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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

Garfield Kart

ESRB Rating:	NR - Not Rated
My Rating:	Everyone
Genre:	Kart Racer
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Garfield seems like the last character you'd expect to host a kart racing tournament, but it turned out to be a fun little game - as long as you're fine with playing alone.

Brief thoughts: Players can sabotage other racers by tossing pies or other hazards in their way, but that's about it.

GenerativeCity Freerun

ESRB Rating:	NR - Not Rated
My Rating:	Everyone
Genre:	Walking Simulator
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This game is completely free!
Fancy a game of hide and go seek? Somewhere in this computer generated city is a red cube, and it's up to you to find it. The tricky part is figuring out how to parkour over the buildings to reach the cube.

Brief thoughts: This is more of a tech demo than a full fledged game.

Geometry Dash

ESRB Rating:	NR - Not Rated
My Rating:	Ages 6 and up
Genre:	Rhythm
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Geometry Dash's title couldn't be more on the nose. This Rhythm game boils down to simple geometric shapes dashing to the finish line. The trick behind it is that the levels are designed to sync up with the soundtrack: most of the time, you're going to be jumping, hovering, and sliding in tune with the beat.

Brief thoughts: This is a difficult game that can easily frustrate someone, and there is always the possibility of something you don't like appearing in a level made by another user. However, both of these issues are under your control, so pick your levels wisely.

Giana Sisters 2D

ESRB Rating:	NR - Not Rated
My Rating:	Everyone
Genre:	Platformer
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Back when the PC gaming world was ruled by the Commodore 64, a game called The Great Giana Sisters was released to much applause. Unfortunately, this HD remake just doesn't live up to the hype.

Brief thoughts: This is your typical platformer, almost painfully so. Thus, the most objectionable material it has is some mild violence and a few spooky ghosts.

Glass Masquerade

ESRB Rating:	NR - Not Rated
My Rating:	Everyone
Genre:	Puzzle
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In this puzzle game, you're tasked with reassembling clock faces. Each clock face is made of stained glass, and represents a different country from around the world. It's a quiet and beautiful game, and I'd highly suggest trying it.

Brief thoughts: This is a very clean game, with the only concern being what's depicted on a few specific images. These include eastern dragons, a Hindu goddess, and a woman wearing a showy outfit. Note that all of the pictures are done in an art deco style, which limits how much detail they can show.

Glorkian Warrior: The Trials of Glork

ESRB Rating:	NR - Not Rated
My Rating:	Everyone
Genre:	Shoot 'em Up
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The Glorkian Warrior and his trusty Super Backpack must protect their planet against invading hordes, a Magic Robot, and a host of silly and surreal antics!

Brief thoughts: This is a silly arcade game with only one real issue - the main character tends to use self-depreciating humor.

Grow Home

ESRB Rating:	NR - Not Rated
My Rating:	Ages 6 and up
Genre:	3D Platformer
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In order to save its home planet, a Botanical Utility Droid (BUD for short) must explore an alien world and gather the seeds produced by a gigantic alien plant. Along the way, BUD will have to explore caves, climb mountains, and even find ways to drift from one floating island to another.

Brief thoughts: Although players do have the option to torment the local wildlife, you're not required to do any of that.

Gunman Clive

ESRB Rating:	NR - Not Rated
My Rating:	Everyone
Genre:	Platform Shooter
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When a group of bandits kidnap Mayor Johnson's daughter, the heroic Gunman Clive rushes to the rescue - but if he's going to save Miss Johnson, he'll need more than his wits to track the bandits across deserts, through caverns, and even into outer space!

Brief thoughts: This is an extremely tame game, even though it's about cowboys and robots shooting at each other.

Gunman Clive 2

ESRB Rating:	NR - Not Rated
My Rating:	Everyone
Genre:	Platform Shooter
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The bandits have returned and they're out for revenge! Join Gunman Clive, Miss Johnson, and their new friend Chieftain Bob as they travel the world in an attempt to defeat the bandits once and for all in this incredibly crazy new adventure!

Brief thoughts: Like Clive's first adventure, there is very little actual violence to be seen in this game.

Heroes of Hellas

ESRB Rating:	NR - Not Rated
My Rating:	Everyone
Genre:	Match 3
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Something is very wrong on Mt. Olympus: a daring thief has stolen the Scepter of Power and secreted it away somewhere in Hades! To help Zeus and the other gods unmask the thief and recover the Scepter, you'll need to solve the puzzles presented to you by this quiet Match 3 game!

Brief thoughts: The only real issue with this game is that it's themed after Greek/Roman mythology.

Hidden Expidition Titanic

ESRB Rating:	E - Everyone
My Rating:	Everyone
Genre:	Hidden Object
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Having played through a number of hidden object games over the years, this one was a real disappointment, and I'm sorry to say that it's one of the very few games I've reviewed on this site that I cannot recommend. It feels like too many shortcuts were made in the design of the game, resulting a subpar title.

Brief thoughts: There really isn't anything morally questionable to be found in this game, but at the same time, it's not a fun game, so I wouldn't recommend it anyway.

