The Best Video Games for Kids

Never before has the world so desperately needed one game. Animal Crossing: New Horizons lets you enjoy a peaceful island life that’s full of charming animal neighbors to befriend and home décor to craft. This game might actually be too chill for kids who have a hard time reading and paying attention. At least fluctuating turnip prices will teach them not to trust the stock market. 

Rated: E for Everyone

Platforms: Nintendo Switch

Blanc is a beautiful, black-and-white adventure that’s as much about the incredible atmosphere as it is about co-op puzzles. Controlling the fawn and wolf cub feels like playing through a hand-drawn interactive storybook. Also like a storybook, Blanc is a brief journey. But it’s a cozy hug of a game that will stick with you after it ends.

Rated: E for Everyone

Platforms: Nintendo Switch, PC

Many mobile games lure you in with the promise of a free, good time, but then they suck you dry with microtransactions. This practice is especially nefarious when it targets children. Crossy Road (and the spin-off Disney Crossy Road) is an endless take on Frogger that tasks you with making a chicken cross stylized roads. Even better, Crossy Road won’t cost you a cent, no matter if you play it once or a million times.

Rated: 9+

Platforms: Android, iOS, Windows 10

Cuphead’s absolutely gorgeous, hand-drawn, 1930s cartoon visuals immediately enrapture any children I’ve seen lay eyes upon it. Granted, those kids will be in for a rude awakening when they discover just how hard this run-and-gun sidescroller really is. Today’s adult gamers grew up with difficult games, too, but those didn’t look half as pretty as this. 

Rated: E10+ for Ages 10 and Up

Platforms: Nintendo Switch, Xbox One, macOS, Windows 10

Disney Dreamlight Valley takes a life sim’s comforts and makes them even cozier by filling the world with familiar Disney faces. As you live your life, cook your meals, and expand your town, you’ll build friendships with everyone from Goofy to Wall-E. The deeper you progress, the more you’ll uncover the actual adventure that the game has in store.

Rated: E for Everyone

Platforms: Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4/5, Xbox Series X/S/One, Mac, PC

It’s hard to be any more kid-friendly than Mickey Mouse and friends. Disney Illusion Island is so cuddly, it doesn’t feature any combat, just pure platforming and puzzle solving. But the game is no pushover. Illusion Island offers a vast, interconnected map to explore, an excellent introduction to Metroidvania-style non-linear exploration. The polished controls and presentation add that extra Disney magic.

Rated: E for Everyone

Platforms: Nintendo Switch

The Five Nights at Freddy’s franchise is infamous for launching the careers of countless shrieking YouTubers. Still, you can’t deny the genius of turning animatronic Chuck E. Cheese animal mascots into the monsters for a kid-friendly horror game. Help Wanted gives you a variety of terrifying tasks to complete in the perpetually haunted pizza place, from monitoring security cameras to sticking your hand in a creature’s mouth. You can even play in virtual reality if you never want to sleep again. 

Rated: T for Teen

Platforms: Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Windows 10, Oculus Quest

Any young person with even a passing familiarity with video games has probably already played countless Fortnite matches. This free, battle royale game isn’t just the biggest thing in gaming, it’s the biggest thing in culture. What other game inspires so many memes, dances, and crossovers with brands as big as Marvel and Star Wars? In the end, we will all descend from the battle bus.

Rated: T for Teen

Platforms: Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Mac, PC, Android, iOS

The mainline Forza games are realistic, highly technical racing games that automobile enthusiasts find thrilling, but casual drivers might find boring. Fortunately, every other year or so we also get a Forza Horizon game, a much friendlier arcade experience. In these games, you drive across huge, beautiful maps, competing in various racing events. Forza Horizon 4’s stunning English countryside even changes with the seasons. 

Rated: E for Everyone

Platforms: Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, Windows 10

There’s an argument to be made that the Kingdom Hearts series is a bit of a scam. Square Enix tricks you by putting Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck, Goofy, and other Disney mascots on the cover of a game that’s really an anime-RPG more ridiculous than every Final Fantasy put together. Nothing simple or clean about that. However, a rabid fan base genuinely loves this absurd combination. Kingdom Hearts III gives them the closure they’ve been seeking for nearly 20 years. It’s also still a game where you hang out inside Disney movies, so children should get at least something out of it.

Rated: E10+ for Ages 10 and Up

Platforms: PlayStation 4, Xbox One

Kirby finally joins Nintendo mascots, such as Link, Mario, and Samus, in the third dimension. In Kirby and the Forgotten Land, you’ll control the precious pink puffball as he floats safely though the sky and sucks up enemies to absorb their powers. You can even evolve those powers into new forms, such as giant swords or dragon’s fire. Instead of simply walking from left to right, you’ll explore small, fully open levels that burst with secrets to uncover and challenges to overcome. 

