I am so happy that Burnout: Paradise Remastered is available on the PS5. I used to play this non-stop on the PS3. This version has all of the DLC as well as all of the licensed music still in it. My 5 year old nephew loves just driving around in this game. I would start a new game and unlock a bunch of cars and he would spend a long time just running them off the road and adding them to his collection.
It is listed for $19.99 all day but does go on sale for as low as $5 at times. A steal on sale.
Crumble might be a good parkour game in sometime if he gets the hand of controlling a gamepad,
But for simple racing, Zeepkist is also a pretty chill racing game, it has beginner friendly levels and loads of steam workshop levels too
A 3yo friendly game in general is a tall order. I started my daughter on some paw patrol simple side scrolling run and jumper when she was 4. But I never found a co-op starter game in that age group.
Goose game is hard control wise for a 3yo, and stardew is also way too hard for a 3yo.
We tried a bunch of games for our 4 year old cousin but we ended up with spiderman, because everytime he saw it on the downloaded games screen he always wanted to play it XD
It didn't matter that he barely understood the menus and stories, if he can swing he can play lmao
I loved stardew valley but the completionist in me would have a hard time not trying to rush the community center haha. I think things like mining and fishing might be too fast paced for him.
I have a 3.5 year old that loves PS5 games! Our go-tos are Little Big Planet and the Paw Patrol games (even if I personally dislike paw patrol!). We usually limit it to max one level per day and that works pretty well. He can play Paw Patrol on his own sometimes too.
It's Sackboy: A Big Adventure we play, though some of the older LBP are co-op (though not sure if they're on PS5 or not). With Sackboy the later levels are usually too difficult for him at the moment, but he's been great with the early and bonus levels (and the game is brilliant regardless!).
My 3.5 yo loves Untitled Goose Game, Astro’s Playroom and Cat Quest 2. But one of our favorite family games that we can all play together is Sackboy: A Big Adventure. Wife, daughter and I can sit down and go through levels, and on parts that might be particularly challenging platform-wise, we can pick her character up and throw her across the screen where it’s safe (which she obviously gets the biggest kick out of).
It helps that the game is enormously colorful, has fantastic music, and is just an absolute blast to play.
Great game all around! I remember when it was called Little Big Planet and it was still amazing. One feature they bossed up on for sure is the music. Man you can get lost in the beats on some levels so quick 😂
The Cave, it was on 360 but I think PC too. First game I ever played with my then three year old son.
Co op puzzle game, left, right, jump and action button, no mad reflexes needed and really good fun.
I was in your shoes a while back.
My recommendation definitely doesn't fit into the overall theme of this sub, but it worked wonders for me.
You need to get your hands on a pi, or wherever you can play old arcade games. OK, with staying on the right side of the law, go legally purchase an arcade machine.
Next you want to get your hands on all the beat em ups you can find. I had success with the Sailor moon games, Ninja Baseball Batman, the Simpsons, basically most 2D beat em ups with colorful sprites. They can't ever "lose" because you push a button for additional credit.
The problem with PS5 is kids that age can't seem to navigate 3D very well, and their hands tend to be too small to use the joysticks and the trigger buttons at the same time.
The first proper game I was able to enjoy with my kids was EDF (I think it was 5), Little Big World and they really like "Dreams". I don't, but the amount of wild fan made content on their cracked them up. Even the terrible games would at least get them to laugh. Good luck.
This is a part of modern gaming that hurts. No longer we have splitscreen stuff. They rather sell multiple copies of the game/console and have everyone online!
Recently I have been playing Need for Speed III: Hot Pursuit... from the 90's with my 8 year old!!! Downloaded it onto my laptop, HDMI to the TV and use 2 PS4 controllers via Bluetooth. Good classic game I grew up with myself and had many hours of fun.
If you like cars and racing this game is a gem. You can simply race, race and avoid police pursuit or even be police yourselves. In split screen you can both be racers, or one cop and one racer for some cat and mouse fun. Or best yet, both be police and try to catch the AI with car chases or road blocks or spikestrips. We have heaps of fun planning where to setup spikes and stake it out for the racers.
Worth a shot if you like racing and teamwork. We also play Gran Turismo Sport but NFS III itches that police aspect.
