It’s no secret that the Nintendo family of consoles has been deemed the most family-friendly of the big three, and the Nintendo Switch is no exception. But with games such as Bayonetta, Apex Legends, and Dark Souls on the platform, it’s getting a little tougher to navigate what games are good for a younger audience.
Fear not! We’ve got you covered. Here are 10 Nintendo Switch games that are great for kids.
Best Nintendo Switch games for kids
If the kids are younger, and you are looking for titles that would make a good first video game, these are two great choices with very simple game mechanics.
Mario Kart 8 Deluxe
The Mario Kart games have very little text and are mostly just racing. You get to customize your car and choose your favorite Mario character. It is competitive at times, but never violent. The colors are bright and colorful and perfect for keeping a younger kid’s attention.
Pokemon Let’s Go Pikachu and Eevee
While there is some reading involved, the Let’s Go set of Pokémon games overall is much simpler than the main series games. You don’t need to battle the wild Pokémon you find, but you still catch them. You can also spend time with your Pikachu or Eevee and dress them up in cute outfits.
Reading Comprehension Required
These titles are great for kids of any age, but it is important to note that good reading comprehension is required. For some kids, this inspires them to increase their reading comprehension far faster than their peers. Other children may instead find themselves put off and frustrated by the amount of text in these games.
Super Mario Odyssey
The Super Mario platformer titles have always had many exciting worlds, but this is even more true for Odyssey. Most of the missions are written down or given via hints. It’s important to have a good handle on reading, or playing with someone who does so they know where to go or what to do.
Pokemon Sword and Shield
The main series Pokémon games are fantastic for kids with a good handle on reading. You collect Pokémon, clothes, items, and more, traveling through the exciting land of Galar on a quest to become the next Pokémon champion, but there is also a different legend unfolding on this journey.
Creative Choices
These games are perfect for helping sculpt a young mind to be creative and make their own worlds, home, and choices. They encourage design and create an experience that puts the kid in control of how to play the game.
Animal Crossing: New Horizons
Animal Crossing has been the breakout success of 2020, and this game is great for kids. You go to your own deserted island and turn it into a thriving paradise you create. You can catch fish, bugs, and sea creatures, make friends with cute animal villagers, and even upgrade your house!
Minecraft
Minecraft has been around for over a decade now, but with every update, it only gets better. It’s a creative game that allows you to explore, build, and play how you want. You can play in creative mode and just build things, or survival mode where you gather, build, and fight your way to victory.
Older Kids
If the kids in question are older, around the ages of 8 to 12, you can add some harder games without fear of them being too distraught in the spikes. Parents should note that, with these games, kids are more likely to start searching on the internet for strategies and secrets — meaning this is an ideal time to introduce safe browsing strategies.
Super Smash Bros. Ultimate
Choose your character! The Super Smash Bros. games are a collection of many different Nintendo characters and some characters from other franchises, all thrown into the same game to battle. They fight each other and try to knock each other off of different levels of various sizes.
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
In this open-world adventure, you play at the hero Link and focus on the main mission at hand, or explore the newly imagined world of Hyrule. The combat in this game is more difficult than something like Mario, but nothing that an older kid couldn’t manage.
Online Play Required
These titles are also only recommended for older kids but on the older side of ‘older.’ The main reason being that these games encourage or require online play, but it’s still the Nintendo platform — parents shouldn’t find themselves overly concerned about trash talking or adult content.
Splatoon 2
Splatoon 2 is a fight to the faux death in a paintable arena. Morph between a kid and a squid playing as an inkling and fighting for the top spot. The colors in this game are bright and inviting. Instead of fragging each other with bullets and guns, the characters use paint, making a colorful (if messy) battlegrounds. Perfect for kids.
Fortnite
Fair warning: This game is rated T for Teen. It has weapons in it, and players use firearms, grenades, and melee weaponry to eliminate other players. That said, it is much more cartoon-like than most of the other titles in the Battle Royale genre. This game is very popular with children, but be warned: the free-to-play monetization strategy may result in recurring purchases as long as your child is playing this, or at least consistent begging.
