The Geek Gifts You're Looking For: Nerdy Presents You Need

There's a kid inside of all of us — especially us geeks. So trust us when we say that you can't go wrong with Lego as a cool geek gift. That's especially true when the set is part of one of Lego's awesome sci-fi and fantasy lines, which include Star Wars, Harry Potter, DC, and Marvel.

The Legend of Zelda made it famous to gamers, but the ocarina was a real-life instrument long before Shigeru Miyamoto and the gang made it a part of Hyrule's world. The ocarina is a simple and ancient instrument, and real ones come with or without Zelda-inspired designs.

Whoever invented these branded silicone ice cube trays is a genius and a godsend to every shopper with a geek on their gift list. You can find silicone ice cube trays that will turn boring tap water into everything from Death Stars to Superman logos—or the Super Mario Bros. 

RELATED: 11 Super-Sweet Geek Gifts for Valentine's Day 

A smartphone case is a perfect geek gift. It's easy to swap a smartphone case, so you don't have to stress over finding the geek in your life a smartphone soul mate — anything with a geek motif will expand their smartphone style options.

Video game shirts are always geeky, but let’s face it — they’re not always stylish. Uniqlo's line of hip designs make a great geek gift for the gift-giver with a fashion conscience, regardless of if you need geek gifts for him or for her.

Need gifts for computer geeks? For the DIY-minded geek, nothing beats the Raspberry Pi. This tiny computer is the size of a credit card, but it’s powerful enough to handle all kinds of tasks. With the right know-how and a little patience, your favorite geek could use their Raspberry Pi as everything from a media server to a smart home security measure. That's a tech gift the geek in your life is bound to use.

Geek chique means fun and friendly home goods that are as interesting as they are nerdy. This geek gift fits the bill perfectly.

It's arguably the most iconic line in video games: "It's dangerous to go alone! Take this!" The quote is from 1986's The Legend of Zelda, and it's the perfect touch on this retro-gaming key rack. The recipient will never forget their keys and "go alone" again!

Related: The Best Video Game Soundtracks of All Time

Fridge magnets are fun, and few are as fun as these, which will turn a refrigerator into a giant Game Boy — or, sorry, “FreezerBoy.” Can’t have Nintendo’s lawyers coming after us, here.

Picture this: Your favorite gamer is staying hydrated — or having an alcoholic beverage or two — while they beat the next level of their favorite game. They sneak a sip between bad guys, but then they have to put down their drink — and, just like that, it's "game over" for their coffee table. Help them save their table’s finish as consistently as they save their game file by buying this practical geek gift: a set of coasters designed to look like cartridges for the classic Nintendo Entertainment System.

If your favorite geek plays Magic: The Gathering, Pokémon cards, Yi-Gi-Oh!, or any other collectible card game, then they have use for lots of accessories. One such accessory: The playmat, a portable playing surface designed to help protect cards from sticky tables, make it easier to pick up thin cards, and, of course, just look cool. A playmat is a great geek gift idea for any collectible card gamer.

RELATED: Wonder Woman Gifts for the Amazon in Your Life 

A tabletop gamer needs a lot of dice. Collectible card game players use them as counters and tokens, miniatures game players need them for movement and combat rolls, and tabletop RPG players need them for just about everything. This great geek gift helps any gamer to carry his or her collection in style.

A "mechanical" keyboard is one that uses switches under the keys rather than “membrane” style buttons. It's the way that keyboards were made originally — and the way that they were always meant to be made, at least according to the die-hard mechanical keyboard geeks on Reddit's r/MechanicalKeyboards. For PC gamers, programmers, and even professional bloggers, these keyboards are indulgence par excellence.

Vans has been putting out simple and comfortable skater shoes for ages without giving into the weird "innovations" that plague so many of their sneaker-company peers. But that doesn't mean that Vans has been boring: The shoe company has inked some very cool (or should we say geeky?) collabs, including the Harry Potter deal that led to these wild sneaks.

Sometimes, finding a geek gift feels like selecting a random word from the "brands" category and slapping it next to a random word from the "product" category: A Mario Bros. tee shirt. A Harry Potter necklace. A Superman blender. Let's face it: It's not always inspiring stuff. But, every once in a while, something comes along that matches the perfect geeky interest with the perfect product. Witness the greatest sunshade of all time. Marvel at how awesome and funny it is. Buy it as a geek gift.