Rated: E10+ for Ages 10 and Up

Platforms: Nintendo Switch

Nintendo has an all-star lineup of mascot platformer franchises. Pretty much all of them, including Mario, Donkey Kong, and Yoshi, are appropriate for kids. However, Kirby stands out not just because he’s the cutest, but because his games are the most accessible. With his ability to float through the sky, Kirby games don’t force players to deal with tricky jumps. Instead, Kirby games are about gentle fun in candy-colored worlds full of wacky powers to suck up. The big gimmick of Kirby Star Allies is recruiting enemies as friends. Turns out we can all just get along.

Rated: E10+ for Ages 10 and Up

Platforms: Nintendo Switch

If you or your kids want a racing game that completely ditches realism in favor of pure imagination, pick up Lego 2K Drive. After all, it’s literally about toy cars. As you drive around beautifully blocky worlds, you’ll compete in races and other wacky events. Your Lego contraption can seamlessly transform between a car, an offroad vehicle, and a boat. Parents should just make sure young players don’t fall prey to microtransactions when using the otherwise impressive creation tools.

Rated: E10+ for Everyone 10 and Up

Platforms: Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X/S/, Xbox One, PC

Lego Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga turns all nine, main films into a single, epic Star Wars adventure for the whole family. The game lets you play major plot points from the series, including Anakin’s podrace in The Phantom Menace and Rey’s final showdown with the Emperor in The Rise of Skywalker, but with a comedic, Lego spin. Revamped combat and progression mechanics add an engaging sense of depth without overcomplicating things for younger players. Once you’ve finished the saga, keep the story going by exploring more than 20 open-world planets and the space between them. 

Rated: E10+ for Ages 10 and Up

Platforms: Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, PC

We still can’t believe Nintendo and Ubisoft came together to make a crossover as cool as Mario + Rabbids. Like its predecessor, Sparks of Hope is a turn-based tactics game where characters take advantage of wacky weapons and flexible movement to vanquish enemy squads. Equip the Sparks to expand your strategic options. And this time, even when you aren’t battling, the open levels offer many more fun puzzles to solve and places to explore.

Rated: E10+ for Ages 10 and Up

Platforms: Nintendo Switch

Every Nintendo console needs a Mario Kart game. It’s the law. Mario Kart 8 Deluxe on the Nintendo Switch might just be the peak of the franchise with its stellar visuals, revamped battle mode, and treasure trove of new and old tracks. Previous Mario Kart games may have frustrated young players who couldn’t stop driving off the road. Fortunately, this version has new auto-steer features to help keep everyone on track.

Rated: E for Everyone

Platforms: Nintendo Switch

Mario Kart Live: Home Circuit is the futuristic combination of toys and video game tech that old-school players could only dream about when they were children. Construct your own courses in your actual home, and use your Nintendo Switch to race a physical Mario Kart car through the twists, turns, and augmented reality traps. The only thing more dangerous than a blue shell is your living room furniture.

Rated: E for Everyone

Platforms: Nintendo Switch

The Batman: Arkham games proved it was possible to turn a famous comic book superhero into the star of a legitimately great modern video game. However, like the Dark Knight himself, those games gradually became so gritty that they honestly weren’t meant for kids. Good thing we have Spider-Man: Miles Morales. This PS5 launch game builds off the first game’s fantastic foundation while adding next-gen visuals, new powers, and a wonderfully relatable new hero. Web-slinging has never felt so good in this vast recreation of New York City that’s full of colorful characters and crimes to stop. Some even feel the storytelling rivals the recent live-action movies. No one is topping Sam Raimi anytime soon, though.

Rated: T for Teen

Platforms: PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4

Minecraft’s popularity among children almost makes you forget that the game itself is over a decade old. In that time, this virtual construction sandbox has solidified itself as Lego for a new generation. Even Microsoft, after paying billions for developer Mojang, realized they would only be hurting themselves if they constrained Minecraft to just one system. So you can build blocks and outrun Creepers on pretty much every kind of computer and game console out there. 

Rated: E10+ for Ages 10 and Up 

Platforms: Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, macOS, Windows 10, Raspberry Pi, Android, iOS

Minecraft dug its way into the hearts of an entire generation of children with its virtual building blocks. Minecraft Dungeons applies that same magic to a casual, Diablo-esque, action RPG. Set off on adventures alone or with friends throughout blocky, randomized dungeons teeming with familiar enemies to mow down. A flexible loot system lets you stack all sorts of wacky weapons and abilities. Creepers don’t stand a chance against bottle rockets, bows that never run out of arrows, and lightning bolts that follow you wherever you go.  

