Your Guide to January's Family Friendly Video Games
Onward to 2026. Whose kids are ready to use some gift cards?
Well, here we go. The final Crossplay post of 2025. Thanks for going on this journey with me the past few years. Some changes are afoot that I’m excited to talk about soon, including finally migrating from Substack to Ghost and re-launching the podcast, but on a very basic level, Crossplay has been so personally validating and fulfilling. It made me excited to write about video games all over again. Thank you!
Games, however, are still slow.
My children will not be unwrapping any games for the holidays this year because of my weird job that regularly gives them access to…well, everything. And my fear of having to purchase multiple Switch 2 devices has not panned out because nothing that’s exclusive to Switch 2 has pulled them in that direction. So, my wallet is safe!
How about you, though? Any video games under the tree for your family?
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!
Cozy Caravan (Apple Arcade) — January 8
Description: Grab your backpack and climb on in, it’s time to hit the road! We’ve got cakes to bake, clothes to make, as folks prepare for the Whizz Bang Fair! As fresh-faced Guild Rookies, you and your best friend Bubba will travel through picturesque landscapes in your reliable old caravan, helping communities along the way. Craft a variety of handmade items-from hearty meals to stylish outfits-then set up your market stall and share goodies with the local townsfolk. Meet an eclectic mix of characters, each with their own stories and needs. Cultivate connections across Harvestvale and uphold the mission of the Guild-help those in need and spread kindness!
Rating: 4+
Price: $6.99/month
This game is already out, in a sense. It’s in Early Access on Steam, with plans to swap over to its “official” 1.0 launch the same day this version launches across Apple devices. A review from Indie Games Devel is great, calling it: “an interactive hug, designed for those who enjoy slow rhythms, small gestures, and light but heartfelt stories.” Still waiting for one of these to click for my oldest daughter, who enjoys watching the trailers for cozy games but has yet to embrace playing one so far.
Sago Mini Jinja’s Garden (Apple Arcade) — January 8
Description: Join your Sago Mini friends in a 3D open world adventure! Thoughtfully designed for kids aged 3-6, Jinja’s Garden is cozy, open-ended play full of fun and surprises. Plant gardens, harvest ingredients, help friendly neighbors, and explore at your own pace. Let’s get growing!
Rating: 4+
Price: $6.99/month
This is probably beyond both of my children at this point, an admission that I make with a tinge of sadness, but I can fully endorse everything Sago makes—quality stuff.
True Skate+ (Apple Arcade) — January 8
Description: True Skate+ is the closest feeling to real-world skateboarding, with a decade long evolution as the ultimate skateboarding sim, now on Apple Arcade! Use your fingers like you would your feet on a real skateboard. Flick the board to make it react exactly how you would expect and drag your finger on the ground to push.
Rating: 4+
Price: $6.99/month
It’s become a regular thing for Apple to pluck a game that’s been on the App Store for ages and bring it to Apple Arcade without ads. True Skate is one of those, having launched all the way back in—wait for it—2012. The reviews back then were glowing, with Touch Arcade saying: “True Skate is clearly something special. It feels like the kind of game that our touchscreen devices were made for, and looks gorgeous to boot.”
Potion Punch 2+ (Apple Arcade) — January 8
Description: Cook, bake, serve, and... save your customers from evil monsters and villains?! Now on Apple Arcade, Potion Punch 2+ is the ultimate restaurant time-management game for those looking for a challenge! Embark on a quest in a fantastic world filled with magic and monsters. Set up shop in unique locations to serve enchanted swords, magical scrolls, and powerful potions to help heroes on their adventures!
Rating: 4+
Price: $6.99/month
Would you be shocked to learn that the primary complaint I can find about the existing version of Potion Punch 2 is monetization? Less of an issue, obviously, with an Apple Arcade version that rips all of that stuff away, but it makes it hard to judge the game itself, because so many mobile game reviews are inherently wrapped up in the design of the monetization. Mini Review was positive: “Potion Punch 2 is a neat cooking management game that is challenging without forcing us to spend money.”
Animal Crossing: New Horizons Update (Switch, Switch 2) – January 15
Description: Enhance your deserted island life with this upgrade pack. Animal Crossing: New Horizons – Nintendo Switch 2 Edition features enhanced resolution, faster load times, mouse control support for faster and easier decorating, a megaphone for calling your animal residents that uses the system microphone, and more.
