If your household’s idea of family game night still involves a Monopoly board with half the money missing, November has delivered a few alternatives. In the space of a week, Outright Games released a digital collection of Hasbro’s Junior board games, NIS America put out a four-player party game starring Disgaea’s exploding penguins, and Nintendo launched the Switch 2 Edition of Pikmin 4. Add October’s Sesame Street game and there’s now a decent spread for every age from preschool up.
We haven’t played these, so this isn’t a review roundup. It’s a guide to what each game is, who it’s aimed at and what it costs in Australia, based on publisher information and store listings, so you can work out which ones deserve a closer look before Christmas.
The quick comparison
| Game | Best for | Players | Platforms | Steam price (AU) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hasbro Games Junior Collection | Young kids and parents | 1 to 4 local | Switch, Switch 2, PS4, PS5, Xbox Series X|S, PC | A$41.95 |
| Sesame Street: Friends & Fun | Preschoolers | 1 to 2 local co-op | Switch, PS4, PS5, Xbox Series X|S, PC | A$41.95 |
| Prinny Party: Going Overboard! | Older kids, teens and adults | 1 to 4 | Switch, Switch 2, PS5, PC | A$41.95 |
| Pikmin 4 Switch 2 Edition | Families with a Switch 2 | 1 to 2 in Dandori Battles | Switch 2 only | AU$99.95 (Nintendo SRP) |
Steam prices are standard Australian prices at the time of writing, and some were discounted on the day we checked. Console prices vary by retailer.
Hasbro Games Junior Collection
Released on 6 November, this collection puts three of Hasbro’s simplified board games in one package: Monopoly Junior, The Game of Life Junior and Cluedo Junior (Clue Junior in North America). Outright Games says it’s the first time the three have been together in a video game.
The rules are pared back for small hands. In Monopoly Junior you roll, buy properties and collect money around the board, The Game of Life Junior has you spinning, making choices and collecting stars, and Cluedo Junior turns the murder mystery into a gentle clue hunt. Up to four players can play locally, and you can customise avatars and unlock outfits as you go. Steam lists Casual Brothers as the developer.
Who it’s for: families who already play the physical versions and want them on the TV, or a rainy-day option where nobody has to pack up a thousand tiny pieces. Outright only mentions local multiplayer, so plan on it being a same-couch affair.
Sesame Street: Friends & Fun
Outright Games calls this the first major Sesame Street console game in 15 years, and it’s aimed squarely at preschoolers. Developed by Infinigon and released on 9 October, it has you create a character, move onto Sesame Street and help Elmo, Cookie Monster, Abby Cadabby and the rest prepare for a giant block party through more than 100 activities and mini-games.
The design brief is gentle: simple controls, positive reinforcement and no pressure. A parent, sibling or friend can join in two-player local co-op, which is the real selling point for very young players who need a hand. A new accolades trailer landed this week, and with new Sesame Street episodes arriving on Netflix from 23 November, it’s well timed for the holidays.
Prinny Party: Going Overboard!
This is the one for older kids and adults who enjoy a bit of friendly betrayal. Released on 11 November by NIS America, it’s a four-player board game with RPG systems, starring the Prinnies, the penguin-like mascots of Nippon Ichi’s Disgaea series.
You move around the board, earn experience, gear up and complete quests, then team up when a boss appears. The twist is that only the player who brings the boss back gets the credit, so cooperation lasts about as long as it’s useful. You can pick up and throw other players, build and upgrade facilities such as hospitals and armouries (which rivals can also use), and pass bills at the Assembly to triple your damage or build a cannon, a nod to Disgaea’s demonic politics. If everyone dies at once, it’s game over for the lot of you.
It’s rated E10+ by the ESRB in North America. Text is English and the voice audio is Japanese, which is worth knowing if your kids aren’t confident readers. Steam lists a free demo, so you can test it before spending anything.
Pikmin 4 – Nintendo Switch 2 Edition + Dandori Academy
Nintendo’s offering is the most polished of the bunch and the most expensive. The Switch 2 Edition of Pikmin 4 launched on 12 November at AU$99.95, or AU$20 as an upgrade if you already own the 2023 original. It adds voice commands for Oatchi, a new Dandori Academy mode of timed challenges, and two-player Dandori Battles locally or online.
Pikmin 4 was already the most accessible game in the series, and its gentle, puzzle-based strategy works well with a parent and child sharing the planning. There’s a free demo on the eShop, and your progress carries over.
Which one to pick
For under-fives, Sesame Street is the obvious choice, built for co-op with a grown-up. For primary school kids who already love board games, the Hasbro collection is the safe bet. For a group of older kids or adults who don’t mind a few broken friendships, Prinny Party is the most interesting design here. And if there’s a Switch 2 in the house, Pikmin 4 is the one with the most depth for the whole family.
Whatever you choose, try the demos where they exist, and check reviews as they appear. Family games are often released with little coverage, and a few minutes of play will tell you more than any trailer.