Your Guide to July's Family Friendly Video Games
A month positively full of video games from Nintendo, Apple, and everything in-between.
It is, at present, extremely hot in the midwest, and all my kids want to do is swim. Swim in our pool, swim in the community pool, swim in a friend’s pool. Swim, swim.
My parents were never ones who’d have us escaping to a movie theater to cool off. We would, instead, drive up to Wisconsin and do exactly what my kids are doing: swim. (In a funny twist, my most recent theater experience was back-to-back showings of Backrooms and Obsession with my wife, as we tried to catch up on horror flicks.)
So, in short, my kids are not playing many games. I am, however, indulging on my deck with a recently acquired Steam Machine. (More on that later, as I figure out where and when a Steam Machine, however pricey, fits into my love of convenience.)
How are video games fitting into you and your family’s summer?
If you represent these games and have a potentially interesting story to share about how these games consider kids as part of their audience, do get in touch with me!
Rhythm Heaven Groove (Switch/Switch 2) — July 2
Description: No matter how strange the situation, the rules are always the same: just press buttons in time with the beat! Hop through hoops, catch flying vegetables, swing sledgehammers, and much more. Get the band together and enjoy more than 30 multiplayer rhythm games! Up to four players can star in these surprising scenarios, from forming a ring quartet of racing wrestlers to plucking the hairs off a bristly onion.
Rating: E
Price: $39.99
I have not a had a chance to play this! June was chaotic, so I put time into the Star Fox 64 remake. (Meh, but I’m excited about Star Fox’s future.) Game Informer enjoyed the game, though, saying: “The core rhythm minigames don’t offer quite the same level of bizarre surprise as previous games in the series, but they are all still very good.”
Dungeon Crawler+ (Apple Arcade) — July 2
Description: Dungeon Clawler is a Roguelike Claw Machine Deckbuilder. Build your unique deck, fight enemies by grabbing weapons and items from a claw machine and find special artefacts that help you on your quest to reclaim something you lost... Aim carefully to claw your way through this dungeon!
Rating: 9+
Price: $6.99/month
I’ve meant to play this because the pitch is so charming. With a vacation coming up, maybe I’ll dig in. Nintendo World Report enjoyed it on Switch, saying: “Dungeon Clawler plays with a lot of familiar tropes. However, its claw machine mechanic is playful enough to make it stand out and outlast the trappings of other games in this niche.”
Creatures of the Deep+ (Apple Arcade) — July 2
Description: What if fishing could take you into a world of ancient secrets, lost monsters, and mysterious treasures beneath the waves? Welcome to Creatures of the Deept - the most unique single-player fishing adventure on mobile. Strange rumors are spreading across the globe. Disturbing shadows move under the water. Legends come to life - and you’re at the center of it all. Dive into the ultimate mix of relaxation, exploration, and mystery.
Rating: 4+
Price: $6.99/month
My nine-year-old has asked to fish, but I don’t know jack about fishing! Which is funny, because the trip I’m going on involves hanging out for a day on a boat, wherein I’m mostly there to chill and cast. I never catch anything and pray I don’t screw up casting my line. Anyway, Hardcore Android enjoyed the mobile version of this, saying: “There is so much to enjoy in Creatures of the Deep. From its serene atmosphere to its exciting gameplay, Creatures is one of my favorite mobile games of the year so far.”
Pocket City 2+ (Apple Arcade) — July 2
Description: Build and explore your own city! Create roads, zones, landmarks, special buildings, and live the life of a successful mayor! In this unique City Building game you can drop your avatar into the world and roam freely!!
Rating: 9+
Price: $6.99/month
The only time I’ve spent with SimCity game was on SNES, where I played long enough to watch Bowser wreck the city. Pocket City 2 is supposed to be solid, with Touch Arcade saying: “I’m very glad that Codebrew Games didn’t go all in with the social and life simulation elements here. Pocket City 2 is the perfect example of building on what people loved in the original game while adding a ton of optional quality content.”
Draw It+ (Apple Arcade) — July 2
Description: Put your creative flair to the ultimate test. Get ready for a quick-thinking drawing challenge where your skills are tested against the clock! points you can score. In Draw It, every second counts. Sketch each word before your time runs out and see how many the perfect answer for fans of art, doodle and quick play.
Rating: 4+
Price: $6.99/month
Oh, my kids love this game!!!! I’m not sure what’s different about the “+” version of this, but I will absolutely be grabbing this for their tablets. The only problem is that my six-year-old gets frustrated because she has to ask what she’s supposed to draw.
Moonlight Peaks (PC, Switch/Switch 2) — July 7
Description: Experience life as a vampire in a magical town full of werewolves, witches, mermaids, and more! In this heart-warming, supernatural life-sim, you will raise mystical crops, learn spell-casting and potion-making, and befriend – or even romance – the locals. And at the same time, show your skeptical father that a life of compassion is possible – even for the undead.