Rated: E10+ for Ages 10 and Up

Platforms: Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Windows 10

I understand if parents don’t want their kids messing around with virtual reality. Depending on how young they are, it could damage their eyes. However, if you are cool with your kid dabbling in VR, the DIY cardboard headset of Nintendo Labo VR Kit is a great, affordable place to start. Modest VR gimmick aside, it’s also a surprisingly powerful game-creation tool.

Rated: E10+ for Ages 10 and Up

Platforms: Nintendo Switch

Ori and the Will of the Wisps, like its predecessor Ori and the Blind Forest, is a soothing fairy tale of a video game. From its densely detailed nature backdrops to its heavenly soundtrack, guiding this little light spirit just feels good for your soul. It also feels incredible to play thanks to perfect, 2D platforming controls and endlessly inventive interconnected nonlinear level layouts. 

Rated: E for Everyone

Platforms: Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, Windows 10

Overwatch 2 completely replaces the first Overwatch. In fact, you can’t play the original game anymore. Fortunately, the sequel retains pretty much everything you’d want in an Overwatch game. Overwatch is a team-based, first-person shooter that has more in common with beautifully bizarre fighting games than drab military propaganda. The hero characters each have unique powers, so synergizing them is the key to successful strategies. There’s also an admirable amount of diversity across the roster, and a general sense of progressive optimism that feels refreshing compared to the violent nihilism of the shooter genre. Just don’t get upset if someone calls you a Hanzo main.

Rated: T for Teen

Platforms: Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, Windows 10

Plants vs. Zombies began as a great, mobile tower defense game that you should absolutely still play. Then EA bought the franchise and decided it should also be a class-based shooter. That sounds cynical, and maybe it is, but it’s hard to care when the result is Plants vs. Zombies: Battle for Neighborville. In what feels like a parody made real, you control zombie hordes or living vegetables armed to the teeth. Wage war against each other across lush, sprawling maps powered by Battlefield’s Frostbite engine. This most recent entry even takes inspiration from Destiny, of all games. 

Rated: E10+ for Ages 10 and Up

Platforms: PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Windows 10

The massive success of the Pokemon games has turned catching them all into a childhood rite of passage. The grand tradition continues with Pokemon Sword and Shield on Nintendo Switch. Not only do these games give you vast open areas to explore, but the Pokemon themselves are now literally bigger than ever thanks to the new Dynamax feature. 

Rated: E for Everyone

Platforms: Nintendo Switch

With Crash Bandicoot and Spyro now owned by Activision, Ratchet and Clank may be the closest thing Sony has left to a cuddly in-house mascot. Fortunately, the kooky chaos of these action platformers endows them with personality to spare. This PS4 game is actually a lavish remake of the first adventure, released alongside the theatrical animated movie. That movie may have been forgotten, but at least this game is really good.

Rated: E10+ for Ages 10 and Up

Platforms: PlayStation 4

Even if you think you know how huge Roblox is, you don’t know how huge Roblox is. Roblox is a free-to-play kid-friendly game creation tool that makes it easy for tens of millions of children to design everything from racing games to custom Pokemon spin-offs. With a platform this potentially lucrative (the company recently went public) just make sure to watch out for scams.

Cars playing soccer is such a brilliant idea for an arcade sports game that I can’t believe it took this long for someone to make it. It was worth the wait, though, because Rocket League absolutely nails the concept. Although to be fair this is the developer’s second attempt following the little-played Supersonic Acrobatic Rocket-Powered Battle-Cars. Driving, boosting, jumping, and flipping your car in just the right way to make shots on goal has a bit of a learning curve. That just makes it all the more satisfying when a plan comes together. 

Rated: E for Everyone

Platforms: Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, macOS, Windows 10

The main gimmick of Scribblenauts is almost too good to be true. You can write any word and see it come to life in the game. Somehow it works, even if interacting with the almost endless possible items gets understandably wonky. Scribblenauts Mega Pack combines two of the more ambitious games in the imaginative franchise. Scribblenauts Unlimited gives you large, open-ended environments to solve puzzles in. Scribblenauts Unmasked lets you summon Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman, and other characters from the DC Universe, while adding a bunch of comic book nonsense to the dictionary. 

Rated: E10+ for Ages 10 and Up

Platforms: Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Windows 10

It’s no secret that Microsoft bought developer Rare all those years ago to add a bit of Nintendo’s family-friendly magic to the studio, and offset the Xbox’s dude-bro image. Sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn’t. The vast pirate adventure Sea of Thieves shows there’s life in Rare when the developer can fully act on its ambitions. Team up with friends online, and hit the high seas for any and all pirate antics. 

