Nintendo Switch 2

If budget stretches to one big gift, this is the safest bet on the list. Released in June 2025, the Switch 2 is a meaningful step up from the original — a larger 7.9-inch 1080p HDR screen with smoother high-frame-rate play, sharper 4K output when docked, and far more grunt for demanding games — while still doing the thing teenagers love most: switching between the sofa, the TV and the back seat of the car. Crucially it plays most existing Switch games as well as the new generation, so there is an enormous back catalogue to grow into from day one. It is also genuinely social, with local and online multiplayer that gets friends round rather than shutting them in a room. The one caveat is cost: the console is only the start once you add a game or two and a case.