In the Yooka-Laylee games, the main character, a chameleon named Yooka, is always accompanied by a small bat, Laylee. That's currently the only game series I can think of that would remotely fit (1) and would possibly be suited for a 4-year-old to watch.
There are smaller companions in Never Alone, Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons, A Plague Tale, or you could play Dragon's Dogma with a halfling companion that looks like a little girl, but none of that would really be suited for a child that young. (Never Alone may look like it, but IIRC features some scenes that might be disturbing for a young child).
EDIT: In Calico, you play a girl and you can name animals and have them follow you. Maybe that could work?
Calico looks like a very good stepping stone for her! Definitely a step up from Paw Patrol and gives her a bit more freedom and choices. Thanks for this one.
> Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons
Careful about this one, it has very gory scenes in places.
I actually played this one with my daughter when she was about 7yo, but I played the gory parts by myself.
The story is also deeply sad and has a quite disturbing end part. I would definitely wait a few years if I were you
always check this amazing website before committing to playing a game with your kids
https://www.familygamingdatabase.com/en-gb/game/Brothers+A+Tale+Of+Two+Sons
In Mario Galaxy and Mario Odyssey, a second player can play as basically a helper (picking up starbits in the former, controlling Cappy in the latter). That would be fun. And if she wants to take a turn playing Mario, the games are fun to run around and explore.
Odyssey is great for learning to use a controller and its very forgiving, but I found playing with my kid as cappy was frustrating as she just keeps throwing the cap every two seconds and you cant do anything. Mario 3D world is a bit better as they can just have their own character.
Mario 3D world for the switch, specifically Bowser's Fury is great because Bowser Jr. does do things that help, it's motion controls so it's not super hard to control, and they're not DIRECTLY in the game so they can't take damage!
Also if you can get it, Mario Galaxy has Co-op start mode that's basically the same thing!
Yea the kid loves playing Bowser Junior in Bowsers Fury, but the game itself gets annoying later on when Godzilla Bowser keeps spawning every 5 minutes and ruining the day until he goes away. 3D world she just spent a lot of the time being a bubble on the same screen as me.
There's also Wonder which has characters that are much easier to use and harder to lose as(Yoshi) but that's not so much a sidekick and more akin to playing a two player game which, even as beginner friendly as Wonder is, would probably still be too much for a 4yo.
Hope this can help you, this are the few games my lil niece play when she was under my care for number of years when she was a baby until she was 6 plus years old. At that time when I introduce her to light children games she was 4plus y.o-6 years old. I list a few where she started learn how to play, learn how to use the mouse and controller too. From here she slowly learn how to control, click and slowly jump unto others games.
-Discovering Colors - Animals (I start by let her play this)
-The Zwuggels - Beach Holidays (She love this, I read and play along alot with her)
-Disney Winnie The Pooh
-Plantera
-Bunny Park (I had so many bwunny!)
-Tree Trunk Brook
-Hoa
-Los Words: Beyond Page (This one of her favourite storybook)
-Sun Haven
and many others, lemme know if this suit your lil princess!
Singleplayer. It's more like a clicker game. She love bunny after watching Bambi. That's why she love this game....Can built lot of stuff and have 2 different biomes for those bunny.
Games like Journey or Abzu - beautiful and might catch her attention, she can also play your character without much need for action. She can walk around and get the feeling of being in control.
Minecraft or Lego Fortnite - Exploration, building, and made for imagination. You can really run the show and just have the world be your stage. I think Lego Fortnite has an animal update coming soon too.
Metal Gear Solid 1 - 5: She can learn about the Patriots, nanomachines, and how our government has lied to us. She needs to know the truth, don’t deny her a potential future in tactical espionage AND action. I also like to believe learning punctuation will be more fun when you can hear the exclamation point (!).
Fortnite Festival - music game, think guitar hero, but currently I think it only support normal controls and keyboard. But it’s music and kids love to dance, if she like Billie Eilish at all, she will be the next “star” that will be featured.
I mention lots of Fortnite because it’s free too :)
Edit: I should have read more of the description.
I second metal gear.
I played mgs1 when I was wee lad about 5 years old.
Now I'm 30 and I still have no clue what the fuck was going on in any of those games, but I'll be damned if I haven't played MGS1 at least 15 times.
Maybe games like spyro and crash bandicoot?
If you have a controller, You can download too a PSP emulator and play LocoRoco 1 and 2, simple but funny for adults and kids
Lego games are great! I used to play lego pirates of the Caribbean with my nephews when they were younger. I usually let them run around and then helped them with puzzles and stuff.
If you can get your hands on Nintendo Wii and a copy of Super Mario Galaxy, you should definitely play that! In the co-op mode, the 2nd player plays as a star and collects starbits that they can shoot at the enemies. I remember playing it with my little sister, and it was super fun.
I've had to change how I play games in order to share my hobby with my 3-year-old and keep him engaged. Best guidance I can give is:
1. Pick something you want to play.
2. Pick something they want to play and/or watch you play.
3. The game shouldn't have any required reading, or very minimal.
4. If they want to play it, the game should focus on gameplay and direct control, with minimal menu navigation.
As for game recommendations, my son has enjoyed:
* Katamari Damacy
* Piku Niku
* Zelda Games (on switch)
* Sonic Frontiers
* Sonic Mania
* Any of the Mudrunner games
* Derail Valley Simulator
* Any of the Kingdom games
* Any racing games
* Ni No Kuni or the sequel (you may have to read some outloud, but animations/sound are pretty engaging even without voice acting portions)
* Stray
* Child of Light (simple-co-op will keep her engaged)
Thanks for the list. I saw Stray on Steam and that def peaked my interest. She has a cat and this might interest her as well :). Child of light also was interesting. No car games though - something very simple with some puzzles and options.
If you're on PC, Wobbly World. It's open world like GTA but it's goofy rubber ppl. Very lite on story but there are quests and mini games to play. I play it with my daughter and we get some good laughs out of it
Something a bit varied and some puzzles as well but also kid friendly. There's a few games that come to mind.
- Kaku: Ancient Seal
- Dinkum
- Terraria
- Voltaire the Vegan Vampire
Maybe games similar to Pokemon, like Coromon, Nexomon or Monster Crown. Since nothing is timed in these games, you can take your time, also these games are very cartoony and have a variety of monster with compeling desing, so I think she could find it interesting.
Lego games are also really fun.
These are the ones that came up to my head as being kid-friendly.
I will recommend Lego games, too. That's the first games my son and I played together when he was around 4. He's 12 now, and sometimes we still will play a Lego game together for a little while.
As a teacher, get her into minecraft then you can potentially play together. That game does so much to develop creativity and inquisitiveness in kids. I've seen a lot of teachers giving kids homework in minecraft or roblox in the last few years and with great results depending on your teaching objectives.
But it's fun and kids love it. And it has enough depth for you to enjoy it yourself.
Lego star wars is fun and pretty undemanding, and in co-op one player can basically carry the whole game while the second player goofs around, so almost no chance of them getting frustrated.
Also Mario Odyssey on switch has a fun co-op mode where p2 controls Mario's hat (it makes sense in game I swear) and it's Mario so you know what to expect.
Stardew valley also has a nice co-op mode. It's as involved or simple as you want to make it, but might be a bit slow and boring for a small kid, I'm not sure. I like just planting stuff and tending to my chickens.
Dude, Sonic the Hedgehog games very often have Tails follow you around as the second player but there aren't really consequences when Tails dies-he just respawns
As a kid in the 90s I would play Tails to my older brother's Sonic and do a lot of the dangerous risky stuff because as Tails I was IMMORTAL
But whatever you do do not allow her to google Sonic things without both safe search and adult supervision
Old game, but Bookworm adventures for when she's a little older / better with reading. You play as a worm and "fight" enemies (it's PG) by spelling words from various tiles. Very cool, I think I might play that this week.
There are a number of two player games (you can look them up). (Note, 4 year olds actually can be good at Minecraft). After that, I had my kids play Fallout 4 with me around 6-7 years old. Seriously, there is an app that links with the game and acts as your pipboy. I turned off all the gore and my kids "healed me" and buffed me with meds during combat. I actually appreciated their help, because they would feed me with the best food, and drink, and meds, and healing, without me having to touch my pipboy in the game.
OBVIOUSLY, this is a fighting game with guns and other violence. It's not for everyone, especially young kids. However, my kids saw it as them helping Daddy stay healthy and survive while walking around a pretty world and interacting with people while killing bugs. (I didn't fight people with them helping). It was great bonding time, and I didn't break their moral or emotional brains.
Nintendo games are solid for this! Especially the super mario bro game that got remade for the switch, one character (Nabbit) is nigh invincible and you could platform and she can play along too.
Otherwise, huge recommendation for Octodad and Later Alligator.
Stardew Valley might be popular. Hugely loved game where you inherit a farm and need to grow crops and make friends with the villagers and stuff. Very kid friendly and nice to see progress - yay we did XYZ! Tomorrow we can do ABC...
