Ah, Roblox. A metaverse that the new generation seems to prefer much more than the console games I grew up with. Kids would rather get Robux for their birthdays instead of a brand-new game, it seems.
I guess it’s cool you can customize your character however you want and play a variety of different games with friends. But, there are a lot of issues as a parent I have with the platform… you know, like, who exactly is talking to my kid? Are they only friends from school?
Then there’s some gameplay mechanics that require spending money if you don’t want to wait. How much do game creators earn, and how much does Roblox profit off your games?
Either way, whether you’re fine with Roblox or not, you can’t help but think maybe your cousin, nephew, child, or even students should play something different once in a while.
These are games that at least I can confirm the Roblox fans in my life enjoyed playing and temporarily got them off the game, so maybe yours will be the same. Of course, some of the games on this list really depend on how old your kid is, so you know what’s best for them.
There’s a wide range of ages when it comes to the Roblox generation and I speak from experience as a librarian having to shush both kids and teens for being too loud on the computers while playing. What’s appropriate for a 10-year-old isn’t for a 5-year-old, and vice versa. So again, you know what’s best for the Roblox fan in your life.
I think the best thing to do is introduce them to some of your favorite games, and see if they also become a fan rather than just buying them games that they will never play.
Just get them something you wouldn’t mind playing if they get stuck somewhere.
10 LittleBigPlanet
Someone Please Bring Online Back
I’d say LittleBigPlanet was a precursor to what makes Roblox popular, despite being released after. Some of the user-created levels in LittleBigPlanet are unique and excellent, with some better than some of the story levels. If you’re not a platformer person, the variety of user-made levels is what made LittleBigPlanet fun.
It’d be higher on the list, if only the online component came back. There’s no way to play Jeff the Killer, chill in a Barbie Dream House, or go to Bora Bora Island. These games were all very beloved in my family, and Roblox has its own set of horror games, or chill role-plays that kids play now. Dreams has a couple of great games on it, but it just never kicked off the way LittleBigPlanet did. Something about smacking your friends with a frying pan was classic, but also customizing your sack-person is why players enjoy Roblox.
Whoever hacked the servers that made Media Molecule decide to pull the plug on it, I hope you are happy with yourself for breaking not just mine, but many children’s hearts.
9 Animal Crossing: New Horizons
What Was My Island Became My Daughter’s
This game’s popularity was at the height of the pandemic quarantines. Given nothing to do at home, Animal Crossing was a cozy way of pretending you’re chipping away at that student debt of yours. Afterward, the cozy repetitiveness did get boring for me.
However, this did not stop my daughter from joining the hype, and actually using the Switch I got for her birthday to finally play games on it. She wouldn’t play Zelda, Mario, or Pokémon. But this, this she decides to pick up.
She loved the dreams aspect the most, as in visiting other islands created. She really enjoyed islands that were fandom-based like Sailor Moon, which, for me, was great to see. I wish I had that level of dedication to making my island themed, but really it’s now a joint wonderland between me and her that’s been sitting empty for a while. I think the recreations of IPs is part of why Roblox is so popular, and that’s why this game in particular shined.
8 Pokémon Go
Making The Family Explore The Neighborhood
While my kids won’t sit down and actually play a Pokémon game on the Switch no matter how much I try… for some reason, their cousins that are near the same age loved Pokémon Go and continued to play past its 2016 initial hype. In general, if your child can get into this, it’s a good way to go out for a walk in the neighborhood with them and get those steps in. You might discover something new you didn’t even know you had there.
In library land, the 2016 hype was something we enjoyed marketing. Yes, our branch is a lure stop, you should come in. During our lunch breaks, my colleagues and I would scavenge the neighborhood for other lore stops, and tell other players to head to the library. Fun was making a Pokémon Display featuring our Pokémon manga collection, in which all those books circulated immediately. If not a display, the youth services librarian would make a Pokémon-themed program of some sort.
We need something that will make families go on walks together and head to their local library.
