Nintendo has come a long way from when I was a kid. I can’t help but get nostalgic playing Nintendo Switch games with my own kids. Keep reading if you are looking for the best Nintendo Switch games for kids. Thank you to our sponsor Nintendo for sending some games to us to sample. All opinions are my own. The Nintendo Switch gaming console and a variety of games are featured in many of my gift guides for kids.
Top Nintendo Switch Games for Kids
Nintendo has a variety of games that are perfect for family game nights. Keep scrolling to check out the best Nintendo Switch games for families to play together.
First, what is a Nintendo Switch?
The Nintendo Switch is a hybrid gaming console. That means you can connect it to a TV and play games that way. Another option is to use the console as a wireless handheld device. It’s insanely popular in our home and as an adult, I also love to play the Nintendo Switch.
The Nintendo Switch system comes with everything you need to pop in a game and play, including:
- Nintendo Switch console
- Nintendo Switch dock
- 1 Joy-Con™ (L) controller, 1 Joy-Con™ (R) controller
- 2 Joy-Con™ wrist strap accessories
- Joy-Con grip accessory
- Nintendo Switch AC adapter
- HDMI cable
I highly recommend purchasing a Charging Dock to keep the Switch Joy-Cons charged.
What is Nintendo Switch Lite?
Nintendo Switch Lite is a new version of the Nintendo Switch system that’s optimized for personal, handheld play. Nintendo Switch Lite is a small and light Nintendo Switch system at a great price.
Best Nintendo Switch games for kids
Discover the best Nintendo Switch games for young kids ages 3 and up! Most of my picks are rated E for everyone. Our family loves to play Just Dance, Super Mario Party, and Mario Kart 8 Deluxe together. Personally, I am excited to play Animal Crossing: New Horizons as I’ve heard rave reviews from my friends who love to play themselves.
There are two ways to access these games. One is by purchasing the games at retailers and inserting the discs into the gaming console. The other is to buy the games digitally and download them. Learn how to access Nintendo Switch games digitally here.
Please note that I do make a commission on my affiliate links when you make a purchase. This is at no additional cost to you. Thank you for your support!
Best Nintendo Switch Games for Kids
Top kids games for the Nintendo Switch. Have unlimited fun with the whole family with Nintendo's latest console.
Just Dance 2025 Edition
Just Dance 2025 Edition has something for everyone, with 40 hot new songs. Get the Unicorn Pack included in the Limited Edition to decorate your Dancer Card with a unicorn avatar and a rainbow background. You can also send unicorn kisses with your sticker and show off with magical scoring effects!
Sonic X Shadow Generations
Shadow the Hedgehog is back with Classic and Modern Sonic in SONIC X SHADOW GENERATIONS, an all-new collection featuring two unique experiences!
Animal Crossing: New Horizons
Rating: E for everyone
Build your community from scratch on a deserted island brimming with possibility; Create your personal getaway and customize your character, home, decorations, and even the landscape itself
Collect materials to construct everything from furniture to tools! Then, use what you create to give your island a personal touch
Watch as the time of day and seasons match real-life—even your hemisphere! Each day holds the potential for surprises and discoveries
Get to know the island residents, garden, fish, decorate, hunt for fossils, and more!
Show off your paradise – play on the same system with a total of 4 people, or play together online or over local wireless for fun with up to 8 players
Luigi's Mansion 3
Rating: E for everyone
Catch ghosts and solve puzzles to rescue Mario and friends in the Last Resort hotel; Each floor of this towering hotel is themed, from the décor to the puzzles to the boss
Utilize the functions of the all-new Poltergust G-00: Pummel ghosts with a Slam, breakthrough defenses with the Suction Shot, and blowback groups with a Burst
Luigi can call upon and control Gooigi, his all-green doppelganger, who can do what Luigi can’t; Gooigi can slip through tight spaces, walk on spikes, and help Luigi overcomes obstacles
Change between Luigi and Gooigi in single player, or let a friend play as Google for 2-player co-op
Up to 8 players can work together to ascend the Scarescaper via local wireless or online; Its Team Luigi vs. Team Gooigi in a mini-game battle to see which is the ultimate team of ghost hunters
Mario Kart 8 Deluxe
Rating: E for everyone
Hit the road with the definitive version of Mario Kart 8 and play anytime, any-where Race your friends or battle them in a revised battle mode on new and returning battle courses. Play locally in up to 4-player multiplayer in 1080p while playing in TV Mode. Every track from the Wii U version, including DLC, makes a glorious return. Plus, the Inklings appear as all-new guest characters, along with returning favorites, such as King Boo, Dry Bones, and Bowser Jr.