Hill Climb Racing

ESRB Rating:	E - Everyone
My Rating:	Ages 6 and up
Genre:	Endless Runner
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This game is free, but contains advertisements
In this fun little game, you try to drive a vehicle as far to the right as possible. Of course, that's not going to be too easy: you'll need to keep your ride fueled and avoid flipping it over. This is easier said than done when you're flying over hills and other obstacles.

Brief thoughts: There isn't much to worry about here; at worst, you'll hear the driver's bones snap if you wreck badly enough. There are also advertisements on certain screens, though they are very unobtrusive.

Holy Potatoes! A Weapon Shop?!

ESRB Rating:	E - Everyone
My Rating:	Ages 6 and up
Genre:	Time Management
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In this humorous time management game, the typical roles are reversed. Instead of you running around and fighting monsters, you run the smithy that makes the protagonist's weapons. This is a silly, "feel good" sort of game, and casual gamers will probably enjoy the time they spend watching their potatoes dance away the hours.

Brief thoughts: While the main focus of the game is creating weaponry of all sorts, you never actually use them or witness them being used. At most, customers comment on their effectiveness when they provide feedback. More serious issues revolve around references to various deities, magic, and the occasional mildly suggestive outfit.

House Flipper

ESRB Rating:	NR - Not Rated
My Rating:	Everyone
Genre:	Simulation
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A house flipper is a person who buys homes with the intent of fixing them up and reselling them for a profit. That's exactly what you do in this game; yet the tedious task of cleaning garbage, painting walls, and installing sinks is oddly relaxing and fun.

Brief thoughts: There are some minor issues with this game - such as a small amount of blood and some g-rated swearing - but nothing is serious enough to warrant much concern.

InCell VR

ESRB Rating:	NR - Not Rated
My Rating:	Everyone
Genre:	Racing / Educational (sort of)
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This game is completely free!
Scientists have developed a new way to cure disease: deliver the vaccines directly into the cells before they can become infected! The only catch is that this solution needs to be tested before it can be approved for widespread use, and they need someone to pilot the test flights...

Brief thoughts: There's nothing offensive about this game.

INK

ESRB Rating:	NR - Not Rated
My Rating:	Ages 6 and up
Genre:	Platformer
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This platformer has a simple but surprisingly difficult twist: you can't see the level. In order to make a section visible, you need to paint it by touching it with your shape, popping enemies, or dodging projectiles.

Brief thoughts: This game really doesn't feature any objectionable content; at most, the animated shapes pop into paint splatters when something hits them or they touch something they shouldn't.

Jewel Quest

ESRB Rating:	E - Everyone
My Rating:	Ages 6 and up
Genre:	Match 3
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The Jewel Quest series likes to use its Match 3 gameplay to tell a story. This game serves as our introduction to the magical Jewel Board and the legends around it. But, as this is the first game in the series, it's also a lot less polished than what comes later on.

Brief thoughts: The story treats Mayan gods as real beings, which might be an issue.

Jewel Quest 2

ESRB Rating:	E - Everyone
My Rating:	Ages 6 and up
Genre:	Match 3
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The second game in the original Jewel Quest trilogy, this adventure sees Rupert, Emma, Hanni and the villainous Sebastion on a journey through Africa in an attempt to find and recover the magical Jewel Board.

Brief thoughts: The main issues with this title lie in the storyline, and frankly, if you're just here to match gems, you'll miss them entirely.

Jewel Quest 3

ESRB Rating:	E - Everyone
My Rating:	Everyone
Genre:	Match 3
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Rupert and Emma were finally ready to settle down after their many adventures, but tragedy strikes when a hidden compartment opens on the Jewel Board and releases spores that blind their daughter! Thus begins another trip around the world as the family searches for a cure.

Brief thoughts: Most of the problems with this game are found in the story segments, such as the occasional mention of magical artifacts or spooky events.

Jewel Quest Mysteries: Curse of the Emerald Tear

ESRB Rating:	E - Everyone
My Rating:	Everyone
Genre:	Hidden Object / Puzzle
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Having secured the original Jewel Board, Rupert and Emma begin searching for one of its original jewels, the Emerald Tear. But when Richard is struck down by an unexplained illness, Emma is left to race against time before Sebastian can claim the jewel for himself.

Brief thoughts: The biggest concern in this game is the focus of the story: a gemstone that's said to possess magical powers.

Joy Exhibition

ESRB Rating:	NR - Not Rated
My Rating:	Everyone
Genre:	Other
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This game is completely free!
Colorful aliens wander around an exhibit in hopes of finding something interesting. Your job is to provide them with artwork created using randomly generated paint guns. Each gun produces a unique effect when fired, and since they rarely shoot straight, you'll be creating some truly unique abstract artwork for the aliens to enjoy.

Brief thoughts: There isn't much to this game, but it's interesting to mess with.

JumpJet Rex

ESRB Rating:	NR - Not Rated
My Rating:	Everyone
Genre:	Platformer
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During his initial mission as the first dinosaur astronaut, Rex gets an unexpected surprise - a giant asteroid is hurtling towards prehistoric Earth, and he's the only person who can reach it in time to save the planet!

Brief thoughts: This is a very clean game, though some of the references to gaming and internet culture can be misinterpreted if players aren't familiar with them.