Check out these family-friendly games for the PS5

Looking for a game that’s child-friendly? We’ve rounded up the best games that kids can play on PS5.

There may be thousands of games available on PS4 and PS5, even some through backward compatibility, but not all of them are suitable for children. If you’re looking for some more kid-friendly, there are a few notable titles that are definitely worth your time. Whether you have a younger child or a pre-teen, you’ll want them to play the best games that are appropriate for their age. We’ve rounded up some of the best PS5 games for kids so that you don’t need to spend hours browsing the store and the internet.

Bugsnax

Bugsnax caught a lot of people’s attention when it was first announced, and not just because of its catchy theme song. From the developer of Octodad: Dadliest Catch, Bugsnax is a weird tale of half-bug, half-snack creatures living on Snaktooth Island. As a budding young journalist tasked with finding these adorable little creatures, you’ll soon find yourself in over your head as you discover that explorer Lizbert Megafig has gone missing and the other Grumpuses have scattered across the island. Only you can help them return to Snaxburg by finding them and collecting Bugsnax.

It’s a fun game that foregoes the usual violence people are used to in favor creature collection. To collect Bugsnax, you’ll need to lure them in, say with their favorite food, and corral them into enclosures. It’s a gameplay loop that’s simple so a lot of people can handle it, and it’s addicting to find new Bugsnax and capture them. Bugsnax even uses the DualSense’s adaptive triggers so that when you’re taking pictures of Bugsnax throughout the world, you can feel the camera shutter when you hit it.

In our Bugsnax review, we said, “It does an excellent job of walking the line between adorable and creepy, which results in a fun new experience for gamers of all ages.”

Bugsnax

$25 at PlayStation

They’re part bug, part snack. They’re Bugsnax! Journey to Snaktooth Island and catalog these cute (creepy?) creatures for your newspaper while also solving a mystery. There are over 100 Bugsnax to find and catch, so you better get started.

Sackboy: A Big Adventure

Following up on the success of LittleBigPlanet, Sony tasked developer Sumo Digital to make a spinoff with 3D platforming gameplay, as opposed to the franchise’s previous 2.5D. The result was Sackboy: A Big Adventure, which elevates the series to new heights. The platforming should be accessible to most ages groups so that it’s not too difficult for younger players, but still challenging enough that older players will have some fun. I’ve been playing it for a while now, and I can attest that it’s hard to put the controller down when you want to uncover every secret in each level. Best of all, it supports Game Help on PS5, allowing you to access quick tips and guides with the press of a button.

Unlike the LittleBigPlanet series, Sackboy does not feature a level editor for user-created content. Instead you’ll need to be content with the levels that the developer came up with. Thankfully, there are 50+ levels in the game, so there’s plenty of content to keep you occupied. Sackboy: A Big Adventure features local and online co-op with up to three other players. If you’re looking for another controller to let a friend or family member in on the fun, there are a lot of the best PS5 controllers for you to purchase.

In our Sackboy: A Big Adventure review, we said, “Sackboy is a platformer that is absolutely deserving of a place in any gamer’s library that enjoys the genre or has children and/or someone to play co-op with.”

Sackboy: A Big Adventure

$60 at Amazon
$60 at Best Buy
$60 at Walmart

Run, jump, and dive your way across dozens of levels in this follow-up spinoff to LittleBigPlanet. When the villainous Vex kidnaps your friends and intends to turn Craftworld into a realm of nightmares, it’s up to Sackboy to save the day.

Astro’s Playroom

Astro’s Playroom is free with every PS5 console, already downloaded on the system right out of the box. This isn’t a choice about whether you should buy it (it’s free!), it’s about whether you should play it, and the answer is yes. Astro’s Playroom is a great platformer that takes you through PS5-inspired levels like the SSD Speedway and GPU Jungle. And in keeping with the next-gen theme, Astro’s Playroom also works as a title to showcase the full capabilities of the DualSense controller.

For longtime PlayStation fans, there are a ton of easter eggs and collectibles to find from PlayStation’s past. If you’re a new fan, it serves as a reminder of how far PlayStation has come since it first released in 1994. Its storied history that spans over two decades can’t be smushed into one small game, but Astro’s Playroom does a great job at highlighting some of the best games and hardware that Sony has produced.

In our Astro’s Playroom review, we said, “it’s an excellent demonstration for what the amazing new DualSense PS5 controller can do and it’s a memorable walk down memory lane for decades of pent up nostalgia.”

Astro’s Playroom

Free at PlayStation

Astro’s Playroom is a pack-in title for the PS5, meaning it comes with system sold. This charming little platformer takes full advantage of the DualSense’s haptic feedback and adaptive triggers, making it a great game to start with.

Minecraft

Minecraft should need little introduction at this point. It’s one of the best-selling video game in existence, with over 200 million copies sold around the world. It has a dedicated scene on Twitch and YouTube, in part because of the personalities that stream the game, but also because you can do just about anything in it. It’s almost like Lego in that sense. You can build up all sorts of structures with different kinds of blocks, and there’s even a peaceful mode so that the monsters won’t spawn at night anymore.

The game also offers a ton of user-created content and a marketplace where you can download new skins, maps, features, and a lot more. A lot of the popular content tends to be free, but some do need to be purchased with Minecoins, which are purchased with real money. Still, there’s so much to do in Minecraft even without looking at the marketplace that you shouldn’t grow tired any time soon.

Minecraft

$30 at Amazon
$30 at Best Buy

Minecraft has been around for over a decade, and there’s no stopping it. With frequent content updates and a bustling marketplace, there’s no shortage of stuff to do. The sky’s the limit, so let your imagination run wild.

