52 Educational Video Games for Kids (By Category)
Rather than bemoan the rise of gaming, parents are smart to work with their kids’ interests and choose educational video games that the whole family can agree on.
The best video games provide kids not only with enjoyment but also opportunities to practice their collaboration, strategic-planning, and problem-solving skills.
We’ve broken our mega list down by category to help you find games suited to your child’s needs. In it you’ll find games that teach familiar subjects like science and math, along with highly valuable “soft skills” like collaboration and creativity.
Please make sure to read the ratings and reviews before deciding if a game is right for your child.
Before we hop into the list, let's consider the main criteria for educational video games.
What makes a video game educational?
According to Jane McGonigal, author of Reality is Broken: Why Games Make Us Better and How They Can Change the World, “the average young person…will spend 10,000 hours gaming by the age of twenty-one.”
Video games can be a crucial tool to educate young people because they have an important thing going for them: kids are into them.
Why not meet them where they are and embrace the power of video games as learning tools?
- Complexity: Because video games offer kids the opportunity to make high-stakes decisions without real-world consequences, they allow kids to practice strategic planning, decision analysis, and personal reflection. In that way, most complex and strategic games are educational.
- Subject matter: Some games are educational because of their subject matter. For example, if you want your child to have a fun and interactive way to learn about the human body, you might find an anatomy game like BodyQuest. Or if you want them to up their geography skills, you might opt for National Geographic Challenge.
- Collaboration: Anytime kids have the opportunity to collaborate with others, they’re going to learn something. They might learn how to best communicate with an individual, how to decide whose idea to test, how to take turns, etc. Games can be a great way to practice collaboration skills for the real world.
Without further ado, here’s our mega list of educational video games for kids.
Problem Solving and Collaboration Games
These games will have your child solving problems, and sometimes collaborating with others.
1. Little Big Planet Series
In Little Big Planet, kids play and solve puzzles as Sackboy, a humanoid made out of burlap. While the gameplay is fun and quirky, the customization and sharing aspects are where this game excels. Future game developers and designers can learn about physics and worldbuilding with limitless customization options, and they can share their creations with the over 10 million players worldwide.
Where to find it: The Little Big Planet series is available only on Playstation.
2. Synthesis
Synthesis is a collaborative learning experience where kids work in teams to solve complex problems and tackle real-world simulations. Created by the founder of Ad Astra, a school for the kids of SpaceX employees, Synthesis offers an open-ended process that challenges kids to develop and test strategies to figure out the rules of the game as well as possible solutions. In addition, they get to reflect on how they worked individually and as part of the group, bolstering their confidence to speak up and practice their leadership skills.
Where to find it: Synthesis cohorts are available for kids ages six to 14. Check out Synthesis here.
3. Minecraft
The best selling game of all time just happens to be one of the most educational video games for kids. We don’t think that’s a coincidence either. Minecraft is a sandbox game, one where players are given tools to create whatever they want, limited only by their own imagination. Minecraft encourages research, experimentation, and curiosity, as kids push the limits of what they can build.
Where to find it: Minecraft is available on all major gaming platforms.
4. Super Mario Maker Series
Perfect for future game designers, the Super Mario Maker series lets kids create and share their own versions of levels from past Mario games. While making their own levels, kids will learn about gameplay flow, or how to structure a stage so players are challenged, yet still able to enjoy it. Another bonus is how user friendly it is. IGN says it “might be the most accessible game design tool ever created.” There’s even a game design bootcamp for players that want to learn even more.
Where to find it: The Super Mario Maker series is available on Nintendo.
5. Death Squared
Death squared is a puzzle game that will challenge your child’s observation and teamwork skills. Perhaps the greatest benefit of this game beyond its cognitive challenge is how it can bring families together. One reviewer states “it facilitates a social experience…people of all ages are able to play together.”
Where to find it: Death Squared is available on console and Steam.
6. Animal Crossing Series
Another highly popular game on our list, Animal Crossing is a great game for students who aren’t motivated by the more competitive aspects of some video games. There’s no end goal to this game. Instead, players wander around an open world, collecting items, performing tasks, and building up their community. It was tough to categorize this game because students can learn so much about reading, math, and STEAM concepts by playing it. We settled on problem solving because kids will need to figure out how to best spend their time in this immersive, educational world.
