Be it Christmas or your friend’s upcoming birthday, you’ll need a go-to list of retro gaming gifts that can help you with any of your gift-buying needs, crafted by real retro gamers.
There’s nothing more annoying than reading a gift guide written by someone who isn’t the target audience! So I personally assure you as someone who has reviewed gaming products for over 10+ years, these are my favourites that I know any retro gamer would love.
These retro gaming gifts range from a handful of pennies all the way up to a small loan, so don’t feel as though this is the normal price to spend on retro gamers.
This list will fit all budgets, and believe us when we say that any gift on this list will go down well because I have personally tested every single one. So let’s jump right in with the ultimate retro gaming gifts list!
This is currently one of the best retro handhelds under $99 with the ability to play retro games up to and including Dreamcast and a handful of Gamecube games too.
This is our book, it took two years to create and takes you through the history of handheld video game consoles that changed the industry forever.
A superb mechanical keyboard created by 8BITDO, a company known for quality and taking inspiration from retro gaming products of the past, this one being the NES.
Table of Contents
1. A Handheld History
- Release Date: 2023
- Price: $29.99+
- Available At: Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Waterstones
Hands down, the best retro gaming gift of the year has to be our very own coffee table book, A Handheld History. We may be biased but we have proudly crafted a premium, hardback coffee table book about the history of handhelds.
We have partnered with talented journalists, the gaming industry’s best artists and well-known influencers to give you a nostalgic tome that takes you back through the best handheld games consoles of all time.
Big names like our very own Brandon Saltalamacchia, Jason Bradbury, Kevin Kenson, and Ashens were involved in this book, researching and crafting beautiful stories about consoles, accessories, and well-known retro games.
With over 260 pages of incredible content, this thick book will go down well with any retro gamer, especially if they have (or had) a passion for handheld gaming, as we cover most in this book.
We also bring weird and wacky handhelds into the spotlight that you may have never seen before. You will also be supporting Retro Dodo and the future of the A Handheld History series should you snag a copy, so let me personally say a big thank you if you do!
2. Retroid Pocket 2S
- Incredibly Affordable
- Android 11 OS
- Very Easy To Setup
- N64 & Dreamcast Emulation
- Does Not Come Pre-Loaded
- Screen Bezels Too Big
- Long Shipping Times (2 Weeks+)
- DPAD & Stick Layout
- Release Date: 2023
- Price: $99 – $119
- Available At: GoRetroid.com
- Our full review: Retroid Pocket 2S Review
One of our most loved retro gaming handhelds is the Retroid Pocket 2S, a $99 console that runs Android OS, featuring a 4:3 display, an incredible design that comes in many nostalgic colours, and enough power to emulate retro games up to and including Gamecube games.
It’s incredibly easy to set up, and the emulators will install automatically once you get through the simple step-by-step process after you turn it on.
GoRetroid has been creating great, affordable handhelds for many years, but this one is their best yet. You can even upgrade it to 4GB of RAM for an extra $20 to make it even more powerful.
It’s a portable device too, no bigger than a traditional smartphone, and with the added flared shoulder buttons and slim design, it makes it comfortable to hold and easy to use for hours on end thanks to it’s good battery life.
All you need to do to get started is to install ROMs using the SD card slot, and it will pull them into the designated folders and show them off in the launcher in a Nintendo Switch-like manner.
Because it uses Android as its operating system you can also download Android games and even stream on it from your home consoles should you want to do that. It’s a superb handheld, at a superb $99 – $119 price.
Check out our review of the Retroid Pocket 2S and if you are interested in buying a unit, it is available on GoRetroid.com.
3. Grid Studios Retro Gaming Art
- Release Date: 2021 – 2014
- Price: $99+
- Available At: Grid Studio’s Official Website
You may have seen these floating around our Instagram recently and that’s because the more they release them, the more I want to collect them all. These are retro art pieces from a company called Grid Studios, they simply take apart broken retro tech and frame them in a way that looks like insect taxidermy.
They layout every piece of retro tech, for example, we have the Gameboy Advance SP edition that looks absolutely stunning and it’s a great way to use broken consoles in a way that can be seen as art and maybe even preservation. Alongside that they package these up incredibly well, to a point where you could call this product a premium piece of art, everything is assembled very well.
I personally have four of these and none of the parts have fallen off the backboard or broken, nor has the frame for that matter, so I can comfortably say these are some of the best retro gaming pieces of art that you can buy, directly from Grid Studios official website here.
4. LEGO PAC-MAN Arcade
- Release Date: June 2023
- Price: $99+
- Available At: Amazon & LEGO
- Our Review: Written Review
One of my favourite retro gaming gifts of the year is one i purchased for myself, and that’s the brand new LEGO PAC-MAN Arcade Cabinet, coming in at a whopping 2651 pieces of pure nostalgia. It’s a big set. This isn’t for the faint-hearted, a set only LEGO making experts should snag.