Fall Guys

Fall Guys took the internet by storm after it released and hasn’t slowed down much since. With Wipeout-inspired obstacle courses, players compete against up to 59 others as the challenges get harder and harder the further you progress. To win the full round, you’ll need to be the last man standing and get the crown. New seasons of content are expected to hit frequently, with the latest being winter-themed for the holidays.

It doesn’t hurt that the developer is incredibly active on Twitter and constantly keeps fans in the loop regarding upcoming content and updates. Sometimes fan requests, like new costumes and such, even make it into the game. Getting into the community is worth is for the memes alone.

I’m not usually someone who plays multiplayer games. I tend to find them more frustrating than anything, and I enjoy single-player games more 99% of the time. I also spent a good chunk of August this year playing Fall Guys after it came out because it was just so fun. Once you play one round, you need to play more. Good luck winning those crowns!

Fall Guys

$16 at PlayStation

This is the perfect game to play with friends or solo. Its Wipeout-inspired obstacle courses keep getting revamped with each new system, and every match makes for a unique experience. Hop into its winter themed Season 3 soon.

Immortals Fenyx Rising

There’s some humor in here that’s more appropriate for teenagers (hence why it’s rated T), but it’s still kid-friendly enough that I included it on this list. If you’re looking for a game that provides plenty of action and needs some good puzzle solving skills to get through, this is the game you want.

Immortals Fenyx Rising is a Greek epic that combines the best parts of Assassin’s Creed Odyssey along with The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. When Typhon, one of the deadliest and formidable Greek beings, escapes Tartarus and destroys the veil between it and humanity, it’s up to you (with the help of the other gods) to save the day.

Overall, the story is about 20+ hours, but there’s plenty to do after you beat the game. Not only do you get to encounter some of the coolest mythical creatures (griffins, minotaurs, cyclops, to name a few) but there are also platforming challenges and puzzles to solve throughout the world to keep you occupied. Combined with a beautiful art style, it’s easily one of my own favorite games this year.

In our Immortals Fenyx Rising review, we called it “a late contender for Game of the Year” and an instant classic imbued with a lot of humor.

Immortals Fenyx Rising

$50 at Amazon
$60 at Best Buy
$50 at Walmart

Immortals Fenyx Rising is all about Greek mythology packaged up in a bright and vibrant world. When the Titan Typhon escapes from Tartarus, you’ll need to free the gods across the Golden Isle and use their combined powers to send him back to where he came from.

Crash: Bandicoot 4: It’s About Time

Crash Bandicoot is a classic franchise, and Crash Bandicoot 4: It’s About Time is the perfect way to introduce your kids to it. Prepare to travel through the multiverse as Doctor Neo Cortex and Nefarious Tropy attempt to take it over once more. Players are able to take control of Crash, Coco, Tawna, Dingodile, and Neo Cortex himself, the latter three of which have their own gameplay and levels. With the four Quantum Masks, you can control some neat reality-bending gameplay mechanics.

While Crash was a notoriously difficult series, this one has been made more accessible for new and younger fans. In addition to a Retro mode, for anyone feeling masochistic, you can play in Modern mode, giving players an unlimited amount of lives and a generous checkpoint system so that they never have to restart a level from scratch.

In our Crash Bandicoot 4: It’s About Time review, we said, “it’s a reminder of how good platformers can be when in the right hands,” and the Quantum Masks are some of the best new gameplay additions to the series in a long time.

Crash Bandicoot 4: It’s About Time

$40 at Best Buy
$35 at Walmart

Crash is back in this dimensional hopping entry to the iconic series. When Neo Cortex and Nefarious Tropy attempt to enslave the universe, Crash and his pals need to gather the Quantum Masks and stop them once and for all.

Spyro Reignited Trilogy

Spyro is another blast from the past that publisher Activision decided to remaster, taking the first three games in the series and updating them to coincide with the franchise’s 20th anniversary. The graphics were completely overhauled so they could stand up to today’s standards, and while they remain faithful to the original, the developer took some liberties to embellish or add detail when necessary.

The Reignited Trilogy revamps the gameplay, too. Old platformers can sometimes be clunky, with less precise and satisfying controls. Though the source code from the originals games was not available, the studio was able to recreate it in a way that preserved the feel of the original while once again ensuring it could compete against modern day platformers.

In our Spyro Reignited Trilogy review, we said that it’s “an excellent remake of the originals” and that it’s a lot of fun to play.

Spyro Reignited Trilogy

$36 at Amazon
$30 at Best Buy
$30 at Walmart

Everyone’s favorite purple dragon is back in all his remastered glory. The Reignited Trilogy compiles the first three games in the Spyro franchise and brings them to the modern day with completely overhauled graphics and gameplay. But don’t worry, it still stays true to the original.

Lego DC Super-Villains

There’s no shortage of great Lego video games out there — we just happen to like Lego DC Super-Villains a whole lot. Because it’s a newer release in the Lego franchise, cutscenes feature actual dialogue instead of grunts, making the story a lot more interesting and accessible for fans. When a superhero team from a parallel world shows up and whisks the Justice League away, it’s up to DC’s most famous villains to uncover their true intentions.

Like previous Lego games, this one features dozens of levels primarily focused around puzzle solving and combat. The game features over 160 playable characters, many of which have their own unique superpowers and abilities. Iconic locations include versions of Gotham City, Metropolis, Smallville, Arkham Asylum, Apokolips, the Justice League Watchtower, Stryker’s Island, the Hall of Justice, S.T.A.R. Labs, and Belle Reve.

Lego DC Super-Villains

$15 at Amazon
$20 at Best Buy

There are dozens of Lego video games to choose from, and any one of them is great for children. We tend to think Lego DC Super-Villains is particularly cool because, come, on, who doesn’t love a team of super villains?