Gifts for Gamers: Picks for Nintendo, Minecraft, Tabletop and PC Players

Mario Kart Live: Home Circuit is the one that makes people ask how it works. You set up four cardboard gates around the living room, and a physical RC kart zooms across the rug while streaming an augmented reality track onto the Switch. It suits anyone who has always wanted the game to spill onto the floor.

For a plant-averse friend, the LEGO Super Mario Piranha Plant is a 9-inch sculpture that sits in its green pipe looking hostile, with no watering schedule attached.

If they have the console covered already, Mario 8-Bit Playing Cards are officially licensed Nintendo cards in retro, dot-style artwork. It is a standard 52-card deck, so it can go straight into a game night.

The Minecraft Light-Up Redstone Ore puts a block on the desk instead of in an inventory. It has three levels of light controlled by a tap, which suits a kid who already arranges their shelf with care.

When the game becomes a costume, the Minecraft Foam Pickaxe is the full-size stone pickaxe version, made from heavy-duty EVA foam. A Minecraft outfit has a clearer job once it is in hand.

For walls, Minecraft 3D Wall Clings create the illusion of a blocky world opening up right in the drywall. They are for the kid who wants the bedroom to feel like a subterranean mine.

The D20 Mug With Lid holds 12 ounces of coffee, tea or hot chocolate inside a ceramic twenty-sided die. Its appeal is simple: the campaign sits on the desk without a lot of explanation.

Wooden D&D Dice Lamps are laser-cut wooden d20s and d10s that sit over LED tea lights and cast a pattern across the table. They are not glued down, so they can be moved around the game space. A dungeon master who cares about atmosphere will notice them first.

For the player who likes a rival board across the table, A Game of Thrones Board Game: Trust No One puts you in command of a great house of Westeros, with armies to maneuver. Be warned that the most dangerous thing at the table might be a friend saying, “You can trust me.”

The Razer Viper Mini Gaming Mouse weighs 61 grams and is 10% smaller than the regular Viper. It makes the case for less mouse, which suits players who want less heft under their hand.

The Razer DeathStalker Expert Gaming Keyboard recognizes up to ten simultaneous key presses in gaming mode. That is room for increasingly elaborate button combinations to register.

For someone who wants sound at the desk instead of in a headset, the Razer Nommo Chroma Gaming Speakers are a two-speaker setup with a physical bass knob. It is a good match for a PC gamer who likes a tactile control.

And for the person who already owns every sensible peripheral, the Astronaut Galaxy Resin Keycap holds an entire miniature cosmos floating inside a single mechanical keyboard switch. It is a small gift for a keyboard hobbyist.