“Hey, Dad! Can you get me a PlayStation on my birthday?” says the kid.
Everyone goes through this, especially parents. I say gaming is like a rising tide. It is difficult for anyone to speak negatively about a gaming console today, especially a kid; it is natural for a kid to have one at such a dynamic age. Building a gaming pc from scratch can be a massive obstacle for little kids because of a complete lack of foresight and knowledge about components. For that, consoles exist. They are truly inspiring because they don’t require you to build anything from scratch. Get the console, pay for the subscription, and bingo, it’s done. Now your kids can go on a playing spree! But the problem arises when parents or even kids themselves have to look for something compatible and durable. Not only has this, but the number of games available on an “X” console mattered a lot. For that, we will be helping you out by proposing to you the best gaming consoles for kids. Although there’s not much to select from the best video game consoles for kids, there are still a couple of elite products you can look into.
Why have gaming consoles become a dire need?
When I was six years old, my father bought me a PC, which was supposedly not so elite or epic as today’s standards. However, it was still a dream come true. It made me so happy and elated that I began my gaming session on IGI for the first time. I am sorry for deviating, but the reason for slipping in my personal experience about gaming systems and consoles speaks volumes about how technology is dominating our world today. Yeah, gaming is a hobby, but at the same time, it’s another learning tool for your child.
Studies and research concluded that gaming enhances your child’s cognitive abilities and physical reflexes. Not to mention, the child starts analyzing things differently. I mean, there’s perspective, shape-building, and gaming helps in retaining those heuristic imaginations and ideas—no wonder why, these days, people have been buying the gaming consoles for kids. The Best Video Game Consoles for Kids may cost you an arm and a leg, but they’re worth every penny. They’ll learn new concepts, polish their problem-solving abilities, and see scenarios from different perspectives. That’s the reason why you should be getting your son/daughter a gaming console already!
It is now time for the actual product review session for the best game console for kids. I have personally used most of the products and then gave my final review about them. Some of them are my personal favourites, so I tried my best to give an impartial view without any bias. Without any further ado, let’s begin!
List of 6 Best Gaming Consoles for Kids (Quick Overview)
| Award | Product | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Best gaming console for 4K | Buy on Amazon |
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| Best gaming console for value-added features | Buy on Amazon |
|
| Best portable gaming console for kids | Buy on Amazon |
|
| Best performative gaming console | Buy on Amazon |
|
| Best mini gaming console for gamers | Buy on Amazon |
|
| Best high end Gaming Console for Kids | Buy on Amazon |
PlayStation 4 pro
Specifications:
- Main processor: Single-chip custom processor
- CPU: x86-64 AMD “Jaguar”, 8 cores
- GPU: 4.20TFLOPS, AMD Radeon™ based graphics engine
- Memory: GDDR5 8GB Storage size
- Mass: Approx 3.3 kg
- Power: AC 100-240V, 50/60Hz
- Input/ Output: Super-Speed USB (USB 3.1 Gen.1) port × 3 AUX port × 1
- Networking: Ethernet (10BASE-T, 100BASE-TX, 1000BASE-T)×1 IEEE 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac Bluetooth® 4.0 (LE)
PlayStation 4 Pro is a gaming console that brings in a reality check for gamers. I will specifically target toddlers and kids since this article is all about them. PlayStation 4 Pro is the best 4k gaming console for kids because you can use 4k monitors in conjunction with the console. Ultimately, your kids will have a seamless gaming experience.
Features
In our tests, it is observed that the PS4 pro outputs are linearly better and performatively better. Not to mention, your kids can play games like Call of Duty Black Ops 4, Gran Turismo Sport, Horizon New dawn, God of War without any stutters and input lag. It’s worth mentioning that the PS4 Pro comes with HD boost mode, which you can use in parallel with HD monitors. Surprisingly, you and your kids can benefit from supersampling (high-definition images) on PS4 exclusive games. To our surprise, you can use PS4 to watch mind-bending Netflix series and stream online games. Although your kids are not old enough to stream, but yeah, for future use, you can keep this in mind.
