Top 5 Best PS4 Games for Kids From 2017

Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy

Best PS4 Games for Kids From 2017

Crash Bandicoot was one of the iconic video game mascots of many childhoods. The beautifully-colored worlds, challenging platforming, and iconic boss battles had us sat in front of our TVs for hours at a time. Of course, the visuals of the original PlayStation leave a little to be desired by now, but fear not.

Earlier this year, Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy released exclusively on the PS4. As the name suggests, it packs in the original three platforming adventure games into one, excellently-remastered package. That means you’re getting over 100 levels of platforming goodness for a good price. It’s not just the visuals that have been given a fresh lick of paint, either. Online leaderboards are now available and trophy support has been added in for any kids who love collecting the virtual baubles.

If you’re looking for a kid-friendly platforming game that’ll also offer up a bit of a challenge, Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy should be at the top of the list.

LEGO Marvel Super Heroes 2

Best PS4 Games for Kids From 2017

The Marvel movies have become a bit of a colossus of the film industry at the moment, and so it makes sense that LEGO would team up to bring blocky renditions of your favorite super heroes to the PS4 (and other systems) this year. LEGO Marvel Super Heroes 2 takes players on an original branching storyline filled with cameos from their favorite characters. Its gameplay holds the same classic LEGO video game formula, with players beating up bad guys, using characters’ special abilities, and building objects from blocks to solve puzzles.

Plus, the game’s got a number of new gameplay features never before seen in the series. Characters can now manipulate time to help them fight the bad guys, and there’s even a four-player competitive mode so you can put your skills to the test against your friends. If competitive isn’t your style, then LEGO Marvel Super Heroes 2 also has a co-op mode, allowing a second player to jump in on the adventure and give player one a helping hand. Perfect if both your kids want to play, or you just need to give them a helping hand.

Knack 2

Best PS4 Games for Kids From 2017

The original Knack wasn’t the best launch title for the PS4 back in 2013, and while Knack 2 is still far from perfect, it’s an enjoyable adventure game that certainly shows what the system is capable of doing graphically.

Taking place a few years after its predecessor, players will have the save the city of NewHaven from a huge robot army. You’ll once again be in control of Knack, a creature made up of particles who can both shrink down to just a few inches and grow to become a towering powerhouse. It’s Knack’s size-changing ability that becomes the crux of the gameplay in Knack 2, with players needing to shrink down to navigate obstacles or other environmental puzzles, and grow in order to take on all of the robot enemies that come your way. It’s fairly simple and straightforward, but should be challenging enough for most kids.

What’s more, the entire campaign is once again in co-op, meaning two kids can play through together at once, or you can give them a helping hand if they get stuck. Oh, and just like the first game, Knack 2 pushes the PS4 to its limits graphically thanks to all the particle effects on display. You’ll literally see every bit of Knack come together or fall to the ground every time he grows in size or shrinks down. For a classic kids adventure game, Knack 2 is a solid choice.

Just Dance 2018

Best PS4 Games for Kids From 2017

Like clockwork, every year Ubisoft releases a new entry in its Just Dance series. Just Dance 2018, as you’ve probably guessed, packs in all of this year’s biggest pop hits for players to dance along to.

This year, that list includes “24K Magic” by Bruno Mars, “Swish Swish” by Katy Perry Ft. Nicki Minaj, “Despacito” by Luis Fonsi & Daddy Yankee, and a bunch more. Plus, this year, Ubisoft has released Just Dance Unlimited. A subscription service with over 300 songs for players to dance to whenever they wish. There’s a three month trial in the box, too, so make sure to give this a try if you’re growing tired of the tracks on the disc.

Whether you’re a seasoned pro dancer or a complete beginner, simply set your difficulty and follow the moves acted out on-screen. Oh, and you don’t even need multiple controllers. Simply download the app on your smartphone, connect it up, and you’re all good to go.

Yooka-Laylee

Best PS4 Games for Kids From 2017

Yooka-Laylee may not have been the stellar spiritual successor to Banjo-Kazooie that fans of the N64 classics had wanted, but it’s still an enjoyable collect-a-thon all the same. Players take control of this odd lizard and bat duo as they go about a bunch of weird and wonderful worlds collecting Pagies in order to stop Capital B and his sidekick Dr. Quack from stealing all of the literature in the world.

The duo will need to use their wits and the arsenal of abilities at their disposal to reach all of these hard-to-get Pagies scattered across the different Grand Tomes in the game. Though some of these Pagies can be overly simple to get, the real fun and challenge in Yooka-Laylee, as with many collect-a-thon titles, is figuring out what abilities you need to use to get the seemingly-impossible ones. There’s a good mix of easy and hard Pagies here, though, and you don’t need to get them all in order to defeat Capital B, meaning there’s still plenty of fun to be had for kids here.

And that rounds out our picks of the best PS4 games for kids from 2017. It’s worth noting, however, that there are some excellent kids games on the PS4 that released in previous years such as Rocket League, Minecraft, Ratchet and Clank, and an absolute ton of LEGO titles to name a few. If none of our picks take your fancy, be sure to give these a check, too.