The Verge's 2025 Father's Day gift guide

The Verge

2 days ago

Father's Day rules. It's a day to celebrate all that dads have contributed to the people, homes, and communities that they're a part of. Being a dad is a lot of work — something I can vouch for, being a relatively new one myself — so for Father's Day, why not give dear old dad a token of appreciation and love? Whether your dad prefers practical or clever gifts, we think you'll be pleased with the selection of picks below.
As usual, we lean pretty heavily on tech, but there are several non-tech suggestions that most dads will be happy to receive, all of which come courtesy of the thoughtful staff here at The Verge. If a fast-charging portable battery or Sony's collapsible WH-1000XM6 headphones won't do the trick, perhaps Kurt Vonnegut's recently discovered two-player board game or a mountable Lego van Gogh replica will?
Traveler's Notebook
$45
For some people, note-taking is serious, serious business. That's why your dad's great ideas, errant thoughts, to-do lists, and appointments deserve a worthy notebook. Traveler's leather-bound travel journals are great for jotting down all of the above, especially since they come in a slew of sizes.
$45 at Traveler's Company (various sizes)
Indiana Jones and the Great Circle
$69
Whether your dad is a fan of the Indiana Jones flicks or he digs MachineGames' excellent Wolfenstein titles, there's plenty to like in The Great Circle. The first-person exploration game lets you crack the whip, punch Nazis, and traverse the globe to retrieve precious relics. It's good fun.
$69 at Amazon $69 at Walmart $70 at Best Buy
Anker Laptop Power Bank
$110$13519% off
There are plenty of portable batteries out there, but few are as versatile and powerful as Anker's 25,000mAh Laptop Power Bank. The handy pack features two built-in, retractable USB-C cables — one of which serves as a lanyard — allowing you to quickly charge most devices on the go.
$110 at Amazon $110 at Anker (with code WS7DV2LJAQAS) $120 at Newegg (with code CYGES2728)
Backbone Pro
$170
The best mobile controller is the Backbone Pro. It retains the same overall design and feel as the company's cheaper model, only with some comfort-boosting improvements. It also features a built-in battery and Bluetooth support, so your dad can use it for gaming on his TV, computer, VR headset, or handheld PC.
$170 at Best Buy $170 at Backbone
Ancel AD410 OBD2 Scanner Professional Diagnostic Scanner
$40$5020% off
The more ways you know how to diagnose a possible issue with your car, the less time you'll spend at the mechanic (sorry, mechanics). Ancel's diagnostic scanner plugs into the OBD2 port found in most US cars dating back to '96, letting you see exactly why certain lights on your dash keep popping up.
$40 at Amazon (with Prime) $50 at Ancel
Sony WH-1000XM6
$448$4500% off
The latest iteration of Sony's best-in-class noise-canceling headphones has finally arrived. The newfangled XM6 make subtle improvements to every facet, from sound quality to comfort to ANC, while wisely bringing back the foldable design last seen on the last-gen XM4.
$448 at Amazon $450 at Best Buy $450 at Sony
Hoto SnapBloq System
$216$30028% off
Hoto's modus operandi is to make svelte, handsome tools, with the SnapBloq being its sleekest yet. Buying all three sets — which, as the name implies, snap together to form a block — nets you a precision screwdriver, drill pen, and rotary tool, all of which are rechargeable. Dad may already own enough tools, but we bet they don't look nearly as good as these do.
$216 at Amazon $240 at Hoto
Satechi Vegan-Leather Magnetic Wallet Stand
$28$4030% off
Satechi's MagSafe-ready wallet addresses two specific needs that may make it a must-have for some dads: it's crafted from vegan leather, and it doubles as a kickstand. That means the durable wallet provides a hands-free way to watch videos or hop on a call, whether you place it in portrait or landscape mode.
$28 at Satechi $32 at Amazon $40 at Apple
AirPods 4
$119$1298% off
Most of Apple's high-end earbud tech can be found in the AirPods 4, which cost significantly less than the latest Pro model. They're relatively small, offer great sound, and even support USB-C charging, making them a great pick if you can do without active noise cancellation.
$119 at Amazon $119 at Walmart $130 at Best Buy
James
$18$2836% off
Percival Everett's first work of fiction earned him the Pulitzer this year — and it's no surprise. The bold 2024 tale serves as a reworking of Huck Finn as told by the enslaved man who travels with him down the Mississippi, and although it's dead serious at times due to the subject matter, it's also inventive, poetic, and surprisingly funny.
$18 at Amazon $19 at Walmart $25 at Barnes & Noble
Xiaomi Sound Pocket
$27$3010% off
Xiaomi doesn't have as much of a presence in the US as it does globally, but thankfully, the classy Sound Pocket is readily available. The compact Bluetooth speaker supports hands-free calling with its built-in microphone, and its IP67 rating means it can even handle some water — so long as you don't submerge it for too long.
$27 at Amazon (with on-page coupon) $30 at Walmart (with on-page coupon)
Kurt Vonnegut's GHQ
$35
While writing Cat's Cradle, Kurt Vonnegut needed to pay the bills, so he tried his hand at making board games. His creation, a tactical war-themed tabletop game called GHQ (General Headquarters), never saw the light of day — that is, until recently. Needless to say, the two-player game is a great title for Vonnegut fans and scholars alike.
$35 at Barnes & Noble $35 at Kurt Vonnegut's GHQ Museum and Library
Garmin Forerunner 570
$550
The Forerunner 570 has no business looking as good as it does for a running watch. Garmin's new wearable features a bright OLED display, a slick translucent band, and several new features, including skin temperature sensors and a built-in speaker / mic. The only real question is what size to get for dear ol' dad: 42mm or 47mm?