Where to find it: The Animal Crossing Series can be found on Nintendo and Mobile platforms.
7. Rubicon by Synthesis)
Julius Caesar crossed the Rubicon River, which is now in Northern Italy, in 49 B.C.E., thus knowingly starting a civil war. With Synthesis’s game Rubicon, players have to figure out the rules all on their own, but that bit of history might give you a hint. Just don’t mention it to your kids.
Where to find it: Play Rubicon here.
8. Big Brain Academy: Brain vs. Brain
Big Brain Academy: Brain vs. Brain breaks down its puzzles and tasks into five uniquely challenging categories: memory, analysis, computation, identification, and visualization. Also, it is another game where parents can get in on the action. You can easily adjust each player’s difficulty settings to level the playing field and go head to head with your kids.
Where to find it: Big Brain Academy: Brain vs. Brain is available on the Nintendo Switch.
9. Thinksmart Family
Thinksmart Family is a trivia game the whole family can enjoy. It has over 8000 exercises to challenge kids' minds and help them develop language, memory, mathematics, spatial reasoning and logic skills, all while bonding (or competing) with their family.
Where to find it: Thinksmart Family is available on the Nintendo Wii.
Science, Tech, Math, and Puzzle Games
These games are perfect for kids who love science and math, or who need a helping hand in these areas.
10. Kerbal Space Program
Trial and error is the order of the day in this rocket simulator game. In it you take charge of the space program for aliens known as the Kerbals, and your job is to help them explore space. You do this by continually building and testing rockets, kitting them out with a plethora of realistic components and parts, all while learning about real engineering concepts like fuel efficiency, thrust, and airflow. As one reviewer put it, getting his spacecraft into orbit was “one of [his] greatest achievements in a game.”
Where to find it: Kerbal Space program is available for PC and console.
11. The Gran Turismo Series
Gran Turismo isn’t called the “The Real Driving Simulator” for nothing. Now in its seventh generation, Gran Turismo is a tech lover’s dream. Everything about the real life cars in this game is fully customizable, and budding mechanics and tinkerers will find immense joy and education in tweaking infinite details to boost their car’s performance and gain a competitive edge.
Where to find it: The Gran Turismo series is available on Playstation.
12. Marvel's Spider-Man Series
If there’s any super hero kids should look up to, it’s Spider-Man. Peter Parker and Miles Morales are regular kids from New York City that happen to have an aptitude for science. While most of the gameplay revolves around web slinging through an incredibly accurate recreation of Manhattan, and fighting baddies, science based puzzles and concepts abound. While your kids may not gain super strength and agility by playing Spider-Man, they may develop a curiosity for science from great role models like Peter and Miles.
Where to find it: Marvel’s Spider-Man and Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales are available on Playstation.
13. Eloh
Eloh is another game for students who like their challenges a little more relaxed. This beautifully designed and relaxing game focuses on sound and music based puzzles where players need to combine sounds in just the right way to achieve a goal. For any student who loves music, or wants to learn more about it, Eloh is a perfect opportunity to experiment with sound design and musical production.
Where to find it: Eloh can be found in Google Play or the Apple App Store.
14. Foldit
Foldit is unique among games on this list because it is a crowdsourced game that allows your child to contribute to scientific research in the field of chemistry. Players compete to find new ways to fold proteins into the most beneficial shapes, and researchers think this is an even more efficient way to study the process of protein folding than the current computer programs. Researchers also mention possible applications of this research in curing HIV/AIDS, Alzheimers, and more.
Where to find it: Play Foldit here.
15. The Portal Series
The Portal series was groundbreaking for its exciting gameplay mechanics and mind bending physics that can help kids understand concepts like momentum and gravity in a fun way. But what takes this series educational use up a notch is its downloadable “puzzle maker” where students can create new levels and machines within the game to test scientific concepts. There’s even a library of teacher created lesson plans that can be used with the “puzzle maker.”
Where to find it: The Portal series is available on all major gaming platforms.
16. Little Alchemy Series
These mobile games, while not strictly scientific, will get kids curious about how different combinations of various elements come together to create new things. You start each game with 4 basic components, and have to combine them in varied ways to unlock over 700 new items.
Where to find it: Play Little Alchemy online, or download it with Google Play, or the Apple App Store.
