My kids' favourite games
My 6-year-old son and 3-year-old daughter love playing games on PS5 and Switch and here are some of their favourite picks.
Astro Bot
Sony Interactive Entertainment
Buckle up for some epic PlayStation camaraderie, join forces with your favourite PlayStation icons and show the universe that small is mighty in this fresh new Astro adventure, exclusive to PS5 consoles!
Astro Bot was the the love on first sight for every member of our family and it is the first game my son had motivation and patience to finish completely by himself. It's definitely one of the most creative and polished games that I ever played and it's a true masterpiece that anybody can enjoy playing - even a 3-year-old.
Minecraft
Mojang Studios
Minecraft focuses on allowing the player to explore, interact with, and modify a dynamically-generated map made of one-cubic-meter-sized blocks. In addition to blocks, the environment features plants, mobs, and items. Some activities in the game include mining for ore, fighting hostile mobs, and crafting new blocks and tools by gathering various resources found in the game. The game's open-ended model allows players to create structures, creations, and artwork on various multiplayer servers or their single-player maps. Other features include redstone circuits for logic computations and remote actions, minecarts and tracks, and a mysterious underworld called the Nether. A designated but completely optional goal of the game is to travel to a dimension called the End, and defeat the ender dragon.
My son loved Minecraft even before he knew what it was because it was cool among his peers. But it was popular for a good reason. We started by exploration in a creative mode but quickly progress into playing survival mode together as couch coop and it has been our favourite game to play together.
Rayman Legends
Nintendo
Originally thought as an exclusive title, Rayman Legends used the Wii U Gamepad for some functionalities. After going multiplatform, the Wii U and PlayStation Vita versions of Rayman Legends gave the ability to control Murphy in certain stages through touch controls. This interaction was removed from the other versions.
Another platformer on the list. Rayman feels like a playable cartoon in the best way. It is bright, fast, funny, and forgiving enough for kids, while still being beautifully made and genuinely fun for adults too.
Boomerang Fu
Cranky Watermelon
Slice and dice your friends with boomerangs in this frantic physics party game. Join a crew of your favorite foods as you grill, chill and spill your enemies. Discover ridiculous power-ups and stack them together in deadly combinations.
The only PvP game on the list, the perfect way to sort out argument about who is the master of the universe. The controls are simple enough for both kids to join, but the matches are chaotic and clever enough that adults have just as much fun. Short, silly, loud, and always entertaining.
Minecraft Dungeons
Xbox Game Studios
Fight your way through an exciting action-adventure game, inspired by classic dungeon crawlers and set in the Minecraft universe!
Minecraft Dungeons is a Minecraft take on Diablo and it is really well done. You can pick from wide range of difficulties so it's suitable for younger kids as well. My kids love to play coop together.
Crash Bandicoot
Activision
Your favorite marsupial, Crash Bandicoot™, is back! He’s enhanced, entranced and ready-to-dance with the N. Sane Trilogy. Relive all your favorite moments in Crash Bandicoot™, Crash Bandicoot™ 2: Cortex Strikes Back and Crash Bandicoot™ 3: Warped, now in fully-remastered graphical glory!
I played Crash when I grew up and now my kids are playing it, what a timeless game. It is definitely the hardest one from the list and requires a lot of patience. It is colorful, fast, and funny, and even when the levels get frustrating, the kids still enjoy watching, trying again, and celebrating every small win.
Leo's Fortune
Tilting Point
An award-winning platform adventure game where you hunt down the cunning thief who stole his gold. Beautifully hand-crafted levels bring the story of Leo to life, offering a journey full of challenges. Revisit this classic adventure as it celebrates its tenth anniversary.
Leo’s Fortune is a beautiful little platformer with a lot of charm. It looks soft and magical, the controls are simple, and the levels have just enough puzzles and tricky jumps to make kids feel clever when they figure them out. Kids with my wife often take turn on who conquers the obstacle first to earn the right to mock rest of the family.