15 Best Kids Games to Play in 2026

Finding the best kids’ games takes more than checking whether the main character looks friendly. Reading, camera controls, difficult jumps, and multiplayer rules can all decide whether a game becomes a favourite or a request for help every thirty seconds.

These 15 picks cover building, puzzles, animal adventures, platforming, and family races. Some suit first-time players with an adult nearby. Others give more confident kids a longer adventure or a challenge they can share with a sibling.

The tables use European PEGI ratings. Those describe content suitability rather than difficulty, so the descriptions also explain where younger players might need help. Platform lists focus on PC and consoles; ratings and features can differ between editions or regions.

Several recommendations are available among the Steam game keys on GameBoost. Minecraft uses its own PC editions, and the linked Rayman Legends and PAW Patrol: Grand Prix offers are for Nintendo Switch.

1. Minecraft

Minecraft gives kids room to decide what happens next. A house can become a castle, a farm, or a railway that takes a very unnecessary detour through the living room.

Creative mode provides blocks and flight without Survival mode's resource gathering and hunger systems. It's a useful place to start when a child wants to build without dealing with monsters or losing materials after a mistake.

The linked PC package includes Java and Bedrock, with Java available on Windows, macOS, and Linux and Bedrock on Windows. PC has no built-in split-screen. For younger players, set multiplayer permissions and purchase controls before introducing servers or the Bedrock Marketplace.

Why It Stands Out:

• Creative mode supports building at your own pace.

• Players can set small projects or much bigger goals.

• Survival provides a different challenge when they're ready.

• Multiplayer lets families work on shared creations.

• Building offers plenty to do beyond following a story.

My Verdict: Minecraft is my creative-building pick. Start with a small Creative world and one project, then let the child's ideas decide what needs adding next.

2. LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga

LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga retells the nine main films with brick-built characters, slapstick jokes, and plenty of things to break for studs. Kids who already know the characters have an easy reason to care about the next mission.

Two-player local co-op lets an adult or sibling join the adventure. Fighting, simple puzzles, vehicles, and character abilities keep the action changing, with larger areas available between story missions.

It includes cartoon combat and some threatening scenes, matching its PEGI 7 rating. Younger players may need help with objectives and menus. The main campaign works with the base game; optional character packs add further playable characters.

Why It Stands Out:

• Nine films provide a large collection of story missions.

• Local co-op lets a second player help.

• Character abilities give puzzles different solutions.

• Collectibles provide reasons to revisit familiar places.

• LEGO humour makes the film retellings playful.

My Verdict: Skywalker Saga is my shared licensed-adventure pick. It suits Star Wars fans who want a parent or sibling beside them for the puzzles and battles.

3. Sackboy: A Big Adventure

Sackboy: A Big Adventure sends players through 3D stages that look as though someone built them from fabric, cardboard, and craft supplies. Jumping and rolling keep the controls manageable as the levels introduce different obstacles.

Up to four players can share the adventure locally or online. A family group can tackle the campaign together, collect costume pieces, and occasionally spend longer choosing outfits than reaching the next stage.

Later levels and optional trials become more demanding, and some bosses may frighten younger children. It's a stronger choice for kids who already have some experience judging jumps than for someone holding a controller for the first time.

Why It Stands Out:

• Up to four players can share stages.

• Local co-op works well for family sessions.

• Music stages add changes in rhythm.

• Costume pieces give collecting an extra purpose.

• Optional trials provide tougher challenges later.

My Verdict: Sackboy is my family-platforming recommendation. Choose it for a shared campaign with approachable opening stages and room for more confident players to improve.

4. Spyro Reignited Trilogy

Spyro Reignited Trilogy gives kids three adventures built around collecting gems, helping characters, and spotting somewhere else to glide. Its open areas leave room to wander before committing to the next jump.

The collection rebuilds Spyro the Dragon, Ripto's Rage!, and Year of the Dragon. Gliding and charging stay central, with additional activities and characters changing the tasks across the trilogy.

It contains cartoon combat, and a few races, flight challenges, and later objectives can be awkward. A child can enjoy moving through the main adventure without needing to clear every difficult side activity immediately.

Why It Stands Out:

• Three games provide plenty of places to visit.

• Open areas give players room to practise movement.

• Gliding turns distant ledges into small goals.

• Collectibles make searching corners worthwhile.

• Varied objectives break up the usual platforming.

My Verdict: Spyro is my collecting-adventure pick. It suits kids who enjoy checking every corner and gradually getting comfortable with movement in a 3D space.