Rating: T
Price: $39.99
There are enough farming games with life sim elements games these days that it’s truly a blur. I’ve kept waiting for the genre to click for my oldest daughter but it’s never happened. If Animal Crossing didn’t do it, though, maybe nothing will. Game Reactor UK seemed to enjoyed this, saying: “Moonlight Peaks doesn’t really do much to challenge the dynamics of the life-sim genre, what Little Chicken has cooked up with this game is entertaining and charming enough to keep you coming back for more.”
Backyard Baseball (PC, Switch, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S) — July 9
Description: Relive the game that started it all! The original Backyard Baseball 1997 is now enhanced to run on Nintendo Switch. Whether you’re picking your dream team, hitting home runs, or just here for comedy, step back into the backyard and experience the game that made baseball fun for everyone!
Rating: E
Price: $9.99
If you wanna know more about how the game to be, we recently ran a feature about it!
Tiny Bookshop (iOS, Android) — July 9
Description: Leave everything behind and open a tiny bookshop by the sea in this cozy narrative management me. Stock your tiny bookshop with different books and items, set up your own shop in scenic locations, and run your second-hand bookshop while getting to know the locals.
Rating: 9+
Price: N/A
It’s come to other platforms with positive reviews, and now it’s onto mobile. Qualbert described Tiny Bookshop this way: “If games were hot drinks, Tiny Bookshop would be a perfectly steeped cup of chamomile tea: calming, warm, and slightly floral. It won’t jolt you awake or set your heart racing, but it will leave you feeling quietly content, and maybe, just maybe, make you want to re-organise your bookshelf in real life.”
Winx Club: The Magic Is Back (Xbox Series X/S) — July 9
Description: Winx Club: The Magic is Back captures the essence of the Winx universe, delivering an enchanting experience with a mix of magical combat, puzzle-solving, and cooperative gameplay with a friend. Play as all six members of the Winx Club, each with their own magical abilities.
Rating: E10+
Price: $29.99
If you’re buying this, you probably know why you’re buying it!
Digimon Story Time Stranger (Switch/Switch 2) — July 10
Description: Digimon Story Time Stranger is an RPG with monster-taming elements that explores the deep bond between humans and Digimon in an epic story that unravels the mystery of the world’s collapse. Embark on an adventure that spans across the human world and Digital World, collecting and raising a diverse array of Digimon to fight in turn-based battles.
Rating: T
Price: $59.99
Another port!. Way Too Many Games was positive on the original game: “There’s little to complain about. Digimon Story: Time Stranger is everything I wanted from a higher-budgeted sequel to the criminally underrated and overlooked Cyber Sleuth.”
Palworld 1.0 (PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, Mac, PC) — July 10
Description: In this game, you can peacefully live alongside mysterious creatures known as Pals or risk your life to drive off a ruthless poaching syndicate. Pals can be used to fight and breed, or they can be made to work on farms or factories.You can even sell them or eat them.
Rating: T
Price: $29.99
This is the Pokémon with guns (!!!) riff that has, inexplicably, found its own success. It’s been in extended early access state for a minute, and this is where Palworld hits 1.0. The real question is whether it ever arrives on Switch. (Probably not!) Still, IGN liked the early access version, saying: “Palworld is amusingly irreverent, has a surprising amount of content and deep survival mechanics, and is absurdly difficult to put down.”
D-topia (PS5, Xbox Series X/S, Switch/Switch 2, PC) — July 14
Description: Step into a future where happiness is curated by artificial intelligence, in this gentle-paced puzzle adventure.
Rating: E10+
Price: $19.99
I was charmed by the 15-ish minutes I played last month. The puzzles, at least early on, are of the sliding block variety. It has a neat feature where after you “solve” a sequence, the game asks if you’d like to stick around and solve harder puzzles. It’s an interesting way to incorporate difficulty that doesn’t rely on “easy” or “hard” options.
Denshattack! (PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, Switch 2, PC) — July 15
Description: Flip, trick and grind your train in a fast-paced, off-the-rails ride through a colourful Japanese dystopia. Take back the tracks with nothing but skill, speed, and style.
Rating: $19.99
Price: T
It’s either going to work or not work. I don’t think there’s another way for a game like this to go. But Quest Daily enjoyed an early version, saying “The charming personality and intriguing premise of Denshattack! wouldn’t matter without tight controls and rewarding level design to back it up. Now that I’ve had hands-on experience, I’m confident that the team at Undercoders is driving along the right track.”
Puppergeist (Xbox Series X/S, Switch, PC) — July 16
Description: Journey through the Doggie Underworld in this heartwarming rhythm and visual novel hybrid. Reunite with your lost Pup by connecting with the souls of other dogs, learning their stories, and lifting their spirits through rhythm games full of charm and playful challenges!
