The Best Nerdy Gifts of 2024

Lego Dungeons and Dragons Collectible Minifigures

Sure, Lego did release that huge, dragon-packed set for D&D’s 50th anniversary earlier this year, but if you want something that marries the world of the Forgotten Realms and Lego that doesn’t rob you of all your gold like a particularly aggressive kobold, this wave of collectible minifigures is a great way to do so. With 12 figures to collect in the blind-box series, there’s a mix of iconic D&D foes and creatures, alongside customizable species/class archetypes from right out of the tabletop game.

Unsolved Mysteries soundtrack CD

Since the holidays and the paranormal go hand in hand, it’s always a good idea to have some spooky music hidden away on your seasonal playlist. Bust this out when it’s the time of night for recreational ghost stories or competing impersonations of Phoebe Cates’ show-stopping Gremlins monologue: “The worst thing that ever happened to me was on Christmas…”

One Piece Luffy hat

Although One Piece has yet to unveil its sacred treasure, the long-running anime has gone above and beyond in treasuring Luffy’s beloved straw hat. And with good reason: over the past 27 years, Luffy’s signature headgear has become a symbol for holding fast to one’s dreams. Gifting your resident anime fanatic a straw hat takes care of their impending cosplay needs and allows you to recreate one of anime’s most iconic moments, should you decide to go the extra mile of placing it on their head.

Aliens What If...? graphic novel

When we think of the What If…? franchise usually we think of Marvel. But Marvel doesn’t think that way. This year it took one of the most famous sci-fi franchises ever, Aliens, and did a full run of What If…? comics in that world. The question is simple: what if Carter Burke, the slimy executive played by Paul Reiser, had lived? What’s even cooler than that is Reiser himself helped write the books along with a slew of other famous pop culture junkies.

Fallout Original Series Vinyl Soundtrack

Fallout is a successful video game and television show rife with rad iconography. While any other website would have you hard-pressed to break the bank buying a replica power suit helmet or a Vault Tech watch, we’ll instead recommend you the show’s soundtrack… on vinyl! This gift won’t only earn respect from your hipster gamer friends; it’ll also pair nicely with cozying up to a warm fire (with a glass of eggnog in hand) as you watch the end of the worl—er… year.

Hasbro Marvel Legends 25th Anniversary Superior Spider-Man

Hasbro has spent much of its 2024 Marvel Legends output celebrating 85 years of the publisher with a broad range of deep-cut comics characters, but one of the best offerings out of the whole line is one of the most fascinating versions of Spider-Man in recent comics history. This fancy take on that time Otto Octavius inhabited Peter Parker’s body to become the Superior Spider-Man (it’s a long story) comes complete with an alternate head, and even a fully articulated set of four spider-arms for you to pose to your heart’s content.

Mubi x Super Yaki The Substance Activator water bottle

Speaking of hilariously niche items, this water bottle is the perfect “if you know you know” tie-in for the Demi Moore-Margaret Qualley body-horror master class. Buy a few for your friends who stream genre films while they’re hogging the cardio machines at the gym.

Exotic Themes for the Silver Screen: Volume One

Have you ever dreamed of hearing some of your favorite film and TV scores rewritten with a decidedly beach vibe? Okay, you probably haven’t, but that’s about to change. Legendary composer Michael Giacchino (Lost, Spider-Man, The Batman, The Incredibles, Up, etc.) has released an album where he rearranged some of his most famous themes and it’s just fantastic.

Heretic blueberry pie candle

Your gift recipient’s home can smell as deceptively welcoming as Hugh Grant’s pad in Heretic, thanks to the newly released horror film’s official scented candle. This hilariously niche item hails from the official merch shop of A24, the studio that also sells replicas of the Talk to Me “party hand” and the Everything Everywhere All at Once “hot dog finger gloves,” in case you know any superfans who still need ‘em.

Mass Effect: Priority Hagalaz - The Board Game

BioWare fans might have already feasted this year on Dragon Age: The Veilguard on the video game front, but now as all eyes turn to the long wait for the next Mass Effect, you can bring the action to your tabletop with this co-operative, narrative-driven campaign game. Set during the Reaper Invasion from Mass Effect 3, players can take control of Commander Shepard and a handful of favorite companions from the series, as they face off against Cerberus and race to complete objectives amidst tactical combat to shape the fate of the planet Hagalaz.

The Art of The Legend of Vox Machina

Prime Video’s hit fantasy series returned for a new season a few months ago, and now it’s getting its first art book. For artists aiming to break into the industry or just needing some creative fuel, the art book covering the show’s early seasons will no doubt give you what you need. And for fans of the show or Critical Role more broadly, can you really turn down having more Vox Machina to look at?