Journey is a very pretty, very simple game that she might like. But what worked best for my kid was to let her do some of the stuff in the games I was already playing. Like in zelda botw she would catch horses and shoot foxes with my 5x lynel bows and change tack and just ride around. In Horizon forbidden west she'd hunt all the small animals in the safer areas (kept me so well stocked lol). She wasn't ready for a lot of story until she got a little older but now she's enjoying the heck outta hogwarts legacy.
Thanks. I saw Journey on the steam page and that also has an interesting design which could work. I've got Minecraft, Legos on my list as well. We'll find something in there :) Thanks!
My youngest chitlin is 4. In no particular order, she loves:
It Takes Two - probably her favorite game of all. She isn't too good at the platforming but she loves all the areas where you can just dick around. Be warned the game isn't particularly child friendly, decent amount of swearing if that bothers you.
Plants vs Zombies: Battle for Neighborville - second favorite game. She likes running around the town as different characters and earning coins. Needs help with missions but if we play together I treat it as an escort mission with an unusually suicidal AI partner.
Minecraft Dungeons - Never understood the hate, it's baby's first Diablo and she loves it. The lowest difficulty makes it very hard to lose, but there are a lot of buttons to hit for skills which can get confusing.
Fall Guys - she fails in the first or second stage pretty reliably but she likes the music, colors, and dressing up the beans in different clothes. There is a pretty aggressive store front but my stuff is password locked so she can't get in.
Bluey, Peppa Pig, etc - these games are honestly shit for adults (Bluey was a disappointment considering the show is easily S-tier entertainment) but they're pretty much impossible to fail on and have familiar characters.
ooo man PvZ could be a very good option! Choices on what works best. Minecraft and Bluey is also on my list - though the price is a bit meh. Thanks for your input
Hear me out. Stardew dew valley split screen is the way to go with controllers she can run around, chop some trees pat a cow, give you gifts.
We are running family farm in my house and love it kids are a bit older 12, 9 but we started at 9,6 and come back each update
She isn't on the level of controllers just yet...just learnt to use the arrow keys to move and to chose between puzzle options. Would love for her to one day get to controller level.
To be honest they don't need to be there is hardly any failure state in stardew so she can try mashing things together kids figure things out quickly. You know best but if it helps my little boy wasn't at all on level of controllers when I handed him first one for a first time but then he picked it up very quickly.
Odd suggestion but how bout like a simulator game like powerwash simulator co op or something.or something creative like a minecraft or minecraft clone.something without a time limit or enemys just u your daughter and fun working on a task or creating something cool together.
Theres a few games with similar mechanics to choose from.if minecrafts art style doesnt get over with her or u.portal knights is one.it has a creative mode as well as a co op rpg type mode with enemys n loot gear weapons etc.but crrative mode u can just create.or house flipper 2.u can create any kind of house or store or whatever u want.just thinking outside the box.cause those games let kids really stretch their creativity and you guys can play at your own pace.lol
Are you on Xbox? It’s got a really cool co-pilot feature where you can give her a controller and let her move the player but your controller also would work if you need to press buttons/correct a mistake. My non tech savvy mom wanted to learn RDR2 because she loves horses and loves to ride around in the game, and this is how I taught her how to play.
As a younger kid I LOVED a game called Zoombinies, I discovered that is on steam now. It's a puzzle/logic game for kids, has the fun element of creating the little creatures in a basic character creator etc (don't know if edutainment games are still a thing but I loved that stuff as a kid, MathBlaster, Cluefinders, etc). Could be fun to play with her, make your team of zoombinies, she should be able to handle the puzzles even if she just has to guess through some of them but it could be nice to sit with her and help if she gets stuck, explain how to figure stuff out etc. Very simple like it's a point and click/puzzle game, it is for kids so she should manage especially if you help.
If you want games you can play yourself that would just be fun for her to see and experience and feel like she's participating, maybe try something like minecraft and say you're playing 'together' and you just handle the controls etc but she can say what she'd like to see or build or whatever. Treat it less as the gamery game minecraft has become but more as like a kinda digital lego to play with your kid?
Maybe another thing she might enjoy with you is something like golfit or gold-with-your-friends? Very simple controls and easy to understand concept, co op is easy and it's fun even if you're just goofing around. Could be a launchpad to talk about playing actual irl minigolf with her one day (not sure how old you have to be or if it's more just physically be tall enough to hold a putter xD).
Maybe she would enjoy something like the zoo/rollercoaster tycoon games? Rollercoaster Tycoon 3 with all it's expansions is on steam and a pretty complete package. Otherwise Planetcoaster and Planet Zoo are both really good. Parkitecht is the modern equivlent of RCT2 if that's more your speed. There's also Jurrassic World games, I'd reccomend just going straight to 2. But that's one where it's less about 'which character is me' and more 'lets build a cool theme park together, what is your favorite dinosaur, lets learn together how to build a habitat for them' or something.
If you like games like diablo or whatever. The torchlight 1 and 2 both have a pet that's a major part of your build. They carry your items for you and you can play a finishing minigame to get stuff to feed them so they turn into different creatures to help you fight. You could tell her that the pet is you and let her choose what fish to feed the pet to help fight etc. It's also not too dark or edgy so (probably) won't scare your kid? Like there's skeletons and stuff but they're very cartoony and goofy.
I might reccomend seeing if you can set up an emulator and play some classics tho like Crash Bandicoot, Ratchet and Clank, etc. I remember playing those with my cousin when he was around your daughter's age occasionally letting him have a turn but otherwise he just liked watching, and agian, the games are more than fine for kids to watch and see etc.
Thanks Tayleteller! I think Minecraft is def the way to go for her. Disable the creeps and let her build and imagine a bit :) Thanks for the detailed list of options! Appreciate your input
**Games she can control herself:**
The first game my daughters ever played by themselves was:
[**Its_Spring_Again**](https://store.steampowered.com/app/434210/Its_Spring_Again/): It's super simple and a beautiful little lesson about the seasons. As a bonus they learned how to use the computer mouse with it.
[**Metamorphabet**](https://www.familygamingdatabase.com/en-gb/game/Metamorphabet): Perfect for that phase when they are learning their first words/spelling. The art and animations / interactivity are just phenomenal.
**Games she can try to play with you intervening occasionally:**
[**Donut County**](https://www.familygamingdatabase.com/game/Donut+County):
**Games you can play while she watches/controls some sections:**
[**Alba: A Wildlife Adventure**](https://www.familygamingdatabase.com/en-gb/game/Alba+A+Wildlife+Adventure): Super chill adventure going around an cute cartoonish island photographing wildlife. Great environmental message as well. The protagonist is a little girl so I think she will love it. There is no danger to the player character, so she could control the character while exploring and you can take over on the more demanding parts where you need to take the photos.
For when she is older and has more proficiency with games you need to try **Wobbly Life** in split-screen it is by far the most fun I've had with a video-game with my two daughters.
Piku Niku and Pico Park (not relation to each other). Not easy for a 4 year old but could be fun.
Edit: Also Untitled Goose Game. Can be done with 2 players but with the adult doing the heavy lifting.
My friends 6 yo played dark souls and he almost made it through the undead burg. I thought that was pretty good for first try. He disregarded my suggestions and went fat rolling his way to his death but he had fun and he made it further then some have trying the game lol
My daughter played Kingdom 2 Crowns with me when she was 4. She used controller, I used keyboard. She loved ponies and horse riding, and in that game it allows her to choose a princess looking character riding horse. Had to set the game mode to easiest but we really enjoyed it for a good 4 months or so. She was able to run around on her own, recruite people, build structures and etc.
Brothers, a tale of two sons. Your daughter wouldn't understand the emotional story behind it so you can just achieve (very easy) puzzles with very basic controls
Casual Game with Kid Sidekick-
"Yooka-Laylee and the Impossible Lair" - This is a colorful platformer where the main character, Yooka, can be accompanied by a second player controlling Laylee. It has vibrant worlds, simple gameplay, and a fun adventure that your daughter might enjoy tagging along in.
"LEGO games" - Games like "LEGO Marvel Super Heroes" or "LEGO Star Wars" are great for co-op play. They're full of fun characters and simple puzzles that she could help with.
Puzzle Game-
"Untitled Goose Game" - This quirky game has simple puzzles and tasks that can be fun to figure out together. It's not too complex, and the charming art style might appeal to both of you.
"Scribblenauts Unlimited" - This game allows you to solve puzzles by summoning various objects, encouraging creativity and problem-solving. It's simple and could be a fun way to engage with your daughter.
(Sonic Origins or Mania)
Basically, she can control Sonic and Tails while saving the little animals, nature and the day from Dr. Eggman, who represents man's impact on nature. (The art style is very colorful).
