Xbox Games for Kids: The Ultimate Guide to Fun and Safe Gaming

There are nearly 10,000 Xbox games available. How can you know which kids games on Xbox are actually for kids (and how many of them are any good)? We’re here to help, outlining some of the best Xbox games for kids and how you can save on Xbox games with Fetch.

Single-player or multiplayer? We’ve got both covered. Familiar franchises or original games? We’ve got Disney and Star Wars but also Minecraft and Plants vs. Zombies. Our list of 10 of the best Xbox games for kids should get you started.

What makes a great Xbox game for kids?

There are 7 things that make an Xbox One game great for kids:

1. Age appropriate. The ESRB ratings are a great starting point, but you know your kids better than they will and should watch some gameplay online if you can’t test out the game yourself first.
2. Educational. Most kids games on Xbox have something educational about them, even if they aren’t Math Blaster. Creative games, puzzle games and platformers should be your first stops for more educational fare.
3. Fun. This might seem obvious, but there are quite a few games where strategy or story win out over “fun.”
4. Simple. Don’t confuse this with “easy.” Kids love a challenge, but it should be a challenge that’s appropriate for their age range (check that rating).
5. Colorful. You’ll find bright colors and/or customizability among all of our top kids games on Xbox. Being colorful catches the eye, but it also makes it easier to see what’s going on.
6. Familiar. Not all media tie-in games are good, but the ones we’ve listed are. Brands like LEGO and Disney give the kids control over something familiar, and they love it.
7. Replayable (with friends). There’s nothing wrong with done-in-one games, but a great Xbox game for kids is one that you, the parent, get your money’s worth on. Replayability is key, and multiplayer games almost always deliver on replayability. 

Worried about what games your kids are playing? Xbox has parental controls that can keep your kids’ gaming experience safe and secure.

The top 10 Xbox games for kids

10. Forza Horizon 5

Rated 5+, any kid who has a love of cars will get a kick out of Forza Horizon 5. This open-world racing game takes you through Mexico, driving around ancient Mayan temples, fictionalized jungles and beaches and an active volcano. Customize characters and cars to fit your kids’ whims, swapping engines and drivetrains, installing body kits and much more. 

A racing game is no fun without friends, and Forza Horizon 5 is multiplayer, but it’s online multiplayer only.

9. Bluey: The Video Game

Is there a kids’ cartoon parents love more than Bluey? Bluey: The Video Game is unsurprisingly rated E for Everyone, and features local multiplayer for up to 4 players. Not just a great 2-player Xbox game for kids but a great Xbox one game for the whole family.

Explore four different maps with minigames based on games the Heeler family has played in the show (Keepy Uppy, Ground is Lava, and Magic Xylophone). If your kids love to collect and complete a game 100%, be sure to look for the in-game sticker book and customizable hats to make the characters their own.

8. Zoo Tycoon: Ultimate Animal Collection

There’s a good chance you played a Zoo Tycoon game or two, so you know just how fun they can be. Rated E for Everyone, Zoo Tycoon: Ultimate Animal Collection teaches your kids how to care for animals and manage a zoo, making it a great gift for kids who love trips to the zoo.

While you won’t be able to play 2-player on the same console, Zoo Tycoon: Ultimate Animal Collection features online multiplayer with up to 4 players.

7. Disney Dreamlight Valley

It’s Disney. It’s a mash-up. Do you need to know more to see why it’s a great Xbox game for kids? It’s rated E for Everyone, and it’s a “life simulation” adventure game that will bring to mind games like Animal Crossing but with familiar characters the kids already know and love.

Although Disney Dreamlight Valley technically has multiplayer, it’s online and is not as interactive as you might want from a “multiplayer” game: multiplayer is mostly about showing off your region of the Valley to any friends.

Disney Dreamlight Valley – Combines adventure and beloved Disney characters.

6. Minecraft Dungeons

Surprised we haven’t mentioned Minecraft yet? We will, but before we do, meet Minecraft Dungeons. This kid-friendly dungeon crawler is a bit more focused than its sandbox counterpart, giving a nod to old dungeon-crawler games like Baldur’s Gate and Diablo while remaining decidedly kid-friendly.

Rated 10+ by the ESRB, this is another example of a game that might be appropriate for your younger kids, too; you should just be there to play with them. And since it’s a 2-player Xbox game for kids, you should be able to pull up a spot on the couch to go dungeon diving, hunting monsters and claiming treasure with the kids.

5. Overcooked! 2

Rated “E” for everyone, Overcooked! 2 lets the kids discover cooking without bringing chaos to your kitchen. This cooperative cooking simulation video game is perfect for the future chefs and bakers, but its gameplay is sure to snare the kids who might want nothing to do with cooking. 

With fun, cartoonish graphics, bright colors and near-infinite replay value, Overcooked! 2 is a 2-player Xbox game your kids will go back to again and again. Pro tip: tell them to get cooking on the Xbox if you need the kitchen to yourself when prepping dinner.

