The best children games for 4 years and older 2025
In 2025 looking for a good game for your child from 4 years? Our overview lists card, dice, and board games that can be played by kids (and adults) ages 4-6.
Board games bridge generations. Most of the games in this list are great fun not only for kids but also for adults. However, they only show their true potential when played together with children.
It is important that the needs and abilities of the children are respected and considered - sensible encouragement and challenge is required here. We have paid close attention to what four-year-old, five-year-old and six-year-old children need and are able to do. The games listed here should neither under- nor overchallenge your kids.
The best board games for all ages
For those who have kids of a different age, we've created more lists with board games separated by age group.
A list of games for kids of all ages can be found here: The best children's games.
The best board games for children over 4 years:
But now to our overview with the best games for children from 4 years 2025:
Rhino Hero: Super Battle
Rhino Hero: Super Battle is a captivating 3D stacking game that sees the return of Rhino Hero, this time joined by fellow super-heroes Giraffe Boy, Big E., and Batguin. Players engage in an exciting challenge of building a wobbly skyscraper while navigating fierce battles among these charismatic characters. The game adds an extra layer of fun with the presence of mischievous spider monkeys that players must contend with during their skyscraper construction and superhero battles.
Nominated for 5 awards and won 3.
More details for Rhino Hero: Super Battle- 2 - 4 Players
- 10 - 20 Minutes
- 5+ years old
- Immediately playable
Video reviews for Rhino Hero: Super Battle
Outfoxed!
Outfoxed! invites you into a whimsical detective chase after Mrs. Plumpert's missing prized pot pie. It's a cooperative game where players work together to gather clues, eliminate suspects, and catch the cunning fox before it escapes. The game introduces a unique evidence scanner mechanism that adds a fun twist to deducing the thief among a lineup of potential foxes.
Nominated for 3 awards and won 2.
More details for Outfoxed!- 2 - 4 Players
- 20 Minutes
- 5+ years old
- Immediately playable
Rhino Hero
Rhino Hero is a dexterity-based card game that combines elements of building and strategy. Players take turns constructing a skyscraper with walls and roof cards, while moving a heroic rhino figurine up the building.
Nominated for 2 awards.
More details for Rhino Hero- 2 - 5 Players
- 5 - 15 Minutes
- 5+ years old
- Immediately playable
Animal Upon Animal
Animal Upon Animal (original title: Tier auf Tier) is a delightful and family-friendly stacking game that challenges players to carefully balance wooden animal figures to create an ever-growing pyramid. The game is designed for all ages, showcasing both fun and skill in a simple yet engaging format.
Nominated for 5 awards and won 1.
⭐️ Nominated for Kinderspiel des Jahres 2005
More details for Animal Upon Animal- 2 - 4 Players
- 15 Minutes
- 4+ years old
- Immediately playable
Dragomino
The big moment has arrived. You have been appointed as a "Dragon Trainer" with the chance to encounter dragons on a mysterious island. Compete with other trainers to discover the most baby dragons while searching for dragon eggs.
Nominated for 9 awards and won 5.
⭐️ Kinderspiel des Jahres 2021
More details for Dragomino- 2 - 4 Players
- 15 Minutes
- 5+ years old
- Immediately playable
Loopin' Louie
Loopin' Louie is a light-hearted, action-packed board game that is as silly as it is addictive. Designed for players of all ages, this game centers around protecting your chickens from a looping airplane piloted by Louie.
Nominated for 4 awards and won 3.
⭐️ Spiel des Jahres 1994
⭐️ Kinderspiel des Jahres 2006
More details for Loopin' Louie- 2 - 4 Players
- 10 Minutes
- 4+ years old
- Immediately playable
Gulo Gulo
Gulo Gulo is an innovative and family-friendly board game that challenges players with a unique and tactile experience. In this game, players take on the roles of wolverines (Gulos) on a daring mission to rescue a baby Gulo from the clutches of a swamp vulture. However, the rescue mission is not straightforward, as the adult Gulos are tempted by the delicious eggs of the swamp vulture, leading to a series of precarious attempts to steal the eggs without triggering an alarm.
