Three different things called "gaming gift cards"
- Console store credit. Adds a balance to a platform account, spendable on games, add-ons and subscriptions on that platform.
- PC launcher wallets. Same idea, tied to one launcher's ecosystem.
- In-game currency. Buys a specific game's currency. Narrower, and worthless if they stop playing that game.
Store credit is the safe default. In-game currency is the better gift if — and only if — you are certain which game.
Region locking is the whole problem
Platform accounts are tied to a country. A code issued for one country's store is refused by another, and there is no appeal. Worse, on some platforms the account's country can only be changed when the wallet balance is zero, so a mismatched code can be a genuine dead end.
Before buying, establish which country the recipient's account is registered in — not where they live, which is not always the same thing. Students, people who moved, and anyone who set up an account on holiday all routinely have mismatched accounts.
What store credit can and cannot buy
Generally yes: games, downloadable content, in-game currency bought through the platform, and usually subscription renewals.
Generally no: hardware, other gift cards, and anything bought outside the platform's own store.
The subscription case is worth checking specifically. Some platforms happily take wallet balance for a renewal; others insist on a card on file, which makes a gift card useless for the thing the recipient most wanted it for.
Choosing an amount
Full-price new releases cluster around a familiar number, and a card that lands just short is annoying in a way that a card at half the price is not. Either cover the whole thing or give an amount that is obviously a contribution.
Topping up to an exact price is easy — most platforms let a wallet balance plus a bank card cover one purchase.
Who it suits
Excellent for teenagers, for anyone with a platform account, and for people whose taste in games you cannot predict. Poor for someone who plays one free-to-play game exclusively, unless you buy that game's currency specifically.
Ready to ask? The request form takes a name and an email, and the platform and region go in the reply.