Eight video games that may let you win against the kids!

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You might be a master of board games or an expert in Monopoly. Or you might always be one step ahead of the kids, whether it’s math homework or bike rides. But you might fear instant loss and humiliation if the kid were to challenge you with a round on the game console.

Games are some of the things that really captivate children and young people. Just about everyone plays games in one form or another. Yes, as many as 3 out of 4, according to the Norwegian Media Authority’s surveys (Children and Media: 2022).

Getting involved in gaming is about acknowledging children’s interests. And instead of the children constantly sitting alone in front of the screen, you can take it in as part of the family cozy time. Many games are just as fun for kids as they are for adults. And you only find out when you have given it a wholehearted try.

Here, we will provide a small list of games that are easy to get started with and everyone can master regardless of background. It is guaranteed to provide enjoyment for both young and old. The children will appreciate that we adults show interest in something they really think is fun and are passionate about.

Imagine the surprise when the father or mother pulls out the controller and says, “Now we’re going to have some game time!”

The Pinchcliffe (Flåklypa) Grand Prix

In this game, you get to drive gorgeous cars from the Pinchcliffe universe. Here one has to reach the podium place, and then you can drive alone or with a friend on a split screen. Behind the wheel of the other cars sit computer-controlled opponents who are also trying to reach first place.

The game has an adventurous style with gorgeous colors, a playful touch, and details in the images. The surroundings are beautiful and representative of Norwegian nature. You can see license plates, tunnels, mountains, and fjords. Along the roads, you can also see small lakes, cabins, and waterfalls. There is speed, excitement, and competition for both young and old.

Platform: Windows/Nintendo Switch
Age rating from PEGI: 3 years
Level of difficulty: All

It Takes Two

In this game, two players have to work together to solve various obstacles. The target group for this game is not directly children although the design may appeal to slightly older children and adolescents.

The story of the game introduces spouses Cody and May who are going to annul their marriage soon. But throughout the course of the game, they must learn to cooperate despite conflict and disagreement.

And the tasks are varied. One moment you’re killing wasps with a cannon, then you’re controlling a pencil to draw lines between dots. If that’s not enough, you can also pilot a plane, jump on frogs, and fight a giant vacuum cleaner or a fierce toolbox.

Platform: PlayStation 4 and 5/Xbox One and series X and S/Windows
Minimum age (from PEGI): 12 years
Difficulty: 12 years

Super Mario Party

With more than eighty mini-games, there’s plenty of fun for young and old alike. Super Mario Party can best be compared to board games but in digital format. Up to four players, either human or computer-controlled opponents, compete on a game board to get the most stars and coins possible.

In addition, you participate in mini-games along the way to collect coins and stars. Here you can cooperate or play against each other.

Platform: Nintendo Switch
Age rating from PEGI: 3 years
Difficulty: 6 years

Unravel 2

In this game, you have to control two little people made of yarn who wander around in different scenarios and locations. It is a brain teaser platform game, and the goal is to get the characters safely from one end of the court to the other. Along the way, you have to help each other.

The game has many Nordic inspirations in sound and surroundings. As you wander through snow-strewn streets and famous houses, as well as coasts and lighthouses, you will hear lovely and familiar fiddle music. The music creates a relaxing and magical atmosphere.

Platform: PlayStation 4 and 5/Xbox One and Series X and S/Windows/Switch
Age limit from PEGI: 7 years
Difficulty: 7 years

LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga

In LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga, kids (and parents) get to travel around the whole universe shown in the nine Star Wars movies. We’re talking about decades of film releases from 1977 to 2019. Admittedly, not with all scenes, details, and narratives.

One takes the roles of both heroes and villains with well-known names like Luke Skywalker, Rey, and Obi-Wan Kenobi or Darth Vader, Emperor Palpatine, and Kylo Ren. The journey goes both on foot and in various flying machines and robots. And you can fight with everything from power and lightsabers to laser weapons. In other words, there is something for everyone here.