Nominated for 2 awards.
⭐️ Nominated for Kinderspiel des Jahres 2003
More details for Gulo Gulo- 2 - 6 Players
- 15 - 20 Minutes
- 5+ years old
- Immediately playable
Time's Up! Kids
Players give hints for their teammates to guess a word or phrase in a lively gameplay format. What sets this version apart is the use of cards featuring only images, with no text. The game consists of two rounds using the same set of cards; players can describe them in the first round and mimic the hints in the second round to accumulate points.
Nominated for 1 award.
More details for Time's Up! Kids- 2 - 12 Players
- 20 Minutes
- 4+ years old
- Immediately playable
Ribbit
Ribbit (formerly known as Schildkrötenrennen or "Turtle Race" in its original version) offers a delightful, strategic race experience suited for families and players of all ages. This game is built around the concept of racing turtles—or frogs, in the reprint—across a field to reach a tasty salad.
Nominated for 4 awards.
⭐️ Nominated for Kinderspiel des Jahres 2005
⭐️ Nominated for Kinderspiel des Jahres 2005
More details for Ribbit- 2 - 5 Players
- 20 Minutes
- 5+ years old
- Immediately playable
Concept Kids: Animals
Players cooperate in a version of the game designed for children who cannot yet read. They take turns trying to have others guess an animal by using symbols on the game board to indicate characteristics of that animal. With 110 animals to guess, divided into two difficulty levels, this beautifully illustrated communication game helps children discover the world of animals in a fun and innovative way.
Nominated for 2 awards and won 1.
More details for Concept Kids: Animals- 2 - 12 Players
- 20 Minutes
- 4+ years old
- Immediately playable
Video reviews for Concept Kids: Animals
Stomp the Plank
Players take on the role of mischievous young pirates. They aim to steal treasures from Captain Giraffe's chest while blaming their fellow pirates. Caution is needed; if caught, they'll walk the plank! The first player to fall off loses the game.
Nominated for 7 awards and won 5.
More details for Stomp the Plank- 2 - 4 Players
- 15 - 20 Minutes
- 5+ years old
- Immediately playable
Viva Topo!
Players guide their mice from the starting point to various goals, with farther goals offering more cheese as points. A cat chases the mice, removing them from the game if caught. Movement is determined by a die, with the added twist that rolls of "1" also move the cat, creating a risk-reward balance as players try to outpace the feline and gather cheese.
Nominated for 4 awards and won 3.
⭐️ Kinderspiel des Jahres 2003
⭐️ Nominated for Kinderspiel des Jahres 2003
More details for Viva Topo!- 2 - 4 Players
- 20 - 30 Minutes
- 4+ years old
- Immediately playable
My First Carcassonne
My First Carcassonne, also known as Carcassonne Junior, introduces the iconic tile-laying gameplay of the classic Carcassonne to a younger audience. This game captures the essence of the original while simplifying the mechanics to make it accessible for children, making it a wonderful entry point into the world of board games.
Nominated for 6 awards and won 3.
More details for My First Carcassonne- 2 - 4 Players
- 10 - 20 Minutes
- 4+ years old
- Immediately playable
Video reviews for My First Carcassonne
Monza
Monza is a car racing game designed for children. Players roll six identical dice, moving their cars based on the colors shown on the dice. The game encourages tactical thinking and color recognition, making it suitable for children aged 5 and up, though younger kids can also join in the fun.
Nominated for 1 award.
More details for Monza- 2 - 6 Players
- 10 - 15 Minutes
- 5+ years old
- Immediately playable
Video reviews for Monza
Magic Mountain
Players aim to pull the apprentices down the mountain before the witches reach the bottom. They place supports on the board to raise the starting area and set up their pieces. By drawing colored will-o'-the-wisps and moving figures along the path, strategic decisions come into play to either advance their apprentices or delay the witches. Winning requires getting four apprentices down the mountain before three witches do, with options to adjust the game's difficulty for more variation.
