Tools

Father’s Day Gifts for Gamer Dads

A dad and daughter smile while doing a repair in a brightly lit living room, with tools and a laptop in the foreground.

What’s better than fixing things with Dad? Fixing things and gaming with Dad. ‘Tis the season to be gaming. Whether you’re a dad, a gaming aficionado, or something in between, summer is the best time to beat the heat by staying in and beating up some goombas instead. 

Summer is also a great time to refresh your consoles. Get that overheating under control and finally fix that annoying joystick drift—did you know that practically every joystick is prone to drift? Bummer! Regardless of the holiday, we’ve got some foolproof ideas for gifts or just great personal purchases. Take a scroll through these manufacturers and see if anything strikes a chord—and yeah, we literally have laptop charging cords.

Valve: Steam Deck

Keep your shiny Steam Deck in top form while supporting one of the only console manufacturers to actively support repair! We’re proud to work with a company so focused on repair, and we’ve got the free online guides—and genuine parts and tools—to prove it!

Nintendo: From NES to Nintendo Switch

Two men repair a vintage GameBoy with iFixit tools

We’ve got Nintendo parts reaching all the way back to Dad’s NES—yes really. From batteries to Joy-Con grips, we’ve got you covered regardless of your skill level. And if you’ve avoided Switch Joy-Con drift so far, keep us in mind for when they do. Trust us, there’s nothing like the Game Boy series for igniting some serious nostalgia. Yes, the original Game Boy seriously did not have a back light, and yeah Dad, the 3DS 3D gimmick made our heads hurt. Just like you and Dad, these consoles and games have grown up, but they’re even more fun now.

Microsoft: Xbox

Microsoft may not have the best track record when it comes to repair, but we’re happy to step in. Whether you’re after a quick thermal paste refresh to calm down an aging motherboard, or you want to go whole hog and replace it—don’t worry, we include the properly paired optical drive—we’ve got the parts (and tools) for that. Don’t let the man(ufacturer) get you down, repair finds a way!

Sony: Playstation

A hand prying open a PlayStation 4 using a metal spudger with iFixit tools in the foreground

No one does it like Sony does it, give yourself the PlayStation parts you deserve. Revive that retro PSP and show those Switch and Steam Deck newbs who invented high-powered handheld gaming—or just refresh your PS5, Elden Ring isn’t gonna play itself. (PS: yeah PlayStation controllers drift too, we know, it sucks.)

iFixit

I mean, we have to talk a bit about our tools, right? We may not sell the RTX you’re after, but we’ve got the drivers to help you install it (they’re closer to your Father’s Day gift budget, too). Grab a large electronics Mahi Driver Kit—or splurge for our complete Manta Driver Set—to get beefy ¼” bits, or grab a perfectly suitable Mako Driver Kit on its own for the smaller stuff. For the speedsters out there, and those looking for a little extra reach, our fixed-blade Marlin drivers are probably the best for PC repair. These bad boys have the reach, but maybe not the range or stashability of our other driver kits.

And remember you don’t need to buy a thing to give the gift of repair. Pick something off the to do list and fix what bugs you, Dad will love the results, and will love it even more if you get to fix it together. Share the father’s day feels with us on social media so we can be proud dads, too!