There’s little doubt that the Xbox One is a great place to come for a variety of games. Whether you’re looking for a huge open-world adventure or mature storytelling, the Xbox One games library has something for everyone.
But what if you’re looking for a game your kids can enjoy?
Nintendo is often associated with games for kids, but the Big M has plenty of offerings for younger players. From a vast catalog of LEGO games to Rayman, Snoopy, and Crash Bandicoot, the Xbox One's library of kid-friendly games is no slouch.
As we head into the holiday season, you're sure to be on the lookout for games your kids can play during the Thanksgiving break or on Christmas. If that's what you're here for, keep clicking to see our roundup of the 10 best Xbox One games for kids ages 7-12.
Just Dance 2019
Rated: Everyone
Price: $49.90
Where to Buy: Amazon
Just like the previous games in the series, Just Dance 2019 includes a huge list of chart-topping songs that the kids in your life probably know better than you do.
The game uses the Xbox One's camera capabilities to capture all your righteous dance moves for glorious in-game points. The closer you are to the suggested pose and the more in time you are, the higher your score climbs.
At the end of the song, whoever has the most points wins.
Up to four players can play at the same time, making this a great game for a party or event. The game uses the radio versions of the songs, meaning that most inappropriate words are censored. Just Dance 2019 comes out on October 23, just in time to make every kid's holiday wish lists.
LEGO Worlds
Rating: Everyone 10+
Price: $32.99
Where to Buy: Amazon
If your kids are tired of Minecraft but looking for something in a similar vein, LEGO Worlds might be the next logical choice.
LEGO Worlds lets kids create their own LEGOego-style avatar and construct their own world brick by brick, just as they would with a regular LEGO set. Kids can also play with their friends in their own worlds via online play.
After building a world, players can race in cars or ride fantastic creatures, populate their world with different characters, or look for buried treasure.
While it doesn’t quite reach the lofty heights of Mojang’s masterpiece, there are plenty of opportunities for creative kids to plan, build, and create anything they can think of right on their Xbox One.
Check out our LEGO Worlds review for more info.
Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy
Rating: Everyone 10+
Price: $43.10
Where to Buy: Amazon
If you grew up playing Crash Bandicoot, this Xbox One remake is a great way to introduce the kids in your life to a classic. Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy collects the first three titles of the Crash Bandicoot series, which originally appeared on the first PlayStation.
Each sees the titular Crash travels through lots of different levels to stop the evil Doctor Neo Cortex from taking over the world. Kids can blast through enemies, collect power-ups and points, and compete to see who can clear a level the fastest.
The game is an extremely faithful reproduction and even provides a few updates to the original games, so if you enjoyed those, there's a lot to like here.
Check out our N. Sane Trilogy review for more info.
Rush: A Disney-Pixar Adventure
Rating: Everyone 10+
Price: $29.99
Where to Buy: Amazon
A wealth of familiar characters means there’s a lot to enjoy here for kids who love Pixar. Rush: A Disney-Pixar Adventure features characters and worlds from six well-known Pixar franchises ranging from Cars to Toy Story and Finding Nemo.
Kids can interact with their favorite characters and solve puzzles and challenges in each of the movies' worlds; they can also explore the worlds on their own, finding secrets and experiencing what it's like to be in a Pixar movie.
The game supports local co-op, meaning two players can play on one console at the same time, making this a great choice for kids with siblings, but only one Xbox One.
Minecraft Story Mode: The Complete Adventure
Rating: Everyone 10+
Price: $19.99
Where to Buy: Amazon
If your child still can’t get enough of Minecraft, Minecraft Story Mode is a good choice.
The single-player game follows the story of several characters within the Minecraft universe. Kids can choose what their character says and does, which will then influence how the story plays out.
There are also brief sequences in which kids can explore and solve puzzles, often involving finding objects in an environment.
Though it doesn’t contain the building and crafting elements of the original and the story may seem a little mundane to adults, this is a great option for kids who enjoy other Minecraft spin-off books and stories.
Think choose-your-own-adventure here.
You can check out our review of Minecraft Stories' first episode for more info.
Disneyland Adventures
Rating: Everyone 10+
Price: $29.99
Where to Buy: Amazon
For kids who love their Kinect, this is a fun way to explore Disney’s park from your Xbox One. Disneyland Adventures allows kids to explore 18 of Disneyland's attractions, meet and get autographs from characters, and participate in magical adventures like flying with Peter Pan.
There are lots of minigames that young kids will enjoy, and players of all ages can try fun things like coordinating their own fireworks show over Sleeping Beauty's castle.
Kids can explore at their own pace, and there are few timers or requirements. Even if you don’t have a Kinect, you can still enjoy the game, though some of the minigames are a little harder to play without motion controls.
Super Lucky's Tale
Rating: Everyone
Price: $19.89
Where to Buy: Amazon
Super Lucky's Tale is a 3D platformer, a genre that also includes the Mario games. Kids play as Lucky, a fox who travels through different levels in a quest to protect a magical tome known as the Book of Ages.
The game is fairly easy, allowing young kids to run, jump, and bounce their way through colorful worlds while collecting clovers.
In addition to the main levels, the game includes a number of side challenges, puzzles, and other minigames to keep kids occupied.
Along the way, they'll meet lots of storybook-style characters and outsmart evil cats. This is essentially the tamer version of Crash Bandicoot -- if there is such a thing.
Snoopy's Grand Adventure
Rating: Everyone
Price: $25.00
Where to Buy: Amazon
Intended as a spin-off and continuation of The Peanuts Movie, this game involves one big game of hide and seek.
In Snoopy's Grand Adventure, kids play as Snoopy, who is looking to find the rest of the Peanuts gang as they travel throughout imaginary worlds.
Those who loved Peanuts will definitely appreciate the game, as the worlds are based on the sequences of Snoopy's imagination, which were some of the most famous parts of the old Peanuts movies.
Kids can jump, climb, and scoot around obstacles in levels contained within four different worlds as they try to find all of the Peanuts friends.
Kung Fu Panda: Showdown of Legendary Legends
Rating: Everyone 10+
Price: $29.87
Where to Buy: Amazon
If your kids are big Kung Fu Panda fans, here's the game for you! This fighting game allows kids to pick from any number of characters from the Kung Fu Panda universe and do battle with friends or computer-controlled characters.
This game includes local co-op, meaning two players can play against each other on one console. Battles take place on a variety of stages from the series' universe.
The violence is cartoony and similar to what one would find in the movies. This is a great choice for kids who enjoy Super Smash Bros. and are looking for something similar.
Rayman Legends
Rating: Everyone 10+
Price: $39.99
Where to Buy: Amazon
Rayman Legends follows the titular Rayman and his friends as they journey through a variety of magical paintings that each contain their own world. Inside that, each world contains tons of levels in which kids can jump, build, and punch through levels, taking out enemies and saving creatures known as Teensies along the way.
The goal is to beat the levels and discover all of their secrets. Each of the levels is beautifully rendered and the music is fun and upbeat, making this seem like a fully fleshed-out world for kids to explore.
The game received the highest Metacritic score of any game on this list and is considered a must-play for both kids and adults.
Check out our Rayman Legends review for more info.
That just about does it for the Top 10 Xbox One games for kids ages 7-12.
There are plenty of offerings on the Xbox One for younger audiences, and there's something on this list for every kid to enjoy.
If you or your child has an Xbox One, check out these games if you're looking for a fun new experience.
If you have a favorite Xbox One game for younger gamers, let us know in the comments!
