There are a lot of games to buy this season, but these are the ones your kids are going to want.
It’s the age-old question among parents: what in the heck am I going to get my kids for the holidays this year? What’s the hotness in toys? (Can’t help you there.) What are all the kids playing on their consoles? What is appropriate for them and what isn’t?
(Before we get started, go ahead and refresh yourself on what the ESRB has to say about the different game classifications.)
Spider-Man (PlayStation 4)
Rated T for Teen
Appropriate for: Older kids that can read and are comfortable with a controller already. There’s no blood or lasting violence (outside of a few cutscenes), but it is a challenging game to play if you’re not particularly good with a controller. Play this with a younger child to enjoy swinging through the cityscapes in New York City. Read our full review.
Super Mario Party (Nintendo Switch)
Rated E for Everyone
Appropriate for: Everyone! Super Mario Party is a skill-based game that is relatively easy to get started in. You don’t need to be a whiz with the Joy-Con to be great at Super Mario Party — you just have to try your best. The mini-games are hysterical when played in a group, so it’s the perfect game for the holidays.
Super Smash Bros. Ultimate (Nintendo Switch)
Rated E10+ for Everyone 10+
Appropriate for: Older children that want to play fighting games like Soul Calibur VI, but that M-rating is harshing their mellow. Super Smash Bros. Ultimate is the first full Smash Bros. game that we’ve seen since the Wii, while the play-style is more akin to the Nintendo Gamecube version. (We had a chance to preview Smash Bros. Ultimate recently and loved it!) Younger kids will get a ton of joy out of button-mashing, but it requires skill to beat some of the tougher stages (and older siblings).
Pokemon: Let’s Go, Pikachu! Let’s Go, Eevee! (Nintendo Switch)
Rated E for Everyone
Appropriate for: Children that can read, but younger children can accompany their older siblings on a journey to become a Pokemon Master. It’s multiplayer! This is also great for kids who have been playing Pokemon Go with their parents and want to be able to bring those Pokemon along with them on this journey. Read our full review.
FIFA 19 (Various Platforms)
Rated E for Everyone
Appropriate for: Older children that can read. FIFA has always been a solid series and it gets better every single year. We’re not sports games players on SuperParent (yet!) but Eurogamer has a great review of everything you need to know about FIFA 19.
For the most part, a lot of these games are fantastic. Unfortunately, they’re all rated M, which means that the content is likely violent, sexual, or inappropriate in some other way. While your kids might beg and plead, look the other way and check out our other recommendations, instead.
Red Dead Redemption 2
Rated M
Read our Play This, Not That.
Call of Duty: Black Ops IIII
Rated M
Play This, Not That: Fortnite Battle Royale, PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds, Overwatch
Battlefield V
Rated M
Unfortunately, there aren’t that many options available for T-rated first person shooter games out there, especially in the World War II era. Most of them are old (2002-2006), so it’s not much use.
Play This, Not That: Fortnite Battle Royale, PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds, Overwatch
God of War
Rated M
Read our Play This, Not That.
Assassin’s Creed: Odyssey
Rated M
Play This, Not That: Horizon Zero Dawn, Batman Arkham Series, Octopath Traveler
Shadow of the Tomb Raider
Rated M
Play This, Not That: Horizon Zero Dawn, Tomb Raider Anniversary, Lara Croft and the Temple of Osiris
