A family game has to work for a nine-year-old and an adult at the same table without either of them being bored. That is a much harder design problem than difficulty settings, and the games that solve it usually do it by making the skill gap not matter.
What makes a good one
Whether the person losing is still enjoying themselves. The best family games are built so that being behind is survivable and being ahead is precarious.
Everyone on the sofa
Local multiplayer, quick rounds, and a way back in for whoever is behind.
- Mario Kart 64 — Battle mode is the reason, and the items keep it close.
- Super Smash Bros — Four players, items on, and nobody needs to know the systems.
- NBA Jam — No rules to learn, and it is funny when you lose.
Kind single-player
Games with no punishing failure state, where a child can make progress alone.
- Kirby and the Forgotten Land — Built to be generous, and full of small inventions.
- Astro Bot — The best-feeling platformer in years and never cruel.
- Spyro the Dragon — No difficulty to speak of — just a level to sweep clean.
Play together, not against
Co-operative rather than competitive, which is usually the better call with mixed ages.
- LittleBigPlanet — Four players, floaty physics, and a level editor after.
- Pikmin 4 — Strategy at ankle height, with a rewind for when it goes wrong.
- Grounded — Survival that is kinder than the genre usually allows, in co-op.
Common mistakes
- Choosing by age rating alone. Plenty of games rated for everyone are punishingly hard, and a few rated higher are gentler than they look.
- Turning items off in a party game because a better player finds it fairer. The items are what keep everyone in it.
- Picking a game with a shared screen for a group that will split up. Split-screen and shared-screen play very differently in a family.
Questions
What is a good game for a family with mixed ages?
Mario Kart 8 Deluxe with smart steering on, or Super Mario Bros Wonder — both let a child and an adult play the same thing at very different skill levels.
Are there good co-operative games for two?
It Takes Two and A Way Out are both built entirely for two people, and Portal 2's co-op campaign is a separate game from its single-player.
How do I check whether a game is suitable?
Age ratings cover content but not difficulty or frustration. The reliable check is watching five minutes of unedited play footage before buying.
