Best Nerf Blasters of 2025!

It’s that time of year! All the goodies are on store shelves, the shopping rush is nigh, and I need a post because I’m getting ready for my own Thanksgiving holiday shenanigans! So let’s use that opportunity to go over what I think are my favorite blasters released this year, be they serious or otherwise.

Keep in mind, much of last year’s list is still available this year, and in some cases like the Dart Zone Venom Pro, will be seeing holiday discounts. There will also be lots of discounted Xshot Insanity Rage Fires on shelves for Black Friday and beyond!

Note that a few entries here may not have a review up yet, simply due to time. I’ll do my best to link the reviews within this article once they’re posted.

These are, of course, all my opinion. But I think you’ll find good reason to agree with me!

Best Impulse Buys – $20 or Less (And Almost All Walmart…)

This is always a category worth noting – sometimes there are blasters that are fun, or inexpensive, or odd that will make us happy, but aren’t going to be the main present.

Buzz Bee Ruin/Adventure Force Triple Blast – $3 (Review Link)

This little blaster is the definition of impulse buy. It’s tiny, fires three shots, and is perfect for small kids. If you don’t have the original version available on shelves (Dollar General distribution can be like that sometimes), Walmart has the Adventure Force version on shelves for the same price (and in brighter colors).

Performance is just okay, but it’s $3. And if you’re really interested, there’s enough plunger volume that you can print alternate barrels to fire the original ammo better, or other types of ammo instead!

Nerf Shadowspeed Knight Sword – $10 at Walmart

I’m linking this here because it’s hard to find durable foam swords in general – Hasbro making a good melee sword for kids (and kidults) is a welcome change! It clocks in at about 26″ long, and the core is solid but flexible. Admittedly, letting my wife beat on me probably isn’t standard testing…but I’m alive without any bruises, so the toy is legit.

Also, pulling swords out from the display? This is one of the best examples of store packaging I’ve ever seen. And it clearly works, because later in the day I had to go back to Walmart, and more swords were missing. So little Timmy or his parents were successfully tempted. More happy customers!

Adventure Force Pirate Roleplay Set – $20 Walmart Exclusive (Buccaneer Review Link)

I reviewed the $30 two pack that comes directly from Dart Zone. That being said, if just one kid in the family wants to be a pirate, this is also an option. You have one blaster (with the translucent red shell), a small pirate hat, sword, telescope, eyepatch, and other bits and pieces (of eight).

Honorable Mentions (some of which are from 2024, but they’re still inexpensive)

Dart Zone Solo, Green ($10, now at Target!) (Review Link)

Adventure Force Cricket Pro ($7, Walmart) (Review Link)

Best 8+ Blasters for Christmas

I’m shoving at least one blaster out of Best Impulse Buys to here, despite the fact that a single one is $20. It’s somewhat large, and it can also be found in a two pack (that Kohl’s will have discounted at some points):

Xshot Blastercorn Big Rizz – $20 at major retailers (Review Link)

It’s not the most powerful or useful blaster, although it has decent power, eight shots, and storage for eight more (and includes plenty of darts). But it is one of the most fun ways to launch darts, between the flapping wings and the horn that lights up. Kids love using it, and a bunch of 30-somethings in a cabin on Labor Day weekend fell in love with it, so I’m pretty confident this works for any age range, just like the Blastercorn pistol did the year before!

Oh, and that pistol is also still on shelves. Just a thought.

Nerf Loadout Galactic Commander – $40 holiday discount (Review Link)

Walmart rolled back the price, so now the blaster is $40 at any big store (or at least you can pay that online and pickup in store, if needed). So a select-fire, electronic blaster with two magazines and plenty of darts becomes much more attractive. Not to mention it’s a ton of fun to use!

If you adapted to the N1 ecosystem, the blaster makes perfect sense to grab as a gift. If you’re still using regular darts, though, we have a few other options to discuss on this list!