5. New Super Lucky's Tale

New Super Lucky's Tale follows a fox through 3D stages, side-scrolling sections, and smaller puzzle challenges. Lucky can jump, swipe with his tail, and burrow underground to pass obstacles or find another route.

Its cheerful presentation and fairly direct objectives make it a useful first step into 3D platforming. Collectibles add optional jobs once a player feels comfortable getting through a stage.

The PEGI 3 rating describes the content; jumping, boss fights, and camera control still take practice. This recommendation covers New Super Lucky's Tale, the revised game with different levels and other changes from the earlier Super Lucky's Tale.

Why It Stands Out:

• 3D and side-scrolling sections introduce different movement styles.

• Burrowing gives Lucky another way through obstacles.

• Collectibles encourage looking beyond the main route.

• Puzzle sections offer a break from jumping.

• A friendly tone suits a first platform adventure.

My Verdict: Lucky is my beginner-platforming pick. Choose it for a cheerful solo game that gives a child several ways to practise movement without starting with a huge open world.

6. Alba: A Wildlife Adventure

Alba: A Wildlife Adventure turns a holiday with grandparents into a project to help an island's wildlife. Taking photographs, helping animals, and cleaning up litter give the adventure small, understandable goals.

The island leaves room to wander at a comfortable pace. Spotting a bird and getting a useful photograph can be enough of a task for one short session.

Children who enjoy animals have a reason to pay attention to the scenery. An adult may need to help read conversations and objectives, making it a good game to play together even with only one person controlling Alba.

Why It Stands Out:

• Wildlife photography gives searching a clear purpose.

• Small community tasks provide manageable goals.

• A relaxed pace leaves time to look around.

• The setting connects animals with their surroundings.

• Helping the island gives the story a friendly focus.

My Verdict: Alba is my wildlife recommendation. It suits curious kids who would enjoy spotting another bird more than defeating another boss.

7. Lil Gator Game

Lil Gator Game builds an island adventure around the kind of pretend quest that starts with a stick and gets bigger as more friends join in. The enemies are cardboard props, giving the sword swinging a playful context.

Climbing, swimming, gliding, and sliding make moving around part of the entertainment. The game removes the pressure of a health bar, leaving room to try a route simply to see where it goes.

Characters still have conversations and requests, so independent readers will get more from the story. For younger players, an adult can read the dialogue and let the child handle the next hill, glide, or cardboard target.

Why It Stands Out:

• Pretend quests give the adventure a playful theme.

• Climbing and gliding encourage trying different routes.

• Cardboard opponents keep battles make-believe.

• No health bar reduces pressure during play.

• Character requests connect movement with small tasks.

My Verdict: Lil Gator Game is my low-pressure adventure pick. Choose it for kids who want to roam, climb, and turn an ordinary island into their own big quest.

8. Little Kitty, Big City

Little Kitty, Big City gives a lost cat a fairly reasonable goal: get home. Unfortunately, the city also contains animals to meet, objects to knock over, and hats that deserve immediate investigation.

Kids can wander through a small urban playground, help other animals, and work out how to reach the next climbing spot. The everyday cat behaviour gives even small tasks an amusing purpose.

Reading and controlling the camera may need adult help. It's a solo game, so sharing works best through taking turns or letting one person read the requests as the other handles the cat's latest distraction.

Why It Stands Out:

• A cat protagonist makes ordinary tasks entertaining.

• The city encourages wandering and small discoveries.

• Animal requests provide goals between detours.

• Hats and customisation add optional distractions.

• A relaxed pace supports taking turns.

My Verdict: Little Kitty is my animal-mischief pick. It suits kids who want a gentle adventure where knocking something off a ledge can count as productive play.

9. Tinykin

Tinykin makes a house enormous by shrinking its visitor. A shelf becomes a climbing route, and crossing a room can turn into a project involving furniture, household objects, and a crowd of helpful tinykin.

Different tinykin carry objects, create paths, and solve environmental tasks. Gliding and sliding on a soapboard keep moving around enjoyable between those jobs.

The main adventure avoids combat-focused progression, giving kids time to search and collect. Its 3D spaces still ask for camera control and some route planning, so it's better suited to a child who has moved beyond their first guided platform game.

Why It Stands Out:

• Oversized household objects make memorable routes.

• Tinykin abilities help solve environmental problems.

• Collecting provides small goals across each room.

• Gliding and soapboard movement make travel playful.

• The main adventure gives combat a rest.