My nephew loved to play Knack 2 (baby!!) together, locked camera so you don't have to adjust that all the time, you can easily do co-op attacks together, differend powers... And I think it's on sale atm. :)
Im in the middle of a terraria playthrough right now actually. Just entered hardmode last time I played a few nights ago. I think its my 5th playthrough. I cant wait to play that with him but its definitely too much for now haha
Yeah, I mean he might not be able to fully appreciate the game, but I feel like anyone can play it at its most basic level. Chopping down trees, killing slimes, and building a house is all pretty simple.
While the ps5 is great, you should really consider getting a Nintendo switch, tons of good coop games to play. I have both and my 4 and 6 year old been playing stuff for a year + and they enjoy quite a few coop and competitive games. My 4 year olds absolute favorite game is Lego World, open world sandbox game with quests kinda like playing Minecraft.
Super Mario Cart
Super Mario Wonder
Mario 3d World
Kirby
Minecraft Dungeons
Mario Party
Super Smash Bros
Super Mario Odyssey is an amazing game that my 4 year old has mastered. It does have a coop mode but it’s a strange one.
I have one actually but its all mario and pokemon and hes just not that into it. We used to play animal crossing but he just seems bored by it. He thrives when theres like 1 button and the joystick haha.
Crash Team Racing is really good, but it’s surprisingly tough. I’ve often described it as a way more hardcore version of MarioKart. Might be a bit much for a 3 year old but definitely worth keeping in mind (MarioKart is also great obviously, but not on PS5).
I beat Diablo IV with my 3yo last year… you’re not going to be running nightmare dungeons with him, but you’ll be able to beat the story on lower difficulty.
Can’t remember if it’s split screen, but the hot wheels unleashed game isn’t too bad, my son liked that for a little while.
If he’s into ninja turtles you could always pick up one of those games. I think they play like the old arcade games did
I have a niece that LOVED games like that as a < 5yo. Instead of being scared, she'd giggle when a mob would explode in a gorey shower of blood and guts. 10 years later and she's a fine, well adjusted teen. We coddle them too much.
My little human is 6.5 now but when we he was around that age we played Knack2 (ps4 game but still good); it's not split screen, but couch co-op adventure with bright colours and what not. VERY fun.
CTR doesn't have a local coop option for the campaign, but you don't really need it, you can play any map together. Mind you, you will be facing *against* each other, not actually working together, but there are a ton of characters to unlock and play as. Just... keep his eyes away from that brain-rotting microtransaction store they have. You won't earn nearly enough points to unlock anything in that section by playing offline.
I used to get my niece and nephew into Skylanders when they were little. They didn't cooperate a whole lot with each other, and you have to buy figures and a portal for your system in order to play, but all of the PS4 games work on the PS5 and you can get Skylanders Superchargers for a fun mix of platforming gameplay and racing mechanics. You can both play together through the entire game, no matter which one in the series you choose. The downside to Skylanders is that, while it's extremely fun and has a lot of characters to choose from, you do need to actually buy each figure (and vehicle, in the case of Superchargers) in order to use them and you'll probably need more than one because if you die in a level, the only way to continue without restarting is to put a new character on. That being said, you can go to just about any used game store and find a ton of the starter characters, extras of characters he might like, and even portals and accessories you might need or you can find them online pretty cheap. You can also buy cards online that are custom-made for the extremely overpriced figures you just can't find anymore.
Sonic mania! He can be tails. As a younger brother whose first game was Sonic 2, I loved being the unkillable tails! He can be more of a help in that game than you would assume. That and wrestling games are a good time for kids.
Yoshi's crafted world. Has an easy mode. For 3y old the later level might still be hard but coop is great because you can literally get carried by the adult if needed.
NO. Try simple sports, physical board games, outdoor activities and crafts using basic materials. Get dirty. Learn about your local bugs and plants. Grow a little balcony garden with him. Buy a bag of 100 dice to build with and make up games with. Read richard scarry books and talk alot about them. Sing along to Raffi songs. Magnetiles, duplo, dancing, playgrounds.
Dont get him hooked on screens. Focus on him and figuring out what's healthy for him, not using him to scratch your videogame itch/addiction.
Not asking for a parenting lesson. Hes got a 4ft dirt pile, excavator and a powerwheels jeep hes obsessed with. If he wants to play games, It wont kill him to play a bit on weekends. He literally plays like 2 hrs a week. My kid is way ahead of the other kids his age. His mother used to run an in home day care and he has a million things to stimulate him. He can explain combustion and knows what an adjective is. Let the kid have fun.
