The best gifts for boyfriends that he’ll be delighted with in 2026

GQ-MAGAZINE.CO.UK • 1h ago

A little selfishness is permissible when buying gifts for boyfriends. After all, you’re the one who’ll be smelling that fragrance, borrowing that jumper and, ideally, helping polish off that bottle of very nice whisky. By all means, spoil him with one of the best gifts for men. But there’s no reason you shouldn't have a lovely time in the process.

Of course, he should like it too. Which is where knowing his particular fixations comes in handy. If he’s been talking about a particular pair of headphones since March, you can probably dispense with the detective work and just buy those.

Best overall gift for boyfriendsPhilips PerfectDraft Black beer bundle with Camden HellsJump to reviewBest affordable gift for boyfriendsForplay Aphrodisiac ChocolatesJump to reviewBest luxury gift for boyfriendsCDLP CDLPJump to reviewShop at

For anyone working with fewer clues, however, we've gathered the best gifts for boyfriends with help from our fellow GQ work boyfriends. There are things we’ve tried and loved, recommendations from colleagues with very specific areas of expertise, and a few indulgences that might require some cooperation from your bank balance, but are very, very worth it.

Best overallBest affordableBest fashionBest birthdayBest foodBest luxuryBest unusualHow I chose the best gifts for boyfriendsWhat to buy for your boyfriend? Shop GQ's pick for 2026…Best overall gifts for boyfriendsYou know his coffee order, his childhood trauma and which of his friends you’d drop if given executive powers, yet knowing what to buy your boyfriend remains strangely elusive. We sympathise. There are only so many birthdays for which he needs a new wallet. Alas, these are the gifts we’d start with.

It’s best not to overcomplicate your Christmas gifting. Blokes like beer, and a PerfectDraft makes it easy to pour the stuff straight from their kitchen counter. Choose your keg of choice – ours is a Camden Hells – and have at it.

Nio Cocktails’ set of whiskey specials includes two each of Manhattans, Revolvers and Whiskey Sours. Yes, these cocktails come in boxes, but trust me when I tell you that once they’re poured on ice, you’d never know.

Tell your fitness-loving boyfriend you care (sans any physical exertion of your own) with a pair of Pro 2s. Their secure ear hooks help keep them in place, noise cancellation spares him the gym’s playlist, and built-in heart-rate monitoring gives him another statistic to bring home.

Our male beauty aficionado Adrian Clark has smelled almost every aftershave that’s been released since the ‘90s — Tom Ford’s Black Orchid remains his secret weapon for a date night fragrance.

Men contain multitudes. Case in point? Your boyfriend likely takes great pride in his facial hair, and hasn’t upgraded his beard trimmer in years. As well as scything through his 5 o’clock shadow, Philips’ Multigroom 7000 Series has the skills to tackle his body hair and (if he’s really brave) barnet too.

The On Cloudmonster 3 figure very highly in our estimations of the best running trainers you can buy for long-distance training right now. As tested (and modelled) by Lifestyle Director Mike Christensen.

Love may be priceless, but there are times when it needs to come in under £25. Happily, some of our favourite gifts do: little upgrades to his kitchen, bookshelves and general standard of sexy timee that suggest excellent taste on your part. How little you spent can remain between us.

Is a tiny glass chilli pepper suspended inside a tumbler an essential purchase? Course not. But it’s the sort of ridiculous, gorgeous thing that’ll make your boyfriend smile every time he has a drink, so that’s reason enough.

All of the best record covers from the 1960’s to the 1990’s, grouped by artist, style and vibe.

Whether he deserves five stars for the way he cooks or the way he looks (or both), this NOTHS-stocked print is a banger. Flattery gets you everywhere, especially if you make sure you present it framed.

Chocolate that makes you horny? The queue to sign up is round the block. Forplay’s sleek box of chocs come with ideas of games to play in the bedroom, and they’re loaded with aphrodisiacs.

Buying your boyfriend clothes is a lovely way to show you care… particularly when you care quite deeply about borrowing his jumpers. In fact, trainers aside, this is a category with considerable potential to end up on your side of the wardrobe. Obviously, his taste and size should guide the purchase, but if you also happen to look sensational in his sunnies, we’d call that money well spent. Do let him wear it first.

If your boyfriend’s been wearing a battered, plastic pair for the best part of a decade, consider this your intervention. Finlay’s rather handsome Marshall frames are a serious upgrade.

A universally-loved hoodie, Abercrombie’s ‘Soft AF’ popover is super comfy and flattering on absolutely everyone. Start with heather grey and work from there.

As tech gets bigger again, sneakers get flatter. New Balance’s uncharacteristically un-chunky 204L is going to be huge.

None of our other best cheap watches can be out-cheaped by this: Casio’s dress watch, the LTP-V007L-7B1.

