If you know someone who is nuts about Ninty, then get a load of this list of the best Nintendo gifts of all time!
Yes, we’ve taken all the stress out of buying the perfect present by listing 15 Nintendo gifts that would make any fan smile at any occasion. Whether you’re looking to get some extra screen time in or have a break from the TV, we’ve got a gift for every gamer of every age below.
And yeah, we love them all.
So, without further ado, I’m going to pipe down and let you get shopping!
⭐️ TL;DR - Give Me The Results! ⭐️
- Best Under $30: Shinobi: Art of Vengeance
- Best Under $40: The Throne
- Best Under $60: LEGO Game Boy
- Best Under $75: Retro Fighters BattlerGC Wireless 2.4G Controller
- Best Under $100: Donkey Kong Bananza
- Best Under $200: ModRetro Chromatic (Gorilla Glass variant)
- Must Have Console: Nintendo Switch 2
- Best Video Game: Mario Kart World
- Best Accessory: Nintendo Switch 2 Camera
N.B: All prices correct as of October 8th, 2025
1. Nintendo Switch 2
I've always been a Nintendo fan, so I was always going to buy the Nintendo Switch 2 when it came out. I genuinely love everything about this console, from the improved shape and size of the handheld to the impressive framerates when docked. It's much more powerful than the original Switch and has some amazing games in Mario Kart World and Donkey Kong Bananza alone.
Getting a console to play the only other 3D Donkey Kong game we've ever had aside from DK64 is worth the cost price on its own, but having GameCube games on the platform too sealed the deal for me.
Ergonomically speaking, it's amazing, and having the mouse controls for games like Mario Paint is a brilliant touch. With games like Hogwarts Legacy and Cyberpunk 2077 running brilliantly on the console and upgrades to classics like Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom, not to mention the extra fun you can have on games like Mario Party Jamboree thanks to the Switch 2 camera, it's the ultimate Nintendo gift to buy the family, or treat yourself with!
2. LEGO Game Boy
- Release Date: October 2025
- Price: $59.97/£54.99
- Where To Buy: Amazon
I know we're all very excited that Natalie the Nerd has modded this LEGO Game Boy already and that mod kits are on the way, but let's just take a look at it as a display piece today, because for many preople, that's what this set will remain as. Honestly, it's a brilliant likeness to the original console and is a set that handheld fans like us have been waiting a very long time for. And at £54.99 for us Brits, it's an affordable set that won't break the bank.
I'm a huge fan of the lenticular screens that come with the console, one for Super Mario Land and another for Tetris. They add a nice touch and make the handheld feel more lifelike, as do the cartridges which, once complete with a sticker, look and feel like the real thing.
LEGO have included everything from the battery light to the phones sign and speaker grill. If you spent any time playing the DMG back in the 90s, then you need this in your life!
3. SHINOBI: Art Of Vengeance
- Release Date: August 2025
- Price: £29.99
- Where To Buy: Amazon, SEGA, Nintendo
- Our Review Of The Demo: How SHINOBI Art Of Vengenace Revived The Shinobi Series
I recently wrote an article about how this new game has revived the entire Shinobi series, and I still stand by it after sitting with the game since its release back in August. SHINOBI: Art of Vengeance is a beautiful game from start to finish with visuals that show us just how far the games have come since the early days of the Sega Master System.
Ok, so this is a Sega game on a Nintendo gifts article, but that's for a very good reason. The game plays incredibly well on Nintendo Switch and is a brilliant title to pick up and play when you only have a certain amount of minutes for gaming in the day (I'm looking at you, parents).
After replaying all of the Shinobi games to prepare for the release of Art of Vengeance, I much prefer the new direction of this game. Gone are the days of the one-hit-K.O and starting back at the beginning of the level, with the inclusion of a health bar and respawn points. And the best bit is that it actually features Joe Musashi for the first time in 32 years! The moves are amazing, the artwork is incredible, and it's the perfect side-scrolling game to purchase for your new Nintendo Switch 2 with a price-point that is very fair!
4. Nintendo Switch 2 Camera
- Release Date: April 2025
- Price: $54/£34
- Where To Buy: Amazon
I know what you're thinking - 'why do I need the camera for the Switch 2?' If you're a premium Retro Dodo subscriber, then you've no doubt read my article about how the Nintendo Switch 2 is bringing back that same feeling of couch co-op gaming that we had back in the 90s, and it's all thanks to this camera.
Playing Mario Kart World and seeing your friends at the very bottom of the screen in real time makes the whole experience much more fun, especially when you can see their faces hovering over their characters while racing too. It brings gamers together and allows you to spend time with each other while apart, all without the need for having them on your phone or laptop via FaceTime.
The Switch 2 camera allows you to get into the action on games like Mario Party Jamboree and take part in the madness too. You can chat to your friends when sharing gameplay with them and help each other through difficult parts of games, or just pause and have a catch up through the TV!
