We played some wonderful family games this year – cute kitties lost in cities, madcap co-op platformers, and a good old fashioned Mario Party.
We define a “Family Game” as any title that encourages shared or collaborative play, and should be appropriate for younger gamers. Co-op games are an obvious choice, but not every family game needs to support co-op. Sometimes a great family game involves passing the controller, or simply enjoying one player’s lively experience.
Here is our list of best family games of 2024, in order of release.
Helldivers 2
Wait, how can an M-rated game be a Best Family Game? Sure, Helldivers 2’s level of violence may exclude younger gamers, but much of the violence is centered on giant bugs or robots, and even the human players ragdoll in comical fashion when they inevitably get overrun. The co-op gameplay is absolutely fantastic, hearkening back to classic co-op action series Left 4 Dead. Families with older kids and teens who laugh at blood spray and enjoy screaming “FOR DEMOCRACY!” should welcome the co-op carnage.
Platforms: PC, PlayStation 5
Little Kitty, Big City
It’s practically cheating to put a cute cat as your video game protagonist, but we adored Little Kitty, Big City. The completely non-violent adventure game features a small slice of an explorable city as our tenacious cat meets other animals, teases humans, completes objectives, and finds their way back home.
Platforms: PC, Switch, Xbox
Star Wars: Hunters
While Marvel Rivals is stealing all the hero shooter moment of the year, Star Wars: Hunters was quite the banger earlier this summer. The made-for-mobile (and Nintendo Switch) hero shooter is surprisingly agile and robust. Four vs four team play with smaller maps are easy to jump into, while the roster provides familiar yet fun gameplay styles, from snipers to healers and brawlers. What it lacks in big-name cameos it makes up for with solid competitive gameplay.
Platforms: Switch, mobile
Crossy Road Castle
A port from Apple Arcade is easily one of our favorite family games of the year. Crossy Road Castle features a gauntlet of simple but fun platforming challenges across multiple towers, and each tower features over 100 unique levels. With four player co-op and a large roster of fun unlockable characters and hats, we keep coming back to this zany 2D platformer.
Platforms: PlayStation, Switch, Xbox, Apple Arcade
Astro Bot
The PlayStation-exclusive follow-up to Astro’s Playroom catapulted the cute little bot to console mascot-status. Astro Bot is a 3D platformer that plays and feels like the best 3D Mario games, with dozens of fun levels, and controls that take advantage of the DualSense controller’s haptic feedback. The award-winning family game is also a fun celebration of PlayStation’s 30-year library, with fun references, characters, and even entire levels inspired by God of War, Uncharted, Horizon, and more.
Platforms: PlayStation 5
Super Mario Party Jamboree
The dozen-plus Mario Party games over the years range from mediocre to awesome — thankfully Jamboree leans close to the latter. Super Mario Party Jamboree features a ridiculous amount of gameplay modes, including a single-player campaign, multiple physics-based mini-game modes, and two online multiplayer modes. The primary Mario Party mode is better than ever, with classic and Pro rules, and half a dozen boards featuring interesting challenges, themes, and layouts.
Platforms: Switch
Disney Dreamlight Valley
Didn’t Dreamlight Valley launch in Early Access in 2022? Then hit 1.0 in 2023? Yes and yes. So isn’t putting it on our 2024 list totally cheating? Also yes. But, we did get a new expansion in Storybook Vale (along with parts 2 and 3 of the first expansion), adding several new fan-favorite characters and an all-new region, alongside several awesome free updates such as Daisy’s Boutique and Tiana’s Palace. Dreamlight Valley’s first full year post-1.0 has been a big success, cementing the licensed life sim as one of our favorites.
Platforms: PC, Mac, PlayStation, Switch, Xbox
Marvel Rivals
Marvel Rivals has only been out for a few weeks, and already amassed millions of players. NetEase Games has created a vibrant hero shooter that takes everything we loved about Overwatch and slathered it with one of our favorite IPs. Rivals also includes welcome new features, such as hero team-ups unlocking new skills and abilities, and destructible environments. Perfect for families who love superheroes and competitive multiplayer.
Platforms: PC, PlayStation, Xbox
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