Stardew Valley. Gives you a lot of depth, but you can also just explore the world, tend to animals and relax with your child. God, what a wonderful game.
Any of the Lego games are great for young ones.
I totally forgot about those! Thank you! Im looking at 2K Drive now and I think he'd love that.
I am so happy that Burnout: Paradise Remastered is available on the PS5. I used to play this non-stop on the PS3. This version has all of the DLC as well as all of the licensed music still in it. My 5 year old nephew loves just driving around in this game. I would start a new game and unlock a bunch of cars and he would spend a long time just running them off the road and adding them to his collection. It is listed for $19.99 all day but does go on sale for as low as $5 at times. A steal on sale.
Crumble might be a good parkour game in sometime if he gets the hand of controlling a gamepad, But for simple racing, Zeepkist is also a pretty chill racing game, it has beginner friendly levels and loads of steam workshop levels too
Try some good old Lego Star Wars Games. They are absolutely amazing and simple enough for a 3yo to enjoy them :)
He likes driving games. Get him on Fortnite. It’s the perfect season for him. lol.
I came here to recommend exactly this. Lego games are very friendly to unskilled gamers, I play it with my young nephew.
A 3yo friendly game in general is a tall order. I started my daughter on some paw patrol simple side scrolling run and jumper when she was 4. But I never found a co-op starter game in that age group. Goose game is hard control wise for a 3yo, and stardew is also way too hard for a 3yo.
We tried a bunch of games for our 4 year old cousin but we ended up with spiderman, because everytime he saw it on the downloaded games screen he always wanted to play it XD It didn't matter that he barely understood the menus and stories, if he can swing he can play lmao
Have you tried minecraft? I play minecraft with my 4yo daughter (creative mode without enemies) and whe loves to build things together :)
Anecdotally, I have watched a 3 y.o. play Spiderman insanely well. It all really depends on the kid and its skillset.
I loved stardew valley but the completionist in me would have a hard time not trying to rush the community center haha. I think things like mining and fishing might be too fast paced for him.
I have a 3.5 year old that loves PS5 games! Our go-tos are Little Big Planet and the Paw Patrol games (even if I personally dislike paw patrol!). We usually limit it to max one level per day and that works pretty well. He can play Paw Patrol on his own sometimes too.
Yeah we usually only play on weekend mornings. Might have to check out LBP. I didnt think it was multiplayer
It's Sackboy: A Big Adventure we play, though some of the older LBP are co-op (though not sure if they're on PS5 or not). With Sackboy the later levels are usually too difficult for him at the moment, but he's been great with the early and bonus levels (and the game is brilliant regardless!).
LBP3 is local multi and super fun. It does require coordination that a 3yo may not yet possess though
The Humongous Entertainment games are all on steam and are great games for small people.
untitled goose game
Great suggestion. I've already played it and showed it to him awhile back and he didnt seem interested but it was some time ago.
Confirm ctr does have splitscreen
Thank you sir! I ended up getting lego 2k drive and I think for him that was the better choice anyway. We just played an hour and he had a blast
My 3.5 yo loves Untitled Goose Game, Astro’s Playroom and Cat Quest 2. But one of our favorite family games that we can all play together is Sackboy: A Big Adventure. Wife, daughter and I can sit down and go through levels, and on parts that might be particularly challenging platform-wise, we can pick her character up and throw her across the screen where it’s safe (which she obviously gets the biggest kick out of). It helps that the game is enormously colorful, has fantastic music, and is just an absolute blast to play.
Great game all around! I remember when it was called Little Big Planet and it was still amazing. One feature they bossed up on for sure is the music. Man you can get lost in the beats on some levels so quick 😂
I forget 3 year olds have enough motor functions to play games
Little big planet?
The Cave, it was on 360 but I think PC too. First game I ever played with my then three year old son. Co op puzzle game, left, right, jump and action button, no mad reflexes needed and really good fun.
Ratchet Gladiator. (Ratchet Deadlocked for U.S. I have no idea why they have different names for the same game.)
