Family-Friendly PC Games

Overview

Like any other form of entertainment, video games are made with specific audiences in mind. This sometimes means that a game is designed to be played by mature or adult audience, complete with content that is very inappropriate for children. To help make it a little easier to find games that the entire family can enjoy, I've put together this list of family-friendly titles.

Simply click on a game's title to view the full review.

Games in this List

0 - B C D - F G - J K - M N - R S T - Z

Samorost

ESRB Rating:	NR - Not Rated
My Rating:	Everyone
Genre:	Point and Click Adventure
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This game is completely free!
The quiet life of a gnome living on an asteroid made of driftwood is interrupted when he sees another asteroid heading straight for his home! With only so much time to avert disaster, he must find the other ship's control room and steer it away!

Brief thoughts: The only thing I can see being an issue with this game is the fact that a character is shown smoking.

Samorost 2

ESRB Rating:	NR - Not Rated
My Rating:	Everyone
Genre:	Point and Click Adventure
Platforms:
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Since the events of the first game, the space gnome has grown a couple of pear trees and adopted a dog. But this proves to be a mistake, as the pears attract thieving aliens who decide to steal the fruit and take his dog as well! Now he must give chase and find a way to free his pooch!

Brief thoughts: There's some crude humor, but perhaps the biggest issue is that you'll need to drug an alien in order to put them to sleep.

SANCTUARY

ESRB Rating:	NR - Not Rated
My Rating:	Everyone
Genre:	Point and Click Adventure / Other
Platforms:
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This game is completely free!
Until you're able to support yourself again, a pastor is willing to let you stay at his church during the night. However, something about this place feels off, and during the first night, you'll discover why - this House of God is actually home to a group of demons!

Brief thoughts: This is an explicitly Christian game, so there never was a chance of it containing offensive material - in fact, it does exactly the opposite by dropping some important reminders about our Faith!

Scribble Ships

ESRB Rating:	NR - Not Rated
My Rating:	Everyone
Genre:	Arcade
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When you were in school, you probably spent some of the class periods drawing random things on spare pieces of notebook paper. I know I certainly did. What do you think might happen if those little space ships you were drawing suddenly came to life and began battling each other for supremacy of the page? You'd have Scribble Ships, a game about doodles trying to ink each other out of the picture.

Brief thoughts: This game features cartoony space ships shooting each other with blobs of ink, making it about as violent as classic games like Asteroids.

Secret Maryo Chronicles

ESRB Rating:	NR - Not Rated
My Rating:	Everyone
Genre:	Platformer
Platforms:
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This game is completely free!
The Secret Maryo Chronicles is an open source clone of the Super Mario Bros. games, and it's pretty blatant about it. But, instead of searching the world for a kidnapped Princess, Maryo seems to be on a journey just for the fun of it.

Brief thoughts: Like most platformers, the only real concern is some very mild violence. For example, the player may defeat an enemy by jumping on it.

Simon Tatham's Portable Puzzle Collection

ESRB Rating:	NR - Not Rated
My Rating:	Everyone
Genre:	Puzzle / Logic Games
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This game is completely free!
Also known as the SGT Puzzle Collection, this is a set of 39 logic puzzles to stimulate your brain. There's something for everyone in this collection, and you may even find some new favorites.

Brief thoughts: The games in this collection are meant to test your logic skills, and don't contain anything objectionable.

Shatter

ESRB Rating:	E - Everyone
My Rating:	Everyone
Genre:	Arcade
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After breaking free of its confinement by shattering its holding cell, a Paddle begins a trippy adventure to liberate paddle-kind from the evil Queen and her Bad Paddle.

Brief thoughts: One of the benefits of simpler games is that there's no room for offensive content.

Shovel Knight: Shovel of Hope

ESRB Rating:	E - Everyone
My Rating:	Ages 6 and up
Genre:	Platformer
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In this ground breaking retro-themed platformer, the heroic Shovel Knight faces off against the evil Enchantress and her diabolical Order of No Quarter. But as heroic as he is, Shovel Knight's true goal is to rescue his beloved Shield Knight, who disappeared mysteriously many years ago.

Brief thoughts: While there is some mild violence and fantasy magic, none of it is more serious than say, Disney's Sleeping Beauty. Even at its darkest, this is a very family friendly game.

Shovel Knight: Plague of Shadows

ESRB Rating:	E - Everyone
My Rating:	Ages 6 and up
Genre:	Platformer
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In Shovel of Hope, we saw Shovel Knight save the world. But, it turns that Plague Knight was also on a journey across the land, gathering the powerful essences he needed to create the ultimate magical potion!

Brief thoughts: Even though the you're playing as a villain, there's really nothing major to be concerned with in this title.

Shovel Knight: Specter of Torment

ESRB Rating:	E - Everyone
My Rating:	Ages 10 and up
Genre:	Platformer
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Unlike the other Shovel Knight games, Specter of Torment has a fairly unhappy story as it explores the events that led to a simple thief becoming the cursed Specter Knight.

Brief thoughts: Like the other Shovel Knight games, there is some mild violence and a lot of fantasy magic in this game. However, the overall tone of this installment is much darker than the others, as the main character is both cursed and serving the villain against their will.

