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The Best Video Games for Kids

Gaming can be fun for the whole family. Here are our picks for the best game titles for kids of all ages on all the current platforms.

Jordan Minor
 & Jordan Minor Principal Writer, Software

Our team tests, rates, and reviews more than 1,500 products each year to help you make better buying decisions and get more from technology.

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Overview

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Since 1982, PCMag has tested and rated thousands of products to help you make better buying decisions. Read our editorial mission & see how we test.

Deeper Dive: Our Top Tested Picks

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  • Crossy Road

    Crossy Road

    Bottom Line:

    Bottom Line:

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  • Five Nights at Freddy's: Help Wanted

    Five Nights at Freddy's: Help Wanted

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  • Kingdom Hearts III (Xbox One)

    Kingdom Hearts III (Xbox One)

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  • Kirby Star Allies (for Nintendo Switch)

    Kirby Star Allies (for Nintendo Switch)

    4.0 Excellent

    Pros & Cons

      • Fun, accessible platforming action.
      • Easy to play on your own or with up to four friends.
      • Multiple game modes.
      • Not particularly challenging.
      • Doesn't offer many new ideas.

    Bottom Line:

    Bottom Line:

    Kirby Star Allies for the Nintendo Switch doesn't add much new to the series, but it's still an excellent, engaging, and accessible platformer.

    Specs & Configurations

    Product Price Type Direct
    Get It Now
    Learn More Mega Man 11 (for PlayStation 4) Preview Review
  • Mario Kart 8 Deluxe

    Mario Kart 8 Deluxe

    4.5 Outstanding

    Pros & Cons

      • Completely overhauled Battle Mode.
      • Tons of tracks, including DLC content.
      • Lots of local and online multiplayer options.
      • Some stuttering with four-player split-screen in testing.

    Bottom Line:

    Bottom Line:

    Mario Kart 8 Deluxe is the second must-buy game on the Nintendo Switch (after The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild), and it's the most comprehensive Mario Kart game to date.

    Specs & Configurations

    Product Category Nintendo Switch
    Product Price Type Direct
    Get It Now
    Learn More Mario Kart 8 Deluxe (for Nintendo Switch) Review Review
  • Marvel's Spider-Man - PlayStation 4

    Marvel's Spider-Man - PlayStation 4

    Bottom Line:

    Bottom Line:

    Get It Now
    Learn More Marvel's Spider-Man - PlayStation 4 Review
  • Minecraft Dungeons

    Minecraft Dungeons

    Pros & Cons

      • Accessible take on an action-RPG
      • Runs well on new and aging hardware
      • Variety of items and abilities with radical new effects
      • Short length
      • Some bosses are annoying to fight alone

    Bottom Line:

    Bottom Line:

    Minecraft Dungeons takes the smash hit construction game into an action-packed new genre, but keeps the friendly aesthetic and accessibility kids love.
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    Learn More Minecraft Dungeons Review
  • Nintendo Labo: VR Kit (for Nintendo Switch)
    Best for Nintendo Switch Owners

    Nintendo Labo: VR Kit (for Nintendo Switch)

    4.5 Outstanding

    Pros & Cons

      • Accessible, immersive VR experience for beginners.
      • Toy-Cons are clever and fun to build.
      • Toy-Con Garage VR lets you make your own games.
      • No way to share your Toy-Con Garage VR creations.
      • Switch screen is much grainier than nearly any other VR headset available.

    Bottom Line:

    Bottom Line:

    The Nintendo Labo VR Kit turns your Switch into a simple VR headset for playing a variety of mini games, including ones you can create yourself.

    Specs & Configurations

    Controls Joy-Cons
    Hardware Platform Nintendo Switch
    Motion Detection 3DOF
    Refresh Rate 60
    Resolution 1,280 by 720 (total)
    Software Platform Nintendo Labo
    Type Mobile
    Get It Now
    Learn More Nintendo Labo VR Kit Review Review
  • Plants vs. Zombies: Battle for Neighborville

    Plants vs. Zombies: Battle for Neighborville

    Bottom Line:

    Bottom Line:

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  • Scribblenauts Mega Pack

    Scribblenauts Mega Pack

    Bottom Line:

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  • Sea of Thieves

    Sea of Thieves

    Bottom Line:

    Bottom Line:

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  • Splatoon 2 (for Nintendo Switch)

    Splatoon 2 (for Nintendo Switch)

    4.0 Excellent

    Pros & Cons

      • Just as fun and frantic as the first game.
      • Improved graphics.
      • More local multiplayer options than the first Splatoon.
      • Online matches are still heavily curated.
      • Doesn't change much from Splatoon.

    Bottom Line:

    Bottom Line:

    Splatoon 2 on the Nintendo Switch feels more like an updated, expanded Switch port of the first game than a sequel, but that's pretty compelling on its own.

    Specs & Configurations

    Product Category Nintendo Switch
    Product Price Type Direct
    Get It Now
    Learn More Splatoon 2 (for Nintendo Switch) Review Review
  • Super Mario Odyssey (for Nintendo Switch)

    Super Mario Odyssey (for Nintendo Switch)

    5.0 Exemplary

    Pros & Cons

      • Fun, varied gameplay.
      • Many kingdoms to explore and challenges to beat.
      • Capture mechanic adds exciting problem-solving elements.
      • Costumes and Snapshot mode are a blast.
      • Very limited multiplayer.

