When buying video games for children, regardless of age, it can be tough to determine what's appropriate. You have to consider not only which themes are appropriate (for example, is it okay if the game has violence?) but also what style of game the child can handle (for example, do they have the dexterity required to get through a platformer?).

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Today, we're detailing a bunch of kids' games that are available on the PlayStation. For your ease, we've divided them up into age groups - but don't be afraid to deviate from our categories a little if it feels appropriate for the child in question. Most came out for the PlayStation 4 but are available on the PlayStation 5 anyway. In case you'd like to try the game on a different console, we've also listed the other platforms where it's found! And, finally, for your peace of mind, we've included the official ESRB Rating for the game.

Updated by Gabrielle Huston on September 25, 2023: The gaming cycle is never ending! As soon as you've finished one game, another has come out to enjoy. To keep up, we've updated this article with new games that the children in your life might enjoy.

Video Games For Kids Age 2-4+

My Friend Peppa Pig

My Friend Peppa Pig is a bit like a choose your own adventure book. Each time you boot up the game, you get a brand new experience with a new story following Peppa Pig and the other characters from her television show.

Since the show and this game are marketed for children, there are parental controls in the settings for an adult to adjust how long the game can be played.

Hot Wheels Unleashed

Hot Wheels Unleashed is a racing game that uses everyone's favorite toy cars as the model to create incredible tracks and action-packed gameplay! The toys exist in your home, so the races in-game take place there too; you race in ordinary locations like your kitchen, garage, or bedroom.

It earned great reviews from critiques and gamers alike. In fact, it was even nominated for Best Sports/Racing Game at The Game Awards 2021 and Racing Game of the Year at the 25th Annual D.I.C.E. Awards.

Untitled Goose Game

In the Untitled Goose Game (yes, that's its real name), the player controls a local goose as it waddles around town, bothering the residents any way it can. It's perfect for younger kids because, while there are puzzles you can solve and active gameplay, you're more than welcome to just go around having a good time.

What do you do as a local goose? Well, honk loudly, to start. You can also steal people's hats. Or walk through local gardens. Or steal people's stuff when they're not looking (or when they are). You'll always find something to do!

Gran Turismo 7

Gran Turismo games are racing simulators that have been coming out since 1997. The latest installment, Gran Turismo 7, is one of the series' best. On a PlayStation 5, it boasts 60 frames per seconds and 4K resolution as you soar through the gorgeous landscapes.

The game includes a single-player campaign as well as an arcade mode, so you can just choose a destination and enjoy the ride or win your way to becoming the best racer this world has ever seen! If you're picking up PlayStation VR2 at its launch in February 2023, you'll also be happy to know that Gran Turismo 7 will be offered in VR as a free update to the game.

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Video Games For Kids Age 5-7+

We Love Katamari REROLL + Royal Reverie

Katamari games involve rolling large balls of objects together; the larger your ball gets, the more items will stick to it! The first one, Katamari Damacy, came out in 2005 and we've been enjoying it ever since!

In 2023, we were treated to a remaster of the second Katamari game - We Love Katamari - and got added content - Royal Reverie - which allows you to play as the series' King in his youth.

Disney Dreamlight Valley

Disney Dreamlight Valley is a hybrid life sim and adventure game that is developed by Gameloft Montreal. It's in early access right now, which means that it's not officially finished, but players can enjoy it early while the team irons out the last details.

You play as a human who has entered Dreamlight Valley, where Disney and Pixar characters live in peaceful harmony! Or, at least, they did, until the Forgetting (which is exactly as bad as it sounds). You'll need to help out the residents, but you can also enjoy the peaceful customization and activity that life in the Valley has to offer.

Donut County

The core idea behind Donut County - drop items into an ever-increasing hole in the ground - is one that is abused in ad-riddled phone games all the time. Here, it's fleshed out fully and given a quirky story to support it.