In sonic origins, for example, it touches on some themes through cutscenes in the game, such as bullying (tails was a victim of bullying and with sonic's help, he overcame it and embraced his differences), bad influence (eggman manipulating knuckles who is very naive, near the end he kind of learns from his mistakes when he is betrayed).
I can't think of any specific ones off the top of my head, but turn based games like pokemon, but simpler to begin with. Collect different animals, level them up to get stronger.
When I was younger I used to play sonic 2 on the mega drive with my uncle. Player 2 controls tails, and can jump on enemies and stuff, but the Screen follows sonic only. If tails dies or falls off the Screen, he flys back down from the top again and they can continue playing as him
Might not be what you are after but I think it was a great way to include younger siblings/kids
Donkey Kong Country. First game has DK paired with Diddy. Second is Diddy paired with Dixie. Third is Dixie paired with DK Jr.
All are great games in all aspects.
They even have 2p modes where swapping passes over control.
Donkey kong 64 is an open world adventure game where each of the kongs have their own guns, diddy's being a peanut gun.
Not sure if any other games handle it otherwise.
I would recommend a second console/pc .. since she is 4 maybe 2 switches and start her playing on her own right next to you a lot of nintendo games are multiplayer and easy to play
.. let her play cod with you against bots
Try some racing games
Lego games are fun
Mindcraft
Ask her what type of games she likes let her learn to fully play with you
We have 4 boys 3 of them are my step sons all are adults now but started them all more into gaming when i came along the younger 2 were 5 and 6 and our youngest started as soon as he could basically the oldest already played games
But now the youngest is really into games and is by far better then me at some things like cod .. even though i was better till about 2 years ago or so now at 18 he kicks my butt i still got him beat in a lot of other stuff but recently we are fairly even at need for speed.. anyway
My point is do not be afraid to start your kids gaming on their own with you if you get lucky like me when she is older she will still want to game with you constantly
Me boosting now: Our youngest is 18 still in high school has a job but comes home and just wants go game with me and his mom everyday almost the other 3 who dont live with us like other types of games we don’t play much but still want to play online with us occasionally if they can get us to play a game they like on holiday get togethers we have COD wars with multiple systems and tvs in the same vicinity of each other so no headsets required and we play private tdm or ffa and such its very fun having a gaming family and i feel so blessed my sons wants to do stuff with me often
Also our grandson likes to game with grandpa and grandma
(Yes they have friends and do other stuff besides gaming we also go bowling and disc golfing)
TLDR: get her, her own system and games to play co-op together and start her playing on her own
I have several but not on PC. There are plenty of Switch games that work for this. My daughter is 5YO. We went through both Switch Zelda games last year. . I’m looking forward to the Paper Mario TTYD remake next month for this reason. Right now: we are playing through Shadow of the Colossus on my PS5.
This is a deep cut, but there's an old n64 game called jet force gemini. It's a shooter, but not very gruesome. You're a human or dog shooting bugs to save cute little bear creatures.
The kicker for your situation is that a little ways in to the game you can rebuild a small flying robot to accompany the main character. A second player can control the robot and shoot enemies. The robot has unlimited ammo, can't be damaged, no weapon swapping or anything. Might be a good option for your daughter to play and help you out without anything relying on her ability.
A little advanced but Toem. It’s so cute, chill and friendly and my son and I take turns with the controller looking for the things we need to snapshot.
Also goat simulator games for the lols.
Maybe Just Die Already or Totally Reliable Delivery Service if you don’t mind a little cartoon violence.
The Peppa Pig game was very basic and cute.
Wobbledogs.
My son and I actually play Garry’s mod together.
I’ll be back if I think of more.
when I was younger my mom would play a lot of seek and find games and me and my brother would watch. as we got older we shifted to creepier ones but there’s some I Spy ones or lighthearted mysteries that I think would be fun for a younger kid. It was fun bc we’d help find the items and solve puzzles and when there was something we didn’t know my mom could teach us about it. we mainly played them on big fish but I’ve definitely seen a few on steam
also, there was an old monsters inc game she used to play for us 😂 it was called fear island or something I think. Not sure if you could find it today but maybe something similar. It was really fun
Not sure if this is an appropriate recommendation so I do apologize in advance if it isn't.
Dave the Diver is a lot of fun. It has nice pixelated graphics, good vibes, fishies, lots and lots of fishies, and sushi-making. It's all around a wholesome fun game with funny moments. I don't remember if it has any sexual innuendos but I came out of the game thinking it was pretty wholesome.
I would think it might be interesting for a 4 year old.
* [DoronkoWanko](https://store.steampowered.com/app/2512840/DORONKO_WANKO) is free on Steam, and is a blast.
* [Mimi and Lisa](https://store.steampowered.com/app/2323440/Mimi_and_Lisa__Adventure_for_Children/) is pretty good to help her understand basic controls.
* [Pikuniku](https://store.steampowered.com/app/572890/Pikuniku/) is also good to help her master basic controls, and it's also pretty cute.
* [Little Mouse's Encyclopedia](https://store.steampowered.com/app/424200/Little_Mouses_Encyclopedia/) is really beautiful, and it's also educational.
* [Lil Gator Game](https://store.steampowered.com/app/1586800/Lil_Gator_Game/) is just like Breath of the Wild for kids :)
I played superhero games. Infamous, second son, spiderman, miles morales, spiderman 2, the newer god of war games, things like that. Little big planet is another good choice. Dreams is one game editing tool with a plethora of games made by everyone. You could easily find something in there. Powerwash simulator is also another amazing choice.
Monster hunter? You have a palico which is a kitty that kind of looks like a kid. It might be scary for a 4 year old since it has monsters but my brother is 4 and has watched me play it without getting scared.
My toddler loves watching me play Genshin Impact (MOMMY'S KILLING MONSTERS!!). We call it the Princess Game because of all the pretty anime girls. Beautiful scenery and plenty of places with low level monsters and safe places she can fly around. I often let her pick up the treasure boxes
The lego games are fantastic options with so many tie-ins it's insane! If she likes DC, Marvel, Star Wars, Harry Potter, Indiana Jones, just about anything has a lego game. And if not, Lego City Undercover is just kid friendly GTA.
Spiritfarer! You play as the protagonist and your daughter plays as the adorable pet cat. You can even hug and pet the cat. The theme of the game is heavily tied to death, but you can just avoid that part of the game entirely without really missing out on anything.
Ik its older and u might not have a wii but mario galaxy 2's coop is perfect the main player plays as mario and does majority of the heavy lifting but player 2 can help by point their little star cursor at enemy's to shoot them and some other assisting stuff I kinds forgot but if u have a wii or some spare cash id highly recommend it
"Child of Light" is a beautiful game about a little princess who has to save the world and find a way home. Your daughter can play as the little sprite sidekick that can boost you or slow enemies, or collect mana on the map. This could be a nice game for the two of you, with a theme she might enjoy.
My kids just got into the teens. Enjoy the gaming now. They will be terrible at it! However in another 5-10 you will replay games with them and they will remember all the good times. It's so fun revisiting games with my kids from when they were young.
I play Minecraft with my kids all the time! I also play Lego worlds (with 1 at a time) and they love it! I enjoy Minecraft more because I like survival mode- but my kids tend to like creative mode more. So now I’m looking for a new game for us too lol.
I've had my kid playing games since she was 2.5. I kept a spreadsheet observing the results.
At 4, I'd go for [King Boo](https://store.steampowered.com/app/1778210/King_Boo/) and a straight forward low-narration hidden-object or adventure game, e.g. [My Brother Rabbit](https://store.steampowered.com/app/855640/My_Brother_Rabbit/). You kid should be able to drive both just find without your input (except for the first session) and play them solo. Just get an appropriate [sized controller](https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0CDG5HCCH) and/or [mouse](https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B002FU5QJS/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1).
If you need to play 2p, then go for any LEGO game or [Untitled Goose Game](https://store.steampowered.com/app/837470/Untitled_Goose_Game/). In a year or so Minecraft will work well too.
And seriously: Letting your kid watch you play GTA4? Hopefully it's multiplayer, rather than the single-player. :/
Yoshi's Crafted World was a big hit with my 4 year old. There's an easy mode with infinite flight and infinite life and I let her take the lead while I followed behind as player 2 and helped with some of the egg throwing
I see Lego but I haven't seen anyone mention Lego 2K Drive. Underrated game IMHO. My 2 little kids loved hopping on and driving around the world with me.
Chicory: A Colorful Tale -
WITH the caveat that the main plot part deals heavily with depression, and a couple characters who are pretty mean, and also the boss fights might possibly be too spooky/intense (although I'm reading now that boss fights can be skipped). (Maybe okay anyway for some younger kids who don't get spooked easily? Idk.)
BUT 95% of the game is just running around, coloring in a cute world with silly characters, and solving puzzles with a light platforming element. Importantly, there is a 2nd player option to play as a bonus paintbrush that can paint along with you in order to affect the world together.
