“In a world where it’s impossible to avoid screens and video games, [gaming has] become a rite of passage,” says Lyndsey Garbi, MD, chief medical officer of Blueberry Pediatrics and pediatrician at Northwell Health in New York. “[Kids who play games] won’t be left out of understanding contemporary games and lingo. There are some games that can be educational and help with hand-eye coordination. Some video games help to spark creativity and special interests as well.” Of course, we’re not suggesting that your 5-year-old take up the latest realistic war game. This is a safe and fun pastime only with certain parameters in place. One of the best things about the Nintendo Switch is that a great deal of the games developed for this portable device are appropriate for children. We narrowed down the options for this list using the games’ ratings from the Entertainment Software Ratings Board (ESRB) and considering their educational benefits and entertainment value. Then we got some hot tips from children and their parents. These are the best Nintendo Switch games for kids. This game is great for kids because beginners can enjoy smart steering, so they don’t have to be frustrated by veering off the track. But it won’t get boring later on because the latest Deluxe version offers so many levels and creative ways for experienced gamers to compete with each other. If you have additional controllers, up to eight players can race together locally. And if you have a Nintendo Switch Online account, up to 12 people can connect to compete.  “All the courses are really fun,” says Nate, age 9. “Each one has its own little secret path. The power-ups can really help you. They make the race satisfying. It’s a competition that’s stressful, fun, and satisfying all at the same time. There are lots of fun Nintendo characters to choose from, like Tanoki Mario and the Splatoon characters.” Price at time of publication: $60 The 2023 edition has an updated look that’s been called more realistic, though we think it’s actually more cartoonish compared to the classic style that didn’t show the dancers’ faces. Another addition is a kind of story mode, a playlist with a vague plot woven into the dance videos. Really, most people are here to dance, though, and it becomes quite a workout. The best part about this for kids is that the competition doesn’t have to be the focus: You’ll have just as much fun earning a handful of points as you do getting thousands, no one is ever “out,” and there are no confusing buttons or commands involved. There are also songs with very easy choreography that allow beginners to get the hang of it. “Just Dance is my favorite game because I get to dance, and dancing is my favorite thing,” 6-year-old Shay, a competitive dancer in real life, tells us. “I really want to win [the game]. I try to go to my maximum level when I dance on it. Sometimes there are new moves that I don’t learn in my dance studio. The songs get stuck in my head.” Just Dance 2023, which is a digital-only game, comes with 44 songs, which you’ll be able to dance to while connected to the internet or if you’ve chosen to download all of the songs for offline play. With a Ubisoft account, you can also play along with strangers online or create private groups to compete with friends in their homes. To access more songs, you’ll also need a new Just Dance+ account (free trial month included, then $4 a month or $25 a year), and that will get you 150 songs to start, plus many more promised in the future. Price at time of publication: $60 “The thing is that there’s no limit in Minecraft—unless you crash your server,” 9-year-old JD tells us. “You can make a bunch of mobs fight each other or make roller coasters. I feel proud of myself [when I build things], except when you blow stuff up. I’m all about destruction.” Adds Nate, “You can go crazy with creating stuff. You can make scenes from movies, and you can make a whole palace or a city or a town. You can copy [structures from] your life. It could be like your dream world that you can explore.” Minecraft is also available on various platforms beyond Nintendo Switch and in a number of variations, such as the Dungeons Ultimate Edition. The game allows for multiplayer mode on the same Switch, or you can sign up for a Microsoft account to connect to friends elsewhere and play with them. Price at time of publication: $30 Rachel, a mom of two, shares that New Horizons has had a benefit far beyond escapism for her eldest daughter Lucy, who is 8 now. “I got the newest Animal Crossing before Lucy could read, and she would watch me play,” Rachel says. “I told her I would make a character for her once she could read, so she could play it on her own, and that was actually a big motivator for her to learn to read. She’s picked up the bug and fish species so well that she was able to correctly identify a beetle to a park ranger once, just from her knowledge from the game.” And what does Lucy like about this game so much? “I can decorate my house and my island and buy my own things,” she tells us. “I like to catch bugs and fish to try to fill up my museum. I like the characters who visit my island. I like to find cute villagers to come live on my island, and I like to talk to them.” The social element of Animal Crossing is one that spans generations in Lucy’s family. “I play with my great-aunt Traci,” she says. “She visits my island, and I visit hers. She has a five-star rated island, and she gives me a lot of stuff.” Price at time of publication: $60 Anthony Bean, PhD, a Texas-based licensed clinical depth psychologist who works with gamers, says that the best Nintendo games for kids ages 6 and under are “cartoon-styled games that can help them to bring a sense of accomplishment but [are] not heavily competitive.” Based on the praise we’ve heard from young kids, New Pokémon Snap fits the bill. “Pokémon Snap is a good game for younger kids,” says 9-year-old Jovie, who