I'm a gamer. I also live in Canada. It gets cold here, and there are some times where getting the kids out of the house is just not an option.
So, I've turned them into gamers.
And, honestly – it's been great! Not only has gaming been a terrific way to connect with my kids, but it's also a platform to help them learn skills like teamwork, leadership, resilience, and grit while having a ton of fun.
One challenge I've encountered since becoming a dad, though, is finding the right games to play with my kids. I don't want to just sit them in front of any old gacha brainrot – I want something they connect with, that's easy to pick up and fun to play, and where we always know we're going to have a great time. It also has to meet us where we are at: sometimes we're in the mood for competing, sometimes working together, or sometimes just exploring and building.
So, I've put together this guide to help other parents as you explore gaming with your children. Read through it, bookmark it, then come back to it later as you need. The goal shouldn't be to get every game all at once, but, as you play through one game and want to explore others, come back to this page and see what piques your interest. Read, bookmark, boost (if you like!), and enjoy!
Cream of the Crop
Whenever someone asks “What are great games for playing with kids?”, these are always the first I recommend. Easy to pick up, great gameplay, and minimal content any parent would ever need to worry about.
Unrailed
The concept is simple – you're building a rail line through an untouched wilderness, clearing land and gathering two resources to build rail to the next train station. The twist? The train is already rolling down the track!
The game features a great difficulty ramp as the train gets slightly faster with each station, and multiple biomes that each offer unique challenges. Will you make it to the end? Probably not. But the fun of the game is the collaboration – who is getting what resources? Did you grab those rails? What path should we follow? It's a great way to develop collaboration and critical thinking skills with kids, and have a blast doing it.
Concerning content? Not a bit.
Cross-platform play? Buttery smooth across all major platforms.
Wobbly Life
Ever have your kid complain about something (never happens, I know) and you tell them to “get a job”? Now they can!
Wobbly Life is like a kid-friendly open-world game (think Grand Theft Auto, but, like, legal), where kids complete jobs across a city, a secret island, caves, aircraft carrier, aliens, and much, much more. Drive all kinds of vehicles, adopt a pet, buy a house – it's a ton of fun exploring the range of activities available in this world. It's in early access now, but full release has been announced in September 2025 (with a space update!).
Concerning content? Non-graphic death when you enter water (you just go floppy), then respawn back on land.
Cross-platform play? Available on most major platforms (Steam, Nintendo, etc.), but I haven't tried cross-play yet.
Open World Games
Full disclosure – I love generative open world games. I love the starting fresh, finding something new, and the endless possibilities each world offers. This has been a great fit for gaming with my kids, as it gives them room to explore without getting tied down by what they've done before. Here are some of the best.
Minecraft
Have you heard of this one? Might be a little under the radar. A voxel-based open world game with a range of biomes, amazing creatures, and a unique physics system that lets you build whatever you can imagine. But watch out for the monsters that come out at night!
It's super-easy to pick up, but hard to master. You likely won't be playing through the story on this one, but rather spend your time spelunking the caves and building wondrous structures across it's range of biomes. There is also a deep modding store and community for the game, so the possibilities are endless.
Concerning content? There are some elements of fear and cartoon violence here – your kid will scream as they're chased by zombies and giant spiders, then breathe a sigh of relief after cutting them down with their sword. However, it's nothing worse than they'd find in a Minions movie.
Cross-platform play? Look, this game runs great on basically every platform in existence.
No Man's Sky
One of the best sci-fi games ever made, No Man's Sky lets you explore an endless universe planet by planet, system by system. While this is technically a game for grown-ups, it's also a blast with kids, if only to explore all of the different planets, check out the bizarre creatures, and use creative mode to build your own cities in unbelievably gorgeous locales.
Concerning content? You can play the game entirely as a pacifist, or there can be minor violence and fear if you get chased by the robot sentinels or have to shoot down a wandering predator.
Cross-platform play? Terrific across every major system (pun intended).
Starbound
Think of Starbound as a block based, 2D pixelated version of No Man's Sky, complete with expansive exploration, mining, farming, and combat. It may be a little harder to pick up than some of the other games, but once you understand the logic behind the controls and inventory, it offers a universe of possibilities.
It's unfortunately not controller friendly, and really best played on PC with keyboard and mouse for now. However, it's great for some drop-in co-op play on multiple computers.
Concerning content? There is a bit of violence, as combat is common mechanic in the game. That said, you can easily play as a pacifist on peaceful planets after the initial sequence if you'd just prefer just to mine, farm, and build.
Cross-platform play? Simple and works great.
