Sometimes when it feels like the world is burning up around you, a quick hit of nostalgia is exactly what you need to put some pep in your step. Retro gaming gear can get expensive fast, thanks to a huge demand on secondary marketplaces, but not every retro gaming gift has to be a massive investment. And hey, with current-gen gaming consoles being priced as they are, retro can actually be easier to buy for these days.
There are also plenty of cool retro gaming gifts that aren’t games and consoles. We’ve rounded up the best books, trinkets, music, and much more to satisfy the retro gaming fans in your life this holiday season.
(Product prices were accurate at the time of publishing.)
16. Nintendo GameCube Controller
For gamers of a certain age (millennials, we’re looking at you), the GameCube represents a peak of childhood nostalgia. (And for that same group, it does sting a bit to call the console “retro.”) GameCube games have been available digitally for the Switch 2 since last year, and Nintendo’s official GameCube controller is, as you might expect, the perfect way to fall in love with the old console all over again. It’s rechargeable, too, so you won’t be tethered to your console like you were in 2002.
See GameCube Controller at Nintendo.com
15. Doom Guy
True retro gaming heads know Doom totally changed how both developers and the public thought about video games. Doom Guy is John Romero’s first-hand account of how Doom came to be, a detailed retelling that provides a direct window into what it was actually like to be a game developer in the ‘80s and ‘90s. If you have someone in your life who’s interested in the history of video games, this is an excellent place to dig in.
14. Lego Game Boy
Playing an original Game Boy isn’t necessarily the most exciting prospect in 2026 (squinting at that dim screen can be pretty rough by modern standards), so building one out of Legos may actually be considerably more worth your time and cash. At 421 pieces, the Lego Game Boy is not so complicated to build, either, so it makes a great gift for any age group. The nearly 1:1 replica, complete with a Game Pak slot where you can slide the included cartridges in and out.
13. Pocket Player Pro
There are plenty of third-party emulators out there capable of carrying an entire game library in your pocket, but there’s something about MoMA’s beautifully designed Pocket Player Pro that makes it feel more transportative to playing Pac-Mac on a real arcade machine. The simplicity here is key: it’s just a 2.75-inch full-color display (with adjustable brightness), red D-pad, and two buttons. As an added bonus, you can power it with either AA batteries or a USB-C cable. There’s a beautiful Tetris version available, too.
See Pocket Player Pro Game at MOMA Store
12. 8BitDo FlipPad
There are a mountain of Game Boy recreations you can buy for less than $100, but let’s ask why the phones we take with us every day can’t also be our new favorite handhelds. Out of the many retro-style phone controllers, the 8BitDo FlipPad offers the easiest plug-and-play experience with a simple USB-C attachment that covers up part of the screen. The clicky buttons and smooth feel make this a great pairing with apps like Delta on iPhone or the many emulation apps available on Android.
See 8Bitdo FlipPad Mobile Gaming Controller at Amazon
11. Pokémon Red & Pokémon Blue Game Music Collection: Game Boy Jukebox
This little jukebox may look like a smaller version of the classic Nintendo Game Boy, but it won’t be playing any of your original cartridges. Instead, it’s a collector’s item built to play the bangers that were part of the original Pokémon Red/Blue games through 45 separate cartridges. This music collection makes for a cute gift for those who have a dedicated shelf of Pokémon memorabilia or anybody who wants a physical way to reminisce about the days traipsing through the green fields of Route 1.
See Game Boy Jukebox at Pokemoncenter
10. Virtual Boy for Nintendo Switch 2
There may not be many gamers who have what we may call “nostalgia” for Nintendo’s greatest flop: the Virtual Boy. At the same time, the recreation box built for both the Nintendo Switch and Nintendo Switch 2 is a faithful and tactile recreation of the original. Playing the original Virtual Boy games through Nintendo’s Switch Online subscription makes you feel like an archaeologist of gaming history, and those who use it may realize some of those forgotten titles are actually worth playing even 30 years later.
