Educational Video Games That Your Kids Will Love → Royal Baloo

I grew up playing video games. Even though we didn’t have a console at home until I was a teen, there was ample opportunity to play Sega, Nintendo, PC games, etc.

I remember playing Super Mario with my cousins and Sonic the Hedgehog with my neighbor.

I also remember playing The Sims and Civilization on the PC.

And I can’t help but think there are educational pieces to some of these games. I became much more aware of World Wonders and war tactics when playing Civilization. The Sims was a good lesson is how hard it can be to take care of kids and the dangers of fires in the kitchen.

Our kids today have many more opportunities for educational video games. There are entire companies set on creating games with educational components.

The best of these manage to intertwine education with lots of fun. And those are the games that are making it on my list.

Plus, I feel like my kids learn so much from video games and movies and TV shows and, the best part, is that they really enjoy learning through these methods. (Check out this list of the best educational tv shows for kids)

Side note – some of these video games have degrees of violence. It’s up to you to do the research on the video games and decide what you are comfortable with for your kids.

Video Games that Are Educational

Minecraft (PC, Xbox, Playstation, Wii, Switch)

Minecraft is a great option if you’re looking for an educational game. There are so many ways to make Minecraft educational.

First of all, it’s a building game. Kids can build all kinds of things in Minecraft – including, but not limited to, the Eiffel Tower, the Washington Monument, the Hanging Gardens of Babylon…but also things like a house, a tree house, a fort that they can defend, etc.

You can also download some educational packs to add to Minecraft.

Civilization (PC, Xbox, Playstation, Switch)

I’ve played Civilization since it was Civ 2. It’s such a fun game and there is a lot of information that can lead to rabbit holes.

My favorite part was always building the different world wonders. You could build the Library of Alexandria or the Colossus. And each big build like that gives you some advantage. The best part is – it’s realistic.

I feel like the historical aspects of Civilization. I struggle with the fact that anyone from any culture can build any wonder. But I think the game introduces these concepts in such a nice way that it promotes rabbit holes. And, in my opinion, following rabbit holes is one of the most useful freedoms of homeschooling.

Portal and Portal 2 (PC)

Portal is essentially a unique puzzle game. You have to go through a series of situations using portals in creative ways. It’s a very creative game.

I feel like the creative problem solving aspect of Portal (which is integral to the gameplay) is so educational. Problem solving is a skill that all people could use. So starting kids on problem solving skills young is just giving them a leg up.

Sim City (PC)

Sim City is such a classic game. The general idea is that you need to create a city. But the game will also through some disasters at you and your reactions combined with the setup of your city will determine how you fare.

The easiest answer to how Sim City is educational is in the city planning part. But moreso, I think it’s educational because you have to make sound decisions, prepare for the worst, and think ahead.

Spore (PC)

In Spore you start out as a single cell and you have to evolve and grow to play the game.

Spore is great because it illustrates evolution in a unique way. It’ll really highlight the benefits and disadvantages to some parts of evolution.

Oregon Trail (PC)

So many of us grew up playing Oregon Trail that it feels like a classic millennial game. For those who didn’t grow up playing it

The idea is that you have to travel from Independence, Missouri to Oregon. But you’re traveling in a covered wagon and susceptible to all kinds of things – from disease , injury, drowning, etc.

I’m not sure how realistic the game is but I can tell you that it was really hard to win. There were so many ways to die. I think it’s valuable in realizing how treacherous the route of the Oregon Trail was for our ancestors.

And the game also brings to light some parts of the early U.S. that we don’t have to deal with anymore.

Assassins Creed (PC, Xbox, Playstation)

I’ve never actually played Assassins Creed, the game. I bought the game entirely for the portion where you can explore Alexandria. My kids tell me the game itself has little educational value.

However, the opportunity to walk through Alexandria, Egypt in Assassins Creed Origins is a unique experience. It may not be 100% accurate (the truth is, we don’t know much about what Alexandria looked like in history) but Ubisoft definitely did their homework.

There’s also Assassin’s Creed Odyssey which offers a discovery tour of ancient Greece.

Ticket to Ride Online (PC, iOS, Android)

Ticket to Ride is one of my favorite board games and I’m so excited they have a video game version. The game is all about building a railroad and connecting cities across a country. There are versions for so many countries.

I love the geography aspect of Ticket to Ride. And the video game version is great for geography, too.

Ark Survival Evolved (PC, Xbox, Playstation)

Ark Survival Evolved is a game where you are on an island filled with dinosaurs (and other prehistoric animals) and you must survive.

The dinosaurs are, for the most part, scientifically accurate. There may be a few inconsistencies here and there but those are mostly due to slightly outdated information and not complete fabrication of facts.

Educational Video Games

Now I want to go into educational video games.

So what’s the difference between these games and the games above?

The games above are games people would play even if they weren’t educational. They’re fun and engaging. The education bit is a side benefit.

The games below are ones that are educational and fun. But typically, kids (or adults) wouldn’t choose them over another game.

To be fair, I think there are benefits to games like these. They bring a sense of fun to education. But I don’t think it’s fair to put them in the same category as the games above.