$550 at Amazon $550 at Best Buy $550 at Garmin
Magic: The Gathering — Final Fantasy Bundle
$70
Magic: The Gathering isn't as difficult to get into as you might think, and the Final Fantasy -themed expansion might be the perfect place to start. The upcoming collection has sent the internet into a proverbial spiral, with many products selling out as a result of a very dedicated fan base. Lucky for dad, the entry-level starter kit is still readily available.
$70 at Amazon $70 at Walmart $70 at Best Buy
Nitecore BB21 electric blower
$65$707% off
All of dad's precious tech is prone to dust and other debris, which can impact usability if left unchecked. Fortunately, with Nitecore's rechargeable air blower as a companion, he can easily rid his mechanical keyboards and other tough-to-reach crannies of unwanted grime, ensuring all of his gadgets are in tip-top shape.
$65 at Amazon $65 at B&H Photo $70 at Nitecore
Sable, Fable (vinyl)
$31
Bon Iver's Justin Vernon has come a long way from the fabled Wisconsin cabin where he supposedly holed up to record his debut. Sable, Fable, his latest LP, is a welcome kaleidoscope of sounds and feelings, from familiar strummers and beat-heavy ballads to the kind of sultry, R&B-flecked tracks that would make Prince swoon.
$31 at Amazon $31 at Target $35 at Urban Outfitters
Telepathic Instruments Orchid
$450
Telepathic Instruments' retrofuturist keyboard is a vibes machine, one designed for people who want to easily produce cool sounds. It only houses a few piano keys, but it has dedicated major, minor, and other inputs that let you get creative without necessarily having to know how to play.
$450 at Telepathic Instruments
Chef'n S'mores Roaster
$50$7432% off
You can effortlessly replicate the magic of making s'mores while camping with Chef'n's small, safe machine. The contained flame on the tidy indoor / outdoor roaster is built to toast marshmallows, while its ceramic dome can melt chocolate onto graham crackers. All you'll need to supply is a fuel can, plus all the s'mores ingredients you can muster.
$50 at Amazon $50 at Crate & Barrel $74 at Chef'n
Panasonic 4K Blu-ray player (DP-UB420-K)
$245$2502% off
Like all of us, your dad deserves to watch movies at the best possible resolution, which is where a 4K Blu-ray player comes in. Panasonic makes some of the best models you can buy, and when paired with the right TV, 4K Blu-rays look and sound better than even the most high-res streaming apps. Plus, it's still fun to collect discs.
$245 at Amazon $250 at Best Buy $250 at Crutchfield
Panasonic Precision Beard & Hair Trimmer
$125
If your dad's shaving gadget repertoire is outdated, try treating him to a fantastic — and customizable — beard trimmer. Panasonic's washable, wide-tipped model comes with 19 adjustable settings and can cut hair, too, just in case dad wants to keep a short 'do or touch up his sideburns.
$125 at Amazon $125 at Panasonic
Ontel Battery Daddy storage system
$15$2025% off
Most modern gadgets are rechargeable via USB-C, but many households still rely on traditional batteries for all sorts of things. Your dad is sure to be impressed with your moxie when you gift him this deluxe battery organizer, which has dedicated compartments for coin cell batteries, large D-cell batteries, and all of the smaller sizes in between.
$15 at The Home Depot $20 at Amazon $20 at Ace Hardware
Baseus Free2Pull Retractable USB-C Cable 100W
$10$2255% off
Most people don't want to wrangle cables… and who can blame them? Not us, which is why several folks at The Verge own Baseus' handy, retractable USB-C option. The Free2Pull comes in two sizes, each of which conveniently pulls the excess cable into a small puck that's far tidier and easier to manage than a loose cord.
$10 at Amazon $13 at Best Buy $15 at Baseus
Lego Vincent van Gogh Sunflowers
$200
Most Lego creations occupy some desk or table space, which can be annoying if you're trying to tidy up. However, every item from Lego's Vincent van Gogh collection, which consists of several brick-ified paintings from the artist's late-1800s heyday, can be assembled and then mounted to your wall.
$200 at Amazon $200 at Best Buy $200 at Lego
Theragun Mini (third-gen)
$220
A massage gun is a gift that keeps on giving. When muscles and tendons are tight or sore, the Theragun Mini serves as a quick and easy remedy, allowing dad to get on with his day with less discomfort. The third-gen model is just a little smaller, making what was already an ultra-portable device even more compact.
$220 at Amazon $220 at Best Buy $220 at Theragun
Birdfy Feeder 1
$120$22045% off
Looking at birds is cool, and we're all better off spending more time doing it. And while birdwatching typically requires patience and a decent pair of binoculars, you could summon birds with Birdfy's entry-level smart feeder, which features a 1080p camera and an app that lets you view birds up close as they munch on seeds.
Time Timer MOD (Home Edition)
$20$2520% off
A basic timer may seem like a thoughtless gift, but there are many tasks we procrastinate on every day that could be more easily managed if we dedicated a little bit of time to them. A visual Pomodoro timer, such as the colorful MOD (Home Edition), is key to helping break tasks into manageable chunks or take them on all at once.
$20 at Amazon $20 at Walmart $25 at Time Timer
Nintendo Switch 2
$449
The Switch 2 could make for a stellar gift for any dad — that is, if you can manage to preorder one ahead of the console's arrival on June 5th. Nintendo's latest hybrid console packs a larger 7.9-inch 1080p display, magnetic Joy-Con controllers, and a host of other minor but welcome improvements that build upon what was already a winning formula.
$449 at Walmart $450 at Best Buy $450 at GameStop