My Verdict: Tinykin is my collecting-and-puzzles pick. Choose it for kids who enjoy working out how a space connects and finding something useful in the corner they nearly missed.

10. LEGO City Undercover

LEGO City Undercover lets kids play as Chase McCain, a police officer using disguises to investigate a crime wave. Different outfits bring abilities that help solve puzzles and reach other parts of the city.

Vehicles, missions, and collectibles give players plenty of reasons to wander away from the next story objective. The humour keeps the police adventure cartoonish, with LEGO characters and slapstick action throughout.

The PC, PS4, Xbox One, and Switch rerelease supports two-player local co-op. The original Wii U game is single-player. It suits kids who want more freedom than a straight sequence of stages and have someone available to help when the next objective becomes unclear.

Why It Stands Out:

• A large city provides room for optional activities.

• Disguises connect character abilities with puzzles.

• Vehicles give travel a different pace.

• Collectibles reward returning to familiar districts.

• The rerelease supports two-player local co-op.

My Verdict: LEGO City is my open-world family-adventure pick. Choose it for kids who want missions to follow and plenty of room to get distracted between them.

11. Cat Quest II

Cat Quest II pairs a cat and dog for an action RPG full of quests, equipment, magic, and an impressive commitment to animal puns. The small dungeons and short tasks make progress easy to divide into manageable sessions.

Local co-op lets two players handle the heroes together. Playing with a more experienced partner can help a child learn when to attack, dodge, or use a spell.

There's frequent fantasy combat and plenty of written dialogue. It's a better fit for school-age kids who enjoy reading objectives and changing equipment than for someone who only wants to move a character around without menus.

Why It Stands Out:

• Two-player local co-op supports a shared adventure.

• Short quests provide manageable goals.

• Equipment introduces simple character-build decisions.

• Spells give fights different options.

• A playful animal setting keeps the tone light.

My Verdict: Cat Quest II is my first-action-RPG pick. It suits kids ready for quests, equipment, and fantasy battles with a second player helping nearby.

12. Donut County

Donut County puts you in charge of a hole in the ground. Swallow a small object, grow bigger, and work towards the much larger thing that looked impossible to fit a minute earlier.

Its puzzles add small twists to that idea, sometimes asking you to combine objects or send something back out of the hole. The basic control stays simple enough to explain quickly.

Story scenes contain written conversations and jokes that younger children may need an adult to read. The comic premise also involves swallowing buildings and characters, so a quick look at gameplay helps parents judge whether the humour will land with their child.

Why It Stands Out:

• Moving a hole makes the main control easy to explain.

• Growing larger gives each stage a visible goal.

• Physics puzzles introduce different object interactions.

• Short stages suit taking turns.

• The unusual premise provides plenty of visual comedy.

My Verdict: Donut County is my simple-controls puzzle pick. Choose it for shared sessions where a child handles the hole and an adult helps with the story and occasional puzzle.

13. PAW Patrol: On a Roll!

PAW Patrol: On a Roll! gives new players guided rescue missions with familiar pups. Moving through a stage, collecting treats, and using the right pup ability provide a straightforward introduction to platform-game controls.

The rescue theme gives children a clear reason to reach the end. Familiar voices and characters can also make practising another jump more appealing than a tutorial built around an unfamiliar hero.

This is a solo game, even though missions use different pups. A parent can sit nearby and help with prompts or take over briefly, making it a sensible starting point for kids still learning what the controller's buttons do.

Why It Stands Out:

• Familiar pups give early tasks a clear theme.

• Guided missions suit first-time players.

• Collecting treats encourages movement through stages.

• Pup abilities introduce simple problem-solving tasks.

• Solo play works well with an adult coaching nearby.

My Verdict: On a Roll is my early-platforming pick. Choose it for a PAW Patrol fan practising basic movement and button prompts rather than looking for a demanding adventure.

14. PAW Patrol: Grand Prix

PAW Patrol: Grand Prix gives the pups karts and turns Adventure Bay into a place for family races. Familiar characters and tracks help children connect the competition with a show they already know.

An easy control option includes automatic acceleration, reducing how many things a new player needs to manage at once. Harder settings leave room for more confident racers to take greater control.

Up to four players can race locally, with a controller needed for each player. It's competitive racing, so younger kids may need encouragement after a lost race. The linked offer is the standard Switch game for Europe, with extra content sold separately.

Why It Stands Out:

• Automatic acceleration helps new racers get started.

• Local split-screen supports up to four players.

