Valorant players received their gift a little early this year: A brand new duelist. That’s right, episode 7, act 3 is here. 2023’s final act introduced us to Iso, who can fight his opponents to the death in an otherworldly arena. It’s scary, intimidating, and (if you’re an Iso main) incredibly fun.
Have no idea what I’m talking about? For plenty of parents, siblings, partners, and classmates, that tends to be the case. Valorant has become a gaming sensation over the past three years, gradually creeping its way onto Gen Z and Gen Alpha’s gaming PCs. It’s also one of the most popular first-person shooters among women, thanks in no part to its Game Changers esports scene.
Outside the game, Valorant has an enormous fanbase of content creators that make charms, plushies, and original artwork of the FPS game’s iconic playable agents. Want to figure out what to buy for the Valorant fans in your life? Read on to learn more about our top Valorant gifts for the holidays, each of which is recommended by The Mary Sue‘s resident Valorant expert (that’s me).
The best Valorant holiday gifts for 2023
For the following list, we’ve gone ahead and sorted our gift recommendations by putting the essentials first and foremost. No need to scroll all the way to the bottom if you’re truly in a hurry. The top few picks are perfect for practically any Valorant fan. From there, things get a bit more specific.
Don’t let the prices fool you, by the way. Some of the best gifts for Valorant players are actually the cheapest. Read on to learn why.
For all Valorant players: Valorant gift cards
If there’s one Valorant gift you must absolutely buy, it’s this one. Easily. Go straight for a Valorant gift card.
Instead of offering customizable skins for specific agents, Riot Games allows players to purchase rifles, pistols, shotguns, and machine guns with special decals and animations. These gun skins are coveted across the game’s community, and are often a sign of seniority and prestige. One gun lets agents play a Dance Dance Revolution-like game with the press of a button. Another turns the final enemy into a tree when they die. My personal favorite is the Spectrum Phantom, which starts a mini EDM lightshow on final kill. It’s super cool to watch play out while you’re defusing the bomb.
Valorant gift cards also let players purchase the in-game Battle Pass and unlock agents, like Iso. Gift cards come in denominations of $10 to $100. We recommend sticking with the $50 Valorant gift card, which is enough to buy approximately two or three weapon skins. You can easily pick up Valorant gift cards straight through Amazon, then send them digitally to your loved ones.
For high school and college students: Valorant key charms
I’ve purchased, received, or given most of the gifts on this list. But there’s one type of Valorant gift I keep giving myself, over, and over, and over again: Key charms. From Anime NYC to Flame Con, I’ve collected so many of these over the past year alone, and I can’t recommend enough buying one of these for the Valorant gamers in your life.
Valorant artists create tons of different keychains, usually depicting Valorant agents in their unique style. I picked up LOKIIart’s Reyna and Viper charms when I went to AnimeNYC 2022, and they remain among my favorite purchases from the whole convention. They’re perfect for your backpack or keys. I plan on picking up the Jett one soon, given she’s my main!
If you’re looking for different kinds of art styles, I recommend picking up charms from Etsy’s FlyhHighMerch and TsunderesharksArt for a cutesy look. Mayshallwin offers some adorable keychains with a slight gremlin girl (or gremlin boy!) vibe. For something that mirrors Valorant’s in-game aesthetic, FifthElementPins’ Valorant luggage tags are also great.
For your working Valorant fan: Knitted Valorant agents
This is, hands down, one of my favorite gifts to give to my Valorant five-stack: Knitted agents! Etsy has a thriving group of knitters offering handmade renditions of the Valorant characters for your desk. Personally, I can’t think of anything better than a little knitted Jett or Sage to accompany a 20-something Valorant fan while they work away at their nine-to-five.
If there’s one store in particular to turn to, I recommend BegomvilCrafts. This Turkish Etsy shop has an incredible number of Valorant agents available, each knitted in impressively intricate detail. I purchased the Neon for the Neon main in my friend group, and she adored it. (P.S.: If any of my friends are reading this, yes, I’d love to get the Jett one for Christmas!)
For ranked demons: A solid gaming mouse and mouse pad
If you’re looking for a gift for the kind of Valorant player who spends hours upon hours grinding away at the game’s competitive mode, we’re not going to lie—ditch the rest of this list and go straight for the esports-ready gaming peripherals. Valorant is a competitive video game with a high skill ceiling, and that means players need the right tools for the job.
We’ll turn to the experts for our recommendations. In his Aim Labs training video, Valorant coach Woohoojin recommends picking up a Logitech G Pro X Superlight gaming mouse and the BenQ Zowie G-SR mouse pad. I use the Zowie G-SR myself for Valorant (thanks for the rec, Hooj), and I highly recommend it. The premium build and larger mouse space make it perfect for flicking from shot to shot.