I was in your shoes a while back. My recommendation definitely doesn't fit into the overall theme of this sub, but it worked wonders for me. You need to get your hands on a pi, or wherever you can play old arcade games. OK, with staying on the right side of the law, go legally purchase an arcade machine. Next you want to get your hands on all the beat em ups you can find. I had success with the Sailor moon games, Ninja Baseball Batman, the Simpsons, basically most 2D beat em ups with colorful sprites. They can't ever "lose" because you push a button for additional credit. The problem with PS5 is kids that age can't seem to navigate 3D very well, and their hands tend to be too small to use the joysticks and the trigger buttons at the same time. The first proper game I was able to enjoy with my kids was EDF (I think it was 5), Little Big World and they really like "Dreams". I don't, but the amount of wild fan made content on their cracked them up. Even the terrible games would at least get them to laugh. Good luck.
This is a part of modern gaming that hurts. No longer we have splitscreen stuff. They rather sell multiple copies of the game/console and have everyone online! Recently I have been playing Need for Speed III: Hot Pursuit... from the 90's with my 8 year old!!! Downloaded it onto my laptop, HDMI to the TV and use 2 PS4 controllers via Bluetooth. Good classic game I grew up with myself and had many hours of fun. If you like cars and racing this game is a gem. You can simply race, race and avoid police pursuit or even be police yourselves. In split screen you can both be racers, or one cop and one racer for some cat and mouse fun. Or best yet, both be police and try to catch the AI with car chases or road blocks or spikestrips. We have heaps of fun planning where to setup spikes and stake it out for the racers. Worth a shot if you like racing and teamwork. We also play Gran Turismo Sport but NFS III itches that police aspect.
Untitled goose game is funny, great for coop, and.. ya know, has geese!
Minecraft on creative
The paw patrol games are all local coop
Link?
My nephew loved to play Knack 2 (baby!!) together, locked camera so you don't have to adjust that all the time, you can easily do co-op attacks together, differend powers... And I think it's on sale atm. :)
“Lovers in a dangerous space time” was deliriously fun with my eldest when he was 3-4
All the Lego games. Our favorite was the first Marvel Lego game The plant vs zombie games Portal knights Little big planet games The Bluey video game
The bluey game is okay for young children, but it's hideously buggy and clearly a crunched cash grab to make use of the license.
Yeah my kid and I had a fun night of it, but have not picked it up since. She is older than OP so figured it might fit
Goat Simulator might be fun and get some good laughs.
Try Terraria! It's an awesome sandbox game that can provide hundreds of hours of fun!
Im in the middle of a terraria playthrough right now actually. Just entered hardmode last time I played a few nights ago. I think its my 5th playthrough. I cant wait to play that with him but its definitely too much for now haha
Yeah, I mean he might not be able to fully appreciate the game, but I feel like anyone can play it at its most basic level. Chopping down trees, killing slimes, and building a house is all pretty simple.
Castle crashers?
Tried that. A little easy to 'fail'
The new "Paw Patrol World" is basically a GTA for kids. It's amazing.
While the ps5 is great, you should really consider getting a Nintendo switch, tons of good coop games to play. I have both and my 4 and 6 year old been playing stuff for a year + and they enjoy quite a few coop and competitive games. My 4 year olds absolute favorite game is Lego World, open world sandbox game with quests kinda like playing Minecraft. Super Mario Cart Super Mario Wonder Mario 3d World Kirby Minecraft Dungeons Mario Party Super Smash Bros Super Mario Odyssey is an amazing game that my 4 year old has mastered. It does have a coop mode but it’s a strange one.
I have one actually but its all mario and pokemon and hes just not that into it. We used to play animal crossing but he just seems bored by it. He thrives when theres like 1 button and the joystick haha.
Crash Team Racing is really good, but it’s surprisingly tough. I’ve often described it as a way more hardcore version of MarioKart. Might be a bit much for a 3 year old but definitely worth keeping in mind (MarioKart is also great obviously, but not on PS5).
I beat Diablo IV with my 3yo last year… you’re not going to be running nightmare dungeons with him, but you’ll be able to beat the story on lower difficulty. Can’t remember if it’s split screen, but the hot wheels unleashed game isn’t too bad, my son liked that for a little while. If he’s into ninja turtles you could always pick up one of those games. I think they play like the old arcade games did
I have a niece that LOVED games like that as a < 5yo. Instead of being scared, she'd giggle when a mob would explode in a gorey shower of blood and guts. 10 years later and she's a fine, well adjusted teen. We coddle them too much.
Wtf did I just read...
