The best games for kids on Xbox Game Pass
If you’ve got an Xbox Game Pass subscription, there are tonnes of great games for kids to play without having to spend an extra penny. No matter what level of Game Pass you have, you’ll find something suitable for your youngsters, and we’ve rounded up the best games for kids right here.
Yes, Xbox Game Pass has become a bit of a minefield lately, thanks to its Ultimate, Premium and Essential tiers. But we’ve made sure to choose games that are available across as many tiers as possible. Every game on this list is available on Xbox Game Pass premium, and you’ll find some available on the most basic Essential tier, too.
The games here are suitable for kids of all ages. We’ve included titles like Bluey and Peppa Pig, that the youngest children will surely love, just as they’re getting used to holding a controller. Other games, like Forza Horizon 5 and Lego Star Wars, will appeal to older kids, and make great games for parents and kids to play together.
So, no matter what age range or what genre of game you’re looking for, hopefully you’ll find something to suit in our guide to the best Xbox Game Pass games for kids.
More family-friendly stuff on Game Pass
1. Paw Patrol Rescue Wheels: Championship
- Available on Xbox Game Pass Ultimate, Premium, Game Pass for Console and PC Game Pass
Paw Patrol is one of the biggest franchises for kids to come out of the last decade. While there have been several Paw Patrol games, we find the ones that put the helpful canine crew behind the wheels of their vehicles the most fun. Paw Patrol Rescue Wheels: Championship isn’t the first racing game featuring these delightful dogs, but it is the newest, and the best.
The whole crew is available to play as, and every character takes control of their own unique vehicle. Like any good karting game, you’ll be able to pick up power-ups on the track to put you ahead of the competition, and assists are available to help out youngsters who might need help accelerating.
2. My Little Pony: A Zephyr Heights Mystery
- Available on Xbox Game Pass Ultimate, Premium, Game Pass for Console and PC Game Pass
Beautifully colourful, entertaining and multi-faceted, there’s an awful lot to like about My Little Pony: A Zephyr Heights Mystery. Based on the long-running My Little Pony franchise, this game not only has players solving a mystery, but they’ll be completing platforming challenges, playing dress-up, finding collectibles and completing a whole host of other quests and challenges.
Even as adults, we had a lot of fun playing this, and kids – particularly those with a love of all things My Little Pony – are going to adore being in control of their own ponies, exploring the colourful, dynamic world of Zephyr Heights. You’ll unlock new ponies as you play, and each one has their own unique skill, making it possible to access locked-off areas or reach certain collectibles that other ponies can’t.
Read our full review of My Little Pony: A Zephyr Heights Mystery
3. Lego Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga
- Available on Xbox Game Pass Ultimate, Premium, Game Pass for Console and PC Game Pass.
Is there anything better for younger players than a Lego game? We don’t think so – and so we’re thrilled that Lego Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga is available on Xbox Game Pass. Telling the story of all nine Skywalker movies, there’s a huge amount of content here. There are over 200 characters to play as, too, with all your favourites – and each one has their own abilities. Better yet, it can be played in co-op, so perfect for siblings – or parents and kids – to play together.
Read our review of Lego Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga
4. Peppa Pig: World Adventures
- Available on Xbox Game Pass Ultimate, Premium, Game Pass for Console and PC Game Pass
For the very littlest gamers, there are no better games on Xbox Game Pass than Peppa Pig: World Adventures. Well, providing your little one is a fan of Peppa Pig, at least. It’s a very short but sweet adventure, letting kids become their very own Peppa Pig character, and essentially starring in a series of their very own episodes of Peppa Pig. Players will get to visit different locations around the world with Peppa and friends, learning a little about the cities as they go. It’s a very simple to control game, suitable for young children who are just getting to grips with holding a controller.
Read our review of Peppa Pig: World Adventures
5. Bluey: The Videogame
- Available on Xbox Game Pass Ultimate, Premium, Game Pass for Console and PC Game Pass
Here’s another game especially for the youngest players. Bluey: The Videogame is a gorgeous animation that puts little ones right in the heart of their own episode of Bluey. Animated exactly like the TV show, kids can explore Bluey’s house and visit key locations from the cartoon. There are several missions to complete, and all are based around real episodes that Bluey fans will likely know best.
It’s a joy to play, honestly, thanks to its simple controls, its genuine voice acting and its beautiful animation. It’s a fairly short game, taking only a few hours to complete, but we think it’s the sort of thing that kids are going to want to go back to again and again. And really, we can’t blame them.
Read our review of Bluey: The Videogame
6. Disney Dreamlight Valley
- Available on Xbox Game Pass Ultimate, Premium, Essential, Game Pass for Console and PC Game Pass
If your youngster is a Disney fan, games for kids really don’t get any better than this. Disney Dreamlight Valley is a sandbox adventure game, throwing players into the magical world of Dreamlight Valley. Dozens of Disney franchises collide in a world that you grow and shape yourself. You’ll need to farm, forage and decorate, but you’ll also need to complete quests, get to know your new neighbours and explore for secrets in the world around you. It’s utterly wholesome fun, and even as adults we’ve enjoyed sinking tens of hours into it.
Read our review of Disney Dreamlight Valley
7. Disneyland Adventures
- Available on Xbox Game Pass Ultimate, Premium, Game Pass for Console and PC Game Pass
We love Disneyland Adventures, and if your kid is a fan of Disney, then they will too. Disneyland Adventures is essentially a recreation of Disneyland. There are rides, attractions, shopping streets, Disney characters to meet, and even a huge enchanted castle.