5. GAMENOOK 'The Thone'
- Release Date: October 2025
- Price: £24.99
- Where To Buy: GAMENOOK
Your collection deserves better, and so does our planet. That's why our sister company GAMENOOK takes plastic pulled from the ocean and landfill and turns it into premium stands for your handhelds.
We have two colourways available: the lighter Cluster variant shown in the picture above using plastic taken from landfill, and the dark blue Coastal design using plastic taken from the ocean. You can fit every Nintendo handheld up to the DS into The Throne as well as the ModRetro Chromatic and the Analogue Pocket, showcasing favourite games for the GBC or the GBA alongside some AA batteries for when you need a power boost.
If recycling dangerous plastic and making your collection look cooler wasn't enough, then we also plant one tree for every sale we make. How many gifts help to save the planet like this one?
6. Donkey Kong Bananza
- Release Date: July 2025
- Price: $69.00/£56.55
- Where To Buy: Amazon
I still can't believe that it's been 26 years between the only two 3D Donkey Kong games we've ever had. Rare made DK64 back in 1999, and Nintendo dropped Donkey Kong Bananza this year for the Nintendo Switch 2. DK's look has changed and so has his gameplay style, but what we've got instead of the traditional Rare platformer style is an open-world game where everything can be smashed, and exploring everywhere is the name of the game.
Honestly, I spend hours just breaking down massive mountains looking for coins and fossils on this game. There are Banandium gems hidden everywhere on each level and lots of secrets to uncover. It's a huge game with a brilliant storyline and one of the best games I've played in a heck of a long time.
7. Mario Kart World
- Release Date: April 2025
- Price: $79.99/£62.99
- Where To Buy: Amazon
I was 100% ready for a new Mario Kart game. I bought Mario Kart 8 for the Wii U back in 2014 and played it to death, and then did the same with the Deluxe version for the Nintendo Switch. It meant that I'd been essrntialy been playing the same game for a decade, and I was more than ready to mix things up a little.
An open world Mario Kart with karts that turned into planes or aquatic vehicles was exactly what I've been harping on about for years now. Being able to free roam in this game is exactly what we needed - only Nintendo could give us a game where just roaming around doing nothing feels so good.
The levels in Mario Kart World are second to none, and having the ability to pick up new character skins and unlock new characters as you're racing is brilliant. It's the perfect evolution of the Mario Kart formula and, when twinned with the Nintendo Switch 2 camera, makes for great multiplayer battles that are tonnes of fun
8. Retro Fighters BattlerGC Wireless 2.4G Controller
- Release Date: Jun 2025
- Price: RRP $64.95/£59.99
- Where To Buy: Amazon
- Our Review: Retro Fighters BattlerGC Pro Review
I know you probably think that the GameCube controller can't be improved on, but I'm here to tell you that you're wrong. Retro Fighters make the best controllers in the business, and the BattlerGC is the evolved version of the Wavebird controller that we all deserve. I've been using mine religiously ever since I reviewed it earlier this year and it's my go to controller for any Cube game - I can't give you a better review than that!
The BattlerGC Pro feels brilliant in your hands. It's very similar in its shape to the Nintendo Switch Pro Conroller and has custom built Hall effect sticks, so you won't be drifting unecessarily in any of your games! The triggers are super impressive, as is the connection and lack of lag. I wouldn't venture onto Dinosaur Planet or delve into Gauntlet: Dark Legacy without it, and neither should you!
9. Super Mario Galaxy 1+2
- Release Date: October, 2025
- Price: £49.95/$69.00
- Where To Buy: Amazon
When Nintendo announced Super Mario Galaxy 1+2 for the Switch as part of their celebrations for Mario's 40th birthday, I felt very excited. They're the games that led to Super Mario Odyssey and two Wii classics that every gamer should experience once in their lives.
The new collection enhanced versions of both adventures to the Switch, with the game being available in 4K for Nintendo Switch 2 users when docked or 1080p when in handheld mode. There are also new features like discovering new pages of Rosalina's Story Book. Plus who wouldn't want to take their Switch out with them and team up with Yoshi in Super Mario Galaxy 2 while sitting on a bus, plane, or train?
Obviously, Mario is a seminal character in Nintendo history, and if you're looking for an amazing Nintendo gift for the gamer in your life, then you really can't go wrong with Mario Galaxy!
10. A Handheld History
- Release Date: October, 2023
- Price: $40.00/£35.00
- Where To Buy: Amazon
We had a look at the coffee table scene in the gaming world and found it pretty lacking. So, we made our own, A Handheld History, our first book based on handheld gaming over the years that takes a deep dive into the handheld consoles that have shaped the industry. And more importantly, it’s choc-a-block with facts, figures, and pictures about all of your favourite Nintendo handhelds.