played it way back in the day. “You take photos. It’s not stressful, and you don’t die.” Price at time of publication: $60 “The story is kind of cheesy, but it’s fun going through obstacle courses,” Nate says. “There are puzzles, and you can get power-ups to unlock secret passages that have coins and Waddle Dees in them. You can get certain power-ups to destroy this wall and suck something up, and then you’ll be the right size and shape to go through a hole where there’s a mini game. You have to figure out what to do next.” Price at time of publication: $60 By no means is this sort of game supposed to take the place of real sports and other forms of physical activity kids need, but it does get players off the couch. “Some activity indoors is better than nothing,” Dr. Garbi tells us of the more active Nintendo games. “And even though it’s screen time, they can be fun and good for exercise.” Price at time of publication: $50 The differences between Scarlet and Violet (sold separately for $60 or together for $120) are going to seem minimal to anyone uninitiated in the Pokémon universe. You’ll get different exclusive Pokémon in each game, and the appearance of Paldea is different, with Scarlet looking old-timey and Violet in a futuristic setting. (Check with your kid before buying one or the other if they seem to be picky about this sort of thing.) But the gameplay is essentially identical: Travel through the land and collect Pokémon that you’ll send into battle on the road or in a gym. You’ll earn money to buy ingredients for picnics (and those meals, along with potions and other objects, help heal the Pokémon) and to customize your avatar. Eventually, you’ll make your way to the academy, where you’ll take your training to the next level with classes. “I like how you have to figure out what’s going on—there’s often a person who tells you information, but then they run off,” Nate tells us after playing for the first time. “I like exploring the world.” While this feels like a very solitary game, there is a multiplayer option, which two to four players can engage in either locally or online with a Nintendo Switch Online subscription.  The release of Scarlet and Violet on November 18, 2022, was met with mixed reviews. Gamers have found several glitches (avatars fall through the ground, Pokémon disappear on occasion) and aren’t pleased with the frame rate of the graphics. Still, we think those are minor issues that kids either won’t notice or will just be amused by when they’re into the game and its story. Price at time of publication: $60 “Splatoon 3” has an offline story-driven game in which you use your inky skills to help fight an underground crime network that has stolen Splatville’s Great Zapfish, which powers the town. But you can also choose to skip the story and go straight to battles and turf wars. In these, you’ll team up in real-time with other players (with a Switch Online membership) and compete to cover the most ground with your team’s ink color. The battles last only three exhilarating minutes, which is very convenient for parents who have heard a whole lot of, “Let me just finish this level,” every time we say gaming time is up. As a reward for your hard work, you can use experience points to purchase new outfits as well as new painting tools. Often in these games, we’ve found that kids’ absolute favorite thing to do is customize the look of their avatars, sometimes spending as much time fiddling with them as they do in any actual gameplay.  “I like the fact that we’re playing against real people and not just robots that do the same moves,” Nate says after playing the game for just a few hours. “Decorating lockers is really fun. It’s like your own home inside this little box.” His one complaint is that some of the written dialogue can be a bit tedious. “In the weapon shop, there’s a super long conversation, and I just want to buy my paint gun and be gone.” Price at time of publication: $60 “It’s interesting that you can switch between avatars; not many games let you do that,” Nate says. “It’s also cool that each character has a special ability. When Rabbid Luigi shoots, it bounces off from one enemy to another. Princess Peach could shoot a whole wide blast. … The story is corny, though.” Price at time of publication: $60 Everything about this game is beautiful—even when Link is falling to his death or freezing, it looks good. But it can be very frustrating for younger players. Nate, who had saved up his allowance money to buy this game, wound up giving up after a couple of weeks. It’s a good one for an older tween or teen to work up to—and for their parents to borrow when they’re done. Price at time of publication: $60 The game is free to download and play but then requires in-game purchases (using something called Vbucks) for new skins (your avatar’s appearance), specialized gliders, pickaxes, and dance moves. And these customizations often wind up being kids’ absolute favorite part of the game.  “It’s more realistic than other games,” 10-year-old Otto tells us. “You can change your skins and get cool characters and accessories and emotes. I talk to friends during the game about if you see enemies or find ‘heals.’ And we talk at school about what happened in the game.” Otto’s mom, Brooke, is also pleased with the social aspect of Fortnite. “I like that he’s expanded and strengthened some friendships at school because they play Fortnite together,” she says. “It’s social, and they chat while playing, which makes it feel more interactive and better than the typical computer or iPad games.” Price at time of publication: Free to download, but there are in-app purchases If you’re considering this for a kid who doesn’t have a sibling old enough to play along, It Takes Two has a very special bonus: You can invite another player to join you for free with a “friend pass” and play online together or side by side. Price at time of publication: $40