17. ChemCaper
ChemCaper is a classic RPG that doesn’t sacrifice story and immersion as it helps teens pick up chemistry concepts. The game was developed for kids to learn without even realizing it, and developers claim that “ChemCaper players report that they remember 90% of the chemistry concepts learnt in the game 6 months after playing it for the first time.”
Where to find it: Download ChemCaper on Steam.
18. SimCity
This classic game still packs an educational punch. Students can learn about all sorts of concepts like urban planning, sociology, and environmental conservation, as they try to build and maintain a city. The newest version adds the challenge of implementing green technology to the mix.
Where to find it: Download SimCity for PC and Mac here.
19. Spore
Spore is a game that can simply be a fun creation game where kids in grades four and up can make endless combinations of funky alien creatures using the game’s design tools. However, many teachers have used the game to teach concepts like evolutionary biology and sociology.
Where to find it: Download Spore for PC and Mac here.
20. Alba
Alba is a great mix of head and heart. It’s a beautiful game that follows the titular character in her quest to document all the wildlife on the Mediterranean Island she’s visiting, before an evil developer destroys the natural ecosystem. Players can learn about ecology and activism, in this relaxing, easygoing affair.
Where to find it: Alba is available on console and PC here.
21. Dragon Quest Builders 2
Dragon Quest Builders 2 is another RPG that doesn’t sacrifice playability and entertainment for its more educational aspects. The story is geared towards a younger audience, and it follows a builder as they fight back against an evil group bent on stopping them from building. If your kids love Minecraft, they’ll definitely love this game as well. Where it differs from Minecraft is that the building in this game is goal oriented, rather than open ended, which some kids may prefer.
Where to find it: Dragon Quest Builders 2 is available for console and PC here.
22. Game Builder Garage
Game Builder Garage is a real look under the hood at game development and a must for any kid that’s ever thought I want to make video games. Kids will learn real programming and game design skills at a challenging yet manageable pace as the game leads them through a series of tasks. Once they’ve got the basics down, their only limit is their imagination.
Where to find it: Game Builder Garage is available on the Nintendo Switch.
23. Math Blaster
Another update of one of the classic educational video games for kids, Math Blaster takes math learning to the next level. It is geared towards elementary to middle school students, and it teaches math concepts through a variety of minigames. Concepts in the game include basics like addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division, as well as decimals, place value, money, angle types, and multiples of numbers.
Where to find it: Play Math Blaster here.
24. Minecraft Mission to Mars
This Minecraft spin off gives students a little more purpose than the open-world sandbox version of the game. In Mission to Mars, students learn all about what it would take to build a colony on mars, while working collaboratively to do just that.
Where to find it: Download Minecraft Mission to Mars here.
25. SpaceChem
This title is best for ambitious high school students who are already interested in science and chemistry. It has a steep learning curve and dives right into really complex chemistry concepts, but if students can get into it, they might just be training to be the next generation of chemical engineers while playing this rewarding puzzler.
Where to find it: Download SpaceChem on Steam.
26. BodyQuest
BodyQuest is a fun game that puts kids ages six and up on a tour of the human body. Players need to stop an invading army of aliens all while learning about anatomy.
Where to find it: BodyQuest is Available for the Nintendo Switch.
27. Endless Ocean
This diving simulator encourages learning about marine biology and ecosystems. Underwater environments have been painstakingly created and any student that loves the water and learning about sea life will fall in love.
Where to find it: Available for the Nintendo Wii.
28. Down the Tubes
Down the Tubes is a game from the PBS KIDS Lab that teaches spatial reasoning and measurement skills. It’s super accessible and fun for kids ages five and up. Kids will feel accomplished when they help fix the Odd Squad’s tubes, and won’t even realize they’re learning.
Where to find it: Play Down the Tubes here.
29. The Electric Company Party Game
Kids in grades K-2 need to help Marcus and Jessica get off Pranskter Planet in this fun game. While they’re doing so, they’ll be learning and using math skills.
Where to find it: Play The Electric Company Party Game here.
Language Arts Games
Use these games to help your child become a better reader, writer, and critical thinker.
30. Baba Is You
Baba Is You is a puzzle game that involves manipulating language to achieve goals. Players can move tiles of nouns, verbs, and linking words to create “rules” that affect the gameplay. This game is great to help kids learn sentence structure and how reorganizing words can have a profound effect.