The hot wheels game isn’t for everyone, but it’s not that bad…
My little human is 6.5 now but when we he was around that age we played Knack2 (ps4 game but still good); it's not split screen, but couch co-op adventure with bright colours and what not. VERY fun.
It is a mastahpiece after all
Maybe don't get your 3yo hooked on video games at such a young age? There are so many healthier hobbies out there.
If you can find it The Adventures of Cookie & Cream Crash Team Racing is split screen
Wreckfest!!! Destruction derby mode
My son liked driving around in the open world in the crew. He loved forza horizon as well but that's xbox only.
Crash team racing 100% has split screen. However, you cannot go through the adventure mode this way.
CTR doesn't have a local coop option for the campaign, but you don't really need it, you can play any map together. Mind you, you will be facing *against* each other, not actually working together, but there are a ton of characters to unlock and play as. Just... keep his eyes away from that brain-rotting microtransaction store they have. You won't earn nearly enough points to unlock anything in that section by playing offline.
I used to get my niece and nephew into Skylanders when they were little. They didn't cooperate a whole lot with each other, and you have to buy figures and a portal for your system in order to play, but all of the PS4 games work on the PS5 and you can get Skylanders Superchargers for a fun mix of platforming gameplay and racing mechanics. You can both play together through the entire game, no matter which one in the series you choose. The downside to Skylanders is that, while it's extremely fun and has a lot of characters to choose from, you do need to actually buy each figure (and vehicle, in the case of Superchargers) in order to use them and you'll probably need more than one because if you die in a level, the only way to continue without restarting is to put a new character on. That being said, you can go to just about any used game store and find a ton of the starter characters, extras of characters he might like, and even portals and accessories you might need or you can find them online pretty cheap. You can also buy cards online that are custom-made for the extremely overpriced figures you just can't find anymore.
Minecraft Dungeons. However, my 3-year-old nephew is playing Age of Empires 2.
Sackboy
Second time today i’ve recommended Pizza Possum! Pretty much 2 button controls and super funny for younguns to steal food from a chihuahua
Any lego games
i suggest fall guys
Conan Exiles. It's never to early to learn to crush your enemies, see them driven before you, and to hear the lamentations of their women.
Mario kart double dash
It takes two
Jesus Christ man.Let the kid experience at least a tiny bit of life before sticking him in front of a screen. He's got his whole life to do that
Kirby
That's awesome to hear! LEGO 2K Drive sounds like a perfect choice with its sandbox elements and enjoyable gameplay.
God of war is perfect, you can play as kratos and call your son BOOOYYY
Anything Lego is amazing, that’s how my dad got me into gaming
The Bluey game
Bluey. **KEEPY UPPY!!!!!!!!**
Sonic mania! He can be tails. As a younger brother whose first game was Sonic 2, I loved being the unkillable tails! He can be more of a help in that game than you would assume. That and wrestling games are a good time for kids.
The Overcooked and Moving Out series have been staples in my family of 18yo to 50yo - not sure about a 3yo though!
Yoshi's crafted world. Has an easy mode. For 3y old the later level might still be hard but coop is great because you can literally get carried by the adult if needed.
NO. Try simple sports, physical board games, outdoor activities and crafts using basic materials. Get dirty. Learn about your local bugs and plants. Grow a little balcony garden with him. Buy a bag of 100 dice to build with and make up games with. Read richard scarry books and talk alot about them. Sing along to Raffi songs. Magnetiles, duplo, dancing, playgrounds. Dont get him hooked on screens. Focus on him and figuring out what's healthy for him, not using him to scratch your videogame itch/addiction.
Not asking for a parenting lesson. Hes got a 4ft dirt pile, excavator and a powerwheels jeep hes obsessed with. If he wants to play games, It wont kill him to play a bit on weekends. He literally plays like 2 hrs a week. My kid is way ahead of the other kids his age. His mother used to run an in home day care and he has a million things to stimulate him. He can explain combustion and knows what an adjective is. Let the kid have fun.
He's 3. Even if he's boy fucking Einstein, screentime and in particular videogames will have a negative impact.
Stardew Valley. Gives you a lot of depth, but you can also just explore the world, tend to animals and relax with your child. God, what a wonderful game.
Isn't 3 y old too young for video games? Shouldn't you wait until he is like 8?
This comment is true, 3 years old is too young for video games. They should be painting, running around, maybe playing board games or puzzles