The set is a fun, long-lasting adventure down memory lane, starting you off with building the arcade topper, featuring PAC-MAN himself, Blinky, and Clyde. This toper spins when pressing a button, and turning your enemies into ghosts, just like in the game.
The cabinet itself is very intricate, kicking off with building the exterior cabinet, and then moving on to the incredible advanced game which can be activated by spinning the lever on the side.
This will move the snake-like pieces around the map, just like the game, it will also slowly move the cherry as if it’s luring you in to eat it.
Then finally you get onto the arcade stick, and the buttons which activate a light piece at the front that resembles the infamous coin slot. There’s also a little easter egg in the back, which we won’t spoil for you, but it can be seen in our video review above.
5. ModRetro Chromatic
- Metal Shell With Impeccable Build Quality
- Beautiful Pixel-Accurate Display
- Flawless Cartridge Gameplay
- Passionate Team Behind The Brand
- Inactive Modules Teases Me
- Wireless Charing Would Be Nice (& I’d Pay Extra For It)
- Release Date: December 2024
- Price: $199
- Available At: ModRetro.com
- Our Review: Written Review & Video Review
The ModRetro Chromatic is one of 2024’s most unique handhelds. The company was founded by Palmer Luckey, the founder of Oculus who we interviewed on our podcast and it was Palmer’s goal to create the best Game Boy Color ever, and he did just that.
It’s a handheld that can play Game Boy and Game Boy Color cartridges in a way that feels similar yet modern, thanks to the pristine metal shell, the pixel-perfect 2.5″ custom display that is protected with sapphire-glass making it incredibly scratch resistant and near identical to the original.
The sizing is close to the original too, and when you pick it up its obvious that the ModRetro team wanted this to not only look like the GBC but feel like it too, with the ability to use AA batteries and the link cable like the good old days.
The buttons are crafted with care using high-end PBT crystalline polymer to make it sound and feel nostalgic. It’s as easy as inserting your favourite cartridge, flicking the on/off switch and entering your games on a incredibly bright, and stunning display that can be easily viewed outside.
The team behind this have quite literally crafted the perfect Game Boy Color, and although it has a hefty price tag it’s the last Game Boy Color I will ever need to buy, and it’s so good that I actually gave it a 10/10 in our in-depth review. It’s truly incredible and i can’t way to see more epic retro products from ModRetro over the coming years.
6. 8BitDo Retro Mechanical Keyboard
- Amazing keyboard sound that makes you feel like you’re in an 80s spy movie
- Easy-to-use peripherals
- Easy-to-swap keys to include custom designs
- 200 hour battery life & multiple connection choices
- Designed for Windows with no software for Mac
- No adjustable base to account for unlevel surfaces
- Could be a little noisy for those not used to retro keyboards
- At just over 1Kg it’s not very portable
- Keyboard Dimensions: 376.6mm wide x 169.6mm high x 46.8mm deep
- Weight: 1050g
- Connection Type: Wireless 2.4G, Bluetooth, Wired USB
- Price: £84.98/$89.99
- Available Variants: NES, Famicom, C64, IBM Model M
- Available From: Amazon, 8BitDo
8BitDo are renowned for creating superb products, we’ve reviewed many in the past. One of their most recent “retro” reveals is the brand new Retro Mechanical Keyboard.
It’s styled after the original Nintendo Entertainment System, with many nostalgic nods to the past and large A + B buttons that can be mapped to whatever you please, which is great for those who like to smash their keyboards. Again, it’s another subtle nod to the classic NES controller.
The keyboard itself is built on an aluminium interior, with high-quality Kailh Box White Switches, a number of knobs that can be twisted ad turned, and detailing that will please many retro gaming fans.
The keyboard works on PC, Mac and Android devices, it retails for around $99 on Amazon and has recently been partnered with a bunch of cool accessories too! It’s the perfect gift for retro gamers who want to pimp out their desk setup a little!
7. ANBERNIC RG35XXSP
- Clamshell/GBA SP Design
- Incredibly Affordable
- Good PSP & Dreamcast Emulation
- Average User Experience
- Sometimes Screen Doesn’t Sleep When Shut
- Released: Early 2024
- Price: $59.99
- Available At: ANBERNIC.com and Amazon
- Our Review: ANBERNIC RG35XX SP Review
The ANBERNIC RG35XXSP is one of my favourite affordable retro handhelds on the market right now, not only because it looks like a Game Boy Advance SP clone, but also because it can emulate lots of retro consoles including N64, PS1, Dreamcast, and Game Boy Advance straight out of the box.