You play as a raccoon, one who's actually controlling the holes from his own phone in order to earn silly prizes. However, when his friends in town ask him why he threw all their homes underground, he must fess up to his crimes and make things right.

Planet Coaster

Planet Coaster is exactly what it sounds like: a game where you create and manage your own roller coaster park! If you're a fan of the old roller coaster tycoon games may enjoy introducing something similar but modernized to the kids in your life.

Simulation and management games aren't usually the genres you think of for content targeted at children, but you might be surprised at how much they can understand if it's presented in a fun, creative way! If the kid in your life falls in love with this game, you can even surprise them with a few of the add-ons (like the one that's Ghostbusters themed)!

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Bug Fables: The Everlasting Sapling

Bug Fables is an adorable video game that, in his review for TheGamer, Jamie Latour likened to Paper Mario. In it, you'll play as three bugs - a beetle named Kabbu, a bee named Vi, and a moth named Leif - who are searching for a sapling that is said to grant eternal life.

It's simple enough that young children will be able to play it, but still includes some challenges via the platforming, puzzling, and combat sections. Besides, if you or the kid in your life need some help, we have comprehensive guides here at TheGamer!

Cooking Mama: Cookstar

Cooking Mama is a beloved franchise, and this entry will not disappoint. For those who aren't already familiar, Cooking Mama allows the player to cook meals by walking them through each step in-depth and rating how well they perform. At the end of the cooking process, the dish that the player made can turn out really well or really poorly, depending on how well the player did in the cooking stage.

There are two big additions that this game brings to the regular formula: the PETA-approved vegetarian dishes and the ability to take pictures of your creations.

Minecraft

Minecraft is a sandbox survival adventure game that will probably outlive all of us, at this rate. First released in 2011, it has ballooned in popularity and is enjoyed by countless kids and adults alike, all over the world.

Lots of people say this about lots of games, but we really mean it when we say that there's something for everyone in here. If you prefer to cultivate a garden and build a gorgeous home around it, you can. If you want to take down the biggest, baddest monsters around, that's possible. If you're interested in adventure and mapping out the world around you, down to the smallest caves and up to the highest peaks, all you have to do is set out.

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Video Games For Kids Age 8-9+

Sonic Frontiers

If the kid in your life is a fan of open-world games, why not try the first ever open-world Sonic game? Sonic Frontiers is the latest entry in the franchise and, though it stuck to its platforming roots, it also brought a lot of new ideas.

Eggman is the antagonist, of course, who has unleashed a new terror upon the world. He - along with Sonic's friends - are trapped in an alternate dimension known as Cyber Space. Sonic must traverse a series of islands and defeat robot titans in order to rescue his pals.

Astroneer

Astroneer is a sandbox game, which means that the player is meant to do whatever they want with the resources that the game developers have provided them. It also includes aspects of survival games, but it's a great way to introduce beginners to that tough genre because it doesn't take that aspect very seriously.

As the name might suggest, players control an astronaut in this game and travel across a number of fantastical planets while gathering resources, building space bases, or creating lunar vehicles.

Crash Bandicoot 4: It’s About Time

Crash Bandicoot is a beloved franchise that started in 1996 with the first game of the same name. The titular character, Crash, is a genetically enhanced bandicoot whose main antagonist is the scientist who enhanced him: Doctor Neo Cortex. Crash Bandicoot 4: It's About Time is the aptly titled, long-awaited newest installment in the series! It was released in 2020.

The game is a platformer at its most basic, where Crash and his sister, Coco, must stop Doctor Neo Cortex and Doctor Nefarious Tropy from enacting their evil plans. It's everything you'd expect from a basic platformer - double jumping, boxes to break open, secret areas to find - but it does it all so very well.

Portal 2

Portal 2 is the sequel of Portal; they're both puzzle adventure games where you use special, futuristic technology known as 'Portals' to transport yourself from one place to another. You don't have to have played Portal to enjoy Portal 2, but we recommend it just because it's so much fun!

