The best console for kids

The right console for a child depends less on power than on the library, the controls and the parental tools around it.

What is the best console for young children?

For most families, the Nintendo Switch family is the strongest choice, for reasons that have nothing to do with specifications:

The library. Nintendo has the deepest catalogue of games genuinely made for children rather than merely tolerated by them — Mario, Zelda, Pokémon, Kirby, Animal Crossing.

It works in the hand and on the TV. A child can play in the living room where you can see the screen, or take it in the car.

Each Joy-Con is a controller. Two children can play together on one console without buying extra controllers — a real cost saving and a genuine advantage.

Simple controls. Nintendo games tend to be readable by a young child without a tutorial.

The Switch Lite is the cheapest way in, with one important limitation: it cannot connect to a television at all. For a young child, playing on the TV where you can see what is happening is often exactly what you want, so the Lite may be the wrong choice despite the price.

Is Switch better than PS5 for children?

For young children, generally yes — the library and the shared-play design suit them better.

For older children and teenagers, a PS5 or Xbox becomes more compelling: the games their friends play, online multiplayer, and sports titles. A twelve-year-old who wants to play football games online is not served by a console chosen for a six-year-old.

The honest answer is that it depends on age and on what their friends have, more than on the hardware.

What age is right for a first console?

There is no single answer, but a practical guide: around five or six is when most children can manage a controller and follow a simple game. Before that, the interest is usually in watching rather than playing.

What matters more than age is what they play and for how long. A well-chosen game with a time limit is fine at six; an unsuitable game with no limit is a problem at twelve.

How do I keep my child safe on a console?

Four things, in order of importance:

1. Create a child account under your own, rather than letting them use yours. Almost every control depends on this.

2. Remove the saved payment card and set spending to zero. In-game purchases in free games are where overspending actually happens.

3. Set age ratings and time limits. Every console supports both — see our guide to parental controls for the exact steps on each.

4. Restrict communication. Online voice and text chat with strangers is the part most worth limiting for a young child.

And check age ratings before buying a game. They are reliable, quick to read, and tell you specifically what the content involves.

See our Nintendo Switch page, or call 16280 with the child''s age and we will suggest something suitable.