Nintendo has always been adamant that gaming is, and should be, for everyone - at least when it comes to their brand of games. While they've certainly brought in some of the older crowd of late with more mature-tinged Switch titles, they haven't forgotten about their focus, which has typically been the younger market.
Thanks to the diversity of its lineup, the Nintendo Switch is indeed home to games that all ages - and just about every demographic for that matter - can get into. There is no shortage of kid-friendly software parents can buy for their young children on Switch, which sits safely below the E-10 rating.
With that said, let's go over some of the very best games on the Switch that boys under 10 are most likely to enjoy. The overall quality of the game will be considered, along with how child-friendly its themes and gameplay are.
Last updated: December 5th, 2019 to reflect the latest release that are perfect for boys under 10!
14 Snipperclips: Cut It Out, Together!
Cutting craft paper has never been so fun!
Don't let its cutesy, colorful cut-out designs fool you - Snipper Clips: Cut It Out Together actually requires some brainpower, more than most titles on our list. It's a charmingly unique puzzler that acts as a terrific way for your child to train their brain with problem solving and communication.
At the same time, the game is rarely too complex or overwhelming, even for a young child. This is thanks to the simplicity and flexibility offered in the puzzles, as well as the absence of deaths. You might be asked to perform tasks as basic as carving shapes that allow for the transfer of liquid, or to bounce a basketball off your head into a hoop. The innovation in the co-operative puzzles makes this an amusing way to game with your kids.
13 Carnival Games
With a colorful aesthetics and a respectable range of fun, action-packed minigames; Carnival Games might be the next best thing to actually taking your kid to the carnival.
The game uses a Mario Party style of throwing bite-sized competitions and activities at you but does it with a fun carnival-themed overlay. You even earn tickets to put towards unlocks. Games range from shooting hoops and bowling to more theme-appropriate activities like Skee-Ball and Clown Knock-Down. The game uses the Switch motion controls in a way that's satisfying and quite easy for children to manage.
12 Yooka-Laylee And The Impossible Lair
There is certainly no shortage of charming, kid-friendly platforming games on the Switch. Yet even amongst this populated lineup of titles, Yooka-Laylee and the Impossible Lair stands out as one of the most charming, well-crafted examples. Despite being a fairly new franchise, this game was assembled by seasoned, capable hands, as many of the developers had worked on the famed SNES classic Donkey Kong Country.
This colorful side-scrolling adventure is a delight to play, and features enough depth and richness to keep you engaged without being too complicated.
11 Splatoon 2
Sure, it's a bit of a trope, but it's also largely true - young boys simply love making a mess! Splatoon 2 is the kid-friendly third-person shooter that allows them to go hog wild doing exactly that!
The greatest aspect of this thrilling ink-blasting romp is that it's super easy to get into, while also containing more subtle nuances that allow skilled gamers to excel. The game basically rewards mindlessly shooting ink all over the place, without necessarily having to worry about taking down opponents. This allows your young child or little brother to be involved simply by hanging back and wreaking havoc by dowsing the map in colorful ink, while you push ahead and hone in on the enemy team.
10 Super Monkey Ball: Banana Blitz: HD
You may recognize this cute and quirky concept revolving around a monkey protagonist coasting about in a plastic ball. This stripped-down party romp from Sega has seen a number of releases over the years. Yet, this latest remaster for Switch just may be one of the best ways to play it, given its prettied-up graphics and bite-sized on-the-go gameplay suitable for handheld play.
This game does a terrific job of offering fun, addictive gameplay while being quite simple. Your aim is to merely guide your rolling ape protagonist through an array of stages, gather bananas, and reach the finish.
This game also comes with 10 entertaining Mario Party-esque party games that kids will enjoy playing with both friends and family. These include Wack-a-Mole, snowboarding, and a particularly fun target-landing romp.
9 Katamari Damacy REROLL
On the one hand, this revamped action-puzzler classic resembles Splatoon 2 in its basic "run around and go nuts" mechanic - that's a scientific term by the way. On the other, this game essentially takes the opposite approach of cleaning up your surroundings rather than messing them up.
Katamari combines a simplistic and colorful aesthetic with a cheery soundtrack that appeals to young kids first and foremost. More importantly, the gameplay is quite simple, with a premise that involves rolling a spherical mass of random bits lying around. Rolling this ball over stray items scattered about the environments as it grows in "snowball" fashion feels both simple and satisfying.
