The Ultimate Indie Game Gift Guide

A look at some awesome gift-giving ideas for the holiday season. 

Finding the right gift can be hard, and the temptation to settle for a standard gift card immensely high. After all, what if you wind up giving a gift the other person doesn’t enjoy? Fortunately, when it comes to giving indie game-related gifts, there’s a plethora of possibilities to choose from.

Whether you’re gifting the actual game itself, or merchandise from that game, finding the right indie game gift can be easier than you think. To help you out, we’ve put together a comprehensive list featuring some of the best indie game gifts available.

A Gift of Games

It’s never a bad idea to give a game as a gift. Has the gift recipient been longing to experience the joys of Stardew Valley? Gift it to them digitally either on Steam or the Nintendo Switch eShop! Does your gift recipient live far away and you’re unable to mail them a package? Buy a handful of games from their Steam wishlist!

We guarantee no one will turn down the opportunity to get a game they’ve been hankering after for free. On Steam, there are two notable sales during the holidays: the Steam Black Friday Sale, and the Winter Steam Sale. This year the dates for both sales were leaked early, giving you extra time to prepare if you’re planning on buying games as gifts.

Additionally, there are digital Black Friday sales available for both Xbox and PlayStation 4 users. While you wait for all of the holiday sales to begin, we’ve put together a short list of recommended indie games to keep an eye out for.

Looking to give someone a physical copy? Some indie games are available in a physical format, with various collector’s edition copies available from places like IndieBox and Limited Run Games.

Additionally, some of the bigger indies have retail copies available at stores like Amazon, GameStop, Target, and Best Buy. The only downside to physical copies is they tend to be a bit more expensive than their digital counterparts.

Gaming Gear

If your gift recipient already has a sizeable collection of games, you can always help them expand their collection by purchasing gaming gear. Does your gift recipient want to try gaming on the PlayStation 4 or Xbox One S? Do they need upgraded PC peripherals like a new graphics card or gaming mouse?

No matter their needs, you'll have little trouble finding a wide variety of suitable gaming gear options on the market. Naturally, Black Friday and Cyber Monday sales are the best time to shop, as you’ll be able to score major discounts on pricey items. You can get a feel for what will be on sale by visiting our Black Friday 2017 hub.

Additionally, we’ve listed some of the best deals on gaming gear below to help you begin filling out your shopping list.

Must-Have Indie Game Merch

Last, but certainly not least, a fantastic gift resources centers around indie game merchandise. Surprisingly, there’s a lot of indie game merchandise out there if you know where to look. It’s important to note that indie games with a wider net of popularity will naturally have the most merchandise options available, though.

For example, you’ll be able to find Five Nights at Freddy’s merchandise in the toy section of retailers like WalMart and Target, among others. Additionally, GameStop has expanded their inventory to include indie game merchandise such as figures and collectibles, among other items. Looking for something a bit more special?

There are websites like Fangamer that offer one-of-a-kind indie game gifts for games like Stardew Valley, Hollow Knight, and more. To help give you a better idea as to what’s out there, we highlight a few of our favorite indie game merch gifts down below.

Undertale PS4/PS Vita/PC Physical Collector’s Edition (Fangamer)

Hollow Knight Plush (Fangamer)

Enter the Gungeon T-Shirt (Fangamer)

Cuphead & Mugman Ceramic Mug Set (Studio MDHR)

Don't Starve: Chester Plush Replica (Klei Store)

Slime Rancher Lucky Slime Pillow Plush (Valve Store)

Hellblade Senua Necklace (Ninja Store)

NITW CRIMES Snapback (Compress Merch)

There you have it, a look at everything to keep in mind if you plan on giving indie game gifts for the holidays. Looking for additional ideas? Check out our Black Friday 2017 hub which contains deal lists on everything gaming related, and recap our features on some of the best budget graphics cards and best gaming mice of 2017.

Morgan is a writer, indie game lover, and socially awkward coffee addict. Need something? Morgan can be reached at morgan.shaver@allgamers.com or if you like, you can say hello using GIFs on Twitter.

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