For the collegiate Valorant player: A ValoPlant Pro subscription
If you know someone who is trying to play Valorant at a serious competitive level, chances are they’ll benefit from a ValoPlant subscription. Whether they’re on a collegiate team or just competing in the Premier tournament, this is one of the best planning tools available for diehard Val fans.
Simply put, ValoPlant is a browser-based software tool that allows Valorant players to create attack and defense playbooks. It’s great for coordinating with a team, but it also lets solo players strategize where to use utility like smokes, trips, or turrets.
ValoPlant’s free iteration already offers advanced planning and coordination on its own, but ValoPlant Pro features a few additional options worth the cash, such as a strategy playbook database system and folder sharing. ValoPlant Pro costs $3.99 per month or $29.99 per year, making it a pretty solid (and affordable) recurring gift. You can also buy a $99.99 per month yearly subscription that allows six different users to access the same ValoPlant Pro subscription, which is perfect for a full collegiate team.
For Killjoy mains: An actual Killjoy beanie
Has it only been a year since Riot confirmed Nanobomb as canon? Yes, everyone’s favorite German engineer is in a lesbian relationship with Raze, and for the Killjoy mains in your life, you can also get her iconic green beanie for yourself. One reviewer for the ValCraftyGameItems KJ beanie on Etsy said the hat is “nice and thick and actually wearable on its own outside of cosplay.”
I have to agree. My friends gave me one as a birthday present earlier this year, and I wore it all winter 2023. It’s cozy, cute, and 100% worth the price.
For cosplayers: Replica guns
This might just be one of the coolest gifts you can get on this entire list. Yes, you can purchase actual replicas of Valorant guns on Etsy. Want the Zedd-themed Spectrum Classic? You’ve got it. The Radiant Entertainment System Ghost? Uh-huh. The Nerf-like BlastX Phantom? Oh yeah. Seriously, some of the prop creators on Etsy have an intense level of attention to detail with their guns, and you can really go all-out getting real-life iterations of in-game cosmetics.
My personal favorite is Tebrizi’s Glitchpop Vandal, which looks like a perfect facsimile to its in-game counterpart (well, save for all the floating neon advertisements around it). While we recommend these for the Valorant cosplayers in your life, they’re also great to hang up on the wall and stare at before you queue up for some ranked. (And no need to worry about shooting your eye out with these—they aren’t real guns!)
Also for cosplayers (and fidgeters): Replica knives
Guns aren’t the only replicas available online. In fact, Valorant’s knives are some of its most coveted items, due in no small part to their unique designs, inspect animations, and hefty price. Just can’t seem to get the BlastX in your store? Tebrizi has a real-life facsimile just for you (sans the life-threatening blade of a real knife, of course).
We also recommend HYKDrawing’s take on the Gaia’s Vengeance axe, VideoGameArtifacts’ Prime Karambit, and ZealousGifting’s rendition of the gamer-themed RGX butterfly knife. You can even fidget with it like it’s a real butterfly knife!
For the duelist mains in your life: Official Jett, Phoenix, and Reyna statues
Know someone who really loves instalocking Jett or Reyna? Riot understands that Valorant’s characters are beloved among its playerbase, and it’s created a series of statues dedicated to some of the game’s most iconic duelists. Phoenix and Jett are already available, although there might be a bit of a backlog for the latter, depending on when you shop. She is, after all, one of the most popular agents in the game.
Reyna is also on her way as an official figurine, making her the perfect gift for the cracked ranked demons in your life who just can’t seem to stop dropping 30s in Bronze lobbies. And for KJ fans, Killjoy is getting her own figurine too. Both Reyna and KJ ship on November 30, 2023. The figures cost nearly $200 each, so consider this a luxury gift for the diehard Valorant players you know and love.
If you’ve got way too much money to spend: The Secretlab TITAN Evo Valorant chairs
This is the most expensive gift recommendation on the list, and I’m not going to lie, you probably should do a little more research before you pick it up.
That said—holy crap, this is the biggest, coolest, and most expensive Valorant gift of the year. Want to buy a whole Valorant-themed gaming chair? You can do that, and just in time for the holidays. The Secretlab TITAN Evo is available with three unique Valorant themes. One is just a standard Valorant look, complete with the game’s logo on a red-and-black chair. The other two reference Reyna and Jett, each with their own purple and blue color palettes, respectively.
All three start at $624 if you go through Secretlab directly. Jett and Reyna are both available for pre-order, with the Valorant chair ready to ship now. You can expect Jett to be available by November 23, 2023, while Reyna launches January 18, 2024.
Secretlab chairs are known for their high-end quality. I’ve used them countless times at my local LAN cafe, and I’ve always felt supported and comfortable in one even during multi-hour gaming sessions. Just keep in mind that this is one heavy investment, and it’s on the flashier end compared to, say, a gift card so your kid brother can buy the Radiant Entertainment System Ghost.
(featured image: Riot Games)
