25 Best Gifts for Him That Aren't Boring

The best gifts for him are the ones tied to something he already loves: a retro handheld loaded with 150 classic games (around £20), an Original Stormtrooper whisky decanter, Atari barware, or a tabletop arcade machine he'd never buy himself. Skip generic socks and gift cards. This guide covers 25 gifts for him across four budget bands, from under-£25 stocking fillers to £100+ statement pieces, all built around one rule: if he wouldn't use it twice, it doesn't make the list.

Key Takeaways

• Match the gift to his nostalgia era, not his age. A man who grew up on Pong wants different things than one raised on PlayStation.

• Retro gaming gifts are the safest bet of 2026: the retro console market hit $3.8 billion in 2025 and is growing around 10% a year.

• Officially licensed collectibles (Stormtrooper, Atari, Care Bears) hold their value and feel personal without needing engraving.

• Under £25 covers more ground than most people think: handheld consoles, digital pets, and novelty barware all sit in that band.

• The best gift is the one he'd never justify buying himself, which is why arcade machines and decanters outperform practical gifts.

How Do You Pick a Gift He'll Actually Use?

Pick based on what he did at age 12, not what he does at 42. That is the single most reliable gifting shortcut for men, and it is the reason nostalgia gifts get used while gadget-drawer gifts don't.

When he says "I don't need anything," he means he can't name a practical gap. He isn't ruling out fun. So run three quick checks before buying:

• Nostalgia check: which era shaped him? Arcades and Atari (born pre-1980), NES and Care Bears (80s kids), or PlayStation (90s kids).

• Display check: would he put it on a shelf, a wall, or a drinks cabinet? Display gifts survive; drawer gifts die.

• Repeat-use check: will he touch it again next month? A 300-game arcade machine passes. A novelty tie doesn't.

According to Deloitte research cited in GiftAFeeling's 2025 gifting study, 36% of buyers prefer personalised gifts  but personal doesn't have to mean engraved. A gift tied to his childhood era reads as more personal than his initials on a generic wallet.

Retro Gaming Gifts (For the Man Who Misses the Arcade)

Retro gaming is the strongest gifting category of 2026, and the numbers back it: Icon Era's market data values the retro console market at $3.8 billion in 2025, growing at roughly 10% a year  double the pace of the mainstream console market. Millennials and Gen X are buying back their childhoods. Everything below is from our Orb retro gaming range.

1. Orb Retro Pocket Games Handheld  around £20

150 built-in 8-bit games on a 1.8-inch colour screen, no setup, no downloads, no accounts. It works straight out of the box, which makes it the rare tech gift a non-techy relative can buy with confidence. Fits in a coat pocket for commutes.

2. Orb Retro Mini Arcade Machine  around £35

A palm-sized arcade cabinet with 300 pre-loaded games and a proper joystick. It lives on a desk, so it doubles as decor  that display factor is why it gets used months after the wrapping paper is gone.

3. Orb Tabletop Arcade Machine  around £150

The statement piece. 150 classic games in a tabletop cabinet with authentic arcade styling. This is the "he'd never buy it himself" gift, and that's exactly the category worth spending in. Best for milestone birthdays.

4. Orb Retro Dance Mat

Nine games, 110 songs, plugs straight into the TV. Available in single and two-player versions, and the two-player one turns a family Christmas into a competition. One of the few gifts here that works for him and the kids.

5. Orb Plug & Play TV Games Controller  under £20

Styled like an 80s controller with 200 games inside. Connect it to any TV and play. Cheaper than the arcade machines, so it's a solid Secret Santa pick that doesn't feel cheap.

6. Orb Retro Handheld & Arcade Bundle

390 games across two devices. If you're torn between the handheld and the arcade, the bundle settles it and works out better per game than buying separately.

Star Wars & Licensed Collectibles (For the Fan Who Has Everything)

Officially licensed beats generic every time for collectors. Our Original Stormtrooper range is based on Andrew Ainsworth's original 1976 helmet design  the kind of detail a real Star Wars fan clocks immediately.

7. Original Stormtrooper Decanter  £50–£60

A 750ml flint-glass decanter shaped exactly like the iconic helmet, with a steel cork seal. It sits on a drinks cabinet as sculpture and gets used every time he pours. The single most-gifted category on this list: display plus daily use.

8. Original Stormtrooper Garden Gnome  around £30

A Stormtrooper standing guard over the flowerbeds. It's absurd in the best way, and it's the gift people photograph and send to the group chat. For the man whose humour peaked with the original trilogy.

9. Stormtrooper Sound Frame Bluetooth Speaker  around £50

Wall art that's also a 5W Bluetooth speaker. Solves the classic fan problem: he wants Star Wars in the living room, his partner wants things that look intentional. This does both.

10. Stormtrooper Grooming Set

Wash bag, comb, grooming scissors, shaving brush and nail clippers, all with Stormtrooper detailing. A practical gift smuggled inside a fandom gift  useful for the man who refuses to buy grooming kit himself.

11. Atari 3D Wall Art (Pong, Asteroids & Cartridge designs)  around £50

Premium 3D wall pieces from the official Atari collection, built around Pong, Asteroids and the classic cartridge design. Sophisticated enough for a home office, nostalgic enough to start conversations on every video call.

Barware Gifts (For the Whisky and Beer Guy)

Barware is where nostalgia and grown-up taste overlap. Every piece below is officially licensed, which matters: licensed barware holds its value and its print quality; generic novelty glasses do neither.

12. Atari CX-10 Joystick Whisky Decanter Set  around £100

A whisky decanter modelled on the CX-10 joystick, with matching glasses. This is the top-tier pick for a boss, father-in-law, or 50th birthday  gaming heritage presented like premium spirits.