ANBERNIC has a habit of releasing lots of handhelds that are pretty mediocre, but at just $64.99 this is a device from them that’s hard to hate. It features a semi-powerful processor, a 3.5″ 4:3 IPS display, enough battery life to play for 7 hours straight, and an easy-to-understand user interface.
That’s all wrapped in a high-quality clamshell design with GBA SP aesthetics, a sleep-wake function when shut, and a headphone jack. The emulators will even add a unique border to your games too adding official logos and making it look a little more natural if your screen ratio is different.
There are some minor flaws like a few UI bugs, and the shoulder buttons being very rattly but it’s an all-round great device that’s a perfect gift for handheld enthusiasts and those who have never dabbled in the world of emulation before.
8. Evercade Alpha
- High Quality Design With Unique Designs/Licensing
- Competition-Grade Controls That Are Durable
- Bright IPS Display For Indoor Gaming
- A Wide Selection Of Cartridges To Choose From
- Must Be Plugged In At All Times
- Screen Is Highly Reflective
- Screw Covers Look Cheap And Stick Out
- Method Of Swapping Marque Is Awkward
- Released: November 2024
- Price: $249.99
- Available At: Amazon
The Evercade Alpha is a premium bartop arcade that launched in late 2024 and has the ability to play Evercade cartridges. Evercade’s library features over 50 fully licensed cartridges, with a total over 500 games to choose from, making it a unique way to relive physical media and enjoy the nostalgic moments of reading through a manual or blowing dust out of the cartridge.
The quality of the Alpha is great, featuring one of two editions to purchase, Mega Man and Street Fighter each contains 6 pre-loaded Capcom games and unique designs, including removable/swappable marquee designs.
It features a high resolution IPS screen that’s incredibly bright, alongside durable, high quality competition-grade buttons and joystick, which I absolutely love, it feels like the real deal, and it features enough space to rest your hands. It may look a little cramped due to the size of the device, but I was surprised at how long I could play on here without feeling the need to readjust my hand posture.
The cartridges slide in at the bottom, as if you were waiting for change or coins to dispense. You’ll find not one, but two cartridge slots, allowing you to load up to two games within the menu, saving you from switching them around. The UI has also been completely custom made, featuring easy to understand navigation, alongside sleek access to your games and settings.
It’s one of the best bartop arcade machines on the market, built with care and brings back the joy of collecting and trading physical media with friends, which is something I dearly missed.
9. Quarter Arcades – Replica Quarter Scale Cabinets
One of the coolest products that we have seen this year is the TMNT Quarter Scale Arcade Cabinets by Numskull Designs. We were lucky enough to test these units early, and have reviewed many of their products in the past, but these two cabinets here are our favourites.
They are 1/4 scale replicas of the original TMNT cabinets from the good ol’ days, featuring everything you would expect from an exact replica. The screens feature the classic scan lines, you can play with up to three friends, it has little USB ports at the front behind the coin slots so that you can play with controllers, and these things even light up too!
Numskull have the official licensing for the TMNT games and even the soundtracks too, making it feel like you’re playing on the real thing.
They’re not cheap, starting at around $299, but it’s the perfect “big” gift for anyone born in the 80’s and 80’s. It will certainly turn heads at your next dinner party, the cabinet design is flawless, and it charges via USB-C too.
Quarter Arcade cabinets can be purchased on Amazon, or via Just Geek.
10. Funkey S
- Fits On Your Keychain
- Super Simple Custom Firmware
- Great Build Quality For Its Size
- Easy To Use & Good PS1 Emulation
- Not Cheap For What It Can Do
- Prone To Being Lost/Damages
- Released: Mid 2022
- Price: $69.99
- Available At: Funkey’s Website
- Our Review: The Most Adorable Mini Handheld – Funkey S Review
Imagine a tiny Gameboy Advance SP. Yeah, that’s basically what the super-diddy Funkey S is. It’s technically the world’s smallest foldable games console too! Put simply, the Funkey S is a retro handheld emulator that can emulate a wide number of game consoles up to and including the PlayStation 1.
Yeah, you read that right, this little device can play all of your favourite PlayStation games with no problems at all. It uses ROM files to do so and it comes ready to load straight out of the box with an easy-to-use user interface that makes it playable for all ages.
The build quality is also really good, and when you shut the clamshell, it sounds like the original GBA SP! This is a great gift for video game collectors and those who like playing games on the go.
You can buy this handheld directly from Funkey Project!
11. CRKD Atom
If you travel a lot like me or never want to go anywhere without a controller in case there’s a multiplayer match that you need to be a part of to settle a score, then this is the controller for you. It’s called the CRKD ATOM, and it’s a tiny controller that I’ve been using everywhere from my living to trains to planes while creating my in-depth review. It’s small enough to hang from your keys or slot into a jacket pocket and measures just 67mm wide x 35mm high x 10mm deep!
