The week of Thanksgiving, Black Friday, and hot, hot deals is upon us, and with Christmas just around the corner, now is the best time to mark off your shopping list. But if you’re not sure what to buy the gamers in your family— I’m here to help! Provided you’re up for fighting the Black Friday crowds, you can get some great deals on video games and consoles. But there will also be tons of digital sales, running all week long, which give anywhere from 20-50% off games—even brand new titles! Some of the console deals are just too good to pass up, including a brand new Nintendo 3DS for only 99$. So, I ‘ve handpicked a few games that I believe would make great gifts for Christmas! Just check that your loved one doesn’t already own the games, and that you’re buying for the right platform—otherwise things could get awkward on Christmas morning.
❆ Minecraft ❆
The ultimate game that anyone could play! Probably even your grandma! If you don’t know what Minecraft is by now, it’s a survival game that lets you break down every block you see around you and build whatever your heart desires. Minecraft is great for adventuring, farming, building awesome houses and owning as many animals you can. Minecraft is rated E and has co-op and online multiplayer capabilities perfect for playing with family and friends. You can play Minecraft on literally any device, including your iPhone or Android! Prices vary on different platforms but can be anywhere from 13-30$.
❆ Minecraft: Story Mode ❆
What? Minecraft again? But wait—Minecraft: Story Mode is actually an episodic point and click adventure spin-off, from the award-winning Telltale Games. It’s single player and rated E. If you have a Minecraft obsessed family member that hasn’t played Story Mode, then this would be a great pick. Story Mode offers an exciting and interactive narrative experience about saving the world. You can buy Story Mode on all of the same platforms as Minecraft, with the option of buying either single episodes for 5$ or the entire season for 25$.
❆ Farming Simulator 2017 ❆
We all have that one little cousin that is just obsessed with tractors and collecting ears of corn, so why not let them fully enjoy their obsession by gifting them this gaming masterpiece. Farming simulator lets you farm, breed livestock, grow crops and sell all your goods like a real farmer! There is also up to 250 authentic farming vehicles. How fun! Farming Simulator 2017 is rated E and is available on Xbox One, PS4 and PC from 34-49$.
❆ Ratchet and Clank ❆
This is the best game to buy when you really just have no clue. Ratchet and Clank is all kinds of fun! This 3D Platformer shooter provides diverse environments with plenty of obstacles, enemies, puzzles and tons of cool weapons and gadgets. I believe anyone could fully enjoy this game. Ratchet and Clank is rated E for PS4, prices vary depending on where you choose to buy from but can be anywhere from 19-40$.
❆ Super Mario Maker ❆
Everyone loves Mario, right? Well, Super Mario Maker is the ultimate Mario game because you can play and create your own levels, share them online and try to beat levels created by other people! You can also choose from a variety of different visual styles for the courses you create, that come from Super Mario Bros, Super Mario Bros 3, Super Mario World, and New Super Mario Bros U. Super Mario Maker is rated E and available on Wii U for 59$ and 39$ for the 3DS.
❆ Animal Crossing Happy Home Designer ❆
I don’t care who you are or how old you are—Animal Crossing is extremely entertaining and addicting. Animal Crossing Happy Home Designer is a sandbox game where your character, a Nook’s Homes employee, is in charge of designing homes for animal villagers around the town. You can also build and design your own home! Animal Crossing New Leaf is also another great title, and is similar to Happy Home Designer except you’ve been promoted to mayor of the town! Happy Home Designer is rated E and is available for the Nintendo 3DS and prices range from 19-39$.
❆ Overwatch ❆
Overwatch is a team-based first person shooter multiplayer game and is a great game to consume all of your time! Players can select from several characters from a variety of classes and work together as a team to complete different objectives within limited amounts of time across different maps. Players can also earn cool rewards such as character skins and victory poses. It’s a great game for friends to play together, especially around the holidays! Overwatch is rated T and is available on Xbox One, PS4, and PC and is on sale for 34$ right now (originally priced at 59$).
❆ Splatoon ❆
If you have a family member that loves paint and squids then Splatoon is the perfect game for them! You play as an Inkling, humanoid that can transform into a squid. You use brushes and paint guns to paint on surfaces which you can also hide and swim through, and includes several game modes. Splatoon is a very unique and enjoyable experience and is rated E and available for the Wii U at 59$.
❆ Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Special Edition ❆
Pretty much every player in existence loves Elder Scrolls games, especially Skyrim. This is definitely a treasure that should be bestowed upon your loved ones. Skyrim provides a deep, immersive experience that will stick with you for life and make you fall in love with The Elder Scrolls series. Skyrim provides a massive, beautiful world filled with people of many races, creatures, and enemies of all kinds. There is no end to the amount of quests you can do, items you can collect and interesting lore and treasures to uncover. If they’ve already played the original Skyrim, then they will love the remaster even more—with new updated graphics and the addition of console modding. Skyrim Special Edition is an action, adventure role-playing game rated M and is available on Xbox One, PS4, PC at 59$
❆ Watch Dogs 2 ❆
Who doesn’t love hacking and running through massive open worlds? Watch Dogs 2 is a third person open world action-adventure game that takes place in a fictionalized version of the San Francisco Bay Area. As a member of hacker-activist group Dead-Sec, you can complete missions in a variety of ways. There are tons of vehicles at your disposal, but also a wide variety of acrobatic parkour skills. Watch Dogs 2 also has a massive and beautiful open world that could take hours to explore. Watch Dogs 2 is rated M and is available on Xbox One, Ps4, PC and costs 59$.
I tried to choose games that I thought would be a fun, great experience that could be thoroughly enjoyed long after Christmas. There are many, many more games that would make great Christmas gifts that aren’t on this list. Don’t forget to check and see if any of these games have sales going on before you buy them. If you miss the Black Friday deals, there’s always Cyber Monday and ongoing sales up until Christmas. If you still can’t decide on what games to buy, a gift card for whatever platform they play on is just as good—the choice is theirs! There are also plenty of toys and merchandise you could buy for your gaming loved ones—anything from a monthly subscription box of some sort, t-shirts, posters, keychains and figures of their favorite characters would all make great gifts! Good luck on your Christmas shopping ventures and make sure to have a great holiday season with your loved ones— whether you can buy them presents or not!
Leave a Reply