate to create native memory cards for the console, which run so smoothly they essentially just became part of your Xbox. They’re also optimized for X/S games to offer peak performance.
The Seagate expansion card is one of the pricier options, but thanks to its speed and optimization, and its official partnership with Xbox, it’s the best bet for quality.
Up Your Game with the Elite Series 2 Controller
For the hardcore gamer, Xbox’s Elite Series 2 controller is a must-have. Think of it as the X/S controller juiced up on steroids. It’s compatible with (and can easily be swapped between) the X/S, Xbox One, and PCs. It’s got 40 hours of battery life and is rechargeable, which is perfect for people like me who blow through AA batteries on the standard controllers. Plus it's got custom button mapping, wrap-around rubber gripping, and more. If you want bells and whistles, this thing has ‘em all.
Or, if you love customization but don’t need hyper-specific things like custom button mapping, you can also check out Xbox’s Design Lab, where you can build your own controller and choose from a wide range of colors and patterns.
Get Them What They Need: Game Pass Gift Cards
Love it or hate it, it’s time to admit that Xbox has entered its Game Pass era, and it’s never going back. Not only is Game Pass super useful for things like online play (which, trust me, you’re gonna want), but it actually has lots of great games and can serve as your main gaming library or as a great addition to your favorites. There’s lots of games I’ve played on Game Pass that, honestly, if they weren’t free and coming with the subscription…I probably never would have paid for.
I doubt I ever would have picked up games like Tell Me Why, The Finals, or The Casting of Frank Stone on my own. But since they came as part of Game Pass, I tried them, and actually loved playing them. A Game Pass gift card is an easy way to get players something they need (online gaming), as well as a stacked library of new and classic games to check out.
Splurge on Some Gaming Merch
Cmon, it’s the holidays, if there’s ever a time to splurge on fun gifts, this is it! Want to get something super fun? Bethesda has pre-orders open for their fully functional Pip-Boy 3000 replica, which is loaded with all the in-game features and menus from Fallout 3 and New Vegas, has a radio wave detector, and even lets you play the Atomic Command minigame. Plus, it looks seriously cool. If you want something that isn’t such a splurge, Bethesda has a whole merch store filled with everything from Doom mugs to Starfield hoodies and more.
Or, what about a Dragon Age candle? Or a Mass Effect skateboard? You can find those over at the BioWare gear shop. Maybe they even want a Minecraft Creeper beach towel or Enderman greeting cards? Those are both in the Minecraft shop. There’s tons of fun gaming gifts you can get the Xbox player in your life. Think of a game they love and start Googling what might be out there. You’d be surprised how much there is.