Rating: E
Price: $4.99 (Switch 2 Upgrade) // $59.99 (Base Game)
My daughter’s eyes bugged out when this trailer came across the TV. She was too young for Animal Crossing when it took over during the early days of COVID-19, but the starts appear to be aligning for the current moment. I have not meaningfully touched an Animal Crossing game since the original GameCube game (!!), but I suspect I could find my way into Animal Crossing in the same way I found myself into Minecraft, which is to say that playing with my daughter would give me real purpose.
MIO: Memories in Orbit (PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, Switch/Switch 2, PC) – January 20
Description: A mesmerizing, intertwined, decaying world awaits. Awaken MIO, a nimble robot with extraordinary abilities, and unravel the mysteries of the Vessel, an enormous technological ark overgrown with lush vegetation and machines gone rogue. Nobody knows why the Pearls, The Vessel’s AI caretakers, have ceased functioning. Forgotten by all, the Vessel faces imminent shutdown. Dive into its depths to revive its lost memories, as you unravel your true past and destiny, in this mesmerizing metroidvania.
Rating: E10+
Price: $19.99
I’m always on the look out for a good Metroidvania, even though I just finished up Silksong recently and am in the midst of playing the (good, but not great!) Metroid Prime 4: Beyond. My five-year-old got a kick out of driving the motorcycle around in the desert, at least. Gaming Bible’s played a bit of it and said it’s “shaping up to be a solid metroidvania platformer that packs in everything you could possibly want.”
Final Fantasy VII Remake Intergrade (Xbox Series X/S, Switch 2) — January 22
Description: The award-winning Final Fantasy VII Remake Intergrade retells the original story up to the escape from Midgar, with breathtaking visuals, fast-paced gameplay, and additional story elements. This RPG delivers unforgettable characters, a powerful narrative, and a hybrid battle system that blends real-time action with strategic, command-based combat. It also includes FF7 Episode Intermission, a side story starring Yuffie Kisaragi that offers a fresh perspective running in parallel to Cloud’s journey.
Rating: T
Price: $39.99
One of my favorite gaming moments with my kids in the past few years was playing through Final Fantasy VII: Rebirth and my youngest realizing it was a video game where you could mash buttons and watch some girls kick ass. She just whacked the buttons over and over again and laughed with glee. Expect the graphics to be knocked down a bit on Switch 2, but when WellPlayed was impressed: “There’s something about seeing a game of unmistakable ‘AAA’ quality on a Switch that feels surreal.”
Hermit and Pig (PC) — January 22
Description: Hermit and Pig is a story-rich, turn-based RPG where you fend off wild assailants, forage mushrooms, survive social anxiety, and stumble into a corporate conspiracy with your trusty pig.
Rating: N/A
Price: N/A
Getting some real Earthbound vibes from this one, which is backed up by the time Six One Indie spent with a brief demo: “I found myself constantly chuckling at the chaotic humor and off-the-wall moments with the mushrooms—which there are plenty.”
Escape from Ever After (PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, Switch, PC) — January 23
Description: Escape from Ever After is an adventure RPG where fairytale and storybook characters must fight back against capitalism!
Rating: N/A
Price: N/A
It feels silly to contemplate a Paper Mario-inspired video game when I have yet to play the best Paper Mario video game that was re-released last year, but alas. Most people do not have to carry that badge of shame with them, however, which means you are free to contemplate the idea of playing Escape From Ever After when it’s out.
Core Keeper (Switch 2) — January 28
Description: Mine relics and resources to build your base, craft new equipment, survive, and power up the Core. Defeat giant monsters, discover hidden secrets, farm crops, cook new recipes and explore a procedurally generated underground world in a mining sandbox adventure for 1-4 players. Explore a vast underground cave of endless resources. Mine ores, discover hidden crystals, fossils & trinkets and survive a procedurally generated underground world.
Rating: E
Price: $19.99
Gotta admit, I thought we’d get more games getting Switch 2 updates? This is me trying to will a proper update for Bayonetta 3 into the world, knowing full well that is very unlikely. Nonetheless, Core Keeper is getting one and the original game was well liked, with Nintendo Life saying: “Core Keeper is a wonderfully engaging and mysterious survival sandbox that is tough to put down once it gets its hooks in you.”
Snagged the NEX Playground for the kids (11 & 16). The youngest really likes it, but Roblox on any other device is still her first choice. It’s a cool, small piece of tech. Tracks well, no jank, easy set up. It’s what Kinect should have evolved into. Wish it was part of a larger gaming ecosystem like Xbox or PS.