Where to find it: Baba Is You is available on Nintendo Switch, Mobile, and PC.
31. Letters: A Written Adventure
Letters: A Written Adventure takes teens back in time to the 90s and 2000s as they follow Sarah, and read her hand drawn letters. This story encourages social and emotional growth through reading, and encourages practicing language skills through solving riddles.
Where to find it: Letters: A Written Adventure is available on Nintendo Switch. and Steam.
32. My Word Coach
If you’re looking for an inexpensive way to challenge your child’s linguistic ability, look no further than My Word Coach. This game was developed by linguists and has challenges that will help your child learn and practice using up to 17,000 words.
Where to find it: My Word Coach is available on the Nintendo Wii.
33. Reader Rabbit
As the name implies, this one is suitable for younger readers. It combines a fun, quirky story, with reading intensive challenges to help your little one grow their reading skills.
Where to find it: Reader Rabbit is available for multiple game levels on the Nintendo Wii.
34. Scribblenauts Mega Pack
Get more bang for your buck with this two-pack of Scribblenauts games: Scribblenauts Unlimited and Scribblenauts Unmasked (which takes superhero loving kids into the DC universe). Gameplay in both games revolves around generating different words to alter and change the world to achieve your goals.
Where to find it: Scribblenauts Mega Pack is available on the Nintendo Switch.
35. Words With Friends
This Scrabble clone is suited to older teens with smart devices. Players can play against their friends, or against random opponents, to see who can come up with the most words. It’s not the best vocab building game as the context is lacking, but the ease of play and mobility make up for it.
Where to find it: Download Words With Friends in the Apple App Store or Google Play.
36. Can You Dig It
This interactive web game by PBS KIDS Lab combines ELA and Ecology lessons in the form of a story with fun, interactive quizzes interspersed throughout. This game is great for students in kindergarten through fifth grade.
Where to find it: Play Can You Dig It here.
37. Influent
Influent is the only foreign language learning game on our list. In it you explore a realistic 3D environment with hundreds of items and their descriptions, allowing you to select what words you want to learn and keep track of them in the game. It already has 18 language packs and more are being added frequently. It even has fun mini games that make language learning more exciting.
Where to find it: Download on Steam or in the Apple App Store.
38. JumpStart Escape From Adventure Island
JumpStart Escape From Adventure Island is a game for kids ages five through nine. It’s packed with all types of fun learning challenges and ways for kids to practice and hone their reading and critical thinking skills. In it you create an avatar called a Jumpee and explore a 3D island, customizing your treehouse and trying to rebuild your ship to get off the island.
Where to find it: JumpStart Escape From Adventure Island is available on the Nintendo Wii.
39. Margot’s Word Brain
Margot’s Word Brain is great for kids ages ten and up. It includes six different word games that players can choose from to build their vocabularies. Each test is timed, forcing kids to test their mental agility against the clock.
Where to find it: You can find Margot’s Word Brain on the Nintendo Wii.
Social Studies Games
These games can help your child learn about history, culture, and geography.
40. The Oregon Trail: American Settler
The Oregon Trail: American Settler is the sequel to the classic game you probably played as a kid. Revamped with new graphics and challenges, kids nine and up can learn about life as a pioneer on the American frontier in this village building sim. Packed with historical facts and figures, this game is a fun, easy way to learn about U.S. history.
Where to find it: The Oregon Trail: American Settler is available in the App Store or on Google Play.
41. 21 Days
21 Days is a simulation-adventure game that takes you through the life of a Syrian Refugee named Mohammed as he tries to earn enough money to bring his wife and son to live with him in Western Europe. Best for older teens as there is some sensitive content such as anti-Muslim discrimination and talk of war and violence, it is nonetheless a great opportunity to learn about the hardships refugees face.
Where to find it: Download it on Steam here.
42. Sid Meier’s Civilization VI
Now in its sixth incarnation, Sid Meier’s Civilization is in a league all its own when it comes to strategy games. Players are tasked with growing their small band of people into, you guessed it, a large-scale civilization. The gameplay mechanics are engaging and challenging, but the greatest boon to learners is the enormous encyclopedia of real world knowledge they can pull from. It’s inevitable that after playing this game, kids ten and up will have a better understanding of humanity.