In addition to that, you can channel between Native 4k resolution support and Dynamic 4k gaming with features like Anti-Aliasing and Visual FX. Moreover, PS4 is known for pitching in vivid textures, deep shadows, and high-quality fidelity assets. It’s true that PS4 is expensive and transcends the average person’s budget, but believe me, it’s all worth a shot. It’s surprising to see that these “Words” are coming from a PC gamer. There’s something appealing about them. You can also use FPS boost locked and targeted features to channel between different FPS mediums.
PS5 is already released with significant upgrades over the PlayStation 4. But it would be a little extra for your kids and heavy on your pockets.
PS4 Pro’s GUI
- You can create a PSN account to keep your games and achievements up to date. With a PSN account, you can access the PlayStation App on your mobile and phone and the PlayStation store itself. Not to mention you can use different avatars, color schemes, and passwords for customization.
- You also get a quick menu for navigating quickly between different options. Simply use the PS button to bring the customization menu. From there, you can have control over sound and device settings, Share Play, and Spotify.
- With PS4 Pro, you also get hold of the Dashboard menu, another quick navigational toolbar for accessing PlayStation Vue, YouTube, Netflix, notifications, and PS4 events.
- You can also socialize and connect with your friends. Well, your kids might not have many friends with PS4, but for future reference, they can expand their social group.
- Your kids can also have fun with PlayStation VR, a virtual reality headset for playing games.
- You can also download a myriad of games from the PlayStation 4 store by either paying the full amount or using their monthly subscription method.
The game library for PS4 (Selected top PS4 games)
- Marvel’s Avengers
- Ghost of Tsushima
- The Last of Us part II
- Final Fantasy VII Remake
- Predator
- Resident Evil III
- Star Wars VR series
- Manifold games
- Best graphical performance in a console.
- The UI for its menu is excellent.
- Load times are much faster compared to the original ps4.
- It connects to any TV with HDMI
- No 4K Blu-ray drive
- Console gets loud when something intense is happening on sc
Xbox One X
Specifications:
- Optical Drive: Blu-Ray/DVD
- Game DVR: Yes, Upload Studio
- RAM: 8GB DDR3
- Flash Memory: 8GB Flash Memory
- CPU: 8 Core AMD custom
- CPU Frequency: 1.75 GHz
- Storage: 500 GB (5400 rpm) Hard Drive non-replaceable, External Hard Drive support available
- mass: 8.4 lbs (3.81 kg)
- USB: USB 3.0 x3
Microsoft has always surprised us, and Xbox One X is no different. On this wonderful and platinum gaming console, your kids can play games on 4k without stutters and lags. Not to mention, Xbox One X has 40% more power than its predecessors, which means that the overall gaming performance is way better.
Features
For the features, you get hold of 4k exclusive games, like NBA 2k20, Forza Horizon 4, Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order, Gears 5, and Cyberpunk 2077. It’s worth mentioning that you can connect your Xbox One X with any Microsoft device and play games through Xbox Connect. On top of that, the console is 1080p TV-friendly, which means that you can use it on the majority of the latest monitors. In addition to that, the Xbox package grants you all the necessary equipment for an enhanced gaming experience. For your children, Xbox One X is a perfect choice; the number of games available is at an all-time high because of its connection to windows. I have personally never seen a game releasing on Windows and not on Xbox. Generally speaking, if your children are into bazillions of games, then Xbox one X is what you should be getting for them.
Moreover, you can also create discrete profiles for your children, since they’ll be playing completely different games. The idea of having two or more profiles fascinates me as it allows me to have full control over your achievements.
