Gaming gear for beginners: the cheap starter kit

The three things a starter kit actually needs

Start with a controller you trust — the 8BitDo Ultimate 2C is our pick because Hall-effect sticks mean it won't develop drift and need replacing. Add the HyperX Cloud Stinger 2 if you'll play or chat with friends online. And keep a cheap wired pad like the PowerA Wired Controller around for the second player — couch co-op is the best value in gaming and needs two controllers. That's the entire list.

What you can safely skip at the start

Ignore, for now: mechanical keyboards, a fancy mouse, capture cards, controller charging docks, and anything sold mainly on how it lights up. None of it makes the games better, and you can always add a piece later once you know how you actually play. When that day comes, Geared Gaming's rundown of best-value gaming gearranks mice, keyboards and monitors by price band the way we rank pads. The money is far better spent on the games themselves — start with our best games under $20, where a single purchase buys more enjoyment than any accessory.

Where spending more early actually pays off

Two small exceptions to the buy-cheap rule. If you already know you want to play on a PlayStation console, buy a pad that supports it from the start rather than one of the Switch/PC pads here. And if you have specific comfort or accessibility needs, that is the one place where paying for the right hardware up front is worth it — the correct tool matters more than the price. Everything else can start cheap. The question we get asked most at this stage is whether the first-party pad is the exception, and it usually is not: do you need a Switch Pro Controller? goes through what the premium actually buys, and are cheap controllers good? covers the same ground for pads in general.

Once the hardware is sorted, the other half of the question is which game to start with. Best cheap games for beginners picks five that teach you to play without punishing you for being new.