It’s the holidays, which means it’s once again time to rack your brain in search of the right gifts for the right people. If someone on your list is into tech, though, we’ve got your back.

For this year’s edition of the Ars Technica holiday gift guide, we’re breaking down our recommendations into themes. The following crop of recommendations is centered on video games—from accessories to JRPGs, here are a few things we’d buy for the friend who can’t pull themselves away from their console or gaming rig.

Table of Contents

Console gaming gift ideas

Nintendo Switch

You probably don’t need to be told why the Nintendo Switch would be a good gift. The console has revitalized Nintendo this year with its charming hardware and strong lineup of first-party games. Its half-portable, half-living concept makes for a more complex device than Sony’s PlayStation 4 and Microsoft’s Xbox One, but all the movable pieces work as they should (kickstand aside) and the whole thing is just powerful enough to get by without frustrating.

There’s reason to be concerned over how heavily Nintendo relies on its own franchises in the long term, and this hardware shines much brighter on the road than when it’s docked to a TV. But for those who already have an Xbox, PS4, or gaming PC hooked up at home, the Switch is an excellent secondary machine. It’s the closest anyone’s come to making a console gaming device that’s enjoyable in any and every setting.

The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild

The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild manages to feel both exactly and nothing like a Zelda game, all at once. It captures the sense of adventure that has always been at the heart of the iconic franchise but plants it in an open-world setting that is far more effective at evoking a consistent air of wonder in 2017. The gist of the game couldn’t be simpler: here is a world; now go and discover it. But Breath of the Wild refuses to hand-hold. In the process, peeling back its layers of secrets and teachings feels as epic as the series’ familiar “hero saves kingdom” narrative suggests it should be. You can read our full review for more.

Super Mario Odyssey

Super Mario Odyssey is joyous, delightful, and super cute. It’s still a Mario game at heart, and it’s very good at being so: jumping, butt-stomping, and flipping around feels as tight as ever. The world Mario has inhabited in Odyssey is more freeform and varied than usual, though. It’s also incredibly dense with things to collect and do. But Odyssey’s constant inventiveness—along with its vibrant art direction and excellent score—keep its life-consuming collectible hunt from ever feeling like a chore. You can read our full review for more.

Horizon Zero Dawn

Horizon Zero Dawn is an ambitious game from both a technical and a narrative standpoint. Not everything about it works (it can sometimes feel like an amalgamation of other open-world games instead of its own thing). But it’s gorgeous, its story is more relevant than it first lets on, and its robot-dinosaur combat uses what our Sam Machkovech called “the most intense and exciting battle system I’ve seen in a game in years.” You can read the rest of his review for more.

Resident Evil 7: Biohazard

You play Resident Evil games for the scaries, and Resident Evil 7: Biohazard has them in abundance. It’s the kind of horror game that doesn’t just rely on contrived jump scares: the grimy art direction, first-person perspective, intimate gunfights, constant dearth of supplies, and relatively limited movement are all there to make you feel weak in the face of death. It can drag at points, but, all told, RE7 is oppressive in the right way. Godspeed to your gift recipient if they decide to give it a go in VR. You can read our full review for more.

Persona 5

Persona 5 has everything a classic JRPG should: a massive, fantastical story that still puts in the work to develop nuanced characters, a straightforward yet enjoyable combat system, a truly wonderful score, and gobs and gobs of style. It’s weird, huge, occasionally messy, and definitely not for everyone. But if your friend or family member is part of its target audience, you’ll know, and, in a market that could always use more compelling JRPGs, Persona 5 is refreshing. You can read our full review for more.