The best Switch games for kids
From first platformers to strategy for older kids. We've sorted the Switch games by age and by whether your child will play alone or with someone.
A good kids' game on Switch is easy to pick up, forgives dying a little too often and gets better when a sibling or parent grabs the second controller. These are the games we would give children of different ages, with a note on what each one asks of them.
The youngest, around 4 to 7
Simple goals and lots of movement work best at this age. Just Dance 2024 is just holding a Joy-Con and dancing along with the figure on screen, and up to six can join at once. Nintendo Switch Sports has bowling, tennis and football played with motion controls, so it makes sense to kids who have never held a controller. Team Sonic Racing is kart racing in teams, with four players on one screen. Sonic Mania is classic 2D Sonic with bright levels, and an adult can jump in as Tails to help.
The middle years, around 7 to 10
Now kids can read a bit and stick with things longer. The LEGO games are the safest bet: the humour works for kids and adults, you can't really lose, and two can play together the whole way. LEGO City Undercover is a whole city to explore as police officer Chase McCain, LEGO Jurassic World covers the first four dinosaur films, and LEGO Marvel Super Heroes 2 has more than a hundred heroes. SpongeBob SquarePants: Battle for Bikini Bottom – Rehydrated remakes the classic, playing as SpongeBob, Patrick and Sandy.
Games the whole family can play together
Overcooked! 2 and Moving Out are made for one sofa. In the first you cook in ever more chaotic kitchens, in the second you carry sofas and fridges out of houses against the clock. Both work well with four players, and both get funnier the more you shout at each other. Rayman Legends lets four run through each level at once, so stronger players can help the youngest along.
For older kids, around 10 to 12
Older kids often want something to think about. Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle and Sparks of Hope are turn-based strategy where Mario and the chaotic Rabbids plan every move. Immortals Fenyx Rising is a big adventure in Greek mythology with puzzles, flying and combat. Two Point Hospital lets them run a hospital full of made-up, silly illnesses, for kids who like building and organising. Sonic Frontiers gives Sonic a large open world to run around in.
Three things parents should know
- 1The Nintendo Switch Parental Controls app lets you set time limits and restrict which games can be started, from your own phone.
- 2Games arrive as a code by email. You redeem it in the Nintendo eShop on your child's console and the game downloads straight away. The code is tied to the account it's redeemed on.
- 3Most Switch games also run on Switch 2, so a Switch code isn't wasted if the family upgrades later.
