While everyone continues to stay safe and stay at home, it can be difficult keeping the family and kids occupied. Everyone needs an escape sometimes, and fortunately, video games are always available for some single player and multiplayer fun in between other activities.
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However, it can be difficult to decide what games to play together, or what games to let younger audiences play. Luckily, 2020 was hardly a bad year when it came to gaming for all audiences, with a ton of titles that can be enjoyed alone or with a group. There are plenty of engrossing and narrative experiences as well as frenetic party games to pick from.
10 Animal Crossing: New Horizons
Adorable and brimming with an impossible number of possibilities, the latest installment in Nintendo's beloved Animal Crossing series lets players explore an island and make it your home. There's lots of cute characters to get to know, as well as furniture to craft.
The Nintendo Switch really helps the visuals of the game pop, letting players of all ages escape to Tom Nook's island and enjoy their time there. Multiple players can share an island through a shared save file, so it makes for something to bond over and talk about.
9 Ori And The Will Of The Wisps
In Ori and the Will of the Wisps, players explore a beautiful world that feels truly alive, controlling the character Ori through puzzles, past enemies of all shapes and sizes, and towards unravelling a mystery.
This game is a sequel to the first Ori game, titled Ori and the Blind Forest and is every bit as excellent as the original. The developers are known for engaging storytelling and quality gameplay, and the game is available on PC as well as consoles, making this adventure both enjoyable and accessible to audiences of all ages.
8 Fall Guys: Ultimate Knockout
Fall Guys: Ultimate Knockoutis hilarious, accessible, easy to pick up and difficult to put down. In this online multiplayer game, players compete to be the last one standing in fast paced, frenetic gameplay where they must navigate through courses and around obstacles.
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Fall Guys isespecially great to play with friends over voice chat, adding chaos and hilarity to each round. The game's visual style is bright and colorful, helping to distinguish parts of the environment so that players can jump and stumble their way to the goal and leave all the other players in the dust.
7 Paper Mario: The Origami King
In this game, Mario works with a character called Olivia to restore order and repair the world, all while striving to save Princess Peach once more. The Paper Mario games are bright, inventive, and bursting with creative environments and excellent writing.
In Paper Mario: The Origami King, not everything is as it seems. The landscape and characters, built our of paper, tear and fold away to reveal secrets and puzzles. The combat is a fun and addictive twist on classic turn based gameplay, and the visuals are gorgeous and crisp.
6 Fire Emblem: Shadow Dragon & The Blade Of Light
Fire Emblem: Shadow Dragon is, in a way, the oldest game on this list, as the game originally released in Japan in 1990, and was never localized except as a remake for the Nintendo DS in 2008, which contained many changes.
Now, decades after its original release, Nintendo has brought the first game in the series to the Nintendo Switch, in all its former glory.Old and new fans alike can play through Marth's adventure and enjoy the classic mechanics and iconic tunes that started it all.
5 Clubhouse Games: 51 Worldwide Classics
In Clubhouse Games, players can enjoy a variety of board games as well as table games from the comfort of their own home, no equipment required. Available on the Nintendo Switch, the variety of games in this collection is astonishing. Players can enjoy the games alone or with friends and family, both at home and through online play.
The game also explains how each game is played and its origins, making it more than just a game collection. As with most things Nintendo makes, there's a charm to the way it's presented that makes you feel right at home.
4 Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Rescue Team DX
A remake of the Pokemon Mystery Dungeon games from 2005, this game lets players of all ages okay as a character who turns into a Pokemon and takes on missions. The gameplay exists in a satisfying and compelling cycle. Players take on a variety of jobs that are either story based or optional, with different requirements, such as rescuing other Pokemon or gathering resources.
These missions require players toexplorerandomly generated dungeons, meaning no two adventures are the same. The dungeon exploring combines turn based combat with exhaustion mechanics, such as going hungry and needing food and items to continue exploring further.
3 Microsoft Flight Simulator
This game's title is self explanatory. The latest entry in the Microsoft Flight Simulator series, this game uses real map data and cloud technology to give players the most realistic flight experience possible.
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During times like these where it's discouraged and hardly a good idea to be taking flights, Microsoft Flight Simulator lets players leisurely explore the world while also getting to know how basic flight controls work, truly putting them in the co*ckpit. There's also weather effects to add to the realism and variety in experience.
2 Sackboy: A Big Adventure
Sackboy: A Big Adventure is based on the hit puzzling platforming series, Little Big Planet. Released both on the PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5, with some differences between the two versions, this game allowsfans to play in single player or multiplayer with up to a total of four people.
This game is full of beautifully rendered and fantastical environments to explore, with thoughtful and immersive controls that pull players into the game. The platforming is top notch too, promising satisfying gameplay, and the voice cast and sound design are bothincredible, making for an experience that's sure to please.
1 Super Mario 3D All-Stars
In 2020, Nintendo rereleased three iconic 3D Mario games in one package for the Nintendo Switch. Featuring Super Mario 64, Super Mario Sunshine, and Super Mario Galaxy, this is a collection of games that are, without a doubt, high quality and excellent platforming adventure games.
There's not much that needs to be said about the games in Super Mario 3D All-Stars, besides that they are loved bygamers worldwide. Super Mario 64 remains fun to this day, and Super Mario Sunshine was previously only playable on the Nintendo GameCube. Super Mario Galaxy is a modern gem with incredible galaxies to explore. All three of these games are beautiful and fun to play, with imaginative environments to explore and secrets to discover.
NEXT: 10 Best Xbox Games For Kids To Play
