The Best Nintendo Switch Games For Kids

Animal Crossing: New Horizons strips out all the stress of life and just leaves the everyday pleasures. That’s something anyone can appreciate. It might be a little too chatty and ultimately mundane to hold some young attention spans and reading levels, but then again this is a game where puppies and kitties move in next door. What kid wouldn’t love that? There's even an online black market for all your semi-legal shopping needs.

Rated: E for Everyone

We’ve seen many open-world racing games since the original Burnout Paradise arrived over a decade ago. Arguably, none have come close to topping Burnout’s blistering speed, sheer arcade thrills, and wondrous sense of discovery as you stumble across countless challenges in Paradise City. The lack of licensed cars also means Burnout is free to make crashes as gnarly as possible. It’s the ultimate toy car simulator, now available to take on the road.   

Rated: E10+ for Everyone 10 and Up

Fortnite is the biggest game in the world and an absolute phenomenon among children. It’s only a little uncomfortable that it’s an online battle royale about everyone shooting each other until only one person remains. If your kid isn’t playing Fortnite, it could honestly hurt their social cred. The Switch version is as good a place to hop on as any.

Rated: T for Teen

Super Mario Maker 2 offers an accessible entry point to the world of game creation. But if your budding creator is ready for something a little more hardcore, check out Fuze4. This app gives you intimidating, but robust, tools to make your own games from scratch. Learn to code. Create the art. Iterate on the mechanics. The skills you pick up here will carry over into actual game development. 

Rated: E10+ for Everyone 10 and Up

The Lego video games consistently deliver charming, kid-friendly adaptations of popular franchises, such as Batman, Harry Potter, and Star Wars. However, Lego City Undercover, arguably the most ambitious Lego game yet, doesn’t need some extra brand to stand out. This is an open-world crime game, an only mildly violent Lego take on Grand Theft Auto. Games in this genre are especially great on Switch, because they play well over both short and long sessions. 

Rated: E10+ for Everyone 10 and Up

Luigi’s Mansion 3 turns the green plumber’s ghostbusting antics into a living cartoon that’s one of the most beautiful Switch games to date. What makes it great for kids in particular is the introduction of Gooigi. This slimy doppelganger lets two players travel the entire mansion cooperatively. Gooigi’s invincibility makes him the perfect tool for gamers just getting started, and an opportunity for parents to play along with their kids.

Rated: E for Everyone

Based on sales numbers, basically everyone who owns a Switch already picked up Mario Kart 8 Deluxe. If you haven’t, this is the definitive edition of Nintendo’s gorgeous kart racer with all the DLC tracks and a revamped battle mode. New auto-steering assist features help young players stay on track. As always, the back of the pack is where you’ll get the most powerful items anyway.

Rated: E for Everyone

After Avengers: Endgame, the future is unclear for the Marvel Cinematic Universe. In the meantime, Marvel Ultimate Alliance 3 lets you slam all of your favorite superheroes together in a video game. This action-RPG game has you battling endless goons in iconic Marvel locations with an ever-changing roster of heroes. The recent DLC season pass unlocks access to additional Marvel Knights, X-Men, and Fantastic Four characters.

Rated: T for Teen

Minecraft’s virtual construction sandbox has become Lego for a new generation, and the game enjoys the success that comparison implies. Previously, Minecraft was slightly different on whatever console it was on, with a different codebase and servers. However, these have all since been unified into just one version. 

Rated: E10+ for Everyone 10 and Up

Minecraft games can be about more than just stacking blocks. Minecraft Dungeons is a full-on action-RPG set in a world of Creepers and Endermen. Customize your character with a wide variety of weapons and abilities, from fiery swords to helpful llamas. Team up with friends to beat back the adorable hordes.

Rated: E10+ for Everyone 10 and Up

Did you know that Dig Dug, perhaps the most famous Namco arcade character after Pac-Man, has a son? More than a bizarre bit of gaming lore, Mr. Driller is an under-the-radar puzzle game franchise about digging through colorful blocks while saving oxygen and not getting crushed. Mr. Driller DrillLand is the long-awaited American HD rerelease of the biggest entry in the series, filled with unique events that turn the standard digging mechanics upside down. 

Rated: E for Everyone

New Super Lucky’s Tale proves you don’t need a legacy mascot character to build a great, expressive, new 3D platformer. Originally a virtual reality game, New Super Lucky’s Tale follows in the footsteps of Super Mario 64 and Banjo-Kazooie. Jump around great big playgrounds to look for secrets, stomp bad guys, and just have fun.

Rated: E for Everyone

Although it's not made by Nintendo, Ninjala very much wants to remind of the company's modern multiplayer phenomenon, Splatoon. Instead of squid kids, you play as ninjas. Instead of shooting ink at the ground and at each other, you beat each other senseless with chewing gum weapons. The quick melee combat may seem a little brainless for players looking for something with more tactical depth, but the game is eye-catching and free to play. 