Pokemon Sword and Pokemon Shield Double Pack
Rating: E for everyone
A new generation of Pokémon is coming to the Nintendo Switch system. Begin your adventure as a Pokémon Trainer by choosing one of three new partner Pokémon: Grookey, Scorbunny, or Sobble. Then embark on a journey in the new Galar region, where you’ll challenge the troublemakers of Team Yell, while unraveling the mystery behind the Legendary Pokémon Zacian and Zamazenta! Explore the Wild Area, a vast expanse of land where the player can freely control the camera. Team up with three other players locally or online in the new multiplayer co-op Max Raid Battles** in which players will face off against gigantic and super-strong Pokémon known as Dynamax Pokémon.Super Mario Maker 2
Rating: E for everyone
Mario fans of the world, unite. Now you can play, create, and share the side-scrolling Super Mario courses of your dreams in the Super Mario Maker 2 game, available exclusively on the Nintendo Switch system! Dive into the single-player Story Mode and play built-in courses to rebuild Princess Peach's castle. Make your own courses, alone or together. And with a Nintendo Switch Online membership, share your courses, access a near-endless supply made by others, enjoy online multiplayer, and more.
Minecraft
Explore randomly generated worlds and build amazing things from the simplest of homes to the grandest of castles. Play in Creative Mode with unlimited resources or mine deep into the world in Survival Mode, crafting weapons and armor to fend off dangerous mobs. Create, Explore and Survive alone or with up to 8 'crafters together online, while 4 can join each other in local multiplayer on the TV or in tabletop mode, supporting both split screen and the Pro Controller.
Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games: Tokyo 2020
Rated E for Everyone
Join Mario, Sonic, and friends for their greatest adventure yet at the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020, exclusively on Nintendo Switch
Go for gold as you compete in action-packed sports games, including 4 brand new events to Tokyo 2020 - Skateboarding, Karate, Surfing, and Sport Climbing, as well as a large selection of classic events
The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening
Rating: E for everyone
As Link, you awaken in a strange land away from Hyrule, where animals talk and monsters roam. To uncover the truth behind your whereabouts and rouse the legendary Wind Fish, explore Koholint Island and all its trap-ridden dungeons, reimagined in stunning detail for this new release of one of the most beloved The Legend of Zelda games. Along the way, you’ll meet a hilarious assortment of charming characters to which you’ll never want to say goodbye.
Super Mario Party
Rating: E for everyone
The original 4-player Mario Party series board game mode that fans love is back, and your friends and family are invited to the party Freely walk the board: choose where to move, which Dice Block to roll, and how to win the most Stars in skill-based minigames. Wait till you see the 2 vs 2 mode with grid-based maps, the creative uses of the console, and the series’ first online minigame mode Test your skills in sets of five minigames with the new mode, Mariothon, and see how you stack up against players across the globe in Online Mariothon.
Ring Fit Adventure
Rating: E10+ (For ages 10 and up)
Explore a fantastical adventure world to defeat a bodybuilding dragon and his minions using real-life exercises! Traverse grass-swept plains by jogging in place, attack enemies with overhead shoulder presses, and refill your health meter by striking some yoga poses. Two new accessories, Ring -Con and Leg Strap, measure your real-world actions and help turn them into in-game movements. With additional minigames, Ring Fit Adventure is great escape for players of all skill levels and schedules.
Super Smash Bros. Ultimate
Rated E+10 (For ages 10 and up)
Gaming icons clash in the ultimate brawl you can play anytime, anywhere Smash rivals off the stage as new characters Simon Belmont and King K. Rool join Inkling, Ridley, and every fighter in Super Smash Bros. history. Enjoy enhanced speed and combat at new stages based on the Castlevania series, Super Mario Odyssey, and more
Best Gifts ahead
On the hunt for more kids’ gift ideas, check out our holiday guides for kids, adults, and pets?
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Happy Shopping!
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