Some people love their birthdays. Others would rather pretend they're ageing backwards. Even the latter deserve a little spoiling, though preferably in the form of a thoughtful gift they can unwrap without an audience. Make no fuss, keep the celebrations discreet and, for the love of God, don't tell the restaurant it's their birthday.

A leather binding and a monogrammed finish don’t always require deep pockets; a notebook from Papier sees to that.

Take it from us: there are few things that men like more than being right, and with the help of MasterClass, you’ll be able to give him the power to actually know what he’s talking about.

Matthew McConaughey has been spotted wearing these simple, timeless penny loafers: an unusual moment of sober minimalism from Duke + Dexter, the shoe brand that also makes riotously-printed designs.

Listen up and listen well: you might still be tempted to buy your beau a pack of Calvin Kleins to replace his old shameful pairs of kecks, but other providers are available. Among them, a label making some of the best underwear our editors have ever put to skin: CDLP’s classic boxer briefs.

If the way to a man's heart really is through his stomach, consider this your shortcut. We're going beyond excellent things to eat, drink and generally get excited about disappearing, too, for the boyfriend who fancies himself a bit of a chef. Better still, unlike most birthday presents, there's a very good chance you'll get something out of these, too.

Beer and cookies never killed anyone. Well, maybe they did, but not in this format, I’m quite sure.

The best non-edible food gift since the invention of the apron.

It’s not quite as good as a bowl of pasta, but a book about pasta is probably second best.

Give him the means to summon spirits while he chops the veg. What could possibly go wrong?

Does your boyfriend deserve a present that costs more than your monthly council tax? Subjective. Are there some excellent things worth spending an indecent amount of money on? Objective, and we've rounded up the luxury gifts that have earned the GQ seal of approval to illustrate as such, below, from extravagant little indulgences to properly big-ticket treats.

Not only are they the most fun pyjamas you can buy, Desmond & Dempsey’s classic big cat Sansindos are also endlessly comfortable.

Want the flat to smell like a tasteful bonfire? Diptyque’s got you with Feu de Bois, one of its most popular scents in candle form. Light it and fill the halls with the dense aroma of woody accords. Chic and unique.

The best headphones also happen to be the best-looking, because even tech breeds elitism.

A newer addition to Jo Malone’s Cologne Intense collection, Hinoki & Cedarwood is as invigorating as it is fresh.

Still not found anything you think he'd like? Perhaps he's one of those people who seems to have absolutely everything already. Time to bring out the big guns: loafers with cowboys printed on them, an engraved hip flask or the means to finally learning that guitar in the corner of his room.

The gem in the crown of my guide to the best unusual gifts.

GQ’s favourite knitwear brand for making band T-shirts feel grown-up.

Of all the gifts I’ve bought my own boyf, nothing’s had quite as much use as his Stanley water bottle. Not the most romantic present, perhaps, but if keeping him hydrated isn’t an act of love, what is.

Enjoyable and productive, Fender has recruited all kinds of experts to teach lessons from very beginner to expert, incorporating feedback modes and song tutorials throughout the entire process.

Not all of our favourite watches come from unpronounceable brands, nor do they all cost in the thousands of pounds. Some of the coolest even feature Snoopy.

The gaming powers that be (at British GQ, that’s Sam White and Rob Leedham) have called it: the PlayStation 5 Pro is worth the £700 if you want to eke the best visuals out of this year’s blockbuster games and, eventually, Grand Theft Auto 6 when it drops.

Add a little spice to your drinks – be they neat or mixed – with this chilli-infused bourbon by Horse With No Name. Aged for four years in toasted American oak barrels, it kicks like its namesake.

A coffee table must for the sports obsessives, this hefty 176-page tome, titled The Greatest, puts Muhammad Ali in the lens, showcasing over 90 pictures from the height of his career.

The Natural History Museum does merch, and it’s just as sick as its dinosaur exhibition.

Because sometimes the sexiest thing a man can wear is a dressing gown. Preferably while making you coffee

First came the expensive bottles of whisky, then the novelty cooling stones, and now it might be time to make his booze emporium as grown up as it’s likely to ever get. A crystal decanter screams sophistication and will look blinding on the bar cart.

Everything important that happened on the day he was born through time.

It’s the task of the GQ Recommends team to… well, recommend. Genuinely good products, that is. As such, at least one of the team has tried a majority of the gadgets, foods, clothes and other such frivolities in this guide. Between Jessie Atkinson, GQ’s Senior Commerce Writer, and contributing editor Lela London, there’s no shortage of gifting experience, either professionally or personally.

Both spend much of their working lives attending product launches, testing everything from grooming gadgets to luxury luggage and seeking out recommendations from people whose taste they trust (and with Lela’s boyfriend having recently been upgraded to fiancé, clearly all those years of gift-giving haven't hurt). Where hands-on testing hasn’t been possible, the team has prioritised thoughtful gifts from brands with we love and trust, too.

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