Dart Zone Primus – $50 from Dart Zone, or at Cabela’s/Bass Pro Shops (Review Link)

The Primus is your other option for a new, select-fire, electronic blaster, although this one has more modification potential right out of the box, thanks to a hidden pusher extension inside the blaster. Between the various blaster accessories, the unique top-loading magazine setup (have we had anything like that since all the way back at the Nerf Revreaper?), and the Nitroshot darts, it’s pretty much a home run, and you can choose to either make careful shots on semi-auto, or spray and pray at six darts a second on full.

It hasn’t been the most widely available blaster, but now that other retailers are starting to pick it up, you have options for finding it!

Xshot Insanity Smoking Barrel – $23 for the Holidays (Review Coming Soon!)

This blaster, like the Blastercorn Big Rizz above, is more about the fun than the performance. Even so, it fires hard, has lots of capacity, comes with a ton of darts…and the smoke feature actually works! Granted, it’s just a tiny water mister with some LED lights at the front of the barrel, but it’s visible when you’re operating the blaster. And you don’t need special cartridges to melt/vaporize like you would have seen in the past (anyone remember Buzz Bee’s Gunsmoke line?).

Sadly, that review will have to wait for after vacation.

Pro Blasters – We Have a Ton!

Yep, we got lots of exciting 14+ blasters, both from Xshot and Dart Zone. And amazingly, I don’t think there was a bad one – at most, we had issues like the initial Brute Pro samples that were finicky, but were far better on actual release. Here we go!

Xshot Pro Skins Motorized Piston Pump – $60 for the holidays (Review Link)

There was no way this blaster wouldn’t be on the list. It’s a huge hit, even at the higher price point, but even more so now that stores have dropped it to $60. Fully electronic, motorized springer? Check. Select fire? Check. Made to be modified/accessorized for your playstyle? Check Check.

Between the removable barrel and the relatively easy spring swap, you can go anywhere from 100-200fps, not just the stock 160fps+ that it gets out of the box. Be sure to read the instructions (the horror!) and to use fresh darts, but otherwise you’re going to have a great time consistently hitting your targets.

Xshot Pro Skins Fury X – $15 at Major Retailers (Review Link)

Almost forgot that this was technically a 2025 release! It’s the little brother of the Xshot Pro line, but don’t let it fool you. $15 for a short dart springer that hits above $130 is nothing to sneeze at.

It’s even more impressive since Sam’s Club will have this Xshot Pro Box at a steep discount on Black Friday weekend…

Dart Zone Max Vector Pro – $40 Target Exclusive (Review Link)

This blaster is my personal favorite, and I gave it a 10/10 rating. It’s got the velocity, versatility, and unique setup that the hobby space has been needing, and it comes ready-to-modify if you’ve got a Worker Nightingale full auto kit and an extra switch. Plus with the stock battery holder being connected via XT30, you can use your hobby batteries at home for faster spinup and more consistent performance.

If I don’t have a need to actually test a blaster at a game for review purposes, this will be in my travel bag for the foreseeable future.

Dart Zone Max Volcanic Pro – $55 Dart Zone Exclusive ($40 with Black Friday code BF30) (Review Link)

This is another blaster that’s going to go with me everywhere. It’s a bit more involved to mod, due to how the blaster is setup, but I’ve been able to drop it below 120fps as well as above 200fps, using Dart Zone’s spring and barrel pack. Especially on the low power settings, this blaster was a breeze to operate, and it’s what finally made me want to use angled Talon magazines in a loadout.

Honorable mention should of course go to the Adventure Force Brute Pro, a $25 springer which also uses angled Talons, but it’s the Volcanic Pro that really made the decision for me. It’s great for so many game types, as long as you’re willing to sit down for ten minutes and adjust it to your liking.

Honorable Mention: Adventure Force Boxer Pro – $60 Walmart Exclusive (Review Coming Soon!)

This is another blaster that may have to wait for a review…but for now I’ll leave someone else’s review for you to watch! After all, chain-fed and pro blasting don’t usually go together – but Dart Zone made it work!