Is your kid looking for something to play on Xbox One?
Best Xbox One Games for Kids Windows Central 2019
Xbox isn’t just for the big boys and girls. It’s great for kids too! If you’re unsure which Xbox games are suitable for younger gamers, we’ve got you covered. These games are suitable for kids of all ages, but we noted the few that might be more difficult and better suited for older boys and girls. These are all non-violent, super fun games that prove gaming can be for everyone. Here are our picks for the best Xbox One games for kids today.
For the uninitiated, Minecraft is effectively virtual Lego, but it’s so much more than that. Minecraft leans heavily on exploration, team play, cooperation, and creativity. Kids will find the emergent gameplay exciting, resulting from the game’s procedurally-generated maps. If survival mode is too stressful, Minecraft also has a passive creative mode to let your imagination really come to life.
Staff pick
Kingdom Hearts 3 is an epic brand mashup from Disney and Square Enix, combining the worlds of Final Fantasy and some of Disney’s biggest franchises. Teaming up with Donald Duck and Goofy, Sora battles across various Disney worlds meeting some of the company’s most famous characters.
Riverbond is an accessible action RPG with gorgeous pixel-style visuals set in a vibrant, colorful world. With local co-operative play for up to four friends, Riverbond is an easy-going, if fast-paced game ideal for playing together with younger relatives.
Super Lucky’s Tale is an adventure platformer featuring Lucky, a charming young fox on a mission to save his world. Players will explore a vibrant, colorful world full of intriguing characters, light puzzles, and collection mechanics as you attempt to thwart the nefarious Jinx.
The Spyro Trilogy remasters classic platforming games featuring the eponymous purple dragon, with attitude. Spyro games are full of light-hearted, memorable characters, fun platforming missions, and simple puzzles, and this pack comprises three games, which should hold a youngster’s (and frankly, an adult’s) attention for quite some time.
Sonic was a staple of ’90s video gaming, and while his popularity has declined, Sonic Mania recreates everything that was great about the original games with some modern flair. Focused on rapid platforming, action gameplay, this is a title that games of all ages will be able to appreciate.
Slime Rancher is a super cute farming simulation game with an edge of sci-fi fun. In Slime Rancher, your job is to cultivate a slime farm in outer space. You grow specific foods to meet the needs of specific slimes, explore large alien sandboxes, discover new cute slimes to wrangle back to your customizable farm, all while trying to turn a profit. Slime Rancher is a fun and light game for players of all ages.
Cities: Skylines is a non-violent city management game that is as beautiful and vibrant as it is challenging and rewarding. In Cities, your job is to construct the city of your dreams, while managing sewage, electricity, citizen happiness, facilities, and more. Cities: Skylines is perhaps better suited for slightly kids, but if you are a parent playing with a youngster, Cities: Skylines could be a fun educational tool.
Oceanhorn is as close as you’ll ever get to a tried and true Legend of Zelda game on Xbox One, and it’s a worthy substitute! In Oceanhorn, you’re on a hunt for your missing father, armed only with a mysterious necklace and your father’s old journal. To find out the truth, you must explore the islands of the Uncharted Seas, which are brimming with opportunities for exploration, combat and puzzling.
Terraria is a bit of a phenomenon in its own right, appearing in Minecraft’s wake back in 2011. Despite its age, Terraria has proven to have incredible staying power, picking up piles of updates which enhance its retro RPG, survival, craft ’em up hybrid gameplay. There are tons of items to find, with over 1,300 crafting recipes, and more than a dozen bosses to hunt and kill for unique loot.
Just Dance 2019 is the latest installment of the hit family game that will help keep kids active while having fun! It’s a very physically involved game — you install an app on your Android or iOS phone, hold it and dance your heart out with it tracking your movements. Scores are awarded for the most accurate recreations of various on-screen dance routines.
Unravel tells the heart-warming tale of Yarny, a creature made entirely of string. In Unravel, you must guide multiple Yarny characters on a quest through dangerous lands. Using your string-bound body as a tool, Yarny can swing from trees, pull objects and even hitch a ride on the wind in this completely non-violent game, in single-player or two-player local co-op.
Another one for the older kids, Overwatch is a family-friendly multiplayer shooter that rewards teamwork above all else. As a class-based shooter, players must work together to overcome the enemy across various six-versus-six objective-oriented game modes. Overwatch’s colorful cast of Pixar-style characters is unique in various ways and it synergizes with other players’ abilities and skills.
Plants vs. Zombies Garden Warfare 2 is a third-person shooter based on the popular tower defense game. You can play as dozens of plant and zombie types from across the series, taking on various roles such as sniping, healing, and even stealth assassination. It has tons of game modes, both against players and CPU-controlled enemies, making it a high-value package for, possibly, hundreds of hours of play.
Overcooked 2 is a wonderful local co-op game for up to four players that is as fun as it is vibrant and unique. Guide four chefs who are the final stand between the Ever Peckish monster and the destruction of the world. Players must work together to satisfy the hunger of the beast, but first, they need to hone their skills across various eclectic kitchens in a beautiful and colorful world.
One game that parents and older relatives should look into for older children is Stardew Valley. Stardew Valley is an easy-going RPG with simulation elements. To escape the monotony of his nine-to-five office life, the main character takes over his grandfather’s derelict farm to reconnect with nature and a sense of community.
Games make great kids gifts
There are hundreds of kid-suitable games out there, and these are some of the best, but the undisputed king of kid’s gaming is Minecraft. Recently confirmed as the best-selling game of all time, Minecraft provides infinite fun for kids and adults of all ages. Not only can it be challenging and thrilling, but it’s also highly creative, allowing kids to embrace their imagination. Minecraft is a truly magical game that likely won’t be unseated for a long time.
Kingdom Hearts 3 remains a hot item for youngsters, with accessible gameplay, tons of Disney cameos, and vibrant visuals. Set in a magical universe where major Disney worlds collide. The game’s accessible action RPG combat is a delight for fans of all ages, and while the overarching story is a little hard to follow, that doesn’t stop the game being evocative and fun.
The Spyro Trilogy has also been very well received, with fully recreated visuals and modernized gameplay. Spyro is a pint-sized dragon with a big heart, tasked with defeating the Gnasty Gnorc, who has captured a range of elder dragons. Solving puzzles, battling monsters, and collecting items make Spyro a light-hearted and unforgettable experience that fans have enjoyed for over 20 years.
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