Not to mention, how great was it to serendipitously get dragged to a family dinner, only to discover Mrs. Pac-Man or Galaga arcade game while you waited for your parents to finish chatting? Video games will always be looked back on with sweet nostalgia, which is why it has continued to remain present throughout my adolescence, young adulthood, and present-day (my older young adulthood years!). When my husband and I were dating, we loved staying in and playing games together. Gaming was also one of the ways that made quarantine during the height of COVID more tolerable.
How Parents and Kids Can Bond Over Video Games
As a parent of a five-year-old and a seven-year-old, we fostered a love of video games from a very young age and now have two additional gamers. We have used family gaming to stay connected and bond. Now, instead of our kids waking up early on the weekends for Saturday morning cartoons (anyone else used to love the show Bobby’s World?), my kids run to the living room for Saturday morning video games. Obviously, we know video games are entertaining and yes, it is technically screen time, which I know as parents we are all trying to be mindful of, but are there benefits to video games with your kiddos? You bet! Joining your child with activities they like will bridge the gap in their world and strengthen bonds between you and your child by giving them a natural communication platform.
Video Games Help Kids Learn Problem-Solving and Motor Skills
Parents can also use video games as a tool to pose complex philosophical and moral questions to create a dynamic context for learning and development. For example, character behavior in video games can bring up questions and responses on acceptable choices and the consequences that ensue after such actions. Video games also provide an opportunity for you and your child to work together. When a level is puzzling, you and your child will have to work together to try and solve the problem. In my case, I am usually no help to my kids beating the tough boss or making it past that difficult jump. When you start their love of video games early, their gaming skills will likely surpass yours after a few years (although, I still crush them at Just Dance). The point is you are trying together; you are “oohing” and “aaahing” together, and you are laughing together. Video games can also have a slew of benefits for a child’s development such as enhancing multi-tasking, memory, and hand-eye coordination as well as helping lay the foundation for learning strategy and analytic risk and reward. So, are you on board yet? Let’s get to the games then! Here is a list of the best multiplayer games for kids.
The Best Multi-Player Video Games for Families
The list below contains the best co-op and multiplayer games for young children. These games are great for siblings and friends to play together as well as parents. Let’s just go ahead and start with all the best Nintendo Switch games. As a huge Nintendo and Mario Bros fan, it is no surprise that many of the Nintendo games will make the cut for this list. Not only because of my bias, but Nintendo just knows what they are doing when it comes to family-friendly games. With their brightly colored levels and perfectly suited background music, many of the Nintendo games exude uber positivity, and who doesn’t love that?
Best Nintendo Switch Games for Kids
1. Mario 3D World + Bowser’s Fury
This 3D Mario takes everything you loved about the classic 2D side scroller but opens it up to a whole new multiplayer world where everyone can play at the same time. Mario and his friends can use fun power-ups such as turning into a cat with a super bell, climbing up walls, and scratching. This game has dozens of color stages to explore and pounce through. This game can be played with the whole family, up to four players, and is excellent for siblings or parents and children. Rating: E (Everyone) Max Players: 4 User Score (from www.metacritic.com): 89/100
2. Super Mario Party Superstars
This is a perfect party game for a family fun night. It contains the original board game style layout with some more engaging features such as dice blocks for each character, chances for allies, and other built-in elements to make each turn exciting. The mini-games are a hoot to play with your kids and some of them work with fine motor skills and physical engagement. Sometimes you will be on the same team and other times you will be competing against each other. Rating: E (Everyone) Max Players: 4+ User Score (from www.metacritic.com): 76/100
3. Super Mario Bros U Deluxe
Classic Mario Bros update to the Nintendo Switch. All the familiar nostalgia classic of the 2D side scroller, so it is easier to navigate than a 3D game. The screen becomes a bit too hectic if there are more than four players, but then again, it adds to the fun. Rating: E (Everyone) Max Players: 4 User Score (from www.metacritic.com): 80/100
4. Mario Kart 8 Deluxe