As a game, it’s an open world for players to do whatever they want in. There are tasks to complete, but it’s just as fun to wander around, meet characters, and take in the sights. You can even ride the rides if you want! You can dress up your character in all kids of outfits, collect autographs, and simply enjoy the fun of being at Disneyland without any of the queues.
8. Forza Horizon 5
- Available on Xbox Game Pass Ultimate, Premium, Game Pass for Console and PC Game Pass
Forza Horizon 5 is probably not the first game that comes to mind when you think of Xbox Game Pass games for kids. But in all honesty, this is one of the most joyous, family-friendly games available – especially if your kids are into cars. There’s something incredible about the freedom that Forza Horizon 5 gives its players; you can drive where you want, how you want, and compete in events in whatever order you want. For younger players, that freedom is especially welcome.
Even for the youngest children just learning to hold an Xbox controller for the first time, Forza Horizon 5 is perfect. Simply let them get to grips by driving a car around the huge open world. Then, as they get a little older, they can enter races and events – and with fully customisable difficulty settings, it can be made as easy as they’d like. It’s beautiful, it’s fun, and there are literally 100s of cars available.
Read our review of Forza Horizon 5
9. Minecraft
- Available on Xbox Game Pass Ultimate, Premium, Game Pass for Console and PC Game Pass
Minecraft is a very obvious choice. Chances are, if you’ve got a kid over six, they already know more about Minecraft than you do. Heck, they may well know more about Minecraft than we do! This long-running sandbox game has been popular with younger players for years now – so much so that it’s even been used as an educational tool in schools. It’s all about crafting your own world around you; carving blocks, building houses, exploring, and creating whatever you want. If your child likes to get creative, then it’s pretty much a cert that they’ll enjoy spending some time in Minecraft.
10. Golf With Your Friends
- Available on Xbox Game Pass Ultimate, Premium, Essential, Game Pass for Console and PC Game Pass
Golf With Your Friends is a pretty descriptive title for this game; it does pretty much exactly what it says. It lets you play golf with your friends. Not just any golf though; this isn’t some boring simulation-type game. It’s packed with fun crazy golf courses, making it perfect for younger players to play.
You can play Golf With Your Friends solo if you want, competing against the computer. But it’s more fun when you’re playing in local multiplayer with friends or family. It’s an ideal game for younger siblings to play together – as long as they can cope with a friendly bit of competition! There’s a huge range of courses available, and games can be made more interesting by adding modifiers to the mix, like a haunted house level complete with ghosts and levitating furniture. There are multiple modes available too, like hockey golf, which turns your ball into a hockey puck.
Read more about Golf With Your Friends
11. New Super Lucky’s Tale
- Available on Xbox Game Pass Ultimate, Premium, Game Pass for Console and PC Game Pass
Bright, bold, colourful, and starring the most adorable fox; just one glance at New Super Lucky’s Tale tells you this is the perfect Xbox Game Pass game for kids. You wouldn’t be wrong. This 3D platformer is not only cute-as-a-button, it’s also a lot of fun for players of any ages.
In it, players take control of the titular Lucky, a fox on a journey to recover the missing pages of the Book of Ages. You see, the evil Kitty Litter has stolen them, putting Lucky and his friends in danger. In order to get them back, Lucky needs to make his way through a series of levels set across various worlds. All sorts of platforming challenges await him; from open 3D levels to freely roam around in, to side-scrolling 2.5D levels, there’s a huge range of challenges waiting for players.
Little touches like being able to dress Lucky up in a range of funny outfits help make this a hit for younger players. But the gameplay itself is the sort of thing that children and adults alike can enjoy. We love it, and we’re confident kids will too.
Read our review of New Super Lucky’s Tale
12. Overcooked! 2
- Available on Xbox Game Pass Ultimate, Premium, Essential, Game Pass for Console and PC Game Pass
Overcooked! 2 is the perfect multiplayer game for family members who like to work together. This isn’t your typical cooking simulator game. Sure, players will have to work together to serve food to their customers, but you’ll be working in very bizarre conditions. Maybe your kitchen is in a hot air balloon, or it’s split into two with a busy road running through the middle of it. In Overcooked! 2, players need to work together and co-ordinate in order to overcome obstacles and prepare meals quickly and effectively.
It’s chaotic, but it’s a lot of fun, and it’s a great game to teach younger players about working together and coping under stressful conditions. With a range of fun characters to play as and a bright, eye-catching art style, this is a game that’s been designed with younger players in mind – but it’s one the whole family can get involved in. If you’re looking for something fun for siblings to play in co-op, Overcooked! 2 is one of the best Xbox Game Pass games for kids.
Read our review of Overcooked! 2
13. Rush: A Disney Pixar Adventure
- Available on Xbox Game Pass Ultimate, Premium, Game Pass for Console and PC Game Pass
When it comes to the best kids games on Xbox Game Pass, you can’t get much better than Rush: A Disney Pixar Adventure. A 3D adventure game, it takes place in six popular Disney Pixar worlds: Ratatouille, The Incredibles, Up, Cars, Toy Story and Finding Dory. Each world has its own story, allowing players to take control of their favourite Pixar characters, and explore their worlds.
Even as adults, we got a huge kick out of Rush. But this is absolutely designed with younger players in mind, with some adventuring and platforming challenges that even the youngest of players can get to grips with. It looks fantastic too; it’s easy to imagine that you’re actually part of a Pixar movie while playing. Needless to say, if your kid is a fan of Disney Pixar, then Rush is well worth playing.