9. Epilogue SN Operator
Epilogue, which also makes the excellent GB Operator for your old Game Boy cartridges, may have our favorite way you can play your old Super Nintendo games right from your home PC. The SN Operator is small enough to sit on any desk, and when you plug it into your computer and plug in a cartridge, you’ll have options to play your games directly from your TV or monitor without any hassle of converting old console cables to modern HDMI output. If you want, you can also copy the files from your own cartridges to play your games even without your old games nearby.
See Epilogue SN Operator at Epilogue
8. Super Pocket Atari Edition
Sure, you could play retro games on your phone, but phones are also full of not-fun stuff like notifications, emails, Slack messages, and incessant news about the world ending. With Evercade’s Super Pocket Atari Edition, you can give someone the gift of 50 pocketable Atari games in a self-contained handheld. Evercade also made this Super Pocket’s game library expandable by building in support for official Evercade cartridges, because what’s a retro gaming experience without the sweet experience of interlocking plastic?
See Super Pocket Atari Edition at Atari
7. House of the Dead Soundtrack Vinyl
Not every retro gaming gift has to be something you can play; sometimes listening is just as good. For the spookier among us, get this official House of the Dead vinyl from Sega that contains the game’s original soundtrack. It might not be an all-the-time album, but you’ll be grateful to have this around come Halloween.
See The House of the Dead at Materia
6. Sega Dreamcast Ornament
Nintendo might get the most nostalgia out of people, but you shouldn’t forget about the Sega Dreamcast. This ornament not only features the iconic (and huge) controller, but it also lights up and plays “familiar music” to really hammer home all those fond memories of playing Sonic Adventure without a care in the world.
See Sega Dreamcast Ornament at Hallmark
5. Final Fantasy VII Music Box
There are a lot of iconic things about Final Fantasy VII, but arguably one of the most iconic is the soundtrack. While the official soundtrack vinyl from Square Enix can be tough to secure, this music box gives a taste of the original theme and comes in this cute acrylic case that you can keep out as a memento of 1997’s groundbreaking RPG.
See Final Fantasy VII Music Box at Square Enix
4. Anbernic RG DS Plus
It’s hard to believe that the Nintendo DS is considered “retro,” but it is! You can still buy good-condition original DS hardware, but you’ll also pay a premium for them. Anbernic’s RG DS Plus doesn’t have a Nintendo logo on it, but it’s clear the device took heavy inspiration from the classic clamshell. With dual 4.3-inch IPS displays, twin joysticks, and a built-in stylus, this handheld might be the best way to emulate old DS games or play homebrew titles. (Note: Gizmodo doesn’t condone piracy, and you should only emulate games that you legally own and have backed up based on the law in your region.)
See ANBERNIC RG DS Plus at Anbernic.com
3. Disrupting the Game: From the Bronx to the Top of Nintendo
Former Nintendo president of America Reggie Fils-Aimé helped rescue the video game company after the GameCube fell to third place behind Sony’s PS2 and Microsoft’s Xbox. To get back on course, he bet big with the Wii and Nintendo DS. With motion controls and two displays, one of which was a touchscreen, both game machines became global phenomena. Reggie’s Disrupting the Game: From the Bronx to the Top of Nintendo is an autobiography that charts the journey of a gamer with big dreams and smart strategies and how he worked his way up Pizza Hut to get to the House of Mario.
See Disrupting the Game at Amazon
2. 8BitDo SN30 2.4G Wireless Gamepad for Original SNES
You don’t need to disfigure your SNES to give it some modern amenities like wireless gamepad support. This 8BitDo gamepad lets you play those 16-bit games from across the room. No more sitting up close to your TV and burning your eyes out like mom and dad used to warn about. The setup is plug and play. Even better: it works with Switch and PC, though you will need to connect over wired USB.
See 8Bitdo Sn30 2.4G Wireless Gamepad at Amazon
1. Paladone NES Cartridge Coasters
We’ll leave it up to you to concoct a retro-themed cocktail (or mocktail) for your next LAN party, but to really earn some extra coins with your pals, you’ll want to serve the drinks up on these NES coasters. They resemble one of eight iconic NES game cartridges and can handle cold or hot drinks. Just don’t blow on them. Turns out blowing on old game cartridges to “fix” them when they wouldn’t load didn’t actually do anything. It was all in our heads.