Super fun and a low-key racing game that the whole family can enjoy. You can race using any character and, on any track, including all the original favorites, as well as new editions to this game. Power blocks will give you certain boosts and power-ups to help in your laps. In this racing game, there is a new smart steering feature that allows for easier controllability for novice or young players. Rating: E (Everyone) Max Players: 4+ online multiplayer Score (from www.metacritic.com): 92/100
5. Super Mario Odyssey
Mario journeys in a brand-new 3D world and storyline which allows for some fun new functionality such as throwing Mario’s hat with some colorful visuals! Offering the same sandbox player style as Super Mario 64, meaning, the player can roam about the levels and worlds. Rating: E10+ (Everyone 10 years and older) Max Players: 4+ Score (from www.metacritic.com): 97/100
6. Super Smash Bros Ultimate
This is a great family-friendly style game where players can pick between numerous beloved Nintendo characters for some easy gaming fun. As the name suggests, this game is simply about battling the opponent in this fast-paced combat style game with new items and features than the last. Rating: E10+ (Everyone 10 years and older) Max Players: 4+ User Score (from www.metacritic.com): 93/100
7. Scribblenauts Mega Pack
This is the perfect game to play with your child, as it is filled with fun and challenging puzzles where you can your child can work together. Maxwell, the character in the game consistently runs into people with problems that you need to solve, the more imaginative you are the better. You and your child can customize each solution by creating items you type in. Remember, there is more than one answer to the question. This is just the type of game to help strengthen that child/parent bond. Rating: E10+ (Everyone 10 years and older) Max Players: 2 User Score (from www.metacritic.com): 76/100
8. Just Dance 2022
Another game for the whole family to enjoy and one of my personal favorites, next to Mario Bros. This game features all the newest and hottest songs. It allows you to access several songs for free or for a small fee, you can pay for the unlocked version to access 100s of songs spanning different genres. What’s great about this, they have a separate category for kid-friendly songs, and all the dances are given a rating from easy to difficult. Just make sure everyone has plenty of space in the living room! I have been known to get wild with my arm movements and swing at anyone in my way, just ask my kids. Rating: E10+ (Everyone 10 years and older) Max Players: up to 8 User Score (from www.metacritic.com): 83/100
9. Animal Crossing New Horizons
A great game for siblings or friends to play together. This open-ended world is a social simulation and is deemed a “communication game” by Nintendo. The player explores a deserted island while you make a new life for your character by choosing between several activities such as; crafting, gardening, homesteading, etc. Rating: E (Everyone) Max Players: up to 8 User Score (from www.metacritic.com): 90/100
10. Splatoon 2
A great family-friendly game featuring four-on-four multi-player action, divided into two teams in an arena. The objective of this “person shooter” game is to cover as much of the opposing team’s surface space with your color paint while blotting out the opposing team’s paint on your space. Characters can turn into squids to swim all around walls and floors in the paint. Simple and fun concept making this a great family game. Rating: E10+ (Everyone 10 years and older) Max Players: up to 8 User Score (from www.metacritic.com): 83/100
11. Kirby and the Forgotten Land
This Kirby game is a blast for the whole family. Kirby can explore a 3D prehistoric civilization that has left mysterious structures to investigate. In this game, you can copy the characteristics of your enemies to use them against them. Most importantly, Kirby is just the cutest to look at! How can you go wrong with a giant pink puffball? Rating: E10+ (Everyone 10 years and older) Max Players: 2 User Score (from www.metacritic.com): 85/100
12. Minecraft
This is a great game for siblings and friends. The game premise is pretty simple, create and destroy various blocks. However, depending on the avatar you pick, you can either create or destroy blocks allowing for elaborate and creative structure building. Rating: E10+ (Everyone 10 years and older) Max Players: up to 10 User Score (from www.metacritic.com): 86/100
Best Multi-Console Games: (Including Xbox One, Playstation, PC, and Nintendo Switch)
13. Portal 2
Portal 2 is a first-person perspective co-op challenging puzzle game. At first, it can be pretty confusing, but once you get the hang of it, the puzzles are exciting and mind-bending. By using portals to manipulate space and solve puzzles, this is a great way to introduce your child to physics, cause and effect, as well as puzzle solving in one’s own pace. Fun fact, this was the very first game my daughter beat on her own, at the age of six and I still don’t understand this game! A great game for siblings to play together or for parent and child to play together. Rating: E10+ (Everyone 10 years and older) Max Players: 2 User Score (from www.metacritic.com): 95/100 Where to Get: Can be played on the PlayStation and XBOX. You can download the game here.
