Video Game Cookbooks Holiday Gift Guide 2024
Our 2024 gift guide for video game cookbooks will help you fill their heart and their belly with a selection of official gaming cookbooks.
Posted a month ago
We’re definitely not the only ones who’ve salivated at the sight of in-game food. Peruse our video game cookbooks holiday gift guide, and those digital delicacies needn’t retain pixels as their only ingredients. By gifting a gaming cookbook, you can give someone the chance to bring one of the best elements of their favorite world to reality, and enjoy the tasty results yourself as a bonus. Gratitude delivered in gourmet meals - what’s not to like?
We’ve alphabetically rounded up official video game cookbooks from a wealth of gaming worlds below. That includes Minecraft, God of War, and everything in between. All you need to do is find the game they love, grab a gift that’ll get them baking, and wait for the delicacies to drop onto your plate.
©Jordan Alsaqa and Tom Grimm
Apex Legends cookbook
The arena-based combat of Apex Legends doesn’t naturally align itself with hearty recipes, but we suppose the likes of Bloodhound and Valkyrie do need to scoff down something in the brief windows between bouts of gunfire. The Apex Legends cookbook bases its recipes on different Legends, with some getting more attention than others. But the main reason we’re including it is that, alongside tasty recipes, there’s plenty of humorous writing included for fans of the battle royale game to appreciate.
Destiny cookbook
Destiny’s seasonal events like the Dawning make it a solid choice of shooter for the video game cookbook treatment. With this open in the kitchen, Guardians will be able to whip up some great heartwarming recipes for things like cookies and hot chocolate, as well as craft fun concepts like recipes themed on armor sets.
Diablo cookbook
Recipes and Tales from the Inns of Sanctuary
The gothic and blood-spattered world of Diablo doesn’t typically set our bellies rumbling, but if you know a Diablo player with a taste for classic tavern food, then the Diablo cookbook could be a great way to ensure they’re well fed during all that loot grinding. It’s far from the most thematic of gaming cookbooks, but it does offer a good excuse for a diehard Diablo fan to take a break and get creative in the kitchen.
Dragon Age cookbook
Tastes of Thedas
With Dragon Age: The Veilguard inviting us back to the world of Thedas, it’s a great time to indulge in culinary delights from different corners of BioWare’s magical realm. Having released prior to the latest game, the Dragon Age cookbook doesn’t include any details relating to new characters.
Fortunately, overlapping faces like Solas and Varric mean the excerpts at the top of each recipe should cater well to both new and long-term fans. Bear in mind that included recipes naturally have to substitute real-world ingredients for several fantasy elements that our world is lacking. At least until we discover a secret continent inhabited by nugs, that is.
©Jessie Hassett
Final Fantasy 14 cookbook
The Essential Culinarian Guide to Hydaelyn
Enduringly popular MMO Final Fantasy 14 includes a veritable bounty of in-game meals – there’s even an entire Culinarian class. As such, we’ve no doubt that picking what to craft for the video game cookbook was a tough ask. But for a dedicated player, delving into delightful recipes like Skybuilder’s Stew or Chocobo Cake is sure to deliver a smile.
Five Nights at Freddy’s Cookbook
Thankfully, Freddy’s various deadly diners don’t exist in the real world, but with the Five Nights at Freddy’s cookbook, you can still enjoy the recipes they’d be serving up. This visually vibrant book has a great ‘80s aesthetic, with suitably creepy elements and images of the animatronics. The more than 40 included recipes are fairly simple diner fare that might prove less interesting for older fans, but it should making cooking alongside a younger fan more manageable.
God of War cookbook
The Official Cookbook of the Nine Realms
Written from the perspective of Tyr, the official God of War cookbook brings dishes from each of the nine realms. There’s a hefty chunk of lore included too, with several pages to read prior to each realm’s collection. The emphasis is on the modern God of War series (2018 onwards), with influences from the places and pantheons Tyr has visited on his travels. A great way to fill up for Fimbulwinter.
Horizon cookbook
Tastes of the Seven Tribes
Horizon Forbidden West includes some rather appetizing food-based cutscenes, so we shouldn't be too surprised that an official in-game cookbook followed soon after. The gaming cookbook collates the recipes Mildulf Boarboiler acquired while traveling between the various tribes of Horizon’s post-apocalyptic landscape. Utaru, Oseram, and three Tenakth factions offer batches of recipes to test even the hardiest machine hunter. Each recipe includes a brief bit of lore and a difficulty rating. Would-be Aloys will also find plenty of artwork to enjoy throughout.