Obviously, this is a super small controller and isn’t going to replace your Nintendo Switch Pro Controller any time soon, but that’s not CRKD’s ethos. They make peripherals that provide an alternative way of playing, and it’s perfect for playing GBA games on your Switch in tabletop mode or for playing ROMs on your phone or laptop. There are tonnes of collectible designs too including a new GameCube-inspired Purple edition that would go incredibly well with the Nitro Deck we’ve listed above!
The best bit about the ATOM, however, is the price. At just £19.99/$19.99, it isn’t going to break the bank and is cheap enough for you to not feel too precious about it hanging from your keys or jangling against a supermarket trolley. They’re easy to connect, simple to use, and a definite talking point when you pull them out of your pocket!
You can get the ATOM from Amazon or directly from CRKD!
12. ELAGO GBA SP Magsafe Charger
What better gift is there to give to the gamer who has everything than a Magsafe charger that looks like a Game Boy Advance SP? At $35 it’s an affordable gift that looks the business when not in use and holds your phone securely for when you’re FaceTiming, watching a video, or just while charging so that you can use the night clock mode (who needs Alarmo, right?).
For legal reasons, we need to say that this is the “Magnetic W5 Stand” and is not affiliated with Nintendo, but there are no prizes for spotting the fact that it’s heavily influenced by Nintendo’s iconic clamshell. The magnets hold your phone in place nicely without you having to ask a wrestler to prize it off for you, and Brandon loves his so much that he uses his on a daily basis rather than plugging in a USB cable anymore.
In terms of detailing, ELAGO has done well to create a close likeness of the GBA with the speaker grill, power buttons, and other features in the correct place. All in all, it’s a neat gift that would make a brilliant and practical stocking filler!
Pick up the Elago Magnetic Charger for yourself or a friend from Amazon!
13. Retro Fighters Brawler64
Retro Fighters make some of the best controllers on the scene and provide retro gamers like you and I with wireless tech that just didn’t exist back when our favourite consoles came out. And let’s face it; while the original N64 controller looks iconic, it’s mega uncomfortable to use after a while now we’re used to using the ‘uniform design’ that has become favourable over the years. The button design makes way more sense and it’s much more comfortable to use when playing for long periods.
At £44.99/$49.95, it’s an affordable controller really allows you to enjoy N64 games in a whole different way, essentially by being untethered and without handache. It’s got good battery life and charges up via USB, it’s responsive and easy to set up, and it’s a joy to use.
The only thing to bear in mind is that you can’t use a Rumble Pak or Transfer Pak with the Brawler64, but you can put your Memory Pak into the receiver that plugs into your N64 controller port, so all of your save files are still safe!
Refresh your N64 gaming experience by heading over to Amazon!
14. Link Building Toys
Lego can be expensive, and while the Great Deku Tree set is amazing, it’s not exactly affordable if you’re buying something for multiple children or family members. These Link building sets of ‘The Hero of Time’ from Ocarina of Time and ‘The Chosen Champion’ from Breath of the Wild come in one pack and are super fun to build. Complete with weapons that can be swapped between figurines, they’re the perfect easy-build desk companions and another great stocking filler idea.
At $22/£22 for two figurines, this is a bit of a no-brainer. The attention to detail for a non-official set is incredible, and I’ve still got mine sitting on my shelf protecting me from Moblins while I write. It will take about an hour per figurine to build and a lifetime of picking them up and looking at how cool they are afterward.
You can buy this Link building set from Amazon!
15. The Legend Of Zelda: Echoes Of Wisdom
I’ve been unable to put Echoes of Wisdom down since it dropped through my door. For those of you who played Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom but wanted more of an ‘old school’ Zelda story, than this is going to take you right back to the roots of the series while still offering some new mechanics that are incredibly refreshing.
Instead of actually attacking enemies, Zelda uses Echoes of enemies, and imitations of them then she can call into battle. You can also create echoes of objects like beds, plants, trampolines, and flying tiles to get around the world, knock switches, open doors, and much more. Latch onto a Crawltula to get higher up a wall, use a Peehat to attack enemies; honestly, for a massive Legend of Zelda nerd like me, it’s a dream come true.
In terms of graphics, it feels like an unofficial sequel to Link’s Awakening. The isometric view works so well, as does the cutesy version of Hyrule available to explore. While the story feels more linear than in TotK, it’s still open world in a sense as there are so many side quests and challenges to find and complete. And yes, everyone’s favourite Kakariko Graveyard owner makes an appearance too!
Start your adventure by picking up a copy from Amazon!