Where to find it: Sid Meier’s Civilization VI is available on all platforms.
43. National Geographic Challenge
National Geographic Challenge is another game with an encycopedia’s worth of content to help teach kids about world history, geography, culture, and more, all curated by the experts at Nat Geo. Players aged ten and up can learn by playing five different modes with over 60 minutes of unique content and over 4000 questions to test their knowledge.
Where to find it: National Geographic challenge is available on Playstation 3, Nintendo Wii, and Xbox 360.
44. Where on Google Earth is Carmen San Diego?
Another blast from the past on our list, the world’s most notorious thief is back, this time using her skills for good. She’s still as elusive as ever though and it’s up to your kids to track her down using Google Earth. Using clues and geography facts from around the globe, players can track down Carmen San Diego while learning a ton about their world.
Where to find it: Download Where on Google Earth is Carmen San Diego? here.
45. Democracy 4
Let’s be honest, learning about politics and government doesn’t get most kids revved up. So developers Positech games created Democracy, now in its fourth version, a sim that puts your teens right into a President/Prime Minister’s shoes to see first hand what governing and leadership really entails. They’ll have to make policy decisions, and try to stay in office, all while contending with a network of AI driven citizens designed to mimic real world opinions, beliefs, thoughts, and biases.
Where to find it: Download Democracy 4 here.
Health and Fitness Games
Health and fitness are an important part of a child’s education. They need to learn the benefits of exercise and get in the habit of moving regularly. These games can help.
46. Sesame Street: Once Upon a Monster
Your kids will be up, moving, dancing, and learning with their favorite Sesame Street friends Grover, Elmo, Cookie Monster, and Oscar in this game. Using the Xbox 360’s kinect controller, players can play with siblings, friends, and parents to progress through this storybook adventure learning life skills along the way.
Where to find it: Sesame Street: Once Upon a Monster is available on Xbox 360.
47. Zumba Fitness: World Party
Another game that uses the Xbox’s kinect sensor, Zumba Fitness: World Party is a great game for any kid who wants to get moving while learning a variety of dance styles from around the globe. Players can learn salsa, cumbia, Irish step, and more. There’s even a training mode where kids can practice those particularly tricky moves before going full throttle in the 45 dance classes.
Where to find it: Zumba Fitness: World Party is Available on Xbox One.
48. Arms
Arms is a fighting game that utilizes the Nintendo Switch’s Joy-Con for a tough upper body workout. While the fighting is more cartoonish than anything, the tactics can be pretty nuanced, so players ten and up have to get their mind-body connection in sync if they want to stand a fighting chance.
Where to find it: Get Arms for the Nintendo Switch here.
49. Beat Saber
Beat Saber is a virtual reality game that allows kids to see and interact with music by slashing it down as it flies in at them. In it kids literally take aim at the building blocks of music, so it’s a great game to learn about rhythm, phrasing, and other music basics, while having a ton of fun, and working up a sweat. There’s also an ever growing catalog of music so kids are sure to love the upbeat soundtrack.
Where to find it: Beat Saber is Available on Steam and Playstation, but be aware you’ll need a VR headset to play.
50. Ring Fit Adventure
Not many games mix story and fitness elements like Ring Fit Adventure. Kids ages ten and up have to save the land from the bodybuilding dragon Dragaux by utilizing a special ring add-on to the Swtich’s Joy-Con controller. They’ll be squeezing, jumping, squatting, and running their way to victory in no time.
Where to find it: Ring Fit Adventure is Available for the Nintendo Switch.
51. Just Dance
If your child, ages ten and up, loves pop music and dancing, then Just Dance is for them. Filled with beautiful animation, Just Dance takes kids on a journey through today’s top hits, teaching them choreography and challenging them to keep up along the way.
Where to find it: Just Dance 2022 is available on the Nintendo Switch.
52. Dance Central
Dance Central is another virtual reality game on our list. Its concept is similar to Just Dance 2022. Kids can learn custom choreography to over 30 tracks. What makes this game different is that not only are kids dancing along, but they’re interacting with NPCs in a virtual world, making for an all around immersive experience.
Where to find it: Dance Central is available on Oculus Rift.
Educating your kids takes a village: you, their teachers, their after school program leaders, and video games.
In Synthesis, kids collaborate together to solve problems. Learn more about Synthesis.