The Art and Making of Arcane

While there’s sure to be a lot of discourse over which anime show stands at the industry’s apex as its current best and brightest, it’s nearly impossible to discount Netflix’s Arcane show as the cream of the crop. What better way to celebrate the culmination of Riot Games’ and French animation studio Fortiche’s curtain call on the Emmy-award-winning series than to procure an official art book detailing the show’s creation? If anything, Arcane’s art book will serve as a lovely coffee counter conversation starter for anyone you’ll have over at your house. Cupcakes are optional, of course.

Dune: Part Two figure 4-pack

Dune: Part Two is shaping up to be one of our favorite films of 2024, and now you can bring some of its most intriguing characters to your desk with this collection from McFarlane. Complete with exclusive versions of Paul, Chani, Gurney Halleck, and Stillgar, this four-figure collection includes a bevy of neat accessories for each figure, from crysknives to worm thumpers, just as the Lisan al Gaib foretold.

Interstellar 10th Anniversary Collector's Edition

Christopher Nolan’s movies are some of the biggest and boldest out there, so wouldn’t you want to own (or gift) the biggest and boldest version of one? That’s what’s happening for this year’s 10th anniversary of Interstellar, starring Matthew McConaughey, Anne Hathaway, Jessica Chastain, and others. Brand new transfer, exciting new extras, and all other sorts of goodies too.

Nosferatu movie poster sweater

If you’re looking for something more seasonably appropriate (location and weather permitting), then try this amazing Nosferatu sweater based on one of production and costume designer Albin Grau’s 102-year-old posters. With Robert Eggers’ new version of the vampire tale set to release December 25, Nosferatu is officially a Christmas movie now.

Andor: Season 1 Steelbook Limited Edition

While away the long wait until April with Disney’s long-awaited physical release of Andor on 4K UHD Blu-ray. Precariousness of streaming service content libraries aside, the Star Wars fan in your life will find plenty worth revisiting in some of the best material the galaxy, far, far away has to offer in this collection, from behind-the-scenes snippets to the slick steelbook to house it all in.

Godzilla: The Original Years Omnibus

Celebrating Godzilla’s 70th anniversary this year, Marvel has collected the complete run of its legendary 1970s comic starring the King of All Monsters for the first time in hardcover format, bringing together 24 issues of wacky monster and superhero shenanigans as Godzilla crosses paths with the Avengers, Spider-Man, and more.

2TB hard drive for games/PC

It’s just a fact of life now: eventually, you or someone you know is going to run out of storage for their computer, game console, whatever. Thank goodness for external drives that come with way more space and put any concerns about storage out of sight and out of mind. If you know someone who plays games, this’ll especially be useful to them, what with how big games can get nowadays.

Mothra pool float

Through the magic of this handsome pool float, you or a loved one will be able to personally recreate the Queen of the Monsters’ dramatically elegant death scene from Rebirth of Mothra in your own preferred body of water. There’s truly no better way to say “have a cool summer” than “Mothra, you must try to fly! Mothraaaa!”

Scott Pilgrim 20th anniversary color hardcover box set

If Scott Pilgrim Takes Off (RIP) got you hankering to revisit Brian Lee O’Malley’s seminal comic series, it’s never looked better than it has in this sumptuous box set celebrating its 20th anniversary. Available in both color and black and white editions, as well as the complete comic across six volumes, the set includes exclusive behind-the-scenes material about the creation of the series, collectibles inspired by the book, and a glorious, mid-aughts-nostalgia clamshell holding it all together inspired by the aesthetics of the PS2.

Delicious in Dungeon complete box set

One of the biggest anime of the year has been Trigger’s adaptation of Ryoko Kui’s seminal fantasy manga, and if you can’t bear the wait for season two, this complete collection of the manga is essential reading. All 14 volumes are collected in this special edition box designed to look like the treasure chest mimics from the series, and there’s even a special poster included for good measure!

“All the Haunts Be Ours” folk horror bundle

Warhammer 40K: Kill Team - Hivestorm

Lego Marvel X-Mansion

Including a modular design to swap around the various facilities, from classrooms to Cerebro and the Danger Room (to, of course, Logan’s bedroom to recreate the iconic Animated Series meme), Lego’s latest and greatest X-Men set comes with 12 minifigures—Professor X, Magneto, Storm, Wolverine, Cyclops, Gambit, Rogue, Bishop, Iceman, Wolverine, Bishop, and Jean Grey—as well as a brick-built sentinel for them to duke it out with.

Steam Deck

Valve’s handheld has been a hot ticket item since its debut in 2022, and the holidays are always the best time to get one. Not only are there a ton of games on sale right now, many of the year’s biggest titles, like Persona 3 Reload and Balatro, are easily playable on the device. And if the newer OLED version is a bit too pricey for you, that’s what the original models are for.