Your Guide to August’s Family Friendly Video Games
With the summer still rolling on, there's not a ton for families in the coming weeks.
Your eyes do not deceive you.
I accidentally published a guide to September’s games in August earlier this morning. Sometimes, when I’ve got free time, I’ll work ahead on these guides, and in this case, while pre-scheduling before being away from my computer for a bit, I clicked on the wrong month. Just think, though. You get to imagine September…today! What a life.
But now, you also get to imagine August, the actual month we’re about to experience.
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!
Temple Run: Legends (Apple Arcade) — August 1
Description: Run, swim, and hop on crocodile heads while crossing rivers to achieve a 3-star rating on hundreds of levels. Explore and conquer the saga map and learn the secrets of the world of Aperion. Experience the different climates, inhabitants and challenges of this new land as you run from level to level with a wide cast of characters!
Rating: 9+
Price: $6.99/month
It’s interesting to watch this series become level-based over time. Endless runners do not do much for me, personally, but I might at least be tempted by hand crafted areas.
Vampire Survivors+ (Apple Arcade) — August 1
Description: Vampire Survivors is a gothic horror casual game with rogue-lite elements, where your choices can allow you to quickly snowball against the hundreds of monsters that get thrown at you.
Rating: 12+
Price: $6.99/month
This game was a blast for an afternoon with my daughter. It’s a great game, and the mobile version is excellent. It’s a shockingly good multiplayer game. Recommended.
Star Wars: Bounty Hunter (PS4/5, Xbox Series X/S/One, Switch, PC) – August 1
Description: In this classic third-person action-adventure, you'll become Jango Fett, Prime Clone of the Grand Army of the Republic, hired to capture a deranged Dark Jedi.
Rating: T
Price: $19.99
It’s weird that we’re this far into Star Wars re-releases and don’t have a re-release of the Rogue Squadron games. Kotaku called this a “good remaster of a meh game.”
Operation: Tango (Switch) — August 1
Description: It takes two to save the world in this cooperative spy adventure. Pair up with a friend as Agent or Hacker—with only your voices to connect you—and work together to bring a hi-tech global menace to its knees.
Rating: E10+
Price: $19.99
I played some of this with a colleague when it originally came out and had a blast. I can’t remember why we didn’t keep playing? But IGN’s review called it “a clever and appealing take on a co-op spy experience with eye-catching style and excellent music.”
Thank Goodness You're Here! (PS4/5, Switch, PC) – August 1
Description: Thank Goodness You're Here! is an absurd comedy slapformer set in the bizarre Northern English town of Barnsworth. As a traveling salesman, take the time to see the sights and meet the locals, who are very eager to give you a series of increasingly odd jobs…
Rating: M
Price: $19.99
The absurdist humor probably goes over the heads of most kids, but it’s so goofy and weird and one of the main interactions you have is punching people, so it might work. I’m kinda shocked this is rated, M, though. The comedy didn’t strike me as that bold.
Tomba! Special Edition (PlayStation 5, Switch, PC) – August 1
Description: Tomba! returns in Tomba! Special Edition, the ultimate version of the legendary platforming masterpiece. As the titular Tomba, you leap, bite, and throw your way across stunning 2.5D landscapes on a quest to overcome a deplorable cadre of nefarious pigs. Along the way, you’ll explore ancient relics, discover fascinating characters, unlock thrilling quests, and unearth hidden treasures. It’s a platforming adventure that perfectly fuses linear and nonlinear gameplay styles. Tomba! was first published in 1997, and is back today in a vastly-expanded special edition packed with quality of life improvements, including: Save Anywhere, Rewind, and much more.
Rating: E10+
Price: $19.99
I remember walking past the Tomba! box art countless times as a kid, but despite loving platforms, I don’t think I ever went home with it. GamingTrend was high on this re-release, though, calling it “is an absolute treat for fans of the original, people interested in game development, and really anyone who missed out on the original.”
World of Goo 2 (Switch, PC, Mac) — August 2
Description: Build bridges, grow towers, terraform terrain, and fuel flying machines in the stunning followup to the multi-award winning World of Goo.
Rating: T
Price: $29.99
It really has been a minute since the original, huh? 2008, seriously? C’mon now. GamingTrend enjoyed what they played, though, saying “the puzzle formula is still as fun as ever, and there are enough new ideas here that it feels like a true sequel.”