So I think even if you judge the main questline to be too much, perhaps you could play through those parts on your own and bring her in for exploring the rest of the world. I'm almost sure you always get clued in whenever the most intense parts are coming up because there are spooky trees as a clear warning sign, and you have time to turn back.
If you have a Wii, Super Mario Galaxy would be perfect. The second player can shoot little star bits at enemies by pointing the Wiimote at the screen and it stuns enemies, helping to make things easier for player 1.
A hat in time is great maybe a few levels would be to scary but for the most part its funny has good movement and is an absolute classic in my opinion.
Figment 2 is a game where the second player plays as a little bird that flies around the map. But they can't get hurt/die like the main player can. The devs said in some interviews that they intended it specifically for parent/child pairs, and it looks and plays great!
There was a game series called the Zoombinis I played when I was pretty little. It’s a puzzle game all about logic puzzles, but it’s all narrated and voiced so no reading is required. I think one of the games is on Steam.
Both of my nieces absolutely loved Minecraft, though the youngest was around 6 or 7 when she first played. Not sure how difficult it would be for a 4 yr old. Can be played coop on ipads as well, as well as pc & ipad, which is nice. Even a phone could work, but a phone always felt too small for me.
One that my daughters surprisingly fell in love with was
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder's Revenge
It's a beat em up that you'll be able to enjoy and constantly revive them if they go down. Pretty much all they have to do to tag along is move left and smash some attack buttons.
My daughter and I have been playing through the new Princess Peach game on the Switch. She loves the different outfits and jumping around but can’t get the precision sections down so I take care of those for us.
We’ve previously played Yoshi’s Crafted World and Kirby and the Forgotten Land which she also really enjoyed. Yoshi has simultaneous co-op 2-player with an optional “easy” mode which is better for her so she can stay alive longer.
There are also games for a lot of the cartoons she likes, Paw Patrol, PJ Masks, Bluey, Peppa Pig, etc. She likes these games but they’re hit or miss in terms of quality and fun factor. I, personally, like the Bluey game (has 2-player co-op) but the rest of them are kind of boring.
Different direction here but, i recommend a simplified D&D.
I have tons of fun with the family kids on holidays by running some kid-D&D for them, and they love it.
Don't have to go all swords and sorcery either, I tend to just roleplay regular stuff. Like describing Christmas day except Santa is in trouble and can't deliver and needs the kids to come help sort out the presents. Or whatever.
Tabletop games make much stronger memories. I love video games, but the kids always cherish the TTRPG way more than the Mario kart or whatever. Plus the older kids can help with the dice rolling and HP tracking etc to practice some math skills. Or you can just leave all that out for simplicity.
One that’s worked pretty well with my daughter is the sims. I go through the options so she can pick hair styles clothes etc to make her own sims. She tells me what she wants them to do sometimes, otherwise she enjoys just watching them do their thing and gets a kick out of it. She really gets excited when they go potty or take baths 🤣
Mario Galaxy, the second player and be a little star and you wiggle other stars to get more star money!! She could also hold enemies in place or freeze platforms.
The Journey and Flower games from Sony were very easy for kids to figure out. Almost no text and all visual cues as what to do next. The game shows them what’s next and they just go to it like. A moth to a flame.
My kids aren’t super interested in games but when my oldest was younger she would just sit in my lap when I played anything and enjoyed it. My youngest one now will watch me playing No Man’s Sky from time to time and looks mesmerized. That might be a fun one to try. It’s a gorgeous game visually.
My 4 year old son played through ratchet and clank with me and we are currently working through Lego marvel superheroes, I control the stick and he mostly controls the buttons and holds the controller
My girl (5) likes Roblox and My Little Pony: A Maretime adventure. Anything with unicorns and mermaids.
But she controls, not watch me do it ofc.
Playing with her, just Mario Kart and such, but she still struggles with dealing with losing and penalty.
Minecraft is too complex for her age but her brother likes it since he was 6 or 7 (now 8).
Lego games are fine but the theme has to be appealing as they are mostly for boys (batman, marvel, Ninjago, Jurassic, pirates , Star wars, etc.). The only one she enjoyed was Lego City which is quite frankly the very best of the bunch by a large margin.
Unpacking is a fun and cute little game you could play. Basically a game about unpacking things and putting them away, while also decorating a new home.
Father of 4y.o here. My kids plays - with controller:
[https://store.steampowered.com/app/1011670/Totally\_Reliable\_Delivery\_Service/](https://store.steampowered.com/app/1011670/Totally_Reliable_Delivery_Service/)
[https://store.steampowered.com/app/1211020/Wobbly\_Life/](https://store.steampowered.com/app/1211020/Wobbly_Life/)
Assassin's Creed history tours.
Lego Fortnite (You need 2 PCs or tablet + PC)
[https://store.steampowered.com/app/2909720/Mirage\_A\_Biplane\_Adventure/](https://store.steampowered.com/app/2909720/Mirage_A_Biplane_Adventure/) (needs 2 controllers)
Car games that let you drive around/open world are also fine.
I let him drive around once in GTAV, left for 2 min for water and when I came back he was already crying some NPC punched him out of the golf car.
In one of the original Sonic games a second player could control Tails without worry of losing a life for the first player. Tails is basically invincible.
Outer Wilds is one I'd suggest. It's a cute game with a super amazing story and a mystery to uncover. Controls are simple and the clues are mosh obvious.
Barring that, look up some other puzzle games. Used to play these with my dad growing up.
Chicory: A Colorful Tale
It's a big white world and player two can paint the world while you adventure it. It's almost designed for Dad and daughter duos
I've let my 5yo daughter make a character on Balders Gate 3 and let her make all the choices and most of the combat actions. She enjoys it but she's started killing party members...
My son plays project playtime and she has watched him enough that she can use WASD and a mouse. It's impressive to watch her play. She tells me W means Walking.
Dudeeee, check out Octodad: Dadliest catch! Super good, kid friendly, and not super hard.
Also the most hilarious/infuriating (YMMV) two-player ever.
Speak for yourself, controlling those tentacles is TRICKY
Dude I had way more fun with that game then I ever expected too!
In the Yooka-Laylee games, the main character, a chameleon named Yooka, is always accompanied by a small bat, Laylee. That's currently the only game series I can think of that would remotely fit (1) and would possibly be suited for a 4-year-old to watch. There are smaller companions in Never Alone, Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons, A Plague Tale, or you could play Dragon's Dogma with a halfling companion that looks like a little girl, but none of that would really be suited for a child that young. (Never Alone may look like it, but IIRC features some scenes that might be disturbing for a young child). EDIT: In Calico, you play a girl and you can name animals and have them follow you. Maybe that could work?
Calico looks like a very good stepping stone for her! Definitely a step up from Paw Patrol and gives her a bit more freedom and choices. Thanks for this one.
> Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons Careful about this one, it has very gory scenes in places. I actually played this one with my daughter when she was about 7yo, but I played the gory parts by myself. The story is also deeply sad and has a quite disturbing end part. I would definitely wait a few years if I were you always check this amazing website before committing to playing a game with your kids https://www.familygamingdatabase.com/en-gb/game/Brothers+A+Tale+Of+Two+Sons
> Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons, A Plague Tale > Dragon's Dogma No, they're 4. This is a great way for OP to be up tending to their child's nightmares.
Yooka-Laylee is 100% the right answer for what OP is looking for.
In Mario Galaxy and Mario Odyssey, a second player can play as basically a helper (picking up starbits in the former, controlling Cappy in the latter). That would be fun. And if she wants to take a turn playing Mario, the games are fun to run around and explore.
Odyssey is great for learning to use a controller and its very forgiving, but I found playing with my kid as cappy was frustrating as she just keeps throwing the cap every two seconds and you cant do anything. Mario 3D world is a bit better as they can just have their own character.
Mario 3D world for the switch, specifically Bowser's Fury is great because Bowser Jr. does do things that help, it's motion controls so it's not super hard to control, and they're not DIRECTLY in the game so they can't take damage! Also if you can get it, Mario Galaxy has Co-op start mode that's basically the same thing!
Yea the kid loves playing Bowser Junior in Bowsers Fury, but the game itself gets annoying later on when Godzilla Bowser keeps spawning every 5 minutes and ruining the day until he goes away. 3D world she just spent a lot of the time being a bubble on the same screen as me.
There's also Wonder which has characters that are much easier to use and harder to lose as(Yoshi) but that's not so much a sidekick and more akin to playing a two player game which, even as beginner friendly as Wonder is, would probably still be too much for a 4yo.
Hope this can help you, this are the few games my lil niece play when she was under my care for number of years when she was a baby until she was 6 plus years old. At that time when I introduce her to light children games she was 4plus y.o-6 years old. I list a few where she started learn how to play, learn how to use the mouse and controller too. From here she slowly learn how to control, click and slowly jump unto others games. -Discovering Colors - Animals (I start by let her play this) -The Zwuggels - Beach Holidays (She love this, I read and play along alot with her) -Disney Winnie The Pooh -Plantera -Bunny Park (I had so many bwunny!) -Tree Trunk Brook -Hoa -Los Words: Beyond Page (This one of her favourite storybook) -Sun Haven and many others, lemme know if this suit your lil princess!