Don't Starve Together
A somewhat macabre entry in the open-world survival genre, Don't Starve Together is still a great time for older kids looking for something different. Along with common mechanics like hunger, crafting, hunting, and farming, there is also an interesting “sanity” mechanic where, the longer you go without sleep, the less sanity you have and the more monsters come out at night. Sleep is important!
Concerning content? There is mild violence (hunting, fighting monsters) as well as creepy fear from the monsters. However, it's not excessive – somewhere between Desmond Cole and Goosebumps.
Cross-platform play? Available on all systems, and I can verify that multiplayer works great on Steam.
Collaborative Games
These games focus on teamwork and collective problem solving to beat the game. Since all of the puzzles or worlds are pre-baked, there tends to be less replay value with the games – but they're great to play through, put down for a while, then come back to a few months or years later.
Pico Park
Looking for simple, colorful, collaborative puzzle game to play with kids of all ages? This is a perfect one to start with. The controls are straightforward, the puzzles are easy to grasp and can only be solved by working effectively together. An absolute blast – highly recommended.
Concerning content? Not a bit.
Cross-platform play? Looks like it's only available on Steam and Nintendo Switch, but works great in both remote- and local-co-op on Steam.
Pikuniku
A close cousin to Pico Park, pretty much all of the same observations apply. Pikuniku's puzzles are a bit more complex, involving switches, doors, some moving objects, but it's easy to see how they all fit together. Overall, though, simply a blast for couch co-op.
Concerning content? Nada.
Cross-platform play? Again, looks like it's only available on Steam and Nintendo Switch, but works great in both remote- and local-co-op on Steam.
Fling to the Finish
You know those three-legged races, where your leg is tied to your partner's leg, and you have to work together to be able to run effectively? Yeah, that's this game, except you are both balls connected by a string, and you can arbitrarily stick to things. So basically the same deal.
Across a range of clever and challenging courses, you and your partner will need to work together to climb up walls, cross pitfalls, and avoid getting would around obstacles. It's a great adventure in problem solving and team work.
Concerning content? Nope.
Cross-platform play? Steam-only for now, but terrific for both remote and couch co-op play.
Lovers in a Dangerous Spacetime
This is a great, multi-player spaceship-management sim in the vein of Void Crew, Pulsar, and Jump Ship, but targeted for the junior set. You and your kids can fly very own customizable spaceship through a 2D universe full of colorful asteroids, space monsters, and other creatures! You will need to take turns managing navigation, shields, and more to accomplish your mission. (And the soundtrack is great!)
A warning: I've had some minor controller assignment issues with a larger number of players – controller would randomly switch in the middle of a game, or control two avatars at a time. However, it works great for a mix of control modes (M+K along with wired and wireless controllers), and is a blast to play.
Concerning content? This game does feature cartoon weapons and destroying cartoon bad guys, and there is some mild stress and fear as you work your way through some more challenging levels.
Cross-platform play? Available on all major platforms, although I've only played it via Steam couch co-op.
Ship of Fools
This is another ship management game for 1-2 players. In a briny cartoon world, you'll navigate your ship past a range of different challenging enemies to stop the Aquapocalypse! The main game cycle focuses on loading/aiming/firing the cannons on board your ship at the various enemies, then using power-ups and upgrades to get progressively further on the map over time. It's a tough game, but lots of fun, especially when your team gets in the swing of things. Great for older kids!
Concerning content? This game features cartoon weapons against cartoon enemies, with mild fear and stress as the battles grow in intensity.
Cross-platform play? Available on all major platforms, although I've only played it via Steam couch and remote co-op (which worked great!)
Competitive Games
While working together is great, sometimes challenging each other is great, too. The games below offer a variety of different family-friendly competition for all skill levels. Be aware, though – all of these games have winners and losers, and so make sure your kids are ready to be either!
Ultimate Chicken Horse
Ultimate Chicken Horse is a 2D platformer with a terrific game loop. First, you add items to the course. Then, you play the course with your friends – first to the end wins. Then, add more stuff, and play again. Success is determined by building a course that you can beat but your opponents can't. Filled with creative traps and challenges, it can go a ton of different directions based on who you're playing with. You and your kids will have a lot of fun exploring the creative possibilities of this game.
Concerning content? While this a cartoon game focused on co-op, there are some mild thematic elements – laser beams, saws, and other environmental weapons will kill characters, with a little splash of blood whenever that happens.
Cross-platform play? Available on all major platforms, although I've only played it via Steam couch and remote co-op (which worked great!)