What to Look for in a Nintendo Switch Game for Kids

Types of Games

There are too many different genres and subgenres of video games to list in this space, but if you’re not a gamer and are about to start shopping, you may want to familiarize yourself with some common terms used to describe them.

Platform Game: The old-fashioned style of game, like Super Mario, where players move from one platform to the next in a set order, usually after they’ve completed certain tasks or defeated a “boss” (bad guy). Role-Playing Game (RPG): These are adventure games in which the player’s character is part of a story and gains power and abilities as they move through a world, often trying to complete some kind of quest. The Legend of Zelda and Pokémon Scarlet and Violet fall into this category. Many of these games involve a lot of reading, so they can be difficult for younger kids to get into, but they also wind up encouraging kids to read more. First-Person Shooter (FPS): Exactly what it sounds like, a game in which the player sees everything through the eyes of their avatar and has to shoot enemies to survive. There are also third-person shooters, like Splatoon 3, in which the player’s perspective is slightly removed from their avatar, and can see their whole body as they control it. Battle Royale: Games like Fortnite, in which every player has to fight for survival and kill their opponents, and the last person standing wins. Sandbox: This is a term for games like Minecraft and Animal Crossing, where the player has freedom and creative control, and there’s no set goal. There are consequences to their actions, but they can simply hang out, build, and interact with elements of the game in whatever way is most fun to them.  Open World: A style of adventure game in which players can move in any direction and do things in any order. Unlike sandbox games, an open world game may still have stories and goals, but they’re not necessarily linear. The Legend of Zelda and Pokémon Scarlet and Violet have open worlds.