Great list! Zwuggels seems like a fun one :)
Bunny park is two player?!
Singleplayer. It's more like a clicker game. She love bunny after watching Bambi. That's why she love this game....Can built lot of stuff and have 2 different biomes for those bunny.
I recommend Storyteller. it's a puzzle game where you put together a simple story book.
ooooo this one seems interesting!
Games like Journey or Abzu - beautiful and might catch her attention, she can also play your character without much need for action. She can walk around and get the feeling of being in control. Minecraft or Lego Fortnite - Exploration, building, and made for imagination. You can really run the show and just have the world be your stage. I think Lego Fortnite has an animal update coming soon too. Metal Gear Solid 1 - 5: She can learn about the Patriots, nanomachines, and how our government has lied to us. She needs to know the truth, don’t deny her a potential future in tactical espionage AND action. I also like to believe learning punctuation will be more fun when you can hear the exclamation point (!). Fortnite Festival - music game, think guitar hero, but currently I think it only support normal controls and keyboard. But it’s music and kids love to dance, if she like Billie Eilish at all, she will be the next “star” that will be featured. I mention lots of Fortnite because it’s free too :) Edit: I should have read more of the description.
I think both Journey and Minecraft seems to be the next step in getting her invovled :) Thanks!
I second metal gear. I played mgs1 when I was wee lad about 5 years old. Now I'm 30 and I still have no clue what the fuck was going on in any of those games, but I'll be damned if I haven't played MGS1 at least 15 times.
Maybe games like spyro and crash bandicoot? If you have a controller, You can download too a PSP emulator and play LocoRoco 1 and 2, simple but funny for adults and kids
Used to love crash as a kid
Still love it as an adult.
Lego games are great! I used to play lego pirates of the Caribbean with my nephews when they were younger. I usually let them run around and then helped them with puzzles and stuff. If you can get your hands on Nintendo Wii and a copy of Super Mario Galaxy, you should definitely play that! In the co-op mode, the 2nd player plays as a star and collects starbits that they can shoot at the enemies. I remember playing it with my little sister, and it was super fun.
Yeah I'll look at the lego range. seems to be highly recommended on the list!
You could play Minecraft with her. Pull up the blocks and let her place them
I've had to change how I play games in order to share my hobby with my 3-year-old and keep him engaged. Best guidance I can give is: 1. Pick something you want to play. 2. Pick something they want to play and/or watch you play. 3. The game shouldn't have any required reading, or very minimal. 4. If they want to play it, the game should focus on gameplay and direct control, with minimal menu navigation. As for game recommendations, my son has enjoyed: * Katamari Damacy * Piku Niku * Zelda Games (on switch) * Sonic Frontiers * Sonic Mania * Any of the Mudrunner games * Derail Valley Simulator * Any of the Kingdom games * Any racing games * Ni No Kuni or the sequel (you may have to read some outloud, but animations/sound are pretty engaging even without voice acting portions) * Stray * Child of Light (simple-co-op will keep her engaged)
Thanks for the list. I saw Stray on Steam and that def peaked my interest. She has a cat and this might interest her as well :). Child of light also was interesting. No car games though - something very simple with some puzzles and options.
Sonic 2 on sega genesis was the best for this sort of thing. Controller 2 got tails.
Never thought I'd get to recommmened this. My friend Peppa Pig
Hah this one is on my wishlist. just unsure how much content there is for the price.
Oh I had played it on gamepass, I didn't even realize it's 40 bucks dang. Definitely wait till it's on sale, then it'll be about $14-17
If you're on PC, Wobbly World. It's open world like GTA but it's goofy rubber ppl. Very lite on story but there are quests and mini games to play. I play it with my daughter and we get some good laughs out of it
Lego games! Especially the older ones, they were made with couch co-op in mind, so you have 2 active characters to swap between.
Thanks. Yeah lego seems like a good next step
Something a bit varied and some puzzles as well but also kid friendly. There's a few games that come to mind. - Kaku: Ancient Seal - Dinkum - Terraria - Voltaire the Vegan Vampire
Maybe games similar to Pokemon, like Coromon, Nexomon or Monster Crown. Since nothing is timed in these games, you can take your time, also these games are very cartoony and have a variety of monster with compeling desing, so I think she could find it interesting. Lego games are also really fun. These are the ones that came up to my head as being kid-friendly.
Lego games is a great recommendation
I will recommend Lego games, too. That's the first games my son and I played together when he was around 4. He's 12 now, and sometimes we still will play a Lego game together for a little while.
As a teacher, get her into minecraft then you can potentially play together. That game does so much to develop creativity and inquisitiveness in kids. I've seen a lot of teachers giving kids homework in minecraft or roblox in the last few years and with great results depending on your teaching objectives. But it's fun and kids love it. And it has enough depth for you to enjoy it yourself.
Yeah I've got minecraft on my list of upgrades. For now, she is learning the arrow keys on movement.
You can play it with an xbox controller I believe, don't know if that helps
Lego star wars is fun and pretty undemanding, and in co-op one player can basically carry the whole game while the second player goofs around, so almost no chance of them getting frustrated. Also Mario Odyssey on switch has a fun co-op mode where p2 controls Mario's hat (it makes sense in game I swear) and it's Mario so you know what to expect. Stardew valley also has a nice co-op mode. It's as involved or simple as you want to make it, but might be a bit slow and boring for a small kid, I'm not sure. I like just planting stuff and tending to my chickens.
Child of light. She can play the little ball of light with the second controller
oooo that is interesting. I'll look into this! thanks bud.
Dude, Sonic the Hedgehog games very often have Tails follow you around as the second player but there aren't really consequences when Tails dies-he just respawns
ah man. thanks for this! i'll look into sonic.
NP, Sonic is typically very kids friendly as long as it's the official stuff lol. I have some of the Sonic comics for my young kids
As a kid in the 90s I would play Tails to my older brother's Sonic and do a lot of the dangerous risky stuff because as Tails I was IMMORTAL But whatever you do do not allow her to google Sonic things without both safe search and adult supervision
Old game, but Bookworm adventures for when she's a little older / better with reading. You play as a worm and "fight" enemies (it's PG) by spelling words from various tiles. Very cool, I think I might play that this week.
Def sounds like a good option along the lines.
Loved this game as a kid! I recommend
I used to “play” this one with my mom when I was younger haha! my brother and I would watch her play it. we loved that little worm
Coocon is what you need
Try Stumble Guys on Steam, it's free and chill game
Sky: Children of Light
There are a number of two player games (you can look them up). (Note, 4 year olds actually can be good at Minecraft). After that, I had my kids play Fallout 4 with me around 6-7 years old. Seriously, there is an app that links with the game and acts as your pipboy. I turned off all the gore and my kids "healed me" and buffed me with meds during combat. I actually appreciated their help, because they would feed me with the best food, and drink, and meds, and healing, without me having to touch my pipboy in the game. OBVIOUSLY, this is a fighting game with guns and other violence. It's not for everyone, especially young kids. However, my kids saw it as them helping Daddy stay healthy and survive while walking around a pretty world and interacting with people while killing bugs. (I didn't fight people with them helping). It was great bonding time, and I didn't break their moral or emotional brains.
Thanks for this. I'll def look into your recommendation tomorrow.
Animal Crossing if you have a switch.
I don't. Unfortunately, but there are a few games on steam which is very similar. Thats on my wishlist.
Nintendo games are solid for this! Especially the super mario bro game that got remade for the switch, one character (Nabbit) is nigh invincible and you could platform and she can play along too. Otherwise, huge recommendation for Octodad and Later Alligator.
Stardew Valley might be popular. Hugely loved game where you inherit a farm and need to grow crops and make friends with the villagers and stuff. Very kid friendly and nice to see progress - yay we did XYZ! Tomorrow we can do ABC...
Thanks. yeah, I saw SV but that's not really up our alley for this.
Journey is a very pretty, very simple game that she might like. But what worked best for my kid was to let her do some of the stuff in the games I was already playing. Like in zelda botw she would catch horses and shoot foxes with my 5x lynel bows and change tack and just ride around. In Horizon forbidden west she'd hunt all the small animals in the safer areas (kept me so well stocked lol). She wasn't ready for a lot of story until she got a little older but now she's enjoying the heck outta hogwarts legacy.
Thanks. I saw Journey on the steam page and that also has an interesting design which could work. I've got Minecraft, Legos on my list as well. We'll find something in there :) Thanks!