Xbox’s GUI
- You get to create your profiles and connect them to Microsoft for extra features
- Connect with friends
- Make use of streaming options on Microsoft Windows
- Use parent control options for security
- You can make use of the multiplayer option on Xbox
- Connect to HD television (4K and 2K)
The game library for Xbox (Selected top Xbox games)
- Forza Horizon 4
- Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order
- Gears 5
- Cyberpunk 2077
- Microsoft Dungeons
- Ori and the will of wisps
- Halo
- Sea of Thieves
- It has a 4K Blu-ray player for a great 4k gaming experience.
- Stylish and sleek design.
- Improved cooling system to enhance gaming experience and performance.
- A bit expensive
- 4k TV required to have a fantastic experience.
Nintendo Switch
Specifications:
- CPU/GPU: NVIDIA Custom Tegra processor
- Storage: 64 GB
- Screen: Multi-touch capacitive touch screen / 7.0 inch OLED screen / 1280×720
- Mass: Approximately .71 lbs (Approximately .93 lbs with Joy-Con controllers attached)
- USB connector: USB Type-C
- Wireless: Wi-Fi (IEEE 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac compliant) / Bluetooth 4.1
For years, Nintendo Switch has been a console that children prefer because of its portability and gaming options. Not to mention, you can take the console anywhere you want without thinking about connecting LCDs and LEDs in your car. That’s the charm of the Nintendo Switch.
Features
For the features, the Nintendo Switch offers three discrete modes to choose from. Number one is the TV mode, which means you can connect your console directly to a TV. The screen will be shared with your television, and now you can have a seamless gaming experience on a wide LCD. That’s wonderful, right? The next one is tablet mode. With this option, you can connect to significantly larger tablets that will retain both portability and an enhanced gaming experience. It’s obvious that you can carry around your tablet as compared to TVs and LCDs. The last one is the handheld mode, which is the most preferred one. Simply connect the Joy-Con with the switch, and bingo, you can now control the in-game player with the buttons on the Joy-Con.
To give a detailed vision of how Joy-Con works, it’s a device with negative and positive terminals that completes the circuit when connected to your switch. Not to mention, with Joy-Cons, you can choose your gaming playstyle either by controlling a single connector or two. It’s worth mentioning that you play games with your friends by simply two opposite Joy-Cons: insert one into your friend’s Nintendo switch, and insert the other into yours. In addition to that, you can create local Co-Op, local wireless, and online gaming sessions with just a small and amazing console. Team up with your friends, and incinerate your enemies! Last but not least, you can create your profile on the switch, and shop directly through Nintendo E-shop, buy subscriptions and stay up to date on the latest news.
There are different versions of the Nintendo switch available in the market: Nintendo switch original, Nintendo switch lite, and Nintendo switch OLED.
Nintendo Switch’s GUI
- Simple to navigate since it’s a small device, it has not many options
- Have a dedicated E-shop for buying Nintendo games and subscriptions
- Connect to the multiplayer mode for playing with friends
- Has a dedicated Album for saving screenshots
- There’s also an achievement panel you can have access to
- Have different playing modes
The game library for Nintendo Switch (Selected top Nintendo Switch games)
- The legend of Zelda: Breath of the wild
- Mario Kart 8 Deluxe
- Super Mario Odyssey
- Super Smash Bros
- Minecraft
- Overwatch
- Pokémon Let’s Go
- Rocket league
- Best portable gaming system
- Games load in a snap.
- It is fairly priced
- It has exclusive titles that will never be released on other platforms.
- Short Battery Life.
- Less internal Storage
Xbox One S
Specifications:
- Processor CPU: 1.75GHz AMD Jaguar eight-core
- GPU: 1.4 T-FLOPS, 12 compute units @ 914MHz
- Memory: 8GB DDR3 RAM + 32MB eSRAM @ 219GB/s
- Hard drive: Built-in, up to 2TB HDD
- Mass: 6.4 pounds
- I/O output: USB 3.0 X 2, AUX
You might be wondering why to talk about another Xbox variant when we already have one on the list. Also, why not review PS3? Well, PS3 is way outdated, and the game library has been reduced to nothing. With such increments, you don’t expect the developers to roll back to previous-gen settings; hence they start producing games for the latest consoles. The Xbox One S, it’s a Microsoft console that can be connected to your gaming pc build. This connection helps in retaining most of the old games, which means that you can still play your Xbox 360 without any inconvenience.
