Video game Christmas gift guide 2025 – PS5 and Switch

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If you’re looking to get a loved one something video game related for Christmas you need to read this first, to save money and potential embarrassment on the big day.

Buying video games as gifts has got a lot more difficult over the last few years. The central problem is that the majority of people buy games digitally nowadays and that’s not great when it comes to wrapping up presents for under the Christmas tree. Of course, that doesn’t matter if you’re getting someone a new console, but that’s an expensive present and not an impulse purchase.

Besides, if your loved one wants a new console, you’ve probably already heard about it from them. Either way, we’ve tried to lay out the current situation for each format and what their prospects are for the future. That’s in addition to some of their best games from this year and any essential accessories.

It’s also worth bearing in mind that the next generation of consoles is already being teased by Sony and Microsoft, with the PlayStation 6 and next gen Xbox expected to launch in 2027 or 2028. The Switch 2 was new this year though, so there won’t be anything brand new from Nintendo for at least seven or eight years.

PlayStation 5 gifts for Christmas 2025

The idea of console generations is not a formal designation but while Nintendo fell out of synch a while ago, new PlayStation and Xbox consoles have traditionally always launched at almost exactly the same time. The PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X/S, turn five this winter and that’s just when you’d expect the first whispers of a replacement to start coming through.

However, the decline of Xbox as a hardware brand – which we’ll get into in a moment – has left Sony in an unusual position and given the PlayStation 5 free reign for now (neither Sony nor Microsoft consider Nintendo to be a direct competitor). So, despite the PlayStation 5 being at a point in its life where sales should’ve peaked, they’re actually going up.

Even if the PlayStation 6 is released in 2027, support for its predecessor is likely to continue for many years, if not the whole of the next generation. Especially as Sony is rumoured to be planning a new portable console that is roughly equivalent in power to the PlayStation 5.

At the moment though there are three hardware options for the PlayStation 5, with the Digital Edition being cheaper because it doesn’t have a disc drive, and so can’t play physical games. The PS5 Pro is more powerful but the difference it makes is negligible and something only a hardcore gamer would care about.

PlayStation 5 – £479.99 (£468.19 at Amazon)

PlayStation 5 Digital Edition – £389.99 (£379.95 at Amazon)

PlayStation 5 Pro – £699.99 (£668.00 at Amazon)

Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S gifts for Christmas 2025

Microsoft might be worth $4 trillion but their attempts to dominate the video games industry have consistently fallen short. Their most recent attempt to outmanoeuvre (or, rather, outspend) Sony was to buy Call Of Duty maker Activision Blizzard. But not even that worked out, as the most recently entry, Black Ops 7, has been the most unpopular in years.

Even before that it’s been clear that Microsoft is deprioritising its hardware offerings, as it instead focuses on selling its games on both Xbox and PlayStation. As a result, it’s very hard to recommend buying an Xbox Series X or S unless you already have an Xbox console and are heavily tied into the ecosystem.

This is certainly not the moment to be jumping in for the first time and, in any case, it can be quite difficult to find stock, as Microsoft seems increasingly unconcerned about hardware sales. They didn’t even bother to offer any major discounts during Black Friday.

Although they both play the same games, the Xbox Series X is more powerful than the Xbox Series S, although the difference is small. However, like the PlayStation 5 Digital Edition, the Xbox Series S does not have a disc drive and is digital only.

Xbox Series X – £489.99 (£479.99 at Amazon)

Xbox Series S – £299.99 (£289.00 at Amazon)

Nintendo Switch and Nintendo Switch 2 gifts for Christmas 2025

Since the Nintendo Switch 2 only came out in June, it’s not something that’s going to get any more than a minor discount this year. The official Mario Kart World bundle, where you essentially get the game for half price, is great value, but Nintendo makes no promises about it still being available beyond this year.

The Switch 2 is backwards compatible with the original Switch, so if you own the older device then all (or at least 99%) of your games will work on the Switch 2. That also means the Switch 1 will be supported for at least few years and that you can pick up some good deals on it this year, if the cost of the Switch 2 is too rich for your blood.

Although very little is known about Nintendo’s plans next year, the Switch 2 is the fastest-selling console of all time, so its support will clearly last for a very long time. It is expensive though and most of its games are at least £10 more than their equivalents on the Switch 1. There’s also only one model at the moment, even though a Switch 2 Lite – that doesn’t connect to the TV – is likely within the next two years.

Nintendo Switch – £259.99 (£249.95 at Amazon)

Nintendo Switch OLED Model – £309.99 (£272.45 at Amazon)

Nintendo Switch Lite – £199.99 (£189.88 at Amazon)

Nintendo Switch 2 – £395.99 (£385.00 at Amazon)

Nintendo Switch 2 Mario Kart World bundle – £429.99 (£409.00 at Amazon)

Video game gift cards for Christmas 2025

The games listed below are amongst the most popular of the year, but we’ve limited our selection to titles that are easily available in a physical edition. That rules out some indie games, despite them being amongst the most critically acclaimed of the year, so Hades 2 is in, but Arc Raiders is not.

Some games, such as the excellent Blue Prince, are available as physical copies, but only as expensive special editions from specialist retailers like Limited Run Games and iam8bit.

So, if you want to gift a game that’s not available physically, or you actively want to give a digital copy, then your choices become more limited. You could simply hand over some cash or an IOU, but there is also the option of a gift card.

These are available from the online stores of each of the major formats, on websites such as Amazon and GAME, and can often also be found in supermarkets. There are also gift cards for specific games such as Fortnite and Roblox, should your intended gift recipient be into those.

Another alternative is a subscription to online services such as PlayStation Plus, Nintendo Switch Online, and Xbox Game Pass. It’s not a very exciting present to give but it is undoubtedly useful and something many gamers resent paying for themselves.

Best video game Christmas 2024 gifts for PS5, Xbox, and Nintendo Switch 2

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