Rated: T for Teen

Platforms: Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, Windows 10

As a modern gaming mascot icon, Shovel Knight is no longer confined to his original pixelated platforming adventures. Shovel Knight Dig is a fast-paced roguelike title where you tunnel your way through the ground to collect treasures and stop bad guys. Although not as grand as the original journey, Shovel Knight Dig is a cool, bite-sized introduction to the series.

Rated: E10+ for Everyone 10 and Up

Platforms: Nintendo Switch, Mac, PC, iOS

Splatoon 3 is the newest entry in Nintendo’s first new, major franchise in years, and bursts with the youthful energy of the young development team. The core conceit, a shooter where success is based on covering the most turf with paint blasts, is already fresh enough. On top of that is an urban, Japanese take on an undersea cartoon world. It’s like SpongeBob SquarePants with impeccable music and fashion taste. Although it shares much in common with Splatoon 2, this is the definitive Splatoon title.

Rated: E10+ for Ages 10 and Up

Platforms: Nintendo Switch

Super Mario 3D World lets up to four players run through expertly designed, sandbox Mario courses. It’s the best example of how to make Mario platformers a fun multiplayer experience for players of all skill levels. Meanwhile, Bowser’s Fury gives solo players an awesome and innovative open-world Mario adventure. If Bowser is too scary to take on by yourself, pass a controller to a friend and get some help from Bowser, Jr.

Rated: E for Everyone

Platforms: Nintendo Switch

If you had to pick one game to design an entire game design lesson plan around, the original Super Mario Bros. is the perfect choice. That’s why Super Mario Maker 2 is the perfect game education tool. It uses a robust and intuitive level editor to teach you just what it takes to make a great video game level. The game designers of tomorrow are beginning their journeys today thanks to Super Mario Maker 2.

Rated: E for Everyone

Platforms: Nintendo Switch

If you thought Mario’s other adventures were weird, just wait until you see this stocky, Italian, cartoon character hanging out in a semi-realistic New York City. This isn’t a bad thing. Far from it. Mario’s travels across fun and foreign lands in Super Mario Odyssey brings back the joyous, 3D platforming we haven’t played since Super Mario Galaxy (and Super Mario 64 before that). 

Rated: E10+ for Ages 10 and Up

Platforms: Nintendo Switch

You know how Avengers: Endgame made such a big deal out of putting every Marvel superhero on the big screen at once? Super Smash Bros. Ultimate does that, too. Only instead of superheroes its iconic video game characters, and instead of a disjointed time travel tale, it’s one of the most chaotic, deep, yet accessible fighting games around. 

Rated: E10+ for Ages 10 and Up

Platforms: Nintendo Switch

The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild is one of the greatest games of the last decade. However, the sheer freedom of exploration it offers might be a little overwhelming for kids. Instead, the Link’s Awakening remake is the perfect entry point into the franchise. The 2D perspective is much more approachable, and this is arguably the strongest example of 2D Zelda. Plus, the gorgeous diorama visuals make the whole game look like a toy waiting to be played with. 

Rated: E for Everyone

Platforms: Nintendo Switch

Nintendo brought over plenty of games previously stranded on Wii U to the much more successful Nintendo Switch. However, for The Wonderful 101, developer PlatinumGames did this themselves with a Kickstarter campaign for remastered PC, PlayStation 4, and Switch versions. This colorful homage to Japanese superhero teams has you controlling an entire mob of heroes who unite their bodies into powerful weapons. Draw shapes, using the touch screen or analog stick, to swap between a fist, a gun, a sword, and other powerful tools. It’s not the most seamless combat from Platinum, and the humor is sometimes more annoying than cheeky, but this is a game totally unashamed of itself. 

Rated: T for Teen

Platforms: Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Windows 10

Forget 2048 and other rip-offs, the one and only Threes is one of the best pure puzzle games since Tetris. Sliding tiles to form as many multiples of three as possible requires strategy and foresight you just don’t get from other block-based puzzle games. Few other puzzle games would also spend so much attention on delivering a warm and cuddly aesthetic the way Threes does. 

Rated: E for Everyone

Platforms: Android, iOS, Xbox One

Stealth games usually involve some assassin or secret agent sneaking through enemy bases and taking out guards by any means necessary. Untitled Goose Game takes those same ideas and applies them to a game about being a horrible, honking goose trying to ruin everyone’s day. Don’t let the soft storybook visuals and gentle piano music fool you. To be the goose is to be a monster.

Rated: E for Everyone

Platforms: Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, macOS, Windows 10