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With digital libraries growing steadily more ubiquitous, it’s not always easy to shop for people who love video games. Thankfully, there’s a fantastic alternative to getting someone a copy of a brand-new game: coffee table books bursting with art and illustrations, just begging to be shared with friends or pored over as you sip a cup of tea on a rainy morning. Here are a few of our favorites.
Prices taken at time of publish.
Final Fantasy 7 Remake Material Ultimania
An absolute treasure trove of all things FF7, this 300+ page hardcover contains extensive lore details about the game’s characters, locations, and timeline. There’s also extensive commentary about each track of the game’s phenomenal soundtrack, which includes the incredibly cool album covers crafted for many of the tracks.
In addition to all the eye candy and fun factoids, there are tons of interesting quotes from the creative team scattered throughout the book. I especially like this one about the Honeybee Inn sequence from cutscene director Hidekazu Miyake: “We originally planned to include pole dancing in the scenes. It’s too bad that we weren’t able to have that in the game.” Folks, we were robbed.
Buy at Amazon ($25.01)
Legend of Zelda: Hyrule Historia
There’s no shortage of Zelda books to choose from, but Dark Horse’s Hyrule Historia is a great place to start a collection. This 280-page hardcover is bursting with beautiful illustrations and concept art, and also contains a handy chronological history of Hyrule. Featuring interviews with the likes of key series creatives like Shigeru Miyamoto and Eiji Aonuma, this is an in-depth resource that traces how the series has evolved since 1986. One caveat to note: it’s from 2013, so don’t expect anything here on Breath of the Wild or Tears of the Kingdom.
Buy at Amazon ($28.77)
The Art of Fallout 4
Clocking in at 368 pages, this hefty tome from Bethesda includes some remarkable concept art and unused designs, along with detailed breakdowns of the game’s many weapons, locations, and characters. Highlights include concept art of pre-war clothing alongside their post-apocalyptic equivalents and all the in-game magazine covers. This book is oozing with midcentury Americana flair — and more nifty mechanical contraptions than you could possibly imagine.
Buy at Amazon ($49.99)
Nier Art: Koda Kazuma Works
If you’re into unnerving, post-apocalyptic vibes, this is the book for you. It features moody, evocative concept art for three games: Nier:Automata, Nier Re[in]carnation, and Nier Replicant. Many of the images here are full pages or two-page spreads, so the focus here is more on visuals than lore and trivia.
Buy at Amazon ($17.79)
The Art of the Outer Worlds 2
In addition to a soundtrack featuring some of 2025’s most infectious earworms, The Outer Worlds 2 also boasts some truly phenomenal art and illustrations. The renderings of companions, monsters, and the game’s various factions are eye candy in its purest form. Still, our favorite part has to be all the huckstery promotional materials for Auntie’s Choice products like Purpleberry Krunch — now with 110% of your daily chemicals!
Buy at Amazon ($35.78)
Dragon Quest Illustrations
Whether it’s Dragon Ball, Chrono Trigger, or Dragon Quest, nobody draws a spiky-haired hero on a world-saving quest like the legendary mangaka Akira Toriyama. This compact hardcover marking the series’ 30th anniversary includes over 500 illustrations from Dragon Quest’s 11 mainline games and spinoffs.
Buy at Amazon ($17.68)
The Art of Super Mario Odyssey
Clocking in at nearly 400 pages, this hardcover is loaded with sketches, concept art, and storyboards. It’s an enticing peek behind the curtain of how Nintendo makes its secret sauce. There’s also plenty of notes and interviews with the development team, plus insight into some early ideas that didn’t make it into the final version of the game. It’s impossible to leaf through this book and not want to take Super Mario Odyssey for a spin immediately.
Buy at Amazon ($28.49
Metroid Prime 1–3: A Visual Retrospective
At the other end of the spectrum, this 200+ page retrospective of Samus’s GameCube and Wii adventures is full of interesting lore about the series’ development. For instance, series producer Kensuke Tenabe reveals that Metroid Prime Remastered almost featured original cutscenes for Switch. In addition to some seriously awesome early sketches and concept art, there’s also some juicy details about Metroid Prime 4: Beyond’s rocky development here.
Buy at Amazon ($35.23)
The Art of Death Stranding 2: On the Beach
Wanna see somethin’ trippy? Look no further than The Art of Death Stranding 2: On the Beach, which includes hundreds of concept art images of characters, creatures, equipment, and locations featured in the game. There’s also some fascinating unused concept art from Yoji Shinkawa, who’s worked with Hideo Kojima for decades, most famously as the art director for the Metal Gear Solid franchise.
Buy at Amazon ($39.99)