Boomerang Fu
A super fun, stylized arena fighter, you and your food-themed team battle other food-themed opponents with boomerangs and other weapons on a range of creative courses. Controls are easy to pick-up, battles are fast and chaotic – it's always a blast!
Concerning content? Cartoon violence with silly weapons against, like, anthropomorphic pizza.
Cross-platform play? Available on every major platform, and cross-play works great!
Bopl Battle
Bopl Battle is a fast-paced 2D platform battler in the vein of Smash Bros. However, instead of the focus being on an assortment of pre-built characters, every player gets to customize essentially the same character with a huge array of offensive and defensive weapons, mapped to the controller exactly as you like. The environments can also be manipulated with certain weapons, making every experience unique.
Battles are very fast – you can knock someone out in a few seconds with a well-aimed shot, and it's unusual for a battle to last over a minute. Every round is a blast, though – every time we play this game, my kids and I spend the whole time laughing.
Concerning content? There's a huge variety of cartoon weapons, and you (playing as a slime) get splattered when you're killed. No blood or gore, though.
Cross-platform play? Unfortunately only on Steam for Windows. However, this game was built for couch co-op and controllers.
Racing Games
There are a ton of great, kid-friendly racing games out there, but these two are standouts for me.
Mario Kart
Look – Mario Kart never misses. It's a perfect racing game for all ages and skill levels. Just pick any random Mario Kart game, and it is the best family-friendly racing game of it's era.
The only downside is that it is a Nintendo-exclusive – unless...🏴☠️
Concerning content? A variety of cartoon weapons, but more annoyance than violence when you get hit. If you blow-up or fall off, you just get reset to your last position.
Cross-platform play? Nintendo only, but great for couch co-op.
Beach Buggy Racing 2
This game is like a low-budget Mario Kart – a variety of characters and vehicles that are more...realistic(?) than it's Mario-universe peers, as well as a clever variety of power-ups and courses. And it's available on platforms outside of Nintendo!
The one other thing to recommend this game is it's very deep story mode that ramps difficulty well and challenges players to develop their skills at racing, driving, and combat.
But if you just want couch co-op with a light-hearted combat racer? It's a great choice.
Concerning content? There are a variety of cartoon weapons, including rockets. However, they are more annoying than violent. If you get hit or off course, you just get reset to the course, no muss or fuss.
Cross-platform play? Works great on a variety of platforms (including Android!), and couch co-op is great with controllers.
Farming Sims
There's a multitude of family-friend farming sims available now at a range of price points – these are the two that I've played and recommend.
Stardew Valley
The game that launched a thousand farming-sim clones, this a great experience for kids of all ages. After inheriting a farm from your grandfather, you leave your depressing city job for the rural life. Meet a cast of colorful characters, gather resources, build your farm, enjoy festivals, and maybe meet the love of your life? All in delightful pixel graphics and easy-to-use controls. This game can be as simple or as deep as you would like, and there is always more to explore.
Concerning content? A key mechanic is fighting cartoon enemies in mines with basic weapons. Killing an enemy simply means they disappear and drop some loot, though, so nothing graphic. You can also get killed, but then you just wake up in your house. There are also minor thematic elements in that you can romance other characters and have babies – although, as in life, this is optional.
Cross-platform play? Yep, and it's available on every major platform.
Farming Simulator 22
If you/your kid are into more realistic farming experiences, this one is a great option. Create your own farm in your choice of beautiful locales, plant, harvest, sell, build, all to your heart's content with a range of real world farm vehicles and buildings.
Concerning content? Not at all.
Cross-platform play? Yep, also works great across every major platform.
What did I miss? What would you recommend? I'd love your thoughts – ping me on Mastodon here. Thanks for reading!
I quickly realised I can’t do this without any addons, it would drive me mad. They aren’t the point of this, but I have chosen a short list of what I think of as mandatory ones.
First quest from Sten. Don’t think I’d realised he had such a weird name. He wants me to go kill some wolves, because of course he does!
Looking at my action bar, I never understood why they load up newbie casters with a melee attack on button 1. Then my 3rd spell is only Demon Skin, so I foresee a lot of spamming shadow bolt in my future.
My first kill!
Shadowbolt is a good spell, as far as they go. But I wish I had a few more to play with.
With my first few kills, comes my first bit of upgrade loot, a grey item. Still, it’ll keep my feet warmer than my existing Acolyte’s Shoes.
And after all that, I shall call it a night. Most of my play time was eaten by configuring ElvUI. Thank goodness I still remembered how to do most of it, I’d have seriously run out of patience if I’d not had the benefit of previous years worth of experience.