Features
With Xbox One S, you can buy a game pass, a subscription to playing Xbox games without paying the actual price. It’s a decent trade since now you can play any game with monthly subscriptions only. Not to mention, the game pass includes a bazillion of games that your children can play-no wonder why it’s a performative gaming console for kids. It’s worth mentioning that you can connect the console to ultra-wide monitors, television, and small LCDs. The Xbox One S is majorly compatible with everything and brings in all the features of the Xbox One X. Apart from this; you also get to create discrete profiles for your kids. For example, if your one kid is on the 27th level, and the other one is playing the same game but lags by four levels, you can differentiate between the two’s game achievements by creating profiles for them.
On top of that, you also get some pre-installed games with the console, access to cloud storage for saving games online, and a digital game library. In my opinion, Xbox One S cloud storage is the best thing that could happen since now you can connect different Xbox consoles and continue the same game without restarting the game from the beginning. Last but not least, you can have fun with 4k streaming options, 4k Blu-ray, spatial audio, and entertainment apps like YouTube, Spotify, HBO, and Netflix.
Xbox One’s GUI
- You get hold of a dedicated application panel from where you can have access to entertainment apps
- The console also offers a quick profiling mode where you can set up avatars and create achievement panels
- You can switch between HDR and 4k mode
- You can buy a game pass for playing games online with your friends
- The GUI is also simple to navigate, engineered for little kids and children
The game library for Xbox one S (Selected top Xbox one S games)
- Tell me why
- Marvel’s Avengers
- Ori and the will of wisps
- Forza Horizon
- FIFA 20
- Destiny 2
- Hyper Scape
- Wasteland 3
- Ghost recon
- Resident Evil 3
- It’s a small and nice looking piece of hardware.
- Lower price than other related consoles.
- 4k video streaming
- Lower power consumption.
- Game library has less games
- Not VR Ready
Sega Genesis Mini
Specifications:
- Batteries: 1 Lithium ion batteries required
- Operating system: Linux kernel
- Memory: 256 MB of RAM
- Storage: 512 MB flash memory
- Mass: 1.93 pounds
I just have a feeling that people will immediately disregard it as a breathing console. The profuse amount of delays in game development has made Sega Genesis Mini a poison to many gamers. I’m just being honest! In short, Sega Genesis Mini is a dream come true if you manage to get a hold of it.
Features
The mini console includes 40 legendary games, with an option of plug-in and Play. This means that you don’t need to constantly charge your console. Additionally, this mini version is a replica of the Sega Genesis, which was the original candidate for appraisals. Having an outdated original console is the reason for releasing the miniature product. By “mini,” we do not mean that it’s a cut-off version of the original. It’s just portable and lightweight. Anyways, with this product, you get two classic wired 3-button control pads, which simply means that you can play with friends and siblings, and maybe your parents. It’s worth mentioning that the package includes a USB power adapter, power cable, and an HDMI cable.
If you are an adult, I would still recommend you buy the product since it brings back old memories. An epic episode of nostalgia is awaiting you! Not to mention, you also get hold of 2 bonus titles.
Sega Genesis Mini’s GUI
There’s nothing major about the GUI since the mini product’s architecture is similar to that of its predecessor. Simply plug in the cassettes, and connect the player to the monitor. There you go, that’s all! The game will launch automatically.