4. Minecraft

Kids still love to play with blocks and build with their hands, but Minecraft changed the creativity game when it debuted and it’s as popular as it has ever been. A “sandbox” game that lets kids play around and build what they want, their imagination is truly the limit. 

These days, most parents know that video games won’t just rot a kid’s brain, but games like Minecraft help build creative thinking. Minecraft has kids of all ages playing, although it’s rated ESRB 10+ for “fantasy violence.” Want to sit down and play with the kids? You can play split-screen on a console, making it a great 2-player Xbox game for kids. 

3. Plants vs. Zombies: Battle for Neighborville

A kid-friendly third-person “shooter” game, Plants vs. Zombies: Battle for Neighborville pits plants against zombies with 20 characters, 3 player vs everyone (PvE) and 6 player vs player (PvP) regions. See who can take over the neighborhood with these silly cartoon characters.

Best of all, it’s a 2-player Xbox game for kids that you can play side-by-side on the couch, letting you watch and help as they play. Although it’s rated 10+ by the ESRB, parents should always check a game out for themselves to determine if the age recommendation is too low or high.

2. Spyro Reignited Trilogy

Purple and gold nostalgia comes to the Xbox. You might have more fun with Spyro Reignited Trilogy than your kids, as it brings the classic dragon platformer to the modern Xbox with Spyro the Dragon, Spyro 2: Ripto’s Rage!, and Spyro: Year of the Dragon (backed by soundtracks from The Police’s Stuart Copeland).

Spyro is great for kids thanks to its bright colors, fun and funny villains and challenging gameplay. It’s recommended for 8+ due mostly to the cartoon violence (Spyro’s a dragon, after all).

While there are some Spyro games that feature multiplayer, Spyro Reignited Trilogy is single player (but it’s fun to trade off controlling Spyro between levels and lives)

1. LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga

Take the cinematic classic, swap the actors for LEGO figures and punch it up with some family-friendly jokes to get an instant classic and one of the best Xbox One games for kids. It’s funny, it’s cute and it brings to life some toys they might already have around the house as it retells the Star Wars saga.

This adventure/puzzle game is probably most appropriate for kids 8+, but it’s a 2-player Xbox game for kids. Cast yourself as player 2 guiding the action, and even younger kids should have no trouble holding a controller as they play with you.

2-player Xbox games for kids

Being able to sit down to play with a parent or sibling is one of the hallmarks of a great video game for kids. 2-player Xbox games for kids can help teach sharing and cooperation as well as introduce a little healthy competition. Many of the Xbox games for kids we’ve got above have 2-player modes, including:

• Overcooked! 2
• Minecraft
• Minecraft Dungeons
• Bluey: The Video Game
• LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga
• Plants vs. Zombies: Battle for Neighborville (online multiplayer only)
• Disney Dreamlight Valley (online multiplayer only)
• Zoo Tycoon: Ultimate Animal Collection (online multiplayer only)
• Forza Horizon 5 (online multiplayer only)

How to get rewarded shopping for Xbox games using Fetch Shop

You already know how to bank Fetch Points on your receipts and by shopping our featured brands and personalized offers, but did you know you can earn points just for shopping? If you buy your Xbox games in Fetch Shop at partner retailers like Best Buy or Walmart, you can earn points on every dollar spent.

1. Open the Fetch app.
2. Tap the shopping cart icon next to the camera button at the bottom of your screen.
3. Find Best Buy, Walmart or another favorite retailer.
4. Tap the “Shop” button underneath their icon.
5. Start shopping right in the app.

Get rewarded for gaming with Fetch

What’s better than getting free Xbox games for your kids? Earning those free games by playing games! That’s what Fetch Play is for. Just open up the Fetch app and tap the joystick in the upper right corner (it’s next to your point balance), then tap “Play now” to see all of the games you can earn points on.

1. Choose a game you want to play (they’re all free to download and free to play).
2. Tap the “Play now” button to be taken to the app store to download the game.
3. Download the game and create an account.
4. Watch the points pile up. (The average Fetch Play gamer earns an extra 3,000 points a week!)

Not sure which game(s) you want to play? Fetch Play breaks down the total possible points and the max points you can earn for a task in the game.

Get Xbox games for free using Fetch gift cards

It’s easy to redeem Fetch Points for Xbox gift cards:

1. Open the Fetch app.
2. Tap the coin in the top right to view your points.
3. Scroll down to “Retail” for retailers like Walmart or tap “Entertainment” for a gift card to the Xbox store.
4. Trade your points in for a gift card to cover their next game(s).

The kids don’t need to know that you got them LEGO Star Wars or Minecraft Dungeons for free, and getting Xbox games for free with your Fetch gift cards is a great way to save money around the holidays or deliver that extra birthday present that might have been out of budget.

Let the games begin!

It’s important to pick the right Xbox games for kids, both for the sake of content and difficulty, and Fetch makes it easy for you to add them to the shopping list when you can get them for free! 

When we say these are great Xbox games for kids, we mean kids of all ages. So download the Fetch app, start turning your everyday purchases into free Xbox games, and let the games begin!