If you have a kid who’s even a little interested in space or rockets, Kerbal Space Program is the game for you. It puts you in command of a space program and lets you build rockets to orbit the planet, reach the moon, and explore other worlds—if you can work out the complicated logistics of space travel, of course. Your kid will probably start with the anarchistic fun of building improbably powerful death rockets that inevitably explode on the landing pad, and progresses until they’re launching working missions to other planets. Along the way, they’ll learn all about gravity, telemetry, orbits, thrust, power, etc. without being aware that they’re becoming a rocket scientist.
Platforms: PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Microsoft Windows, MacOS, Xbox Series S and Series X, Wii U