This story is part of Holiday Gift Guide 2020, CNET’s gift picks with expert advice, reviews and recommendations for the latest tech gifts for you and your family.
As the holiday season looms like the Death Star over Alderaan, you’ll find that the Force is strong in this guide to finding the best Star Wars gifts for 2020.
This year has been relatively quiet for Star Wars, since The Rise of Skywalker brought the storyline started by George Lucas in 1977 to a close last December. So there are no new movies, but we still got the glorious final season of The Clone Wars early in the year, and the second season of The Mandalorian to bring more Baby Yoda adventures to Disney Plus. That means that quite a bit of glorious Star Wars merchandise has entered the fray!
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There’s also the new video game Star Wars: Squadrons, which puts you in the cockpit of X-wings, TIE fighters and more. If you’re not a gamer, you can also dive into the universe through dozens of Star Wars universe books and comics.
If you’re looking for cool Star Wars gifts and collectibles for Clone Wars-obsessed kid or original trilogy purist in your life, there’s something for every price range — from detailed action figures and fancy replica lightsabers to fun board games and snuggly plushies — so you can surprise a Star Wars fan this holiday season. And you don’t even have to travel to the outer ring of a galactic empire and battle a stormtrooper army to find them.
EA/Screenshot by Sean Keane/CNET
This PS4, Xbox One and PC game lets you suit up as a New Republic or Imperial pilot in a short single-player campaign and several multiplayer modes. This great Star Wars gift supports cross-play, so you can play with friends on other consoles. You can also play through the whole game in VR on PS4 and PC (spoiler alert: it’s awesome), and use a hands-on throttle-and-stick, or HOTAS, for the complete piloting experience (if you can actually find any in stock).
If starfighters aren’t your thing, there’s always last year’s Jedi: Fallen Order or the multiplayer-centric Battlefront 2. Don’t spend more than $30-ish for the first two, and you can often score Battlefront for as little as $10 or less. All three games are also playable on PS5 and Xbox Series X, via backwards compatibility.
Disney Plus
The Mandalorian is one of the main draws of Disney Plus, the company’s streaming service, and the second season is airing each Friday until Dec. 18. The service, which costs $7 a month or $70 a year, also has all the Star Wars movies as well as the animated shows The Clone Wars, Rebels and Resistance, and it’ll get upcoming original shows like the Obi-Wan Kenobi and Cassian Andor programs sometime in the future. (There are also new Marvel shows on deck, too.)
Lego
Lego has been making epic Star Wars sets for years, and one of 2020’s coolest is the 1,023-piece Razor Crest from The Mandalorian. This Lego Star Wars set comes with Mando himself, a tiny Baby Yoda, Greef Karga, IG-11 and a scout trooper.
If you’re looking for a bigger Lego set, there’s also the 3,187-piece Mos Eisley Cantina Lego Star Wars set. This wretched hive of scum and villainy is one of A New Hope’s iconic locations, and The Mandalorian visited it briefly, too.
Amazon
Just to be clear, not all Lego Star Wars sets cost north of $100. You can get plenty of more affordable Star Wars toy sets, like Obi-Wan’s Hut — an iconic location if ever there was one — currently retails for under $25.
Mattel
This little guy captured hearts across the world when he debuted in The Mandalorian last year, and the plush version will make an excellent gift idea for any Star Wars fan.
Sean Keane/CNET
On the opposite end of the price scale, Sideshow’s 16.5-inch (42 centimeter) figure is an incredible recreation of The Child if you’re looking for the ultimate Mandalorian collectible. At $375, it’s only for those looking to splash out for the Star Wars fan in their life.
Her Universe
Ashley Eckstein, the voice actor who played Ahsoka Tano in The Clone Wars and Rebels, started her own pop culture-centric clothing line in 2010. Star Wars has always been a major part of the brand, and it has a bunch of shirts, dresses and other items inspired by the franchise.
Some highlights include an umbrella based on Boba Fett’s helmet (how timely), a cute chibi Baby Yoda shirt and a two-quart Slow Cooker emblazoned with images of the Millennium Falcon, TIE fighters and other ships.
Hasbro
Star Wars characters have been immortalized as posable action figures since 1977, and Hasbro’s Black Series 6-inch line has never been better. Some of this year’s coolest Star Wars gift options include its Credit Collection based on The Mandalorian’s concept art, The Empire Strikes Back 40th anniversary collection, its Baby Yoda and its seasonal Holiday Troopers.
Hasbro
An elegant lightsaber collectible, for a more civilized Star Wars lover. Hasbro’s Force FX lightsabers include realistic light and cool sounds, a metal hilt, removable blades, a display stand and enough weight to make you feel like you’re holding one of cinema’s most iconic weapons.
One of the most recent releases is the lightsaber belonging to Darth Revan, the Sith Lord from beloved video game Knights of the Old Republic, which changes from purple to red to mirror his shifting alignment. Also available is the green lightsaber of Jedi Council member Kit Fisto, and Darth Sidious’ weapon is coming later this year.
Fantasy Flight Games
If you’re looking for a tabletop trip into the Star Wars galaxy for one to five players, this game lets you play as a hero of the Rebel Alliance or command squads of Imperial troops and AT-STs in the campaign game and the skirmish game. This cool Star Wars gift even comes with little sculpted figures from both sides.
A game takes an hour or two, making it a fun way to spend an evening.
The best board games we’re playing in 2020.
Columbia Sportswear’s Mandalorian Collection
Get warm, Mando style
Columbia Sportswear
If you’re looking to keep out the cold in Star Wars style, Columbia Sportswear has a bunch of jackets and other gear based on The Mandalorian’s hero and Baby Yoda going up for preorder on Dec. 4. The Mandalorian Interchange Hybrid Jacket is a bit of an investment at $300, but includes a vest and jacket so you can shed layers as it gets warmer.
For kids, an $80 The Child Jacket includes some super cute ears. If you’re buying for a baby, there’s a tiny The Child Bunting for $50.
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