Educational games don’t always have the best reputation for keeping everyone entertained. Educational Family Games is aiming to change that, bringing a huge collection of quick-fire challenges to Xbox.
Present and correct for Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S and PC for £20.99, with Xbox Play Anywhere support, this one has been designed around local multiplayer rather than online play, ensuring it is suitable for everyone in the same room.
At A Glance
- Game: Educational Family Games
- Developer/Publisher: Crazysoft Limited
- Platforms: Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, PC, Play Anywhere
- Price: £20.99
80 Games For The Whole Family
Educational Family Games brings together 80 mini-games spread across five interactive game boards, with challenges covering a surprisingly broad range of subjects and skills.
There are maths and geography questions alongside memory, logic, science, chemistry, art and anatomy challenges, but things can get considerably more chaotic too. One minute you might be answering questions, while the next sees you racing bicycles, dodging fireballs, flying rockets or competing in a two-versus-two challenge.
The idea is to keep each game night moving rather than settling into the same routine. Players can collect gems, spend them on crowns and compete to finish at the top of the leaderboard.
Made For The Living Room
The biggest selling point is arguably the game’s focus on local multiplayer. Up to four people can play together, while solo players can take on the AI.
There is no online multiplayer here, with Educational Family Games instead deliberately targeting families and friends who are sitting together. If you don’t have enough controllers, compatible Android and iOS smartphones can also be turned into local gamepads using the free GamePad Link companion app.
No Reading Required
Accessibility is another interesting part of the package. Every instruction, word and character is fully voiced in 19 languages, meaning players don’t need to be confident readers to join in.
That broadens the intended audience considerably, with the game pitched at everyone from pre-readers through to grandparents. It is also completely violence-free, reinforcing the idea that this is intended to be a shared family experience rather than another competitive game designed around combat.
We previously looked at Educational Games for Kids from the same developer back in 2020, finding that while it wasn’t perfect, there was genuine care behind the collection. We noted at the time that children would likely get plenty of enjoyment from it, and Educational Family Games appears to take that basic idea and expand it into something much more deliberately suited to the entire family.
A Different Kind Of Game Night
Educational Family Games isn’t trying to be the next big online multiplayer sensation. Yet with 80 different challenges, four-player local support and a mixture of educational activities and more traditional party-game silliness, it could make an interesting addition to a family games collection.
For £20.99 from the Xbox Store, Xbox and PC players can now turn the living room into a classroom, quiz show and chaotic party venue all at once. Just don’t expect the youngest player to let you forget it when they beat you at maths.
