10. Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl
A game that instantly broke the internet when it launched, if the idea of making Spongebob, Aang from The Last Airbender, Danny Phantom and Catdog knock the stuffing out of each other sounds like exactly your kind of nonsense, then welcome home. The clearly Smash Bros inspired fighting mechanics make it easy to pick up and hard to put down - it’s the perfect game to pull out when your friends come over,
9. Minecraft Dungeons: Hero Edition
The tried and tested formula of working your way through dungeons while slaying fantastical beasts has been around almost as long as gaming itself. Now younger players can join in the fun with Minecraft Dungeons: Hero Edition, which takes the concept into the family-friendly block world of Minecraft. The Hero Edition comes with all cosmetic add-ons and available DLC, meaning you can hack and slash to your heart’s content.
8. SpongeBob SquarePants: Battle for Bikini Bottom – Rehydrated
A complete remake of the original 2003 game, SquarePants: Battle for Bikini Bottom – Rehydrated is a welcome return of a beloved franchise, and a worthy remake of the best Spongebob game ever made. THQ Nordic have done a great job in making some of the most vibrant, beautiful levels ever found in a platformer, and there’s enough variety to keep you from ever getting bored. It’s dripping with all the charm that made the show iconic, and that alone makes it worth playing for gamers of any age.
7. Crash Bandicoot 4: It's About Time
If you’re buying games for your kids, there’s a good chance you’re familiar with Crash Bandicoot yourself. These classic Playstation blockbusters have been remastered and released together - and it’s just as silly, loud and zany as ever. With three crazy games in one, there’s a lot of bang for your buck. It’s still easy to pick up, but hard to master. Your kids will love it as much as you did.
6. Transformers: Battlegrounds
Transformers: Battlegrounds serves as a great introduction for younger players looking to get into more strategy minded games. It teaches all the basic mechanics that will serve them well as they go on to more advanced titles later down the line. Set in the same universe as the Transformers: Cyberverse animated TV show, it’s dripping with colour, charm and comedy and will delight players of all ages.
5. Spyro: Reignited Trilogy
Remasters continue to be fantastic games to buy your kids because they love them for all the same reasons we loved them when we were growing up. Spyro is console platforming at it’s finest, and this remaster has improved every jump, every glide and every charge while keeping that signature Spyro attitude. Spyro: Reignited is, of course, also three games in one - meaning it’s got hours and hours of engrossing single-player fun to enjoy.
4. Overcooked 2
Few games in recent memory are more delightful to play than Overcooked, and the sequel is even better. This cutesy cooking game has you control small chibi characters as they run back and forth cooking increasingly tricky recipes in increasingly wacky kitchens. Local co-op is the ideal way to play, and bumping into each other is bound to cause some rifts in the room. With timed missions, the busy kitchen quickly gets chaotic - and hilarious.
3. Ratchet & Clank
It might follow the same story as the original, but Ratchet and Clank for PS4 is a totally different game. With silly jokes that wink and nod to all ages, a large roster of insane weapons to clear levels with and some tricky puzzle platforming thrown in, this game truly is the apex of all the games in this series that came before it. One of the best and most accessible games on the console.
2. Sackboy: A Big Adventure
Who doesn’t love Sackboy? The icon of the LittleBigPlanet series finally gets his own game, in which you have to guide the adorable little ruffian through a challenging platforming adventure. Tasked with saving the Craftverse, you’ll have to jump, stop baddies and solve puzzles in order to succeed, all against the backdrop of a charming, handmade world. With plenty of variety and bonus levels on offer, Sackboy offers something for younger and more experienced players alike.
1. Minecraft
Minecraft is the biggest kids phenomenon since Pokémon. Beneath the blocky simplistic graphics, Minecraft offers engaging gameplay centred around the reward of creativity and hard work. In Adventure, there’s a focus on combat, and you’ll craft defences and fortresses to protect your creations from monsters. Multiplayer encourages you to build and survive together and makes the world more vibrant and alive. If you’re looking for a project you can play together, look no further.