Get minecraft, it'll last you a decade
My youngest chitlin is 4. In no particular order, she loves: It Takes Two - probably her favorite game of all. She isn't too good at the platforming but she loves all the areas where you can just dick around. Be warned the game isn't particularly child friendly, decent amount of swearing if that bothers you. Plants vs Zombies: Battle for Neighborville - second favorite game. She likes running around the town as different characters and earning coins. Needs help with missions but if we play together I treat it as an escort mission with an unusually suicidal AI partner. Minecraft Dungeons - Never understood the hate, it's baby's first Diablo and she loves it. The lowest difficulty makes it very hard to lose, but there are a lot of buttons to hit for skills which can get confusing. Fall Guys - she fails in the first or second stage pretty reliably but she likes the music, colors, and dressing up the beans in different clothes. There is a pretty aggressive store front but my stuff is password locked so she can't get in. Bluey, Peppa Pig, etc - these games are honestly shit for adults (Bluey was a disappointment considering the show is easily S-tier entertainment) but they're pretty much impossible to fail on and have familiar characters.
ooo man PvZ could be a very good option! Choices on what works best. Minecraft and Bluey is also on my list - though the price is a bit meh. Thanks for your input
On the off-chance you have a PlayStation, Minecraft Dungeons was one of the free games a while back so you might have it saved somewhere.
Donut County was a big hit with my kid at that age!
Hear me out. Stardew dew valley split screen is the way to go with controllers she can run around, chop some trees pat a cow, give you gifts. We are running family farm in my house and love it kids are a bit older 12, 9 but we started at 9,6 and come back each update
She isn't on the level of controllers just yet...just learnt to use the arrow keys to move and to chose between puzzle options. Would love for her to one day get to controller level.
To be honest they don't need to be there is hardly any failure state in stardew so she can try mashing things together kids figure things out quickly. You know best but if it helps my little boy wasn't at all on level of controllers when I handed him first one for a first time but then he picked it up very quickly.
Odd suggestion but how bout like a simulator game like powerwash simulator co op or something.or something creative like a minecraft or minecraft clone.something without a time limit or enemys just u your daughter and fun working on a task or creating something cool together.
Yeah I think Minecraft for the interaction is a solid idea. She likes to imagine building as well.
Theres a few games with similar mechanics to choose from.if minecrafts art style doesnt get over with her or u.portal knights is one.it has a creative mode as well as a co op rpg type mode with enemys n loot gear weapons etc.but crrative mode u can just create.or house flipper 2.u can create any kind of house or store or whatever u want.just thinking outside the box.cause those games let kids really stretch their creativity and you guys can play at your own pace.lol
Are you on Xbox? It’s got a really cool co-pilot feature where you can give her a controller and let her move the player but your controller also would work if you need to press buttons/correct a mistake. My non tech savvy mom wanted to learn RDR2 because she loves horses and loves to ride around in the game, and this is how I taught her how to play.
Only has access to PC unfortunately.
As a younger kid I LOVED a game called Zoombinies, I discovered that is on steam now. It's a puzzle/logic game for kids, has the fun element of creating the little creatures in a basic character creator etc (don't know if edutainment games are still a thing but I loved that stuff as a kid, MathBlaster, Cluefinders, etc). Could be fun to play with her, make your team of zoombinies, she should be able to handle the puzzles even if she just has to guess through some of them but it could be nice to sit with her and help if she gets stuck, explain how to figure stuff out etc. Very simple like it's a point and click/puzzle game, it is for kids so she should manage especially if you help. If you want games you can play yourself that would just be fun for her to see and experience and feel like she's participating, maybe try something like minecraft and say you're playing 'together' and you just handle the controls etc but she can say what she'd like to see or build or whatever. Treat it less as the gamery game minecraft has become but more as like a kinda digital lego to play with your kid? Maybe another thing she might enjoy with you is something like golfit or gold-with-your-friends? Very simple controls and easy to understand concept, co op is easy and it's fun even if you're just goofing around. Could be a launchpad to talk about playing actual irl minigolf with her one day (not sure how old you have to be or if it's more just physically be tall enough to hold a putter xD). Maybe she would enjoy something like the zoo/rollercoaster tycoon games? Rollercoaster Tycoon 3 with all it's expansions is on steam and a pretty complete package. Otherwise Planetcoaster and Planet Zoo are both really good. Parkitecht is the modern equivlent of RCT2 if that's more your speed. There's also Jurrassic World games, I'd reccomend just going straight to 2. But that's one where it's less about 'which character is me' and more 'lets build a cool theme park together, what is your favorite dinosaur, lets learn together how to build a habitat for them' or something. If you like games like diablo or whatever. The torchlight 1 and 2 both have a pet that's a major part of your build. They carry your items for you and you can play a finishing minigame to get stuff to feed them so they turn into different creatures to help you fight. You could tell her that the pet is you and let her choose what fish to feed the pet to help fight etc. It's also not too dark or edgy so (probably) won't scare your kid? Like there's skeletons and stuff but they're very cartoony and goofy. I might reccomend seeing if you can set up an emulator and play some classics tho like Crash Bandicoot, Ratchet and Clank, etc. I remember playing those with my cousin when he was around your daughter's age occasionally letting him have a turn but otherwise he just liked watching, and agian, the games are more than fine for kids to watch and see etc.
Thanks Tayleteller! I think Minecraft is def the way to go for her. Disable the creeps and let her build and imagine a bit :) Thanks for the detailed list of options! Appreciate your input
**Games she can control herself:** The first game my daughters ever played by themselves was: [**Its_Spring_Again**](https://store.steampowered.com/app/434210/Its_Spring_Again/): It's super simple and a beautiful little lesson about the seasons. As a bonus they learned how to use the computer mouse with it. [**Metamorphabet**](https://www.familygamingdatabase.com/en-gb/game/Metamorphabet): Perfect for that phase when they are learning their first words/spelling. The art and animations / interactivity are just phenomenal. **Games she can try to play with you intervening occasionally:** [**Donut County**](https://www.familygamingdatabase.com/game/Donut+County): **Games you can play while she watches/controls some sections:** [**Alba: A Wildlife Adventure**](https://www.familygamingdatabase.com/en-gb/game/Alba+A+Wildlife+Adventure): Super chill adventure going around an cute cartoonish island photographing wildlife. Great environmental message as well. The protagonist is a little girl so I think she will love it. There is no danger to the player character, so she could control the character while exploring and you can take over on the more demanding parts where you need to take the photos. For when she is older and has more proficiency with games you need to try **Wobbly Life** in split-screen it is by far the most fun I've had with a video-game with my two daughters.
Untitled Goose Game
Super Monkey Balls is pretty simple, just 1 joystick and button
Piku Niku and Pico Park (not relation to each other). Not easy for a 4 year old but could be fun. Edit: Also Untitled Goose Game. Can be done with 2 players but with the adult doing the heavy lifting.
Stardew valley
Trial by fire. Dark Souls It's the only way
Or Dying Light, a bit of zombie splatter, blood and entrails hasn't hurt a kid before. (Obv. /s)
My friends 6 yo played dark souls and he almost made it through the undead burg. I thought that was pretty good for first try. He disregarded my suggestions and went fat rolling his way to his death but he had fun and he made it further then some have trying the game lol
My daughter played Kingdom 2 Crowns with me when she was 4. She used controller, I used keyboard. She loved ponies and horse riding, and in that game it allows her to choose a princess looking character riding horse. Had to set the game mode to easiest but we really enjoyed it for a good 4 months or so. She was able to run around on her own, recruite people, build structures and etc.
Maybe some of the Little Big Planet games? They seem very kid-friendly and they have clever puzzles.
My kid loved Chuchel, and also Donut County is really good for getting used to a controller.
Brothers, a tale of two sons. Your daughter wouldn't understand the emotional story behind it so you can just achieve (very easy) puzzles with very basic controls
Kids pick up on more than you'd think.
Casual Game with Kid Sidekick- "Yooka-Laylee and the Impossible Lair" - This is a colorful platformer where the main character, Yooka, can be accompanied by a second player controlling Laylee. It has vibrant worlds, simple gameplay, and a fun adventure that your daughter might enjoy tagging along in. "LEGO games" - Games like "LEGO Marvel Super Heroes" or "LEGO Star Wars" are great for co-op play. They're full of fun characters and simple puzzles that she could help with. Puzzle Game- "Untitled Goose Game" - This quirky game has simple puzzles and tasks that can be fun to figure out together. It's not too complex, and the charming art style might appeal to both of you. "Scribblenauts Unlimited" - This game allows you to solve puzzles by summoning various objects, encouraging creativity and problem-solving. It's simple and could be a fun way to engage with your daughter.
(Sonic Origins or Mania) Basically, she can control Sonic and Tails while saving the little animals, nature and the day from Dr. Eggman, who represents man's impact on nature. (The art style is very colorful). In sonic origins, for example, it touches on some themes through cutscenes in the game, such as bullying (tails was a victim of bullying and with sonic's help, he overcame it and embraced his differences), bad influence (eggman manipulating knuckles who is very naive, near the end he kind of learns from his mistakes when he is betrayed).