Cat Quest III (PS4/5, Xbox Series X/S/One, Switch, PC) – August 8
Description: In Cat Quest III you play as a purrivateer in a freely explorable 2.5D open-world swarming with Pi-rats. You can sail the seas in your ship for treasures galore! But prepare for peril, as the Pirate King aims to hunt you down...
Rating: E10+
Price: $19.99
There are so many games that someone can make three Cat Quest games, and you realize you aren’t aware there was a first one. Nonetheless, the series has done well, and Shacknews enjoyed playing this third one, noting “with co-op and much more exploration and discovery to dive into, there’s no way I won’t have a great time.”
Sam & Max: The Devil’s Playhouse Remastered (PS4, Xbox One, PC, Switch) — August 14
Description: The last game in the episodic Sam & Max trilogy, beautifully remastered! When Max stumbles upon a mysterious toy that allows him to glimpse the future, the Freelance Police unwittingly arouse the attention of a host of villains hellbent on acquiring the magical Toys of Power. To prevent the Devil's Toybox from falling into the wrong hands, Sam & Max must face their most frightening adversary yet: the power of Max’s mind.
Rating: E10+
Price: TBA
I was obsessed with the original Sam & Max, and was later obsessed with the shockingly good Telltale episodic sequels, but at some point, I fell off the series.
Magical Delicacy (Switch) – August 15
Description: In Magical Delicacy, you play as the young witch Flora, who travels to the adventurer’s town of Grat to grow her magical skills and fulfill her dream of becoming a full-fledged witch. Upon arriving, she takes up shop to cook meals and potions for the diverse cast of locals, from the charming townsfolk and mysterious travelers to forgotten figures of legend and masters of their craft. As she traverses the cozy harbor town, she’ll discover their stories and learn that there is more to Grat than meets the eye.
Rating: TBA
Price: $24.99
The PC version looked awfully charming, even if I don’t think I can reasonably move onto a game like this without beating the incredibly hard Nine Sols. Gamespew called it “a unique blend of crafting and metroidvania, and it works incredibly well.”
Madden NFL 25 (PS5, Xbox Series X/S, PC) – August 16
Description: Hit like you mean it with FieldSENSE powered by BOOM Tech. Experience how the new physics-informed dynamic tackling system unlocks realistic collisions & new gameplay animations on both sides of the ball.
Rating: E
Price: $69.99
Look. College Football 25 isn’t my thing. College football isn’t my thing. But the Chicago Bears are going to the Super Bowl this year, despite having a rookie quarterback, even if that only happens because I’m going to make it happen here.
Squirrel With A Gun (PC) – August 29
Description: Squirrel, meet gun. As the neighborhood’s most obnoxious rodent, develop a knack (and a love?) for crime and mayhem in pursuit of golden acorns in this nutty sandbox shooter and puzzle platformer. Fight tooth, claw, and gun to escape a secret underground facility and defeat the Agents.
Rating: TBA
Price: TBA
Is this appropriate for children? No. Would it be funny to show it to them? Probably.
Monster Jam Showdown (PS4/5, Xbox Series X/S/One, Switch, PC) – August 29
Description: Monster Jam travels the globe, bringing big-time family fun everywhere it goes. The fun begins at the Pit Party, before the action moves to the track, where drivers tear up the dirt in racing, skills and freestyle competitions. With over 250+ event annually, Monster Jam is full-throttle fun for everyone. And when the event is over, there are toys, games and plenty of other ways to keep the fun going at home.
Rating: E
Price: $49.99
Every year, I tell myself I’m going to go to the local monster truck show, because it sounds like an incredibly good time. And every year, I tell myself that next year will be the year that I actually make good on that promise. So far, I have not made good on it.
I had a week alone with my 4yo and we played almost all of Cat Quest 2. I wanted something for her to get better acquainted with moving a character up-down-left-right with the sticks, but without too much danger or the insurmountable challenge of 2d platforming.
It mostly sufficed, though I was surprised how "story" difficulty was still hard at times, even while overleveling. The game is very repetitive as it is, I can but wonder how rough "normal" difficulty would have been.
All that to say, bring it on Cat Quest 3. Hoping for some QoL improvements though, like being able to transfer or share upgrades between equipment items so it doesn't feel like you've wasted all your precious gold upgrading something 30 times when a new thing comes along. Better yet maybe scrap that whole upgrade system.
Also The Devil's Playhouse is probably the best Telltale comedy? Definitely their best Sam and Max outing, though I haven't replayed any of them in the 10+ years since.
Just finished Thank Goodness You're Here and its definitely not kid friendly. Lots of sexual references, nudity, and weird visuals lol Great game, but not for kids haha