Age Level

This is not just about whether a game is violent—which we’ll get to below—but about whether the game is easy enough, but not too easy, for a child to play.  “The elements that make any game fun and engaging are easy-to-learn controls, based learning which helps to allow the player to acquire a sense of accomplishment, and playing with parents,” says Bean, who helps grown-ups get up to speed on topics like these in his book, “Checkpoints and Autosaves: Parenting Geeks to Thrive in the Age of Geekdom.” “Elements that should be avoided are tasks that are not developmentally appropriate for the child… I would not put a 3-year-old in a game where you have to have high reflexes to continue on, but an easy matching game that is more their speed.” Sompon, a mother of two, found this out the hard way with her 6-year-old son Bryant, who has some motor issues. “We got him Paw Patrol on a Roll last year, and he found it frustrating, as it was hard for him to jump and move on in the game,” she tells us. “We downloaded him Little Mouse’s Encyclopedia, where you explore, and Sir Tincan: Adventures in the Castle, which he also liked.” And yet when we asked Bryant what his favorite game is, he said it was Minecraft, in creative mode, because “you get to build stuff, and you can make stuff inspired by life, like, if I wanted to build a Thai Buddha, I can use gold blocks for that.” So, you may have to do a bit of trial and error to find the games that engage your child the most, but don’t worry too much if a game is frustrating for them at first. Bean says that some frustration is good for kids “to develop abilities to manage themselves appropriately, and this is a key indicator for any child to continue to grow [by] failing in a safe space.”

ESRB Rating

The Entertainment Software Ratings Board (ESRB) has given adults the best tool for judging whether a video game is appropriate for children.  Though it’s technically a voluntary system, all gaming console companies require games to have an ESRB rating to be licensed for their systems, so you won’t be able to buy a game without a rating. The board judges games based on whether they contain elements of concern, such as violence, blood/gore, substance use, sexual themes, and gambling. It also takes into account interactive elements, including whether players are encouraged or required to make in-app purchases, whether the game might share their location, and whether they might wind up interacting with other players remotely, resulting in exposure to uncensored content or communication. The ratings range from E for Everyone up to A for Adults Only (18 and up). All the games listed here are E, E 10+, or T for Teens.

Violence

We wish we could tell you precisely how much, if any, violence in video games is okay for your kid. But the truth is, there are still no hard and fast rules, and everything will be based on the individual. “In a perfect world, I’d say that [violent games] should be banned, and the makers of the games should be held accountable,” Dr. Garbi says. “In reality, I can’t even keep my own son from playing some violent games. Games have ratings, like movies do, so parents should check them. Studies have shown that violent video games can increase a person’s aggressive thoughts, feelings, and behavior. However, it’s debatable whether this correlates with real-world violence.” Again, you’ll have to judge what’s best for your family and your values, and consider having ongoing conversations with your child about the kind of violence that’s occurring in games, whether they’re allowed to play them or they’re wondering why you’re banning something their friends are playing.

Why Trust Verywell Family

Sabrina Rojas Weiss is the senior commerce editor for Verywell Family and Parents.com. She’s been a parenting and lifestyle editor and writer for nine years, following an earlier career as an entertainment journalist. She finally got her son a Nintendo Switch for his ninth birthday, leading to a whole lot of heated, hilarious family games of Mario Kart and Just Dance. Bean also says that the fear that all gamers’ mental health eventually suffers because they lack personal interactions has been overblown. “While many will continue to believe this in order to push a narrative that is built on stigma and lack of evidence-based understanding, there was a study released [recently] from Oxford that was able to prove that claim wrong,” he says. “Video games and screen time are naturally addictive, so limits should be set, game consoles should be kept in common areas, and parents should make sure they know what games their kids are playing,” Dr. Garbi says.  Bean echoes the American Academy of Pediatrics’ advice to create a Family Media Plan in which all members of the household agree to certain rules and limits for their media usage.  “The best answer we can provide when working with families about screen time is to establish what works best for your family dynamics,” he says. “Having a conversation about limits and encouraging the child to be a part of the conversation is exceptionally important. Children and adolescents require guidance and nurturing, of course, but encouraging the child to be a part of the conversation allows them to have a lasting impact and begins their participation in the concept of setting their own limits.” When creating a media plan, Bean suggests that parents explain the reasons behind rules, establish negative and positive consequences for them, lead by example, and remain flexible and open to bending or changing the rules when necessary.