Rated: E10+ for Everyone 10 and Up

Nintendo was never shy about the fact that its Labo construction sets were targeted toward curious kids. After all, they let you build and program gadgets literally made of cardboard. Nintendo Labo VR Kit is the best of the bunch. It’s a shockingly effective, accessible, and affordable take on infamously expensive and unwieldy VR hardware. Plus, the new programming tools let kids’ imaginations go wild designing games of their own.

Rated: E10+ for Everyone 10 and Up

Pokemon games are a storied institution when it comes to childhood gaming. Pokemon Sword and Shield are the current flagship entries for the Nintendo Switch, and the first to really take advantage of the extra power of a modern home console. Gone are the days of looking at tiny sprites. In this fake England, not only are the landscapes massive, but so are the Pokemon themselves. DLC expansions blow out the experience even more.

Rated: E for Everyone

It may not have the Lisa Frank art and euphoric “Ode to Joy” remix of PopCap’s classic casual Peggle series, but Roundguard maintains the core fun of shooting a little ball and watching it plunk down a board. In this roguelike, the pegs are enemies you defeat by bouncing into them, and they have their own attacks and properties that make you rethink your approach during a run. Unlock new weapons, armor, and skills to better your odds. 

Rated: E10+ for Everyone 10 and Up

I considered putting Super Mario Party on this list, but that chaotic board game will only tear families apart with its random minigames and dice rolls. Instead, learn to work together with Snipperclips, an adorable budget game about friends cutting each other into the right shapes to solve puzzles. It even looks like a kindergarten classroom.

Rated: E for Everyone

Whether it’s due to irony or a bizarrely dedicated speed-run community, this PS2-era SpongeBob SquarePants game has been lavishly remade in 2020 as SpongeBob SquarePants: Battle for Bikini Bottom Rehydrated. There are times when it's tough to ignore aspects of the controls and design plucked straight from that earlier time. Still, this is the best a SpongeBob game has ever looked, switching between different characters makes for moments of surprisingly varied platforming, and chances are kids care more about hanging out with SpongeBob than experiencing the most cutting-edge gameplay.

Rated: E10+ for Everyone 10 and Up

If you’ve enjoyed Harvest Moon, Stardew Valley, or any other contemporary farming game, you’ll enjoy Summer in Mara. It has the chill oceanic island life of Animal Crossing or Wind Waker. Quests, crafting, and open towns to sail to and explore give the game some RPG-esque structure reminiscent of Rune Factory and Dragon Quest Builders. Heck, the plucky heroine has major Moana vibes. 

Rated: E10+ for Everyone 10 and Up

As far as I’m concerned Nintendo never needs to make another 2D Mario sidescroller again because Super Mario Maker 2 empowers us to make platformers for ourselves. This concept was already genius on the Wii U, but the Switch sequel gives us way more tools and features for creating and sharing our own courses. It also greatly expands the potential size of the community just by being on a more popular system. Classic Mario levels are the closest thing we have to a shared, democratic game design language. So if your kid wants to make video games for a living, this is sincerely a great place to start.

Rated: E for Everyone

Super Mario Odyssey brings Mario’s 3D adventures back to the days of Super Mario 64 and its focus on exploration. Only now you’re exploring hubs as wacky as a land of ghostly hats or a strangely realistic parody of New York City. Mario’s ability to possess items and enemies with his cap is one his coolest skills yet. This game also offers welcoming assist features to let gamers of all skill levels enjoy themselves.

Rated: E10+ for Everyone 10 and Up

I’m one of those people who treats Super Smash Bros. Ultimate as a serious fighting game. I really dig into the mechanics, the specific strengths and weaknesses of each character, and it’s great the game allows for this depth. However, if all you want to do is see a bunch of video game characters pummel each other with crazy items on chaotic stages, Super Smash Bros. Ultimate’s sterling quality and sheer quantity of content won’t disappoint.

Rated: E10+ for Everyone 10 and Up

Just one look at Yoshi’s Crafted World should let you know it’s the perfect Switch game for kids. The cute little green dinosaur is made of fabric and makes his way through textured levels that look like pre-school dioramas. The game encourages you to discover adorable secrets, rather than punish you with precision platforming sequences. If you want, you can even turn on Mellow Mode to have Yoshi safely fly through each level with his wings and flutter jump. 

Rated: E for Everyone

No matter how old you are, there are plenty of great games to play on Nintendo Switch and other consoles. Check out these other lists.

• The Best Nintendo Switch Games
• Play These Nintendo Switch Lite Games
• The Best PC Games