Nominated for 6 awards and won 3.
⭐️ Kinderspiel des Jahres 2022
More details for Magic Mountain- 1 - 6 Players
- 15 Minutes
- 5+ years old
- Immediately playable
Animal Upon Animal: Balancing Bridge
Players stack animals in this exciting game for 2-4 participants aged 5 to 99. Flamingos, giraffes, panthers, bats, and iguanas embark on an adventurous journey across a shaky hanging bridge. Each player has three secret stacking tasks involving specific animals, and the first to complete these tasks skillfully wins the game.
Nominated for 4 awards and won 1.
More details for Animal Upon Animal: Balancing Bridge- 2 - 4 Players
- 15 Minutes
- 5+ years old
- Immediately playable
My First Stone Age
Join Jonon and Jada, two children from the Stone Age, on a journey to rediscover how the first humans settled the world around them. In this children's version of the classic family game, players collect resources and build their own settlement.
Nominated for 8 awards and won 5.
⭐️ Kinderspiel des Jahres 2016
More details for My First Stone Age- 2 - 4 Players
- 15 Minutes
- 5+ years old
- Immediately playable
Video reviews for My First Stone Age
Treasure, Ready, Go!
More details for Treasure, Ready, Go!The objective is to collect the most treasures, awarded by completing tasks. Players turn the hourglass and reveal a treasure card on each turn, completing various tasks before time runs out, such as pantomiming animals or matching cards. They can choose to flip over another card for a chance at more treasures, but if time expires, they lose all accumulated treasure cards.
- 2 - 4 Players
- 15 Minutes
- 5+ years old
- Immediately playable
Animal Upon Animal: Crest Climbers
More details for Animal Upon Animal: Crest ClimbersPlayers roll dice and either place one or two animals on a stack, pass an animal to another player, or expand the base for others to build on. If animals fall during construction, players can retrieve up to two. The first player to use up all their animals wins.
- 2 - 4 Players
- 15 Minutes
- 4+ years old
- Immediately playable
Chicken Cha Cha Cha
Chicken Cha Cha Cha is a delightful and engaging memory game that combines the whimsy of chickens learning to dance with the challenge of strategic movement and memory. Players become chickens vying to out-memorize and outmaneuver their opponents around a circuitous path, aiming to collect the tail feathers of their rivals by accurately recalling the images hidden on octagonal tiles.
Nominated for 4 awards and won 4.
⭐️ Spiel des Jahres 1998
🔥 Deal: 5% cheaper than the best Geizhals deal, likely for a short time only!
More details for Chicken Cha Cha Cha- 2 - 4 Players
- 15 - 20 Minutes
- 4+ years old
- Immediately playable
Dragon's Breath
During an expedition, the dragon children Mira, Feo, Luna, and Diego discover a sparkling treasure: a pillar of ice filled with glittering stones. Unable to carry it back to their cave, they decide to melt it with the help of their father, who breathes fire to melt the ice, allowing them to collect the precious stones. Players aim to gather the most sparkling stones for their cave by selecting tiles, lifting ice rings, and collecting the fallen gems.
Nominated for 3 awards and won 2.
⭐️ Kinderspiel des Jahres 2018
More details for Dragon's Breath- 2 - 4 Players
- 15 - 20 Minutes
- 5+ years old
- Immediately playable
Trötofant
More details for TrötofantPlayers represent elephants and try to collect as many logs as possible, which are placed on a tree crown. By pulling on a string, the tree spins, and players must use their trunks, represented by tooters, to pick up the logs and place them in their own enclosures. Each log is worth 1 point, unless it has a mouse on it, in which case it is worth -1 point. The game ends when the tree is empty or stops spinning, and the player with the most points wins.
