2018 Holiday Gift Guide for Gamers
Some products featured were sent for review to be considered in holiday gift guide placement.
Do you have a gamer in your family? Every member of our family loves to play games. The only difference between us is what gaming system we use. My adult daughter and her boyfriend are PS4 gamers, my son is an Xbox One gamer and my teen daughter and I can’t get enough of the Nintendo Switch. This holiday gift guide for gamers features games to be played on all the different systems. Our favorite gaming time is when we come together to compete as a family.
2018 Holiday Gift Guide for Gamers
Looking for a gift idea for a gamer of any age? We have our picks for this holiday season listed below. From games rated mature audience to games the whole family will love.
Assassin’s Creed Odyssey
Rated M
Write your own odyssey and live incredible adventures in a world where every choice matters. Rejected by your family, you embark on an epic journey from a young outcast to legendary Spartan hero and uncover the truth about your past. Forge your path through a war-torn Greece shaped by gods and men, where mountains and ocean collide. Meet Ancient Greece’s famous figures and influence a pivotal point in history that shaped western civilization.
Assassin’s Creed® Odyssey brings player choice to the forefront through never-before-seen innovations as you choose the hero you want to become and change the world around you. Take control of your destiny with every decision you make and each relationship you build. Customize your equipment and master new special abilities, tailoring your hero’s skillset to your playstyle. Fight across the country of Greece, engaging in visceral battles on both land and sea and becoming a true hero of legend. Placing choice at the center of the gameplay experience, Assassin’s Creed Odyssey empowers you to author your own legendary odyssey.
My husband has always enjoyed playing Assassin’s Creed on the Xbox. This new release of Assassin’s Creed Odyssey has taken the graphics up to a whole new level. They are sharp and crisp graphics while also being beautifully colorful scenes. I was extremely impressed. The above photo was taken of our living room TV and it still looks great!
This game belongs on your gift list for the adult gamer in your life.
Available on PS4, PS4 Pro, Xbox One, Xbox One X, Windows PC on Amazon
Heavy Fire: Red Shadow
Rated T
Set in the not-so-distant future, tension between a bold North Korea and the United States have been stretched beyond their breaking point.
In Heavy Fire: Red Shadow players lace themselves up in the tattered combat boots of Sgt. Will, who narrowly survived a North Korean missile attack on Guam designed to knock out its defenses, and now finds himself almost single-handedly trying to repulse a large-scale North Korean raid.
Step onto the unforgiving battlefield, establish a beachhead, and holdfast behind a turret-mounted machine gun. A brutal and unceasing onslaught of enemy forces will attempt to flank and eliminate Sgt. Will from every angle as he and a few surviving comrades rain hell upon anything that crosses their sights.
- 360° White-knuckle Action! Use a devastatingly powerful turret-mounted machine gun and rocket launcher combo to mow down enemies in 360° across eight stages in Campaign Mode, or fight non-stop in Endless Mode.
- Call in Support! Call in supply drops and support from elite infantry troops, fighter aircraft, attack helicopters, and more.
- Get Promoted and Powered Up! With more than 30 unlockable Field Promotions, players earn power-ups to upgrade and customize their machine gun, rocket launcher, health, and support skills.
- The Right Tools for the Job! Experience a new level of exciting gameplay with Mixer support on Xbox One, the style and function of RAZER CHROMA support on PC, and the immersion of PS VR support on PS4™ (included free in the physical edition of Heavy Fire: Red Shadow, available exclusively at Walmart).
Noah has enjoyed playing this rapid fire action game on his Xbox One. It is simple enough that Gabby can join him and we can make this a family game.
This game belongs on your gift list for the action gamer in your life.
Available on PS4, PlayStation VR, Xbox One, Steam and Steam VR for Windows PC
Starlink: Battle for Atlas
Rated E 10+
Starlink: Battle for Atlas is an all-new action-adventure game developed by Ubisoft Toronto. You choose your pilot, hull, wings and weapons, combine them to build a custom starship and lock it into place. As you pilot your way to a nearby planet within the Atlas Star System, you sense you’re not alone. Suddenly, three enemy ships emerge from a nearby asteroid field and it becomes very clear you are not welcome. You try to fight them off, but realize your current loadout isn’t working in this situation. You make a lightning-fast decision, swap out your wings and weapons on the fly and re-engage, as another epic battle begins to save the galaxy from Grax and the Forgotten Legion.
I love this graphics on this family-friendly game. It is bright and colorful while filled with enough action and excitement to keep you entertained. It’s great for families.
Similar to LEGO Dimensions and Disney Infinity, you can bring your real-life action pieces to life on the screen. You can build starships and use various pilots and weapons for in-game play. The main difference between LEGO Dimensions and Starlink is the fact you can play this game in a digital download only even without the physical game pieces, whereas LEGO Dimensions requires you to buy the pieces to play.
This game belongs on your gift list for the younger games and families to play together.
Available on PS4, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch on Amazon
Just Dance 2019
Rated E
Dance to the rhythm of your own beat with Just Dance 2019! The #1 Music Video Game Franchise of All Time, with over 65 million units sold, is coming this fall with 40 new and fun songs. Whether there’s something to celebrate or for no reason at all, Just Dance is there for every occasion! Join a community of more than 120 million players around the world and bust out your best moves!
- “Finesse (Remix)” – Bruno Mars Ft. Cardi B
- “Havana” – Camila Cabello
- “One Kiss” – Calvin Harris and Dua Lipa
- Mad Love – Sean Paul, David Guetta Ft. Becky G
- And Many More!
I love finding games that encourage movement. Just Dance 2019 gets you up and moving, while having a ton of fun. My kids danced to several songs and laughed at themselves so much. It was hilarious and challenging. Seeing the ‘Perfect!‘ score pop up on the TV when hitting a move just right was quite satisfying.
Althoug this game is rated E for everyone, if the song listed has lyrics you are not comfortable letting your kids hear, then skip it. One of the songs has the word ‘damn’ in it that I heard, I have not listened to them all. My kids are old enough to know not to repeat certain words when singing along.
We love this game and I plan to use it as party of my exercise routine!
This game belongs on your gift list for all ages and families to play together. It is also great for a dance-off challenge at your upcoming holiday parties.
Available on Nintendo Switch, Wii U, Wii, Xbox One, Xbox 360, PS4 on Amazon
Sports Party
Rated E
Sports Party takes you to the seaside where the beach meets the mountains to discover 6 outdoor sports. Faithfully replicate real-life moves with intuitive and inclusive controls, and get off your couch to challenge family and friends, whether at home or on the go! Enjoy Frisbee, Jet Ski, Basketball, Golf, Skateboarding and Beach Racket! Discover several ways to play each sport, and perfect your skills to become the fastest at hitting targets with your Frisbee, challenge friends on 3 different golf tracks, win the race or to do the most tricks on your Jetski and so much more.
I am pretty sure our family spent as much time creating our Mii characters for Sports Party play as we did playing the game. You can customize your player from face shape and skin tone to the color of your hair, clothing and eyes. We had so much fun designing our characters. My teen only wishes she could have pink hair in real life!
I kicked butt in the skateboarding challenge against my son but he wiped the court in basketball.
The Jet Ski game was a little more challenging for all of us. We plan to give it another shot but right now it is not our favorite. The game can be played by remote motion or button controls. We only tried motion so far and we are hoping the button controls help keep the jet ski on track a little better.
This game belongs on your gift list for kids and families to play together. We love challenging one another on game night so Sports Party will be played often in our home.
Available on Nintendo Switch
Which game system does your family play? Which game is on your holiday shopping list?
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