14. Unravel 2
In this co-op game, you play as a “yarny” (a character made of yarn) and it is an adventurous puzzle game. Most of the puzzles require the players to work cooperatively to solve them. For example, one “yarny” will need to stand on one side of the fallen branch and the other “yarny” will jump down creating a catapult to launch the original “yarny” on a high ledge. The “yarny” that was launched up will then need to lower its yarn for the other “yarny” to climb up. Rating: E (Everyone) Max Players: 2 User Score (from www.metacritic.com): 81/100 Where to Get: Can be played on PlayStation and XBOX and can be purchased here.
15. Rocket League
Super fun and easy family game. In this game, you are essentially playing soccer with cars, and you can bump and crash the cars out of your way to try and score the goal. Unravel 2 includes plenty of fun ariel maneuvers and exciting last-minute quests to keep the whole family at the edge of their seat. Rating: E (Everyone) Max Players: up to 8 User Score (from www.metacritic.com): 86/100 Where to Get: Can be played on PlayStation, XBOX, and Nintendo Switch and can be downloaded here.
16. Overcooked! 2
This is a great game for a parent and child to play as there will need to be a leader to call out the shots to get the orders placed on time. This is a game about cooking. At the top of the screen, you will have orders that come in, you will need to follow the instructions to cook the dish, then serve it on the conveyer belt within a certain time frame to avoid dings. Playing Overcooked requires collaboration and communication to ensure meals are cooked with the proper ingredients and served on time. My husband and I got through 2020 with this game and it was such a blast. Now, my daughter loves playing it with me. Rating: E (Everyone) Max Players: up to 4 User Score (from www.metacritic.com) 81/100 Where to Get: Can be played on PlayStation and XBOX and can be purchased here.
17. Cuphead in the Delicious Last Course
With its charming vintage look and Jazzy musical intro, this game became a fast favorite in our house. Cuphead and Mugman are joined by Mrs. Chalice in a new world filled with charm, magic, new abilities, and difficult bosses. The levels are old school. If you die halfway through but got pretty far, you still have to start back from the beginning. They do show you how far you reached after you die to motivate you to keep trying. Rating: E10+ (Everyone 10 years or older) Max Players: 2 User Score (from www.metacritic.com): 92/100 Where to Get: Can be played on PlayStation, XBOX, and Nintendo Switch and can be purchased here.
18. Rayman Legend Definitive Edition
Rayman and his friends explore an enchanted forest with a tent filled with intriguing paintings. Jumping into each painting allows you to explore a new world of adventures and fun. This is a great game for siblings to play together, my kids love the tenth level that features the rock n’ roll classic song from Ram Jam, “Black Betty.” Rating: E10+ (Everyone 10 years and older) Max Players: 2 User Score (from www.metacritic.com): 84/100 Where to Get: Can be played on PlayStation and XBOX and can be purchased here.
19. LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga
For the Star Wars and LEGO fans out there, this is a fun two-player Lego game for siblings to play through the adventures of Anakin Skywalker. This game features 100s of playable characters and allows players to start the game at any point in the Star Wars timeline, leaving this an open world of fun. Rating: E10+ (Everyone 10 years and older) Max Players: 2 User Score (from www.metacritic.com): 82/100 Where to Get: Can be played on PlayStation, XBOX, and Nintendo Switch and can be purchased here.
20. JUJU
Even though this is an old game from 2014, I wanted to mention it because finding simple games for siblings to play together can be a challenge. This was one of the first multi-player video games my kids ever played successfully together at the ages of four and six. They loved it and I loved that they had something that they can share that required teamwork. JUJU is a simple game of adventure and challenge with cooperative problem-solving. Plenty of cute characters, and fun color graphics. Younger players will stay engaged and keep coming back or more! Rating: E (Everyone) Max Players: 2 User Score (from www.metacritic.com): 7.4/10 Where to Get: Can be played on XBOX and PlayStation and can be purchased here. Looking for more new video game releases that are fun and family-friendly? Check out: 9 Family-Friendly Video Games Like Elden Ring!