- 2 - 4 Players
- 10 Minutes
- 5+ years old
- Immediately playable
Nacht der Magier
The premise is simple: a board rests on a platform filled with wooden discs, trees, and other objects. In the center lies a ring of light covered by a cardboard disc and a flickering flame, with the cauldrons circling around it. Players aim to push their cauldron towards the ring of light by pressing pieces on the board, but the twist is that the game is played in complete darkness, making everything except the glowing elements invisible.
Nominated for 13 awards and won 5.
⭐️ Nominated for Kinderspiel des Jahres 2006
⭐️ Nominated for Kinderspiel des Jahres 2006
More details for Nacht der Magier- 2 - 4 Players
- 10 - 20 Minutes
- 5+ years old
- Immediately playable
That's Pretty Clever! Kids
Collect balloons, gifts, candles, and mountains of sweets at the birthday party. Players roll dice and select their desired items while others take what's left over. Each color coded area on their scoring sheets has different rules for checking off items, and completing sections will earn them rainbow stars. The game ends once a player marks all items in an area, and the player with the most stars wins.
Nominated for 2 awards.
⭐️ Nominated for Kinderspiel des Jahres 2022
More details for That's Pretty Clever! Kids- 2 - 4 Players
- 15 Minutes
- 5+ years old
- Immediately playable
The Enchanted Tower
The princess has once again been captured by an evil wizard, and it's time to rescue her from the enchanted tower. One player takes on the role of the wizard, who hides a key under one of 16 spaces on the board. The other players, as Robin, must find the key before the wizard does. Once found, they can attempt to unlock one of the towers; if they choose correctly, they win the game.
Nominated for 7 awards and won 3.
⭐️ Kinderspiel des Jahres 2013
⭐️ Nominated for Kinderspiel des Jahres 2013
🔥 Deal: 15% cheaper than the best Geizhals deal, likely for a short time only!
More details for The Enchanted Tower- 2 - 4 Players
- 15 - 25 Minutes
- 5+ years old
- Immediately playable
Zoo Run
More details for Zoo RunPlayers create animals by combining cards to help them escape in cooperative mode or to win the race of the year in competitive mode. The game features specific mechanics where players match three animal tails on the left with three heads on the right, including a llama, panda, turtle, elephant, or lynx. The objective is to find the best combination of these cards to complete the most animals with matching heads and tails.
- 1 - 5 Players
- 10 - 20 Minutes
- 4+ years old
- Immediately playable
Loopin' Chewie
This 2- to 3-player version features a Star Wars theme. Chewbacca in the Millennium Falcon aims to eliminate the other players' Stormtroopers. The player with Stormtroopers remaining wins the game.
Nominated for 1 award.
More details for Loopin' Chewie- 2 - 3 Players
- 10 - 15 Minutes
- 4+ years old
- Immediately playable
Mäuse-Rallye
More details for Mäuse-RallyePlayers control mice racing along a track while avoiding falling into holes. If a player falls into a hole, they temporarily become a cat, disrupting the other players until the round ends. The winner is the mouse that collects the most cheese by completing laps on the track.
- 2 - 4 Players
- 20 Minutes
- 5+ years old
- Immediately playable
Käseklau!
More details for Käseklau!Max Mouse is on the hunt for cheese. But watch out! When the cat Camilla comes around, all the cheese will disappear. This is a cat-and-mouse game for 2 to 4 cheese collectors.
- 2 - 4 Players
- 10 Minutes
- 5+ years old
- Immediately playable
Spooky Stairs
The "Spooky Stairs" takes place in an old castle ruin where players race to reach the top first. Wisely navigating the stairway, they must avoid a ghost that can transform them into spirits one by one. Players roll a enchanted die to move up, and if they roll a "ghost," they can make another player's piece disappear, requiring everyone to remember where their pieces are hidden.
Nominated for 7 awards and won 5.
⭐️ Kinderspiel des Jahres 2004
⭐️ Nominated for Kinderspiel des Jahres 2004
More details for Spooky Stairs- 2 - 4 Players
- 10 - 15 Minutes
- 4+ years old
- Immediately playable
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