• Familiar pups give character selection an immediate appeal.

• Different difficulty settings suit mixed experience levels.

• Short races make taking turns easy.

My Verdict: Grand Prix is my first-family-racer pick. It suits younger children who want to join a local race before they're comfortable managing every driving input themselves.

15. Rayman Legends

Rayman Legends keeps changing the reason to run and jump. A quiet search for hidden characters can lead into a chase, then a music stage that asks players to move with the soundtrack.

Local co-op lets a family share those stages. Players can help each other recover from mistakes, which gives mixed-ability groups a reason to stay involved even when one person finds a section harder.

Later stages and optional challenges demand quicker reactions, so this suits more confident kids and shared play with someone experienced. The linked offer is the Switch Definitive Edition; PC versions use Ubisoft Connect.

Why It Stands Out:

• Varied stages keep movement from feeling repetitive.

• Music levels connect jumping with rhythm.

• Local co-op supports shared play.

• Hidden Teensies give curious players extra goals.

• Optional challenges provide room to improve.

My Verdict: Rayman Legends is my lively group-platforming pick. Choose it for kids who already enjoy 2D movement and want a family member to share the next stage.

Best Kids Games on Each Platform

Best Kids Games on PC

All 15 games have PC versions. PAW Patrol: On a Roll introduces basic platforming, and Donut County starts with a simple mouse or controller action. Alba, Lil Gator Game, and Little Kitty, Big City suit kids who enjoy wandering and smaller tasks.

For local multiplayer on one computer, Sackboy, the two LEGO games, Cat Quest II, Rayman Legends, and PAW Patrol: Grand Prix offer shared play. Minecraft's PC editions require separate devices for ordinary multiplayer rather than built-in split-screen.

The PC game keys selection gives you more options for a family computer. Check the launcher and required hardware before choosing: Minecraft's PC package and Rayman's Ubisoft Connect version work differently from a Steam copy.

Best Kids Games on PlayStation

Sackboy is a strong choice for local family co-op on PS4 or PS5. LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga, PAW Patrol: Grand Prix, Tinykin, Alba, Lil Gator Game, Little Kitty, Big City, and New Super Lucky's Tale also have PS5 releases.

PS4 games such as Spyro Reignited Trilogy, LEGO City Undercover, Cat Quest II, Donut County, PAW Patrol: On a Roll, and Rayman Legends add further options through backward compatibility. Match the age rating and challenge to the child before deciding which adventure comes next.

A shared-screen game can give everyone a role in the next family session. Look through the PlayStation game keys selection for more PS4 and PS5 choices.

Best Kids Games on Xbox

Minecraft suits building projects, and the LEGO games provide story missions for two local players. PAW Patrol: Grand Prix offers four-player racing, with assist options that help less experienced players join in.

Spyro, New Super Lucky's Tale, Tinykin, Alba, Lil Gator Game, Little Kitty, Big City, Cat Quest II, Donut County, PAW Patrol: On a Roll, and Rayman Legends give Xbox families plenty of solo and shared-screen alternatives. Sackboy is the exception from this list and isn't available on Xbox.

For a mix of games siblings can share and solo adventures they can take turns with, the Xbox game keys catalogue offers another place to look. Match each listing to the right console and activation region.

Best Kids Games on Nintendo Switch and Switch 2

Original Switch has every game here except Sackboy. Rayman Legends: Definitive Edition and PAW Patrol: Grand Prix are useful local multiplayer choices, and Alba, Lil Gator Game, and Tinykin offer quieter solo sessions.

On Switch 2, check Nintendo's compatibility information for an original Switch game and distinguish it from a dedicated Switch 2 release. Minecraft's native Switch 2 edition is scheduled for October 27, 2026; the original Switch edition is already available.

The linked Rayman Legends and PAW Patrol: Grand Prix offers are European Switch versions. Controller requirements also vary, so check how many controllers a particular game needs before planning a group session.

Your next family game might fit neatly into the Nintendo game keys selection. Choose the system and region first, then decide who gets the first turn.

FAQs About the Best Kids Games

Final Words

Minecraft gives kids space to build their own projects, Alba turns curiosity towards wildlife, and the LEGO games give families an adventure to share. PAW Patrol offers a starting point for new players, and Sackboy or Rayman Legends can keep a more experienced group busy.

Start with the kind of play the child already enjoys: building, animals, collecting, racing, or solving a small problem. Then check the rating, controls, reading, and multiplayer setup. A game that fits those things has a much better chance of becoming the one they ask to play again.

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