The game library for Sega Genesis Mini (Selected top Sega Genesis Mini games)
- Shinobi III
- World of Illusion
- Castle of Illusion
- Altered Beast
- Castle Vania
- Tarzan
- Mega man
- Forty-two awesome games included
- Comes with two controllers
- Plug-and-play HDMI connectivity and USB power
- No six-button controllers
- Overall lower quality audio
Sony PlayStation 5 Video Game Console
Specifications:
- 8K output
- 120 fps with 120 Hz output
- Haptic feedback
- Adaptive triggers
- Tempest 3D AudioTech
The Sony PlayStation 5 Video Game Console is the latest console from Sony that was released in 2021. This console is a powerful machine that comes with a few new and innovative features. PlayStation 5 is the best high-end gaming console for kids.
Features
For the features, the PS5 comes with a few new and innovative features. One of these features is the ability to output 8K resolution. This means that you can play your favorite PS5 games on a 4320p resolution display. The PS5 also supports 120 fps with 120 Hz output, so you can enjoy smooth and fluid gameplay on compatible displays. In addition, the PS5 comes with Tempest 3D AudioTech which creates an immersive soundscape that feels as if the sound is coming from all around you. And last but not least, the PS5 features haptic feedback and adaptive triggers which give you a more immersive gaming experience.
PS5 GUI
- You can customize the PS5’s graphical user interface (GUI) to match your preferences. There are a variety of different themes to choose from, or you can create your own.
- You can also change the color scheme and even add your favorite background image. And if you don’t want to use the DualShock 5 controller to navigate the PS5’s menus.
- you can use the PlayStation Camera to control everything with your voice.
The game library for PS5 (Selected top PS5 games)
- God of War
- Elden Ring
- Death Stranding
- The Last of Us: Part II
- Final Fantasy VII Remake
- Marvel’s Spider-Man
- Ghost of Tsushima
- Borderlands 3
- Call of Duty: Modern Warfare
- Doom Eternal
- Resident Evil 2
- 8K output
- 120 fps with 120 Hz output
- Haptic feedback
- Adaptive triggers
- Tempest 3D AudioTech
- Expensive
What features to look for in the best game console for kids?
Game Library
I’ll be talking about two things under this subheading. Well, for your kids, you need to ensure that the game library for that particular gaming console is vast and huge. For instance, on PlayStation 3, there are hundreds of games to play on multiplayer. In contrast, the Nintendo switch offers a little less because of partnerships with different companies. The second thing is to know which game suits your child. There are 18+ and R-rated games which shouldn’t even dare cross your child’s path. For that, you need to select games that have mild to low nudity and profanity.
Portability
Portability entails how small and tiny the console is. For example, Nintendo Switch can be moved around from one place to another, and even during traveling hours. Whereas, you can’t take PlayStation 4 or 3 around because it also needs an LCD to run games. Obviously, no one would be connecting an LCD with their cars. To be honest, there’s no clear cut for selecting consoles, depending on their portability ratio. On consoles like Xbox and PlayStation, you will get a vast game library, but on portable gaming consoles like Nintendo, which have less to offer.
Parental control panel
When we talk about the best gaming console for toddlers, there’s a big chance that the kids might detour to the wrong side of the internet. Not only this, but some of the games have mature content. To create a safe environment for your child on the gaming console, you can use parental locks and passwords to protect your kid from reaching out to sensitive and profane stuff.
Final thoughts
There are not so many consoles out there because of the dominant position of gaming systems. That’s the reason why you will only find hardly 6-7 consoles the most. I would also like to reiterate that the consoles mentioned above are the widely used ones. The list is not finite, which means you can buy Nintendo Switch lite, PlayStation 3, and Xbox 360. I hope the article about the gaming consoles for kids was viable and understandable. If you think there’s something amiss with the article, then do let me know in the comment section.
FAQs
Hey, I’m Muhammad Bilal. I’m a tech fanatic (also read: Gamer), who loves scrutinizing fine details. I aim to strive hard in my respective fields (as a writer and software programmer). Before pursuing my majors in a university (right now in A-levels), I want to spend time exploring and reviewing the latest technology.
I love how you mention “God of War ” for kids. Wow great review!
yea right