Both games are widely beloved in gaming communities for their creative game design, excellent physics engine, and witty humor. There's not a boring moment to be had!

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Dreams

Dreams is a very special game because it actually allows you to build your own games! This idea has been tried in many ways over the years, but Dreams beats them all because it is comprehensive, beautiful, and accessible.

In Dreams, the fun basically never ends. Just when you get bored with one creation you can move onto a new one! While it's rated T for Teen because there are so many options available, it can be really great for people of all ages.

Sackboy: A Big Adventure

Sackboy and the Little Big Planet games have been a beloved PlayStation exclusive for some time. In this title, Sackboy returns to save the so-called "Craftworld" and become the legendary "Knitted Knight." It was so well-received that it earned the BAFTA for the Best Family Game!

Since Sackboy: A Big Adventure is primarily a platformer, we recommend it for slightly older kids. However, if you are buying the game for younger children who are especially patient or skilled at gaming, they'd probably enjoy this one too!

Lego Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga

If you've been introducing the kids in your life to other nerdy pursuits, not just video games, then they've probably seen Star Wars. If so, they'll adore the latest Lego Star Wars game: The Skywalker Saga!

This is a fun action-adventure game that takes you through all the plots of the Star Wars movies while you play as the main characters. It's unique for being open-world, allowing you to adventure through any of the environments you've seen in the films.

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Video Games For Kids Age 10-12+

Child of Light

Child of Light is a lesser-known game from Ubisoft that was first released in 2014. It's perfect for the kid in your life because it's actually meant to mimic a fairytale! In it, a young girl named Aurora must save the sun, moon, and stars, all of whom are being held captive by the Queen of Night.

The developers spent a significant amount of time crafting the art style to look like a watercolor painting, and that - along with the game's soundtrack and story - received critical acclaim.

Tiny Tina's Wonderlands

Tiny Tina's Wonderlands is a first-person shooting (FPS) game, so it's a little more violent and crude than some of the other options on this list. Everyone has a different idea of what's appropriate for kids but, if you're open-minded, we think this is a great option.

It's a spin-off of the popular Borderlands series and takes place in a fantastical world known as the Wonderlands, where you attempt to take down the villain who has been wreaking havoc. In her review of it for TheGamer, EiC Stacey Henley noted that the humor is a bit juvenile (lots of fart jokes and the like), so it's ideal for preteens and young adults.

Goat Simulator 3

If you're up for a laugh, you can't go wrong with Goat Simulator 3, the second Goat Simulator game (yes, really). The original gained fame online and enabled the developers to build another! The goal is simple: destroy as much as you can while controlling a simple goat in the third-person perspective.

Goat Simulator 3 makes tons of improvements on its predecessor! You can now play with up to 4 friends, for example, and the developers have said that this world is 18 times larger than that of the original. Players have praised the humour, the excellent physics, and the easter eggs hidden inside!

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Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart

The Ratchet & Clank series has a long history, dating back to 2002 and still going strong with the 2021 title: Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart. Though there are things in the game to entertain long-time fans of the series - like parallel universe versions of planets that they've visited before! - a kid won't have any trouble diving right into this entry, even without playing the other games.

Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart is part platformer, part shooter. The player controls Ratchet - a cat-like alien creature - who travels through space on a ship he built himself. Ratchet needs to defeat an evil emperor from another dimension and save the universe!

Kena: Bridge Of Spirits

In this gorgeous game, the player controls the titular character, Kena, who is a spirit guide. She helps the spirits of people who have died to move from the physical world to the spirit world. The player must face Kena's biggest challenge yet: a spirit who refuses to move on to the next world and is causing the forest to rot and die.

Kena: Bridge Of Spirits is a PlayStation-exclusive game (although it can also be played on a Windows PC). Though it was released in 2021 for the PlayStation 5, it's also available on PlayStation 4. It involves a wide array of tools and abilities, and players must deal with fairly challenging combat and puzzle encounters; hence why we recommend it for older children.

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