8 Pokémon: Let's Go Pikachu!/Eevee!
This game can be controlled with naught but a plastic Pokéball accessory, which is used to make tossing motions at potential catches. But its simplicity is part of its charm for gamers young and old. Let's Go cleverly meshes the more nuanced RPG gameplay of the mainline Pokémon games with the easy-to-digest Pokémon Go mechanics. This is useful considering a young child jumping into this game has likely already played Go anyway.
Pokémon: Let's Go Pikachu!/Eevee! makes an excellent "starter set" for young Pokémon trainers looking to get some seasoning under their belt in time for the more vast and complex Sword and Shield coming later this year.
7 The Legend Of Zelda: Link's Awakening
The majestic fantasy series known as The Legend of Zelda is one that gamers of just about all ages have been captivated by. Yet, some of the more grandiose renditions of the modern era can be a bit much for the very young crowd. Thankfully, this highly-polished remake of a Game Boy classic makes for the perfect starting point for young boys to dive into the epic land of Hyrule.
The colorful, toy-like aesthetic is both pretty and simplistically charming, as is the gameplay, which tends to be more easy-going and passive compared to most Zelda games. Even most of the satisfying puzzles throughout prove fairly easy for young kids to work through.
6 Super Mario Maker 2
This game is like a delightful, content-filled virtual toybox for kids who love to craft and build, and an absolute treat for both Mario fans and 2D sidescrollers alike.
Super Mario Maker 2 allows young boys to show off their creativity to their friends and others on the internet, as they can make and showcase their own stages, as well as download other user-made content. For the tremendous flexibility and amount of assets you can tinker with, the level designer is relatively simple to get the hang of, especially given the clear tutorials that show you the ropes.
Even for those who aren't keen on the creation toolkit, there's plenty of premade Mario platforming to enjoy between the user-made levels and the included story mode with tons of developer-made stages.
5 Rocket League
There are a couple of key qualities that make for an excellent game; one is its ability to transcend age groups while still being enjoyable. The other involves gameplay that's easy to learn while proving tough to master. The thrilling competitive sports title known as Rocket League runs full throttle with these qualities.
Since its release in 2015, the game has fast become a massive hit, appealing to a variety of gamers ranging from older esports players to young boys who just enjoy driving and flying around in tiny cars. With its simple-to-grasp soccer premise, Rocket League's gameplay is endlessly fun and super easy to get into. The Switch version is especially appealing with its handheld functionality and cool Mario-themed vehicles.
4 Minecraft
Similar to Rocket League, the gaming phenomenon known as Minecraft isn't just a great fit on the Switch but is a great choice for young boys seeking instant, accessible fun. The game's vast and boundless nature provides some truly enjoyable and satisfying sandbox gameplay perfect for adventure-seeking kids. Minecraft also stresses both crafting and building, allowing young children to flex their creative muscle.
There are some more cryptic crafting mechanics and the occasional tricky baddie - those pesky Creepers and Endermen for instance! Yet, the core gameplay as a whole is both appealing and user-friendly.
3 Nintendo Labo
Nintendo Labo feels 1 part art crafting project and 1 part video game.
Older gamers were largely scratching their collective heads over the announcement of a compilation of minigames utilizing cardboard cutouts. Regardless, Labo works as a nice toy-videogame hybrid that's a no-brainer for young kids to get into.
The Variety Kit contains a diverse palette of unique cardboard Switch accessories that allow a child to feel more immersed in their gameplay when playing with them. This includes a fishing rod and keyboard. Assembly can be a bit tricky for the under 10 demographic though, so you'll want to provide some parental assistance, especially when opting for the more complex Robot Kit.
2 Super Mario Party
With this latest MP entry on Switch, Nintendo has dialed back some of the more gimmicky and complex elements found in some older MP efforts and offers a more basic core. As a result, this makes a perfect starting point for a young child to get into the Mario Party franchise. It's simply one of the best in the series, arguably since the n64 days.
It offers a more traditional board game structure with an innovative albeit simplistic system of character-themed dice. More importantly, its minigames manage to be both entertaining and easy to play, often only using basic motion/joystick controls and a single button.
1 Mario Kart 8 Deluxe
You can't beat Mario Kart for some family fun, and Mario Kart 8 Deluxe is the cream of the crop in the series. The gameplay is a breeze, especially with the intuitive wheel turning motion controls that make kids feel like they're in the game. You get tons of content with this Deluxe version too, between the colorful array of imaginative courses (both new and retro), solid online support, and the ever-addictive Balloon Battle mode.
With the palette of game-changing items like the Spiny Shell, young kids and their parents can play together on a relatively even playing field.