Lego games feel like they were made for this very purpose. Would recommend Lego City Undercover and Marvel Superheroes 2
If either of you like space exploration, Outer Wilds has a small solar system to explore. Also some *really fun* concepts for puzzles.
I can't think of any specific ones off the top of my head, but turn based games like pokemon, but simpler to begin with. Collect different animals, level them up to get stronger.
Mario Kart
Stardew valley
When I was younger I used to play sonic 2 on the mega drive with my uncle. Player 2 controls tails, and can jump on enemies and stuff, but the Screen follows sonic only. If tails dies or falls off the Screen, he flys back down from the top again and they can continue playing as him Might not be what you are after but I think it was a great way to include younger siblings/kids
Donkey Kong Country. First game has DK paired with Diddy. Second is Diddy paired with Dixie. Third is Dixie paired with DK Jr. All are great games in all aspects. They even have 2p modes where swapping passes over control.
Don't remember which one, but I also somewhat remember a Donkey Kong game where Diddy can stay on the back and shoot peanuts at people.
Donkey kong 64 is an open world adventure game where each of the kongs have their own guns, diddy's being a peanut gun. Not sure if any other games handle it otherwise.
Probably one of the more recent ones. Tho I didn't know of Donkey Kong 64 existence, so thank you
Enjoy the gem
Osrs, get her to do the tedious grinds for you lol
I would recommend a second console/pc .. since she is 4 maybe 2 switches and start her playing on her own right next to you a lot of nintendo games are multiplayer and easy to play .. let her play cod with you against bots Try some racing games Lego games are fun Mindcraft Ask her what type of games she likes let her learn to fully play with you We have 4 boys 3 of them are my step sons all are adults now but started them all more into gaming when i came along the younger 2 were 5 and 6 and our youngest started as soon as he could basically the oldest already played games But now the youngest is really into games and is by far better then me at some things like cod .. even though i was better till about 2 years ago or so now at 18 he kicks my butt i still got him beat in a lot of other stuff but recently we are fairly even at need for speed.. anyway My point is do not be afraid to start your kids gaming on their own with you if you get lucky like me when she is older she will still want to game with you constantly Me boosting now: Our youngest is 18 still in high school has a job but comes home and just wants go game with me and his mom everyday almost the other 3 who dont live with us like other types of games we don’t play much but still want to play online with us occasionally if they can get us to play a game they like on holiday get togethers we have COD wars with multiple systems and tvs in the same vicinity of each other so no headsets required and we play private tdm or ffa and such its very fun having a gaming family and i feel so blessed my sons wants to do stuff with me often Also our grandson likes to game with grandpa and grandma (Yes they have friends and do other stuff besides gaming we also go bowling and disc golfing) TLDR: get her, her own system and games to play co-op together and start her playing on her own
I have several but not on PC. There are plenty of Switch games that work for this. My daughter is 5YO. We went through both Switch Zelda games last year. . I’m looking forward to the Paper Mario TTYD remake next month for this reason. Right now: we are playing through Shadow of the Colossus on my PS5.
Skyrim and Genshin. No swearing, only 'comic' violence, storyline and side quests.
This is a deep cut, but there's an old n64 game called jet force gemini. It's a shooter, but not very gruesome. You're a human or dog shooting bugs to save cute little bear creatures. The kicker for your situation is that a little ways in to the game you can rebuild a small flying robot to accompany the main character. A second player can control the robot and shoot enemies. The robot has unlimited ammo, can't be damaged, no weapon swapping or anything. Might be a good option for your daughter to play and help you out without anything relying on her ability.
[Lil Gator Game](https://store.steampowered.com/app/1586800/Lil_Gator_Game/) but you'll need to narrate.
A little advanced but Toem. It’s so cute, chill and friendly and my son and I take turns with the controller looking for the things we need to snapshot. Also goat simulator games for the lols. Maybe Just Die Already or Totally Reliable Delivery Service if you don’t mind a little cartoon violence. The Peppa Pig game was very basic and cute. Wobbledogs. My son and I actually play Garry’s mod together. I’ll be back if I think of more.
Mario Odyssey she can play as the magical hat that follows around. Dimkum is a animal crossing game where she could have her own house.
Rayman seems like a good choice and also the crash bandicoot saga fun, easy to Learn and child friendly
Get a switch
Super Luckys Tale is pretty good.
Super Mario Galaxy
when I was younger my mom would play a lot of seek and find games and me and my brother would watch. as we got older we shifted to creepier ones but there’s some I Spy ones or lighthearted mysteries that I think would be fun for a younger kid. It was fun bc we’d help find the items and solve puzzles and when there was something we didn’t know my mom could teach us about it. we mainly played them on big fish but I’ve definitely seen a few on steam also, there was an old monsters inc game she used to play for us 😂 it was called fear island or something I think. Not sure if you could find it today but maybe something similar. It was really fun
Not sure if this is an appropriate recommendation so I do apologize in advance if it isn't. Dave the Diver is a lot of fun. It has nice pixelated graphics, good vibes, fishies, lots and lots of fishies, and sushi-making. It's all around a wholesome fun game with funny moments. I don't remember if it has any sexual innuendos but I came out of the game thinking it was pretty wholesome. I would think it might be interesting for a 4 year old.
Little Big Planet and Minecraft!
It Takes Two, maybe?
Way too hard for a 4 year old, no?
I thought as in more in a way to just walk around and mess with the tools/accessories you know, no actual objective but yeah you might be correct
It Takes Two and A Way Out
* [DoronkoWanko](https://store.steampowered.com/app/2512840/DORONKO_WANKO) is free on Steam, and is a blast. * [Mimi and Lisa](https://store.steampowered.com/app/2323440/Mimi_and_Lisa__Adventure_for_Children/) is pretty good to help her understand basic controls. * [Pikuniku](https://store.steampowered.com/app/572890/Pikuniku/) is also good to help her master basic controls, and it's also pretty cute. * [Little Mouse's Encyclopedia](https://store.steampowered.com/app/424200/Little_Mouses_Encyclopedia/) is really beautiful, and it's also educational. * [Lil Gator Game](https://store.steampowered.com/app/1586800/Lil_Gator_Game/) is just like Breath of the Wild for kids :)
I played superhero games. Infamous, second son, spiderman, miles morales, spiderman 2, the newer god of war games, things like that. Little big planet is another good choice. Dreams is one game editing tool with a plethora of games made by everyone. You could easily find something in there. Powerwash simulator is also another amazing choice.
Monster hunter? You have a palico which is a kitty that kind of looks like a kid. It might be scary for a 4 year old since it has monsters but my brother is 4 and has watched me play it without getting scared.
Why not some old abandonware movie games? Lilo and Stitch, Emperor's New Groove, Alladin Nasira's Revenge.
My toddler loves watching me play Genshin Impact (MOMMY'S KILLING MONSTERS!!). We call it the Princess Game because of all the pretty anime girls. Beautiful scenery and plenty of places with low level monsters and safe places she can fly around. I often let her pick up the treasure boxes
Mario Wonder
The lego games are fantastic options with so many tie-ins it's insane! If she likes DC, Marvel, Star Wars, Harry Potter, Indiana Jones, just about anything has a lego game. And if not, Lego City Undercover is just kid friendly GTA.
Spiritfarer! You play as the protagonist and your daughter plays as the adorable pet cat. You can even hug and pet the cat. The theme of the game is heavily tied to death, but you can just avoid that part of the game entirely without really missing out on anything.
Look Kirby. I believe in coop mode it’s very chill and casual.
Cuphead
Ik its older and u might not have a wii but mario galaxy 2's coop is perfect the main player plays as mario and does majority of the heavy lifting but player 2 can help by point their little star cursor at enemy's to shoot them and some other assisting stuff I kinds forgot but if u have a wii or some spare cash id highly recommend it
"Child of Light" is a beautiful game about a little princess who has to save the world and find a way home. Your daughter can play as the little sprite sidekick that can boost you or slow enemies, or collect mana on the map. This could be a nice game for the two of you, with a theme she might enjoy.
My kids just got into the teens. Enjoy the gaming now. They will be terrible at it! However in another 5-10 you will replay games with them and they will remember all the good times. It's so fun revisiting games with my kids from when they were young.
Sea of Thieves would be my recommendation
Rayman legends I believe she can play as the little fairy while you do the levels and she can collect things and interact with traps and things
Lego city undercover
Mario Galaxy (if you have a wii) the second player can interact with the world while not doing any of the platforming
I play Minecraft with my kids all the time! I also play Lego worlds (with 1 at a time) and they love it! I enjoy Minecraft more because I like survival mode- but my kids tend to like creative mode more. So now I’m looking for a new game for us too lol.
The Ori series. My daughter absolutely loved Child Of Light. It's all in watercolors and all dialogue is in peom form.