7 Little Nightmares
Adorable Horror & Puzzles
To be honest, this is one of those games you will end up playing more for your kid than them actually playing it, because of the puzzles. However, this does not stop them from falling in love with the gameplay and general aesthetic of the Little Nightmares series. The story is subtle for players, which I think is part of the appeal in that it makes you want to talk about it. The general lore and creepiness is something my daughter fell in love with.
While I myself hate doing certain sections of the series, persevering and getting past it for my daughter’s sake made me feel a bit better as a parent. It’s fun to watch others play this game rather than play it yourself, although it does feel rewarding figuring out some of the puzzle mechanics. The reason horror games are so popular on Roblox is because kids like jump scares. There’s an understanding that this isn’t real, but more of a detailed “tag, you’re it.” It’s a safe space to conquer fear without actual consequences.
6 Hello Neighbor
Sandbox Cozy Horror
This is another title your Roblox-horror fan is probably already a fan of, or even playing a recreation of it on Roblox. The open world nature of “exploring” and “figuring” it out offers a safe space to test boundaries. There’s a slight cozy element to these games, even though getting caught can be quite scary, it’s still a fade to black then reset.
It’s definitely one of those games for older kids, and a game you most likely will have to end up playing for them at certain times. Some of these puzzles involve a lot of trial and error which could be fun for them to figure out, but eventually pass the remote to you… or use a walkthrough. Generally, it’s the jump scares that make this fun for them.
Of course, if your kid doesn’t care about playing through the story, they could just pretend-play with the random items they find.
5 LEGO The Incredibles
It’s Fun To Be In That Universe
Now, this technically could be any LEGO game, more so if it’s one your youngling is a fan of, like Batman or Star Wars. However, mine was in a The Incredibles phase, so this game was perfect. The LEGO games always have some difficult puzzles, and they are best played with someone else. A core bonding experience from the LEGO games is finding both of yourselves stuck somewhere, and just trying to figure it out.
The LEGO games in general are just a great way to spend time with anyone — be it a friend, nephew, or child, despite the frustrating bits of gameplay. Something both my kid and I enjoyed in this game, in particular, was the superhero’s abilities and open-world sandbox. The amount of characters in this game that you have to unlock through challenges is a great way to spend a lot of time… off Roblox.
It’s no wonder Epic acquired LEGO in Fortnite as some sort of way to go against its competitors.
4 Demon Slayer: The Hinokami Chronicles
Anime Games In General
My daughter is a huge Demon Slayer fan, so naturally, this game was right up her alley. Even if the Roblox fan in your life isn’t a Demon Slayer fan, if they like Naruto or Dragon Ball, they might get into actually playing any of their games over Roblox for a period of time.
Or, they might be introduced to those series through the game instead of watching the show. In general, anime games are a decent escape from Roblox, especially since there’s a lot of fan-made games based off those IPs on there anyway. If not anime, then comic book games or something like Star Wars might do.
At least here, you’re actually playing through the storyline and going through the motions of that world. My daughter, who isn’t a reader at all (despite me being a librarian), actually wanted to read the manga series. If you want your kid to get more into reading, manga is a decent place to start, and hopefully they can get into reading novels and more.
Teaching a kid the love of reading is harder than it looks. If you make it a chore or deny what they want to read because it’s not a certain reading level, you risk them negatively associating books. In fact, even Hideo Kojima wasn’t an avid reader until he was stranded at a bookstore.
As someone who has had to spend a lot of time shushing teens and kids for being too loud playing Roblox in the library, at the very least they will find a book to take home after their session. Checking out ten volumes of Naruto is better than not checking out a book at all.