    Bottom Line:

    Bottom Line:

    Super Mario Odyssey isn't just the best Nintendo Switch game yet, it's the best Mario game since Super Mario Galaxy.

    Specs & Configurations

    Product Category Nintendo Switch
    Get It Now
    Learn More Super Mario Odyssey (for Nintendo Switch) Review Review
  • Super Smash Bros. Ultimate (for Nintendo Switch)

    Super Smash Bros. Ultimate (for Nintendo Switch)

    4.5 Outstanding

    Pros & Cons

      • The biggest roster yet.
      • Loads of content, spanning dozens of video game series.
      • Polished, satisfying gameplay with lots of variety.
      • Lacks proper online ranking tiers.
      • No online tournament mode.
      • Collectible spirits lack context and detail.

    Bottom Line:

    Bottom Line:

    Super Smash Bros. Ultimate for the Nintendo Switch earns its title, standing out as the most comprehensive Smash game to date.

    Specs & Configurations

    Product Category Nintendo Switch
    Product Price Type Direct
    Get It Now
    Learn More Super Smash Bros. Ultimate (for Nintendo Switch) Review
  • Wonderful 101: Remastered

    Wonderful 101: Remastered

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  • Threes!

    Threes!

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  • Untitled Goose Game

    Untitled Goose Game

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The Best Video Games for Kids

Compare Specs

Select Up To 3Select Up To 2
Your Selections
Crossy Road

Five Nights at Freddy's: Help Wanted

Five Nights at Freddy's: Help Wanted

Kingdom Hearts III (Xbox One)

Kingdom Hearts III (Xbox One)

Our Pick
Crossy Road
Crossy Road
Five Nights at Freddy's: Help Wanted
Five Nights at Freddy's: Help Wanted
Kingdom Hearts III (Xbox One)
Kingdom Hearts III (Xbox One)
Kirby Star Allies (for Nintendo Switch)
Kirby Star Allies (for Nintendo Switch)
Mario Kart 8 Deluxe
Mario Kart 8 Deluxe
Marvel's Spider-Man - PlayStation 4
Marvel's Spider-Man - PlayStation 4
Minecraft Dungeons
Minecraft Dungeons
Nintendo Labo: VR Kit (for Nintendo Switch)
Nintendo Labo: VR Kit (for Nintendo Switch)
Plants vs. Zombies: Battle for Neighborville
Plants vs. Zombies: Battle for Neighborville
Scribblenauts Mega Pack
Scribblenauts Mega Pack
Crossy Road
Crossy Road
Five Nights at Freddy's: Help Wanted
Five Nights at Freddy's: Help Wanted
Kingdom Hearts III (Xbox One)
Kingdom Hearts III (Xbox One)
Rating
4.0 Excellent
4.5 Outstanding
4.5 Outstanding
Best For
Best for Nintendo Switch Owners
Type
Mobile
Software Platform
Nintendo Labo
Resolution
1,280 by 720 (total)
Refresh Rate
60
Product Price Type
DirectDirect
Product Category
Nintendo Switch
Motion Detection
3DOF
Hardware Platform
Nintendo Switch
Controls
Joy-Cons

Buying Guide: The Best Video Games for Kids

More Gaming Goodness

None

We can’t promise they’re all family-friendly, but check out our other lists of great games to play.

Recommended by Our Editors

007 First Light's Bond Is as Big a Character Shakeup as Daniel Craig's Version, and I Love It
007 First Light's Bond Is as Big a Character Shakeup as Daniel Craig's Version, and I Love It
From Late-Night Feedings to Late-Night Raids: How Fatherhood Redefined My Gaming Passion
From Late-Night Feedings to Late-Night Raids: How Fatherhood Redefined My Gaming Passion
Becoming a Dad Didn't End My Love for Video Games. It Reignited My Passion for Them
Becoming a Dad Didn't End My Love for Video Games. It Reignited My Passion for Them

About Our Expert

Jordan Minor

Jordan Minor

Principal Writer, Software

My PCMag career began in 2013 as an intern. Now, I'm a senior writer, using the skills I acquired at Northwestern University to write about dating apps, meal kits, programming software, website builders, video streaming services, and video games. I was previously a senior editor at Geek.com and have written for The A.V. Club, Kotaku, and Paste Magazine. I'm the author of the gaming history book Video Game of the Year: A Year-by-Year Guide to the Best, Boldest, and Most Bizarre Games from Every Year Since 1977, and the reason everything you know about Street Sharks is a lie.

The Technology I Use

I use the newest Android and iOS smartphones for testing, but I currently use an iPhone 14 as my personal phone. I just hate that we gave up headphone jacks.

I've always favored gaming laptops over desktops. On that note, I have a 16-inch HP Envy with an Intel Core i9-13900H CPU and Nvidia GeForce RTX 4060 GPU. No matter what machine I’m working on, an alarming amount of my personal and professional life revolves around cloud-synced Google Drive files.

For food subscriptions, my household sticks with CookUnity and HelloFresh for meals. Video streaming is a bit more complicated. While there are too many services to list, we're subscribed to most of the major ones. These days, I find myself drawn to HBO Max's movies and shows, as well as Peacock's reality trash.

I've been a lifelong Nintendo fan, and I sincerely believe the Nintendo Switch will go down as one of the best gaming consoles of all time. It has an unbelievable library of new and old games from Nintendo and third-party companies. The handheld/console hybrid approach makes playing games so much more flexible, a legacy that continues with the Nintendo Switch 2 and Valve’s Steam Deck.

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