There are over 270 pages showcasing 30+ consoles and utilising the wisdom of over 25 contributors from the gaming world. Obviously, I wouldn't be putting it in this list if it wasn't filled to the brim with Nintendo handhelds, but it's it’s also a one-stop-shop for everything you might want to know about the Game Gear, Atari Lynx, and many more iconic handhelds!
Plus, if you like the photography in this book, you can visit our shop and grab 20 phone wallpapers made from the photos used in the book to show off your love of retro gaming anytime, anywhere!
11. Nintendo Switch Jumbo Game Boy Dock & Cartridge Holder
- Release Date: October 2024
- Price: Game Boy Dock $53.99/£55. Extra Switch game storage Game Boy cartridge $20/£20. Joycon holders $17.99/£17.69. All prices exclude delivery.
- Where To Buy: Cohoba Creations
- Our Review: Cohoba Creations Jumbo Game Boy Dock Review
What says 'I'm a huge Nintendo fan' more than having a Jumbo Game Boy in the corner of your room with your Switch in it? This massive dock from Cohoba Creations is a great feature piece for any game room and looks the part both when in use while playing via tabletop mode or just as a display piece.
No, the buttons on the front don't work, but your Nintendo Switch 1 slots neatly into the top of the Game Boy dock and sits in padded rails to protect it. The 'On/Off' button on top of the console does wake and put your switch to sleep, and there is a slot for your charger to connect up to your Switch on the back of the dock to keep it powered while playing.
And the best bit - you can pair it with a custom Jumbo cartridge that holds your Switch games. And yes, it slots into the back of the dock like an original cartridge into your Game Boy DMG. Plus, Cohoba Creations also sell custom joy con grips that match your favourite Game Boy game. I know it's a simple concept, but this set brings me a lot of joy whenever I see it - everything was better when it was bigger when we were kids, that's why the Mega Zord exists, after all!
12. ModRetro Chromatic
- Release Date: December 2024
- Price: From $199/£199
- Where To Buy: ModRetro
- Our Review: ModRetro Chromatic Review
I think you guys all know our thoughts on the ModRetro Chromatic by now. It's one of the most exciting handhelds that we've used for a very long time. The Sapphire glass screen, the pixel-perfect gameplay from our original Game Boy cartridges, the new games arriving monthly on ModRetro cartridges that are also compatible with our original Game Boy - ModRetro are doing great things for the retro gaming scene, and we couldn't be happier about it.
The Chromatic feels like it's fallen straight off Megatron and into our hands. It's hard wearing, scratch proof, and built to withstand feverish gaming sessions. It has a cart clinic function that you can use to update your Game Boy games with patches, and it comes pre-packaged with Tetris just like the original DMG.
You can now pick from a toughened Gorilla Glass option for £199/$199, or the original Sapphire display from $299/£299.
I want to give an extra special shout out to Dragonyhm too, one of the best games that I have EVER played on any console - Spacebot Interactive knocked it out of the park with this one.
13. Animal Crossing
- Release Date: 2018
- Price: $59.99/£36.99
- Where To Buy: Amazon
If you're new to the Nintendo Switch, then you can't go wrong with a copy of Animal Crossing: Hew Horizons. It's an incredibly relaxing game where you build your own island paradise, collecting fruit and fossils to sell for bells to buy new and exciting things to improve your world.
Build shops, create houses, and invite animals to come and live in your world. Build a museum, swim to collect fish and crustaceans, decorate your house, give gifts, and visit other islands using Dodo Airlines (no affiliation to us!).
It's not a new game, but if you're just starting out on your Nintendo Switch journey or want a family-friendly title that everyone can get involved with, then this is the game for you. I've put about 250 hours into my save file, so you definitely get your monies worth!
14. Pokémon Plushies
Brandon kindly borrowed these toys from his son's collection so that we could include them in this article. I don't care how old you are - everyone loves plush toys of their favourite series. We've all got one in our game room, and if you don't know what to buy someone, they make the perfect gift for any occasion.
The Pikachu Tokyo Station Conductor is a great piece for any Pokémon or Train enthusiast, Nidoking is an absolute boss, and Charmander is the best Kanto starter (you know I'm right... even if the stats say different.)
15. Super Mario Plush Tanooki Mario
- Release Date: 18th December, 2020
- Price: $14.99/£16.74
- Where To Buy: Amazon
I'm going to keep on the topic of plushies for this last item in our list - a Super Mario Plush of Tanoki Mario. My mate Danny got me this for our group's secret Santa last Christmas, and it sit's next to my handhelds on my shelf in my office.
Tanooki Mario first appeared back on Super Mario Bros. 3 in 1988 and has been a firm favourite with gamers ever since. This little plush toy is a little different from the other standard Mario soft toys out there and a more niche gift for hardcore Mario gamers.
