The Verge’s 2025 Father’s Day gift guide

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

They might cost $50 more than their predecessor, but the latest iteration of Sony’s best-in-class noise-canceling headphones deliver on every front. The WH-1000XM6 make subtle improvements to every facet, from sound quality to ANC performance, while wisely bringing back the foldable design last seen on the XM4.

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.

Satechi’s MagSafe-ready wallet addresses two specific needs that may make it a must-have for some: 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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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?

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

The Xreal One aren’t the most affordable augmented-reality glasses available, but they are some of the best for displaying movies and games on the go. You can connect them via USB-C to your smartphone, tablet, or handheld gaming PC. Save another 5 percent with the offer code XREALONE

Think you and your old man are on the same wavelength? CMYK’s outstanding board game is one way to find out. The simple premise has you guessing where your partner thinks a specific word or topic fits between two diametric ends of a spectrum, which, believe it or not, can be incredibly difficult depending on how well you know your teammate.

Your dad might have been able to inflate your water wings as a kid, but I doubt he could do the same for the tires on his CR-V. Fortunately, Fanttik’s compact tire inflator comes with enough nozzles and packs enough power to fill pretty much anything. It even has a built-in LCD display that lets you set your desired PSI, so he never has to worry about overinflating.

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.

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.

Unless you’re filming cinematic shots in Hollywood, you don’t necessarily need a fancy quadcopter. HoverAir’s so-called “selfie drone” is a great budget alternative to more premium models from DJI, with top-mounted controls, excellent object tracking, and a max video resolution of 2.7K / 30fps. And did we mention it can fit in your pocket? Because it can.

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 like the colorful MOD (Home Edition) is key to helping break tasks into manageable, bite-sized chunks.

With the Aeropress Coffee Maker, your dad will be able to enjoy their morning cup of joe no matter where he is. Not only does the portable coffee press pack into its own plastic cup and showcase a shatterproof see-through build, but it can make up to three cups of coffee at once, meaning he can enjoy a refill when that mid-day slump inevitably hits.

A massage gun is the kind of gift that keeps on giving. When muscles and tendons are tight or sore, the three-speed Theragun Mini serves as a quick and easy remedy, allowing your giftee to get on with their day with less discomfort. The latest model is slightly smaller than prior iterations, making what was already an ultra-portable device even more compact.

If you ever wished you could set up a (somewhat) legit ice cream shop at home, there’s the Ninja Creami Scoop & Swirl. The clever 2-in-1 machine can spin up soft serve and traditional hard scoops in a few easy steps, not to mention creamy milkshakes, gelato, and frozen yogurt. Plus, it doesn’t require you to leave a tip, which is a rarity in this day and age.

Scissors are overrated. Slice’s retractable box cutter has been a mainstay in our gift guides for years, primarily because the finger-friendly ceramic blade is great for tearing through packing tape and cutting plastic wrapping. The comfy tool also features a sturdy, reinforced nylon handle and a hooked design that makes it easy to stow when not in use.

Every dad needs a way to watch Andor on their big-screen TV. For that, we recommend the Google TV Streamer 4K, which boasts onboard Google Assistant, easy-to-use smart home controls, and the best interface of any streaming device available. The set-top box even features a handy button for pinging the remote, giving it an edge over your couch.

Versatility is the name of the game when it comes to BioLite’s Site Lights. The shatterproof bulbs can be topped off using a USB-C port or a built-in solar panel on the charging case, affording you up to 40 hours of lighting per bulb. Unlike most camping lights, however, each bulb can be individually hung or affixed to one of six included ABS stakes.