SuperParent's guide to the best kid- and teen-friendly games on Microsoft's latest consoles.
The Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S were released on November 10, 2020.
Xbox’s latest video game consoles support a wide variety of games with ESRB ratings ranging from E for Everyone to M for Mature. If you’re interested in picking up an Xbox Series X or S for the younger gamers in your family, here are some of the best kid-friendly games to pick up along with it (listed in no particular order).
Before we begin, remember that the Xbox Series X and S offer backwards compatibility, meaning that they’ll be able to play Xbox One games and backwards compatible Xbox 360 and original Xbox games. You may notice that some of the games on this list were originally released on Xbox One, but since they can be played on Xbox Series X and S, we’ve included them here as well.
We’ll update our list as the Xbox Series X / S game library grows in the coming months and years, so make sure to bookmark this page to keep up with our latest recommendations!
To learn more about the Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S (and the differences between the two consoles), check out our guide.
Peppa Pig: World Adventures
Rated E for Everyone
This latest video game inspired by the Peppa Pig children’s series allows players to become a new animal friend in Peppa Pig’s world. Players can travel with Peppa’s family to eight destinations around the world (like New York City, London, and Australia), where they can complete short and simple activities such as making a pizza, playing with a boomerang, and creating a flower bouquet. If your littles can’t get enough Peppa Pig, we recommend checking out the My Friend Peppa Pig video game as well. You can learn more about Peppa Pig: World Adventures in our review.
Disney Dreamlight Valley
Rated E for Everyone
This life simulation game allows players to create a new life for themselves in a magical world inhabited by Disney and Pixar characters. Players can befriend characters like Mickey Mouse, Buzz Lightyear, and Moana, and complete a wide variety of quests alongside these characters. In addition to completing quests, players can go fishing, mine for gems and other resources, grow crops, cook dishes, and more. Disney Dreamlight Valley is regularly updated with new quests, characters, and other content, so players will have new experiences to look forward to as they play.
As of this writing, Disney Dreamlight Valley is available in Early Access on Xbox consoles, which means players can purchase one of the game’s three “Founder’s Pack Editions” in order to play it. The game is also available to play in Early Access with an Xbox Game Pass subscription. In 2023, Disney Dreamlight Valley will launch out of Early Access as a free-to-play game, meaning players will no longer need to spend money to play the game. While Disney Dreamlight Valley will eventually be a free-to-play experience, the game gives players the option to spend real money on Moonstones, a premium currency that can be used to purchase optional in-game content. Players have the option to purchase Moonstones even if they’ve already purchased a Founder’s Pack Edition of the game. You can learn more about Disney Dreamlight Valley in our First Look for the game.
Crash Team Racing Nitro Fueled
Rated E10+ for Everyone 10+
This family-friendly kart racing game is a remake of the original Crash Team Racing, which was released on PlayStation in 1999. Now, it’s on Xbox One! It stars characters from the popular Crash Bandicoot franchise, who must get behind the wheel on a variety of racetracks in order to protect their planet from the evil Nitros Oxide. Similar to other kart racing games, Crash Team Racing lets players collect items as they race, which they can use to sabotage their opponents or give themselves a temporary boost. Learn more about Crash Team Racing Nitro Fueled in our review.
Spyro Reignited Trilogy
Rated E10+ for Everyone 10+
Spyro Reginited Trilogy contains updated versions of the first three Spyro games that were released on the original PlayStation: Spyro the Dragon, Spyro 2: Ripto’s Rage, and Spyro: Year of the Dragon. Each game is full of colorful and varied platforming levels, which challenge players to help a small purple dragon named Spyro defeat enemies and collect treasures. If you played these games when you were younger, you’ll notice a major difference in the Reignited Trilogy right off the bat: the in-game worlds have been updated with new, modern graphics that give the game a fresh look, while retaining the gameplay we knew from way back when. Learn more in our review.
Paw Patrol The Movie: Adventure City Calls
Rated E for Everyone
Inspired by the 2021 film Paw Patrol: The Movie, Paw Patrol The Movie: Adventure City Calls is an adorable 3D platformer that asks players to help Chase, Marshall, and other pups from the Paw Patrol children’s series complete missions to help the citizens of Adventure City. The game features eight missions to complete, as well as four mini-games that can be played in-between missions. The game doesn’t feature enemies to battle or any harsh obstacles to avoid, making it a great option for very young or new gamers. You can learn more about Paw Patrol The Movie: Adventure City Calls in our review.
Rocket League
Rated E for Everyone
If you haven’t heard of this game yet (REALLY?!?!), let’s sum it up quickly: It’s supercar soccer. The game has been around for ages – it’s readily available on PC and all consoles. You can play together on a couch, against others online…or, one fun suggestion for the family: Let your kid play (solo against AI is always an option) and you do a live shoutcast of the match in the living room like you’re the commentator. To learn more about Rocket League, check out our previous coverage.
Lego Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga
Rated E10+ for Everyone 10+
Lego Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga allows players to play through all nine films in the three Star Wars trilogies, with the in-game world featuring characters, objects, and more that are made out of Lego bricks. As players make their way through each film, they’ll be able to explore large “open-world” areas, as well as linear levels that have set beginning and end points. There’s a ton of content to discover and unlock here — for instance, players can unlock more than 300 playable characters over time. You can learn more about Lego Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga in our review.
Forza Horizon 5
Rated E for Everyone
This high-speed racing game allows players to complete racing events around Mexico and collect hundreds of drivable vehicles. In between races, players can drive around the game’s large open world. Forza Horizon 5 offers lots of accessibility options that users can tweak to suit their preferences (as a couple of examples, players can tweak the game’s difficulty level and the size of on-screen text). The base game of Forza Horizon 5 has plenty of content to keep players busy, and players also have the option to purchase additional content through optional add-ons. For instance, the Hot Wheels expansion allows players to visit the Horizon Hot Wheels Park where they can complete Hot Wheels-inspired events and unlock drivable Hot Wheels vehicles. You can learn more about the Hot Wheels expansion for Forza Horizon 5 in our previous coverage.
Minecraft
Rated E10+ for Everyone 10+
Originally released back in 2011, Minecraft lets players mine cubes, gather resources, craft items, and build whatever they can dream up. While Minecraft definitely it’s new, the game is regularly updated with new content, giving players fresh items to discover and incorporate into their building projects. Plus, the Minecraft franchise has grown to include multiple spin-off games, giving players even more chances to embark on adventures in this blocky world. For instance, if your kids are looking for more of a challenging gameplay experience, we recommend checking out the dungeon-crawling adventure game Minecraft Dungeons (it’s also rated E10+ for Everyone 10+). You can learn more about Minecraft Dungeons in our review.
Slime Rancher
Rated E10+ for Everyone 10+
Slime Rancher was originally released way back in 2016, but the game is just as fun to play now as it was years ago. In Slime Rancher, players become a rancher named Beatrix LeBeau, who takes over a slime ranch in the “Far, Far Range.” Players will be able to collect, feed, and breed a variety of slimes, like Pink Slimes, Tabby Slimes (they look like cats), and Phosphor Slimes (they glow), among many others. As players take care of their slimes, the creatures will generate “Plorts,” which can be sold to make in-game money. The more players progress, the larger their ranch can become, the more slimes they can care for, and the more Plorts they can generate. Slime Rancher is one of our favorite family-friendly games here at SuperParent, and we really can’t recommend this one enough.