Being able to share the experience with a friend is also a big plus. Here you can fight side by side against villains as well as solve puzzles and obstacles when needed. Whether you’re having a fierce lightsaber duel or flying the Millennium Falcon in thrilling battles in space, there’s a high Star Wars factor all the way.

Platform: PlayStation 4 and 5/Xbox One and Series X and S/Windows/Switch
Age limit from PEGI: 7 years
Difficulty: 7 years

Phogs

Phogs! is a beautiful co-op game perfect for children and parents who want to play together, or children who want to play together with friends.

In this game, you meet a dog, or rather two dogs, that hang out together. The animal’s anatomy and structure are difficult to elaborate on, but you can definitely state that the dogs are quite cute.

The point of the game is to solve a series of logical obstacles by moving through mazes and various areas.

Platform: PlayStation 4 and 5/Xbox One and Series X and S/Windows/Switch
Age limit from PEGI: 3 years
Difficulty: 6 years

Mario Kart 8 Deluxe

Nintendo’s Mario games are simply nice. They have a low threshold so that anyone, regardless of gaming experience, can pick up a controller and master the game after a few trial rounds. In Mario Kart, you have to drive go-karts and shoot everything from bananas to turtle shells at your opponents. All this is to get to the finish line first.

The car tracks are more like roller coasters than lanes, and the pace, graphics, and music make this a fun party. Up to four people can play on the same screen as long as there are enough controllers for each. It is also possible to turn on aids such as automatic gas and steering so that even the three-year-old in the house can manage to reach the finish line.

It is a positive aspect that the game is so child-friendly that even the youngest can enjoy it, while adult players will also feel entertained.

Platform (console): Nintendo Switch
Recommended minimum age from PEGI: 3 years
Level of difficulty: all

Other suggestions for similar games: Team Sonic Racing (PS4 and 5/Xbox/Switch) and Crash Team Racing Nitro-Fueled (PS4 and 5/Xbox/Switch).

Help each other in the cooperative game Pode

Pode is not a competitive game in that sense. Instead, it is a cooperative game where two people have to solve logical obstacles together. Here you meet the stone figure Bulder and the star Glo who have fallen from the sky and need help to go back again. To find their way home, the two travel through the adventurous and beautiful landscape of Fjellheim and must solve logical obstacles and work together to move forward.

The game is inspired by Norwegian art and culture and is strikingly beautiful. Among other things, you recognize this in the music and landscape you move in. Pode has simple controls that most people with a little bit of gaming experience can master fairly quickly.

The game is designed in a way that one can easily change the character and control the other. So, if an adult is playing with a child and the child is unable to progress in the game, the adult can switch to the child’s character for a while and move past the obstacle (or vice versa if it is the adult who needs help). That way, a more experienced player can carry the other player forward. Either by taking over control or by literally picking up and carrying the other person’s character.

Platform (console): Nintendo Switch/PlayStation 4
Recommended age rating from PEGI: 3 years
Level of difficulty: all

Solve logical obstacles with Thinkrolls

Thinkrolls offers logical obstacles for young children. There are no texts or complicated expressions. All one has to do is lead a character to a key, then through a door to the world to come (and a new logical obstacle emerges with increasing difficulty).

Since one can have an infinite number of attempts and the game doesn’t run on time, you can solve the logical obstacles at your own pace. This means that you get more time to think through good solutions instead of focusing on making the process as short and fast as possible. The child-friendly approach with charming characters making fun noises also helps to alleviate and calm the stress.

But the game isn’t that easy for that reason. You have to use different characters, each with unique abilities, to get past the obstacles. And it gets increasingly difficult. But this is a superb app that adults and children can enjoy together. Here, the adult can ask good questions and give hints along the way.

Platform (console): iOS (Apple)/Android (Google)
Recommended age limit from PEGI: 3 years
Level of difficulty: all

Other suggestions for similar apps: Thinkrolls: Kings & Queens iOS (Apple)/Android (Google)

(Translated from Norwegian by Ratan Samadder)

Read more: KIDS AND MEDIA