The line between toy and collector's item is fuzzy indeed in geekdom, but that has the helpful side-effect of allowing givers of geek gifts to play fast and loose with age-appropriate recommendations. An Iron Man or Star Lord helmet that really "works" is the stuff of toy legends for younger geeks, and older ones will find that such a helmet looks great on display.

Not all geeks are created equal. This Marvel Trivia Box will separate the Marvel fan wheat from the wannabe chaff. A heroic effort will be rewarded with geeky bragging rights, and could start a super-trivia showdown for the ages.

The number-one ranked board game on the highly-respected BoardGameGeek.com is Gloomhaven, the massive miniatures game that debuted in 2017 and has taken the board game world by storm. It's a pricey game, but what else would you expect from the king of all board games?

Related: 8 Must-Play Sci-Fi and Fantasy Board Games

Gift cards are easy, but nobody wants to get the really generic ones. Ideally, you'd like to give a gift card that shows that you know your recipient well — which, in the case of video game geeks, means knowing what they play. So find out what gaming device they use, and get a gift card to that console's digital marketplace: the PlayStation Store for PS4 users, the Xbox Store for XBox One owners, and the Nintendo Online Store for Switch fans and Nintendo buffs. And if they're a PC gamer? Well, then your best bet is Steam, the king of video game sales.

Related: The 11 Best Sci-Fi Video Games

Geeky decor doesn't have to mean ratty old posters from high school bedrooms and dorm rooms gone by. It's up to you to help your geek decorate like an adult without losing the passionate fandom that matters so much to them. The solution? Frame a hip piece like the Game of Thrones poster print above. From stylish prints to custom commissioned art from marketplaces like Etsy, there are lots of great options for decorative geek gifts that wouldn't horrify an interior decorator. Put one of them in a decent frame, and you’ll be all set.

Related: 10 Books to Read Based on Your Favorite Game of Thrones Characters

Magic: The Gathering Game Night is a product designed to bring the collectible card game to the board game set. There's no need to open lots of booster packs in order to build a deck, because it's all in the box. There aren't many cards in here that will be of great value of longtime players, but this is a great choice for the Magic fan in your life who is always trying to get you (and others) to try the game: The balanced decks and their relatively simple mechanics make for a variable and plug-and-play experience appropriate for newcomers.

Geekdom is full of trivia, secrets, and history. To be a DC comics fan is to care about the Golden Age, the Silver Age, and all of the weird and wild ways in which DC's multiverse has changed over the years. To be a Star Wars fan is to care about the intricacies of the 1970s film shoots, the design of starfighters and vessels in the movies, comics, and TV shows, and the structure of Star Wars' greater fictional universe. And all of this stuff tends to end up in very attractive coffee table books that make great geek gifts. Whether it's an encyclopedia of Marvel superheroes or a visual history of 1980s video games, find the right coffee table book and thrill the geek on your gift-giving list.

Mounted deer heads are so last year. This handsome yet terrifying dinosaur is 65 million years in the making. Nothing says, "I really enjoyed Jurassic Park" like a reptilian head protruding from above your fireplace. Prove you’re a clever girl with this dinosaur gift.

You might not need a sweater in Themyscira, but this dark blue Wonder Woman sweater is perfect for winter. The Amazon in your life will love this acrylic sweater (invisible plane and lasso of truth not included). 

Like the best geek gifts, this is a winking reference in the guise of a truly useful gift: A mug with a top that will keep a drink warm. One of the best geek gifts out there for fans of tabletop RPGs. 

Related: Top 10 Fantasy Books That Inspired Modern Dungeons & Dragons

A Dungeon Master is nothing without their tools. This awesomely geeky messenger bag from the RPG fans at Hexers is made specifically to tote everything that a Dungeon Master or other RPG fan needs for the big game, from screens and pads to those ubiquitous dice. It's also a nice-looking bag that doesn't scream "geek" — until your beloved geek opens it up to reveal their tabletop RPG arsenal, of course.

Geeky home goods form a whole genre of geek gifts, and a good one will make a delightful choice. Here's one that fits the bill: A French press that makes clever use of R2-D2's cylindrical body type. Perfect for making a cup before heading off to a midnight screening of The Rise of Skywalker.