Shovel Knight: King of Cards

ESRB Rating:	E - Everyone
My Rating:	Everyone
Genre:	Platformer
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A new card game called Joustus is sweeping the realm, and players from all over are excitedly gathering to witness the grand Joustus tournament and see who will be crowned the King of Cards!

King Knight seeks the crown too, though he has a slightly unusual plan to gain it...

Brief thoughts: King Knight's brat-like behavior is definitely not to be imitated, though it's never shown in a way that would encourage children to copy it.

Otherwise, everything is fairly family friendly and not terribly worrisome.

Shovel Knight: Showdown

ESRB Rating:	E - Everyone
My Rating:	Ages 6 and up
Genre:	Fighting / Party Game
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One dark night, the Enchantress' minions attempt to stage a rebellion. Their plan was to connect a ramshackle machine to the Magic Mirror and use it to trap the Enchantress, but things went horribly wrong when the machine malfunctions and shatters the mirror - and all of reality!

Brief thoughts: Although this is a game where characters fight each other, it's an extremely tame and family friendly title.

Simple Solitaire

ESRB Rating:	E - Everyone
My Rating:	Everyone
Genre:	Card game
Platforms:
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This game is free, but contains advertisements
Simple Solitaire is exactly what it claims to be: a simple, free version of Klondike solitaire for modern Windows systems. There aren't any fancy features like daily challenges or achievements, but do you really need them to enjoy playing solitaire?

Brief thoughts: The only thing that may be objectionable about this game is an advertising banner shown at the bottom of the playfield.

Slime Rancher

ESRB Rating:	E10 - Everyone (Ages 10 and up)
My Rating:	Ages 10 and up
Genre:	Casual
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Join Beatrix LeBeau as she begins her new life as a Slime Rancher on the planet of Far Far Range! Explore the world for new and rare species, grow exotic foods, tinker with slimy science, and of course, raise your own groups of slimes in an effort to turn a gooey profit!

Brief thoughts: The only real issue with this game comes from how the player views Casey. They are never shown, nor are we ever told if they are a man or a woman, so players may view Bea and Casey as a lesbian couple.

This has no impact on the gameplay, however.

Sonic and SEGA All Stars Racing

ESRB Rating:	E10 - Everyone (Ages 10 and up)
My Rating:	Ages 6 and up
Genre:	Racing
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Kart racers are always a lot of fun, and this game brings together various mascots from SEGA franchises to play one big racing tournament! That said, most of the cast hails from the Sonic the Hedgehog series, which explains why the Sonic was given top billing.

Brief thoughts: This is an extremely lighthearted and family friendly game. The only concerning issue is that there is a race course that has the racers drive through an abandoned chapel and its stained glass window.

Spider Solitaire Collection

ESRB Rating:	E - Everyone
My Rating:	Everyone
Genre:	Card game
Platforms:
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This game is free, but contains advertisements
Although Spider solitaire isn't as popular as Klondike, it's still a fan favorite, and this free app provides three different ways to enjoy it. This app also features Scorpion, another game in the Spider family of solitaire card games.

Brief thoughts: As this is a solitaire card game, the only potential issue is the presence of a banner ad on the left side of the window.

Spooky Bonus

ESRB Rating:	NR - Not Rated
My Rating:	Everyone
Genre:	Match 3
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This is fun little Halloween-themed Match 3. It was clearly made to entertain players of all ages, so things are generally kept very tame and family friendly.

Brief thoughts: Since this game is aimed at children, all of the ghosts, witches, and other spooky things are shown in a child-friendly manner. However, one of the powerups is a tarot card - using it shuffles the board, so whether this pushes the boundaries too much is for you to decide.

Stacking

ESRB Rating:	NR - Not Rated
My Rating:	Ages 10 and up
Genre:	Adventure / Puzzle
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The evil Baron is kidnapping children and forcing them to work as child laborers! As the only child of the Blackmore family still free, Charlie Blackmore decides to take on the Baron, free the other children, and bring an end to child labor.

Brief thoughts: The only real concern with this game is its occasional use of crude humor, such as puzzles that can be solved by weaponizing farts.

The Stanley Parable

ESRB Rating:	NR - Not Rated
My Rating:	Ages 13 and up
Genre:	Walking Simulator
Platforms:
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The Stanley Parable is a comedic romp that explores the nature of stories themselves. You have control over Stanley, and you're free to decide whether or not Stanley obeys the Narrator's instructions. A lot of the fun comes from finding new ways to annoy or frustrate the Narrator, as he's rarely at a loss for words.

Brief thoughts: This game actually has some interesting points to make about how we use (or abuse) our freedoms, which is pretty useful for us to keep in mind during our Christian walk.

Stardew Valley

ESRB Rating:	E10 - Everyone (Ages 10 and up)
My Rating:	Ages 10 and up
Genre:	Adventure / Life simulator
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Life on a farm is a busy one. While you can spend the day doing whatever you want, you only have so much time each day to do it. In order to have a successful farm, you'll need to spend a good portion of your day doing chores, leaving you less time to build relationships, fight monsters, mine for valuables, or whatever else you plan on doing.