Rating: E
Price: TBA
This comment on Steam in response to a demo of Puppergiest sums up what’s funny about this: “pretty good, only problem was with the belly rubs in the 2nd minigame it was unclear how long I was supposed to hold spacebar and there is a delay when clicking that occurs through the whole game, otherwise this game is great.”
eBaseball: Pro Spirit 2026 (PC, PS5) — July 16
Description: The latest entry in the Professional Baseball Spirits series, “eBaseball: PRO SPIRIT 2026” has arrived. Experience realistic baseball powered by the eBaseball Engine.
Every movement and sound inside the stadium is brought to life with remarkable realism.
From the flight of the ball and the players’ intense actions to the eruption of the crowd, every moment is recreated with impact. Combined with smooth, live-style play-by-play and commentary*, the game brings you closer than ever to “real baseball.”
Rating: E
Price: $59.99
Way Too Many Games was cautiously positive about an earlier version of this one, saying: “if you’re unwilling to spend a hefty sum for each new MLB The Show iteration, and all you really want is a pretty, competent, and responsive baseball simulator, one which is very forgiving to newcomers and perfect for quick, local matches, then Konami’s brand new F2P sports game does a remarkably good job in that aspect.”
Heave Ho 2 (Switch 2, Switch, PC) — July 16
Description: Get a grip, it’s Heave Ho 2! The insane 2-4 player party game sequel takes the couch co-op mayhem online for the first time. Grab what you can and swing to win!
Rating: N/A
Price: N/A
Missed the first one, but always room for more local co-op, and reports on the sequel are good, with Checkpoint Gaming saying: “Heave Ho 2 understands exactly what made the first game work. By the end of our short play, we were chatting about what other levels could look like and also jokingly who was the dead weight in the team (me).
Dewdrop Dynasty (PC) — July 21
Description: Gun-jump your way through a buzzing world full of quirky monsters, tricky puzzles, and outlandish bosses in this fast-paced, lighthearted Metroidvania.
Rating: N/A
Price: N/A
I never tire of a good Metroidvania and will happily dig into this one if it’s any good.
Dodo Duckie! (PC) — July 23
Description: Waddle into a reality-bending odyssey where simply being a duck is your greatest superpower. With the help of your magical cap, switch instantly between 2D and 3D to uncover hidden paths, outsmart aliens, and rescue your kidnapped chicken friends in this wholesome puzzle platformer adventure.
Rating: N/A
Price: N/A
A 2D game that is also a 3D game is, inarguably, a fun premise. I hadn’t heard of Dodo Duckie! until putting together this list but it’s absolutely on my radar now. Video Chums enjoyed a demo of the game, too, saying: “There’s just something about shifting to 3D, lining yourself up, heading back to 2D, and proceeding down new paths to amass a whole fortune of gems that makes me smile and when you throw in the possibilities for puzzles and platforming challenges, it adds up to one promising adventure that I can’t wait to explore every 2D and 3D nook and cranny of.”
Avatar Legends: The Fighting Game (PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, PC) — July 23
Description: Featuring hand-drawn 2D animation faithful to the series’ roots, Avatar Legends: The Fighting Game lets you experience the world of Avatar like never before. Choose from 12 playable characters and go head-to-head across a variety of modes, including Offline & Online Versus, Story, Arcade, Training, Spectator, and an Art Gallery.
Rating: E10+
Price: $29.99
Are fighting games a new meta? I’ve never touched the series, but IGN enjoyed their time with an early version, saying: “Thirty minutes isn’t nearly enough time to tackle everything Avatar Legends has to offer, but it was enough to make me want to play more of it, and I loved eking out wins and playing around with all of these characters.”
Splatoon Raiders (Switch 2) — July 23
Description: In this single-player-focused game, play as a mechanic working with Deep Cut—a trio of swashbuckling musicians—and venture out into the mysterious Spirhalite Islands Customize your character, kit yourself out with mechanical gadgets and ink-splattering weapons, and take on waves of enemy Salmonids as you raid the islands for treasure.
Rating: E10+
Price: $49.99
Splatoon is the rare multiplayer game I’ve put hours into. Not enough to become any good at it, but anytime someone is playing Splatoon, I’ll pick up the controller and give it a round. You can’t say that about many multiplayer games. (I think it has to do with the game fusing platforming with shooting.) So, we’re going to toss that into a single-player game? Hot dang, yes please. We’ll see if my kids come along for the ride, too.
An Eggstremely Hard Game (PC) — July 24
Description: As highly qualified goose parents, work together to bring your little egg home safely. Every crack makes it harder to control, every mistake more hilarious. A co-op physics game for 2 or 4 players about teamwork, clumsiness and honking. HONK!
Rating: N/A
Price: N/A
Very charming. Gotta love this Steam review of the demo: “I never gonna have kids with my boyfriend….” That’s such a ringing endorsement of what this game’s going for.