For some of you Gen-X gamers that loved playing games at the arcade or still have your old Dreamcasts, maybe you can introduce your kids to the cult hit 4-player fighting game, Power Stone 2. Though this game only obtained cult status compared to the Street Fighter series, Power Stone 2 to the fighting genre as a whole has many unique qualities that still hold up. Compared to most fighters which have a sideways view, Power Stone gives you a vertical titled overhead view for players to run all over the stage like a 3D platform game.

The stages offer plenty of spaces to collect items, weapons, and the titular Power Stones to give your selected character a powered up form. Some weapons at your disposal are chairs, bottles, and bazookas. If in the event you achieve a temporary powered up form, you can throw all kinds of crazy super powered moves. The controls are easy to pick up and they aren’t as complex as most fighting games so button mashing can easily be applied to this game.

Taken from one of Lady Gaga’s breakout hits, Just Dance takes the dance genre of games to a distinct level by using a camera as you sync yourself to the characters dancing on-screen. With the 2018 edition, kids can dance to classics and new releases alike. For today’s kids, they can enjoy 24k Magic by Bruno Mario’s, John Wayne by Lady Gaga, New Face by PSY, and How Far I’ll Go from Moana. For some parents who want to participate, you’ve got the themes from Footloose, Ghostbusters, and Fraggle Rock. For the millennial gamers, you can enjoy Blue by Eiffel 65. So a good majority of the tracks has something for everyone. So if you want a dance off like Star Lord in Guardians of the Galaxy, Just Dance might do the trick.

Yes, the original board game has existed for decades, but it’s easy to lose pieces, cards, and Monopoly money over the years. But play it digitally, you don’t have to lose a thing! The game is pretty much more or less the same as the board game but in 3D! The graphics are excellent and offers an excellent presentation of the buildings, board, pieces and dice. The rules are pretty much the same so it’s instantly easy to get into. Get as much property as you can and own the town!

If any game can be considered the gateway game party for the Switch, it would certainly have to be 1-2-Switch. What makes it a different kind of game altogether is that you really don’t need the TV to enjoy it. All you need are sounds and the console’s Joy-cons to get the most of it. Always wanted to air guitar like Bill & Ted? Then there’s an option that instantly captures that. Want to draw pistols like the outlaw days of the Wild West? You’re free to try that! You want to duel with swords? Well, you can! Do they still have classes where you have to take care of a baby doll to feel like a parent? There’s actually a game for that! There’s actually a game to milk a cow, too! You name it, 1-2-Switch (probably) has it!

You want to learn the intensity of cooking without someone like Gordon Ramsay swearing at the children? Then you can probably give them their shot with Overcooked 2. In this game, kids can learn to cook burgers and pizza, while they can also learn to cook more exotic foods such as sushi and dumplings. Due to the cooperative nature of this game, it is an entertaining party game for kids to learn how difficult it is for parents to prepare food for a party. Through Overcooked 2, you learn not just the ingredients but the process with using the cutting boards, tools, how to handle passing, assigning roles to each chef, and so on. However, as a game, Overcooked 2 adds some unique novelties such as cooking on a river raft, or on floating balloons to add more unique environmental challenges to offer difficulty (and you’re going to learn how to master your throwing).

The Jackbox Party Pack is the next stage of the old You Don’t Know Jack PC trivia games. A good majority of kids these days all have mobile devices with touch screens so they can have a great time with the Jackbox Party Pack. Jackbox Party Pack offers standard trivia games, word games like Mad Libs, games akin to pictionary, and so on. It helps kids improve their knowledge and vocabulary. Some versions may be a little mature, but still fun for kids to play such as Trivia Murder Party. Some other mini-games such as Faker allow players to be a bit more physically interactive. Get every kid in a room and once they start playing the games, they’ll probably never want to leave.

While there are some Mario board games available exclusively in Japan, Mario Party for Nintendo’s consoles are just as fun and serves the same function. We’re still a little bit away from Super Mario Party upon the writing of this list, but there are still plenty of older titles to bust out for the kids to play and Mario Party 6 for the GameCube is one strong recommendation. As tradition, you can play as any Mario character at the time of its release such as Mario, Luigi, Peach, Daisy, Wario, Waluigi, Toad, Yoshi, Koopa Kid, Boo, and Toadette as your game piece.

The objective of any Mario Party game is to collect as many stars as possible. And to do that, once you land on a certain square, you play certain mini games. What made this installment unique upon its release is its inclusion of using a mic. In one mini game called Star Spring, you tell the character to move up or down, or to go to speed up. For those that are familiar with the Mario franchise, many other games are quiz oriented so if you know your Mario trivia, like every kid should, then they can enjoy this.

Ultimate, the next edition to the Super Smash Bros series, has yet to be released upon the writing of this list, but kids can still enjoy the present releases such as the one for both the 3DS and Wii U. While its predecessors could only have up to 4 players, this version can handle up to 8 for more fun and mayhem! The first two editions exclusively featured characters from Nintendo franchises, however this edition of Super Smash Bros includes Shulk from Xenoblade Chronicles, Pac-Man, Mega Man, and Sonic the Hedgehog! Through downloads, kids can also play as Ryu from Street Fighter, Bayonetta, and Cloud from FF7!

Whether you plays this version or the original Nintendo 64 release, the game largely still plays the same. Try to knock your opponent off the stage! Just like Power Stone, you can also get all kinds of crazy weapons and power ups to help you gain victory! Thankfully, the controls don’t require anything too complex and is easy for kids to get into and enjoy.

For some of you parents that are reading this who aren’t comfortable with traditional multiplayer shooters such as Call of Duty, Nintendo’s Splatoon 2 is a highly recommended alternative for children to take a crack at during a party. As opposed to shooting bullets or laser beams, you shoot wet paint at your opponents or at areas to claim territory. Considering the numerous rules and conditions the game offers, kids can get together for some intense competition as if they’re playing the mature rated shooters without all the violence.

Its unique design and graphics instantly appeal to the kids and up to 4-players, they can enjoy turf wars where a colored team must paint the stage of their team color, or they can do rainmaker, which is akin to capture the flag. In addition to being a good alternative for first person shooters, if your kid wants to do paintball but feel it’s dangerous, expensive, or such activities are inaccessible to where you live, Splatoon 2 can also fill in that respective gap.

If you want intense and fun competition where anything can happen at any moment, then Mario Kart is the game you’re looking for. While the game has been made and released for every Nintendo console since the Super Nintendo and a good majority of the franchise still holds up to this day, 8 Deluxe keeps the series fresh for new generations to enjoy. It is the latest edition, yet it still sticks true to its traditional mechanics of simple racing and/or battle modes. The series has also always been known to be wild, but the kids will love this version to Mario Kart because they can now drive up walls and/or ceilings to gain the lead!

What puts the Deluxe in Mario Kart 8 Deluxe is that players can now have two items as opposed to one, and has features such as smart-steering and auto-accelerating, which would be very easy for children to be able to play and have fun. Considering the numerous traditional items at one’s disposal from the green shell to the blue mushroom, any player at any given moment can win the race. However, still be careful of course obstacles and traps!