13. Official Atari Pint Beer Glass  around £25

A proper 600ml pint glass with genuine Atari branding. Simple, daily-use, and safely inside most budgets. Pair it with a craft beer pack and the gift assembles itself.

14. Original Stormtrooper Beer Glass  around £25

A world-first officially licensed Stormtrooper beer glass with the Ainsworth helmet design. Same logic as the Atari glass, different fandom.

15. Stormtrooper Shot Glasses (Set of 4)

Four detailed helmet-design shot glasses. Made for the host  they come out at every gathering, which is more annual use than most gifts ever see.

16. Stormtrooper Tiki Glass

The helmet reimagined as a tiki mug. Niche, and that's the point: the more specific the gift, the more thought it signals. For the cocktail experimenter.

Tech & Gadget Gifts (For the Big Kid)

17. Swipe Air Chopper Drone  around £45

An easy-to-fly drone with bright LED lights and one-key return, so it comes back instead of ending up on the neighbour's roof. Indoor-friendly and genuinely fun for ten minutes a day, which is honest drone usage.

18. Gesture-Control UFO Drone

Flies by hand gestures  no controller. It's the party-trick gift: he will demo it to every visitor for a month. Simpler than the Air Chopper, better for younger-at-heart recipients.

19. Official Atari Cartridge Console Keyring  around £50

Pong Sports, Asteroids and Missile Command in a console shaped like an Atari cartridge, with a 2-inch colour screen and a keyring attachment. Weighs 63 grams. Gaming he literally carries with his keys.

20. Care Bears Instant Camera  around £40

An instant camera in Care Bears styling  the crossover gift for 80s and 90s kids who want photos they can hold. Works brilliantly as a couples' gift too, since it inevitably gets shared.

21. Mystery Boxes (Atari, Care Bears & Retro Gaming)  £20–£60 tiers

Surprise bundles of officially licensed merch at fixed price tiers. When you know his fandom but not his shelf, the mystery box outsources the choice and keeps the unboxing moment. Browse the full collections range to match the box to his era.

Small Gifts Under £25 (Stocking Fillers That Don't Feel Cheap)

22. Care Bears Digital Pet  £20–£25

A 90s-style virtual pet with a retro pixel screen and character mini-games  Share Bear, Grumpy Bear, Cheer Bear and more, each a clip-on desk companion. The Grumpy Bear one is the reliable laugh for the office cynic.

23. Chewing Gum Mug

A mug that hides a gumball design at the bottom, revealed as he drinks. Costs less than a round of coffees and earns a reaction every single morning.

24. Super Dad Mug

A superhero-cape mug for Father's Day or a new dad. Sits in the safe zone: personal enough to feel chosen, cheap enough for a colleague.

25. Stormtrooper Helmet Bottle Opener

The helmet as a bottle opener. It lives on the fridge or in the drinks drawer and gets used weekly, which is a better use-rate than 90% of gifts at any price.

Gift Budget Cheat Sheet

Why Do Nostalgic Gifts Beat Generic Ones?

Nostalgic gifts work because they reference a shared memory instead of a guessed preference. A generic gadget says "I needed to buy something." An Atari decanter says "I know who you were before you were busy." That's the difference recipients feel, even if they can't articulate it.

The market agrees. Retro gaming alone grew from a niche hobby to a $3.8 billion category in 2025, driven almost entirely by 30- to 50-year-olds buying back their childhood era. Roughly 26.7 million Americans now actively play retro games. When a category grows at double the rate of its parent market, that's not a fad  that's a generation with disposable income and a specific memory to spend it on.

Our position after years of selling in this space: for men aged 30–55, a licensed nostalgia gift outperforms a practical gift of the same price almost every time. Practical gifts get compared to what he'd buy himself. Nostalgia gifts don't compete with anything, because he stopped looking for them decades ago.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the best gift for a man who says he doesn't want anything?

A nostalgia gift tied to his childhood era  a retro games console, licensed collectible or themed barware. "I don't want anything" means he can't name a practical need; it doesn't rule out fun. Gifts he'd never buy himself, like a tabletop arcade machine, land hardest.

How much should I spend on a gift for him?

£25–£50 covers most occasions well: arcade machines, licensed wall art and instant cameras all sit in that band. Spend under £25 for colleagues and Secret Santa, and £50–£150 for milestone birthdays or Christmas. The use-rate of the gift matters far more than the price tag.

Are retro gaming gifts still popular in 2026?

Yes  more than ever. The retro gaming console market reached $3.8 billion in 2025 and is growing around 10% annually, roughly double the mainstream console market. Millennials and Gen X with disposable income are the driving force, which is exactly the demographic most "gifts for him" shopping targets.

What makes officially licensed gifts better than generic ones?

Licensed products are held to the brand's quality standard, use authentic designs (our Stormtrooper range follows Andrew Ainsworth's original 1976 helmet), and hold resale and display value. Generic lookalikes fade, chip and read as an afterthought. For collectors, official licensing is the whole point.

What are good gifts for him under £25?

A 150-game retro handheld console, Care Bears digital pets, novelty mugs and the Stormtrooper bottle opener all come in under £25. The trick at this budget is daily use: a mug or bottle opener he touches every day beats a £25 trinket he shelves.

Pick the Era, Then Pick the Gift

Start with one question  Atari kid, NES kid, or PlayStation kid?  and half this list eliminates itself. From there, match the budget band from the cheat sheet above and you're done in ten minutes. Browse the full gifts for him range, and if he's the retro type (he usually is), start with the Orb retro gaming collection  it's the category with the highest "still using it in March" rate we see.