This was one of the best years for family and kid-friendly gaming, thanks in large part to Nintendo. The Nintendo Switch, which released in March, has been a huge success this year. We’ve seen big titles like The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild and Super Mario Odyssey cement Nintendo as the premiere resource for family-friendly gaming.
The Super Nintendo Classic Edition also makes a great holiday gift for families nostalgic for early 90s gaming.
We’ve gathered all the best and biggest games of the year for each console, organized by younger kids (under 10), older kids (10-16), and mature teens & parents (17+). Like the ESRB ratings, these age brackets are loose recommendations at best. Ultimately you’ll know the most appropriate games for your kids. Go to ESRB.org and search for the interested game to obtain more specific ratings and descriptions.