Brief thoughts: There is some combat in this game, though it's very tame and to a degree, optional. The main concern with this title is how it depicts everyday life fairly realistically; bad things happen to everyone, and some characters make their lives worse by drinking heavily.

On a different note, the player has the option to marry one of the townsfolk, including characters of the same gender.

SteamWorld Dig

ESRB Rating:	E10 - Everyone (Ages 10 and up)
My Rating:	Ages 10 and up
Genre:	Platformer
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Uncle Joe was always said to be a bit peculiar, and now he's left Rusty in charge of his old mine. There are rumors that there's more than minerals down there - and it's up to Rusty to figure this all out!

Brief thoughts: There is some combat, but it's not really worth worrying about.

Sticker Craft

ESRB Rating:	E - Everyone
My Rating:	Ages 10 and up
Genre:	Puzzle
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In this game, your task is to create or capture all of the unique stickers by combining the ones you've already discovered in clever ways!

Brief thoughts: Some of the stickers are references to fantasy creatures, including a few demons. That said, all of the things you'll make are either answers to puzzles or building blocks for creating something else, so whether or not this is too serious I'll leave for you to decide.

Subnautica

ESRB Rating:	E10 - Everyone (Ages 10 and up)
My Rating:	Ages 6 and up
Genre:	Adventure
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While performing a slingshot maneuver around planet 4546B, the Aurora suddenly experienced a catastrophic failure and crashed. As the sole survivor, you must now find a way to survive on the ocean planet long enough to return to civilization.

Brief thoughts: This is a fairly clean game, considering that the player must both hunt for food and avoid being eaten themselves. The only other thing that may conflict with someone's Christian beliefs is the premise of life existing on other worlds, though this is a somewhat uncommon doctrine.

Subnautica: Below Zero

ESRB Rating:	E10 - Everyone (Ages 10 and up)
My Rating:	Ages 10 and up
Genre:	Adventure / Crafting
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When Alterra Corporation claims a promising scientist dead of their own negligence, her sister felt that something was being covered up. Thus, she prepared to covertly visit planet 4546B and find out what really happened to her sister.

Brief thoughts: As with its predecessor, the player must hunt for food and avoid being eaten themselves. Also, this time the player must interact with intelligent alien life, which may be an issue for some Christians.

Sugar Cube: Bittersweet Factory

ESRB Rating:	NR - Not Rated
My Rating:	Ages 6 and up
Genre:	Puzzle Platformer
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In this puzzle platformer, players attempt to help a sugar cube escape the cookie factory by manipulating the stage layouts to create new paths or avoid obstacles.

Brief thoughts: There really isn't anything too serious in this game. At most, the player character can either be melted or broken up by things they encounter, and this only results in restarting the puzzle.

SUPERLIMINAL

ESRB Rating:	NR - Not Rated
My Rating:	Everyone
Genre:	Other / Puzzle
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SomniSculpt's goal to create therapeutic dreamscapes goes horribly wrong when they lose control of your artificial dream. Now lost in a world of unreality, your only hope of escape is to master its strange physics and find a way to wake up!

Brief thoughts: Although there are some moments that are meant to be scary, there's nothing to really be concerned about in this game.

SuperTux

ESRB Rating:	NR - Not Rated
My Rating:	Ages 6 and up
Genre:	Platformer
Platforms:
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This game is completely free!
SuperTux is a classic open source game featuring the Linux mascot, Tux. In this game, the loveable penguin travels through many different worlds as he attempts to rescue Penny from the clutches of the evil Nolok!

Brief thoughts: Like other platformers, this is a fairly tame game with some very mild violence and the occasional spooky level, so there's nothing to really be concerned about.

Super 3-D Noah's Ark

ESRB Rating:	NR - Not Rated
My Rating:	Ages 6 and up
Genre:	First Person Shooter
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The Ark has been afloat for long enough that the animals are getting restless! To avoid catastrophe, Noah needs to calm the animals down again, and to do that, he'll use his trusty slingshot to scatter feed pellets around them, filling their bellies and putting them to sleep.

Brief thoughts: Although this game plays like any other First Person Shooter, you're scattering feed instead of firing bullets. Thus, enemies who are defeated simply fall asleep instead of dying.

Super Star Path

ESRB Rating:	NR - Not Rated
My Rating:	Ages 10 and up
Genre:	Shoot 'em up / Puzzle
Platforms:
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In this game, you pilot a small ship through a horde of aliens in an attempt to reach and defeat a boss. The trick is that you need to clear a path using carefully aimed chain reactions.

Brief thoughts: This isn't any more violent than classic arcade games like Space Invaders or Galaga, but the way the player character talks may be an issue.

Surgeon Simulator

ESRB Rating:	NR - Not Rated
My Rating:	Everyone
Genre:	Simulation
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Surgeon Simulator is more of a comedy game than an actual simulator. The reason for this is that the controls are deliberately weird and hard to use, resulting in the player bumbling around the operating theater like they're completely drunk.

Brief thoughts: Although there is some blood and your patients can die, most of the "gore" is depicted in a very cartoonish and unrealistic style. This is intended to be a silly game, after all.