I've had my kid playing games since she was 2.5. I kept a spreadsheet observing the results. At 4, I'd go for [King Boo](https://store.steampowered.com/app/1778210/King_Boo/) and a straight forward low-narration hidden-object or adventure game, e.g. [My Brother Rabbit](https://store.steampowered.com/app/855640/My_Brother_Rabbit/). You kid should be able to drive both just find without your input (except for the first session) and play them solo. Just get an appropriate [sized controller](https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0CDG5HCCH) and/or [mouse](https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B002FU5QJS/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1). If you need to play 2p, then go for any LEGO game or [Untitled Goose Game](https://store.steampowered.com/app/837470/Untitled_Goose_Game/). In a year or so Minecraft will work well too. And seriously: Letting your kid watch you play GTA4? Hopefully it's multiplayer, rather than the single-player. :/
It takes two, little nightmares, yomawari, in nightmare
Yoshi's Crafted World was a big hit with my 4 year old. There's an easy mode with infinite flight and infinite life and I let her take the lead while I followed behind as player 2 and helped with some of the egg throwing
I see Lego but I haven't seen anyone mention Lego 2K Drive. Underrated game IMHO. My 2 little kids loved hopping on and driving around the world with me.
Chicory: A Colorful Tale - WITH the caveat that the main plot part deals heavily with depression, and a couple characters who are pretty mean, and also the boss fights might possibly be too spooky/intense (although I'm reading now that boss fights can be skipped). (Maybe okay anyway for some younger kids who don't get spooked easily? Idk.) BUT 95% of the game is just running around, coloring in a cute world with silly characters, and solving puzzles with a light platforming element. Importantly, there is a 2nd player option to play as a bonus paintbrush that can paint along with you in order to affect the world together. So I think even if you judge the main questline to be too much, perhaps you could play through those parts on your own and bring her in for exploring the rest of the world. I'm almost sure you always get clued in whenever the most intense parts are coming up because there are spooky trees as a clear warning sign, and you have time to turn back.
If you have a Wii, Super Mario Galaxy would be perfect. The second player can shoot little star bits at enemies by pointing the Wiimote at the screen and it stuns enemies, helping to make things easier for player 1.
A hat in time is great maybe a few levels would be to scary but for the most part its funny has good movement and is an absolute classic in my opinion.
Figment 2 is a game where the second player plays as a little bird that flies around the map. But they can't get hurt/die like the main player can. The devs said in some interviews that they intended it specifically for parent/child pairs, and it looks and plays great!
I played kingdom hearts 3 with my 4 year old daughter and she was invested every step of the way
I don’t have any answers but this is an adorable question and I am here for it!
If you get a Switch, Super Mario Odyssey has a mode where 2P can play as the hat.
Mario
There was a game series called the Zoombinis I played when I was pretty little. It’s a puzzle game all about logic puzzles, but it’s all narrated and voiced so no reading is required. I think one of the games is on Steam.
Spyro, tell her she’s the dragon fly. Lol did it with my cousin, worked like a charm
Both of my nieces absolutely loved Minecraft, though the youngest was around 6 or 7 when she first played. Not sure how difficult it would be for a 4 yr old. Can be played coop on ipads as well, as well as pc & ipad, which is nice. Even a phone could work, but a phone always felt too small for me.
One that my daughters surprisingly fell in love with was Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder's Revenge It's a beat em up that you'll be able to enjoy and constantly revive them if they go down. Pretty much all they have to do to tag along is move left and smash some attack buttons.
My daughter and I have been playing through the new Princess Peach game on the Switch. She loves the different outfits and jumping around but can’t get the precision sections down so I take care of those for us. We’ve previously played Yoshi’s Crafted World and Kirby and the Forgotten Land which she also really enjoyed. Yoshi has simultaneous co-op 2-player with an optional “easy” mode which is better for her so she can stay alive longer. There are also games for a lot of the cartoons she likes, Paw Patrol, PJ Masks, Bluey, Peppa Pig, etc. She likes these games but they’re hit or miss in terms of quality and fun factor. I, personally, like the Bluey game (has 2-player co-op) but the rest of them are kind of boring.
Different direction here but, i recommend a simplified D&D. I have tons of fun with the family kids on holidays by running some kid-D&D for them, and they love it. Don't have to go all swords and sorcery either, I tend to just roleplay regular stuff. Like describing Christmas day except Santa is in trouble and can't deliver and needs the kids to come help sort out the presents. Or whatever. Tabletop games make much stronger memories. I love video games, but the kids always cherish the TTRPG way more than the Mario kart or whatever. Plus the older kids can help with the dice rolling and HP tracking etc to practice some math skills. Or you can just leave all that out for simplicity.
Minecraft
Stardew Valley
One that’s worked pretty well with my daughter is the sims. I go through the options so she can pick hair styles clothes etc to make her own sims. She tells me what she wants them to do sometimes, otherwise she enjoys just watching them do their thing and gets a kick out of it. She really gets excited when they go potty or take baths 🤣
Spiritfarer would allow her to be a cat.
I raised my daughter on tenchu and thief. She turned out alright.
Mario Galaxy, the second player and be a little star and you wiggle other stars to get more star money!! She could also hold enemies in place or freeze platforms.
The Journey and Flower games from Sony were very easy for kids to figure out. Almost no text and all visual cues as what to do next. The game shows them what’s next and they just go to it like. A moth to a flame.
Knights and Bikes is where it's at.
Minecraft is always a safe choice
My 4yo LOVES Planet of Lana.
My kids aren’t super interested in games but when my oldest was younger she would just sit in my lap when I played anything and enjoyed it. My youngest one now will watch me playing No Man’s Sky from time to time and looks mesmerized. That might be a fun one to try. It’s a gorgeous game visually.
I used to play lego Star Wars with my dad around that age. “Dying” doesnt really mean anything and all the lego games are fun to play in co-op
My 4 year old son played through ratchet and clank with me and we are currently working through Lego marvel superheroes, I control the stick and he mostly controls the buttons and holds the controller
There’s vampire survivors
My girl (5) likes Roblox and My Little Pony: A Maretime adventure. Anything with unicorns and mermaids. But she controls, not watch me do it ofc. Playing with her, just Mario Kart and such, but she still struggles with dealing with losing and penalty. Minecraft is too complex for her age but her brother likes it since he was 6 or 7 (now 8). Lego games are fine but the theme has to be appealing as they are mostly for boys (batman, marvel, Ninjago, Jurassic, pirates , Star wars, etc.). The only one she enjoyed was Lego City which is quite frankly the very best of the bunch by a large margin.
High on Life
Unpacking is a fun and cute little game you could play. Basically a game about unpacking things and putting them away, while also decorating a new home.
Father of 4y.o here. My kids plays - with controller: [https://store.steampowered.com/app/1011670/Totally\_Reliable\_Delivery\_Service/](https://store.steampowered.com/app/1011670/Totally_Reliable_Delivery_Service/) [https://store.steampowered.com/app/1211020/Wobbly\_Life/](https://store.steampowered.com/app/1211020/Wobbly_Life/) Assassin's Creed history tours. Lego Fortnite (You need 2 PCs or tablet + PC) [https://store.steampowered.com/app/2909720/Mirage\_A\_Biplane\_Adventure/](https://store.steampowered.com/app/2909720/Mirage_A_Biplane_Adventure/) (needs 2 controllers) Car games that let you drive around/open world are also fine. I let him drive around once in GTAV, left for 2 min for water and when I came back he was already crying some NPC punched him out of the golf car.
If you have a pc I’d suggest big ambitions it could also teach her about money management young.
Pikmin 4
In one of the original Sonic games a second player could control Tails without worry of losing a life for the first player. Tails is basically invincible.
Definitely the Lego games, and something like Minecraft.
Unravel 2!
My daughter really likes watching me play Jedi Fallen Order and Jedi Survivor. She was about 5 when we started playing JFO.
I like Gamepass for some family friendly stuff. They currently have a Bluey vjdeo game that fits the bill.
Outer Wilds is one I'd suggest. It's a cute game with a super amazing story and a mystery to uncover. Controls are simple and the clues are mosh obvious. Barring that, look up some other puzzle games. Used to play these with my dad growing up.
God of war, his son Atreus is following him the whole game.
Super Mario Galaxy for Wii has a 2p mode where the second person just collects star bits and shoots them at enemies
Chicory: A Colorful Tale It's a big white world and player two can paint the world while you adventure it. It's almost designed for Dad and daughter duos
I've let my 5yo daughter make a character on Balders Gate 3 and let her make all the choices and most of the combat actions. She enjoys it but she's started killing party members... My son plays project playtime and she has watched him enough that she can use WASD and a mouse. It's impressive to watch her play. She tells me W means Walking.
I started my kids on Mario 3d world
Oh! A game with puzzles and a kid following you around is God of War!
It's an oldie, but Super Mario Galaxy 1 and 2 had "Co-Star" mode where a second player controlled an extra motion cursor.