©Victoria Rosenthal and Rick Barba
Minecraft cookbooks
Cook. Gather. Eat! and The Crafter’s Kitchen
Taking inspiration from Minecraft’s blocky biomes and creatures, Minecraft: Gather, Cook, Eat! includes over 40 recipes to tackle. Recipes are categorized based on player types, but not all are likely to be manageable for those of a younger age. If you’re shopping for a Minecraft fan tackling their first dishes in the kitchen, consider opting for The Crafter's Kitchen instead, which is another official Minecraft cookbook with simpler recipes for younger cooks.
Overwatch cookbook
Overwatch’s gameplay doesn’t have much of a connection to food, but the wider world of its cinematics and comics just about justifies this video game cookbook’s existence. Recipes here are tied to each hero, with small excerpts explaining why a hero is a fan of a given dish. Some foods can even be prepared visually, such as bird-shaped pretzels for Bastion. Overwatch has a global cast, meaning the recipes are an international blend without a general cuisine focus. Great for immersed Overwatch fans, but a little too muddled for a general cookbook.
RuneScape cookbook
RuneScape is an ancient in the realm of MMOs, but the recipes in the official cookbook certainly don’t feel outdated. There are some really fun ideas in this gaming cookbook, including an achievement diary and an overarching narrative that tasks you with completing every recipe to defeat an evil wizard. Even if your cooking skill sucks in RuneScape, this book should help you level up your real life stat.
©Jarrett Melendez and Sandra Rosner
Sonic the Hedgehog cookbook
If you’re eager to encourage a Sonic fan to speed their way into the kitchen, then the official Sonic the Hedgehog cookbook should tempt them like a hoard of golden rings. This gaming cookbook is as vibrant as you might expect, with comedic writing from series characters penned by Ian Flynn, author of many Sonic the Hedgehog comics. Recipes are loosely tied to the Sonic universe (golden onion rings, anyone?), with a focus on smaller dishes, snacks, and deserts over main meals. Rest assured, the blue blur’s beloved chili dogs get multiple entries.
Stardew Valley cookbook
One of the best options for pescatarians, vegetarians, and vegans, the Stardew Valley cookbook is a charming collection of recipes based on food you could catch or harvest in-game. It’s ideally suited for adult players who don’t mind hunting down some of the less common ingredients included throughout.
Street Fighter cookbook
The Official Street Food Cookbook
Street Fighter is another game series without much of a connection to food, but the official Street Fighter cookbook smartly dodges that incoming strike by pairing the beloved fighting game series with street food. The book follows Sakura as she hops between continents, meeting other characters and discovering the street food they have a connection to. There are more than 80 recipes from around the world, with a big range in difficulties to tackle as well.
The Elder Scrolls cookbooks
Volumes one and two
The Elder Scrolls cookbook will secure you a never-ending supply of sweet rolls and let your gift recipient finally get their revenge on mudcrabs by cooking them up into a tasty dip. The Skyrim-focused medieval fantasy-inspired recipes here require some culinary skill to perfect, but given the number of hours players sink into those worlds, they shouldn’t have any qualms about taking time to practice. There’s also a second volume with recipes from a different author to consider, but the general consensus is that the first is the best place to start for Elder Scrolls fans.
The Witcher cookbook
Provisions, fare, and culinary tales from travels across the continent
The Witcher’s world is often bleak and grim, but a warming meal within a hearty tavern is sure to restore the spirits of even the most wearied adventurer. The Witcher cookbook takes you across cities and nations, with recipes from Skellige, Novigrad, and more, though readers should naturally expect a heavy Polish basis for many recipes. A fantastic choice for fans of the games, show, or books, the cookbook includes great art and shots of the food, and it even opens with a foreword from series author Andrzej Sapkowski.
World of Warcraft cookbooks
Volumes one and two
World of Warcraft is such a gargantuan game that it only makes sense it sports not one but two cookbooks. Both books are written by the same author. The first covers a fine range of dishes inspired by the regions and cultures seen across Azeroth, while the the second adds to the culinary catalog based on expansions that have released in the five years that passed between the books. Both include lovely art pieces and photos, as well as some flavor text snippets. If you get both, the second also includes meal suggestions that combine recipes from both books.
If our video game cookbooks holiday gift guide hasn’t sated your generosity, then be sure to take a look at our PS5, Xbox Series, and Nintendo Switch games gift guides as well!