Anyone have any good suggestions? Educational stuff is good, but I’m also interested in other games that kids can play solo or with parents. (We’re a PC gaming house, but I’m open to suggestions for any platform.)
On PC, A short hike is really cute. Its a short walk around and explore type game. Cloudberry kingdom is good too (but probably skip the cutscenes). It’s a 2D platformer that gets REALLY hard but starts out easy (the hard parts are dozens to hundreds of levels in). The nice thing is the levels are really short and there are infinite lives and it can be 4player.
On switch, cadence of hyrule is cool. It’s sort of a reskin/remake of a different game. Other good ones on switch are pokemon snap, Mario kart, Mario odyssey, any of the sides roller Marios. Minecraft is of course good.
The yoshi platformers are good. The one from wii u (I think its yoshi’s wooly world) is really great. Wii u is discontinued but you can probably emulate on pc. Pikmin games (wii, wii u, switch) are good too. Kirby games are good too.
Definitely don’t sleep on the lego games (hobbit, star wars, lego city, jurassic park, etc.) I had to expectations when we fired them up but wow are they well made. Most (all?) are 2 player couch co-op too.
And honestly zelda breath of the wild and tears of the kingdom are great. My kid doesn’t follow the story progression but has a great time just running around and riding horses and fighting bad guys. I’m sure you’ve realized by now that sometimes you don’t have to play with a toy “the right way” to have fun. This also extends to video games.
Educationally… well don’t get your hopes up top high. Yes video games can teach problem solving and the value of not getting discouraged if you don’t get something on the first try, but most educational games are kinda boring.
When I was looking for board games kids would like and are possibly educational, I saw some reviews that said you’re way better off with a game that was made to be fun and just happens to have some educational value rather than a game meant to be educational… mostly because the ones meant to be educational will be boring and no one will want to play them… while the ones meant to be fun will get more traction.
I always vouch for Mario Party and Mario Kart (emulation), but I’m super biased. They’re easy to start up and play on a whim. I also find that some Mario Party minigames can be a good learning experience about colors, numbers and problem solving.
Overcooked is also a fun game too. I also heard good things about Lego Star Wars.
Edit: Do you have a specific genre that you and your kids enjoy?
So far we’re still figuring that out; we’ve tried some, but up until now they’ve done drag/drop tablet games, and I’d like to get them into something with a little more depth (and a little less overtly manipulative). Getting used to keyboard/mouse controls has been surprisingly hard (even more than I expected), but they’re interested in trying.
I know most PC gamers hate the idea, but gamepads seem pretty usable for kids. Xbox and ps5 gamepads work great on pc.
What age is elementary age? My son is 7 and we are having fun playing Lego city undercover together on Nintendo switch. He is still learning how to control the game, but is picking it up quickly.
spyro or crash bandicoot games via emulation or steam, bejewelled, plants vs zombies, the simpsons games on pcsx2. Emulated mario games
Here are a few my six year old loves:
- Mario party
- Mario kart
- Bugsnax
- Kirby games. Many allow co-op so we can help with difficult parts but many games he’s plowed through on his own with time.
- Minecraft in creative mode
- Minecraft legends of we sit and give strategic advice
- Minecraft dungeons if we play co-op
- Race with Ryan
- Pikuniku
- Any of the Lego games, especially when played co-op
- Catlateral damage or as he calls it ‘kitty karate’
- New Super Lucky’s tale
- Unpacking, although someone should be nearby to help with unrecognized items
- Katamari damacy, but the timer can make things stressful
- Rush: A Disney Pixar adventure
- Slime Rancher 2, this is another where the game is complex enough that an adult needs to by nearby to guide him on what the next task should be, remind him what critters like what food, etc.
He’s just gotten big enough for VR games and really enjoys:
- Vacation simulator
- Tilt brush
- The Lab, except the secret shop part
We let him try a lot of games but keep an eye on what they do to his mood. There are games he can play that we don’t allow simply because of how quickly they frustrated him. We also spend a lot of time talking about why games are difficult at all, and how challenges are a key part of what make things interesting.
I’m not OP, but i just wanted to say thank you for the very detailed response! Saving this for when my daughter is a bit older 😁
Scribblenauts, it’s a puzzle game where you type things it will happen. For example if you type a floating pig the game will give you a floating pig. You can either pet the pig or ride it while it’s floating. Since it’s an educational and puzzle game it will help him with his spelling.