3 Fortnite
The Roblox Competitor
-
- Released
- September 26, 2017
- ESRB
- T for Teen – Diverse Content: Discretion Advised, In-Game Purchases, Users Interact
- Engine
- Unreal Engine 5
- Cross-Platform Play
- All platforms (except iOS/Mac)
- Cross Save
- Via Epic Account
- Number of Players
- 1-4 players (online)
- Split Screen Orientation
- Horizontal Only
- Steam Deck Compatibility
- N/A
- PC Release Date
- September 26, 2017
- Xbox Series X|S Release Date
- November 10, 2020
- PS5 Release Date
- November 12, 2020
- Nintendo Switch Release Date
- June 12, 2018
- Nintendo Switch 2 Release Date
- June 5, 2025
- How Long To Beat
- 64 hours
- X|S Optimized
- YES
- File Size Xbox Series
- 89.89 GB
- Metascore
- 78
- Platforms That Support Crossplay
- Mobile, PC, PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox One & Xbox Series X|S
- PS Plus Availability
- N/A
- Local Co-Op Support
- 1-4 players (certain modes)
- OpenCritic Rating
- Mighty
I vaguely remember during one of my psychology classes, “if you have an addiction, one way to move on from it is to get addicted to something else.” So, while Fortnite is a competitor, you might actually prefer your kid playing that all the time over Roblox. Pick your poison. Fortnite uses V-Bucks and the fear of missing out to get you to buy cosmetics, and there are also user-generated games, but the main allure is the Epic-created games.
I do think Fortnite is more for the entire family, while Roblox isn’t something I’d personally want to play myself unless it was with my kids. I think the appeal of having anime/cartoons you grew up with along with cosmetics your kiddos will know too goes a long way in Fortnite.
If your kid is into game development, they might be better off learning UEFN rather than Roblox Studio. Mainly because a lot of the big AAA releases we are seeing are made in Unreal. It’s cheaper for companies to contract staff who know how the engine works, rather than making their own in-house engine these days.
2 Minecraft
They’re Probably Playing This In School
-
- Released
- November 18, 2011
- ESRB
- E10+ For Everyone 10+ Due To Fantasy Violence
- Engine
- LWJGL, PROPRIETARY ENGINE
- Number of Players
- 1-4
- Split Screen Orientation
- Vertical or Horizontal
- Platform(s)
- 3DS, Android, iOS, Nintendo Switch, Nintendo Wii U, PC, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, PS Vita, Xbox One, Xbox 360
- How Long To Beat
- 129 Hours
- X|S Optimized
- No
- File Size Xbox Series
- 1.42 GB (August 2024)
- Metascore
- 93
- OpenCritic Rating
- Mighty
Most likely, your child’s teachers are already using the educational edition to teach the younglings coding. It’s a great open sandbox for kids, whether they like Creative Mode or Survival Mode. The tons of DLC options are also quite alluring, as everyone likes to customize and look their best.
The highlight for me though, are the recreations of places, whether in real-life or fiction fans have made in the game. For kids, getting to explore or make such worlds is enjoyable.
I would say this is also a competitor to Roblox and Fortnite. In the summer at a branch I worked, kids in the library would literally have their faces on the glass doors, waiting for us to open just to play Minecraft. Oh… the amount of times my colleagues and I had to tell them to lower their voices and end computer sessions because it was just too loud after school, and the kids who were there to do their homework couldn’t. Good times.
1 Goat Simulator
The Greatest Of All Time
This is literally the only game my son will play (surprisingly, he doesn’t care about Roblox) and that my daughter is a fan of too. In fact, this is the first video game both my kids played that turned them into gamers. Just something about being a goat causing havoc made them a fan.
The popularity of Roblox has to do with its sandbox nature, which Goat Simulator does perfectly. Doing certain challenges, which you’ll probably have to do because some of them can be hard gives that customization option that makes Roblox likable. You can play as a dinosaur if you want. If you want to simulate being in an MMORPG, Payday, or a zombie, this game has something there for you.
Between the Easter eggs and downright goofiness, this is definitely a game that’s not fun just for the younglings, but for the entire family to bond over. So yes, the game about goats is literally the greatest of all time. Plus, you don’t have to worry about potential strangers.
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Author: 360 Technology Group
