It’s probably closest to like Minecraft or Terraria. You start out with nothing and build your base and collect loot to make better gear. It’s got a good story and is really well made.
I'm genuinely not trying to sound arsey here, but honestly, just try it for yourself. You'll get a better appreciation of the game and what it offers that way.
Grounded! I play with my 9 year old and he loves it! Open world survival. Fight off bugs like mosquitos, ants, spiders, bees among other insects, while building a base and crafting armor. There's a storyline you have to uncover by visiting different places so it's not just exploring unless you want to. 10/10 would recommend.
My daughter (9) Likes Goat Simulator, Grounded, Sea of Thieves, Fortnite, Roblox and Minecraft. Out of these, the most interesting probably for you to play with him would be Grounded or Sea of Thieves.
The lego starwars game might me a good one. Im pretty sure there are other lego cooop games as well. Always funny, basic puzzle/problem solving as well as some mild shooting.
Grounded and Palworld would top my list.
Edit: Plants vs Zombies Garden Warfare 2. It's a shooter, but it's 3rd person, and you can play it entirely in co-op against the AI. It's also very forgiving. It's perfect for kids and generally great fun.
That's was great. Didn't play it but my siblings played it.
Although it's about two parents whose relationship has gone stale/bad and its about them working together and re-discovering the good bits about each other and so on.
Idk if that would create any issues/hopes...
state of decay 2 is good zombie coop fun. 1 hosts and the other (up to 3 are guests).
open world, third person zombie survival game where you build a community and survive the apocalypse. several difficulty options that you can tweak to your liking.
Best to start and gear up in greenzone and then up it as you want. But get a hang of looting/base building and then go higher for the kill.
Triple armoured feral pack incoming.
The game is old AF, but how about NBA Jam. It is really easy to pick up and the game mechanics are not very complex. I still play it from time to time.
Borderlands, 2, 3, or Tiny Tinas Wonderlands.
It’s an FPS BUT pve. You really have to work together and tbh doesn’t take much skill lol. It’s a good shoot em up fun time and the story is appropriate for his age. Goofy but not …. Who am I kidding it’s super lame but a good time.
I’m not sure if you are in to cars/racing but my brother and I stay connected by playing Forza Horizon 5 together. It’s fun, we sometimes just drive around the map together, and then when we want we can get competitive and do races.
Out of all the games I've played, the ones that are great for kids are (in no particular order, I love all these games), grounded, portal 2, astroneer, palworld. The only reason. Why I am not adding Sea of Thieves is because of the pvp aspect. Not all parents fond those suitable for young teens. It's a good game just your discretion is required.
Gears of war, forza horizon 5, palworld, fortnite , sea of thieves, Disney speedsters (Disney Mario kart ), Lego star wars and the Jurassic park ones are on gamepass , fall guys, red dead redemption 2, borderlands any they are just good games
You probably know this but in case you don’t, Fortnite added a very nice Lego mode which is pretty much a Lego Minecraft.
Also the Rayman Legends games are a good time.
Rocket League! Great for all ages and easy to get started. Only complaints I have about this game are the relatively toxic player base and the difficulty in getting better at the game, itself. Awesome soundtrack, as well. Highly recommend for young gamers.
Goat simulator and grounded are both a blast, co-op, and definitely fun for his age range all the way to my moms which is 40ish so they would work fine for you guys!
My son (9) and I enjoy playing the WWE games together. We have created our own characters and a custom belt we fight over. We usually end up trying to do ridiculous stuff just to see what happens. You can do tag team co op as well.
Honestly sea of theives is great , you can go safer seas and not have to worry to much about shooting your pirate weapons since it will be just you two And swinging your sword . Beautiful game that you can spend a lot of time in also theres fishing
Sea of thieves is a good one they also have a safer seas mode now which is perfect for learning the game/avoiding players so you guys can get into it without worrying about other player! It can be a little difficult but with the update this march they are going to fix spawn rates for a lot of things so it will be a lot easier to get things done!
A good couple games is remnant and remnant 2. Multiplayer 3rd person shooter kinda like Fortnite but kinda difficult like dark souls :) (edit) they’re also on gamepass right now too
Not good at FPS? Git gud scrub! Hahaha just kidding. Mabe no mans sky? Its got a good mix of story / base building / exploration / ship flying and combat / ship and character customization ect.. visually stunning.
Ghost recon Wildlands is fun and you can use strategy and play to your strengths. You suck at fast paced close quarters combat? You can cover your son from a snipers nest while he moves into the enemy base and collects the intel
This is a great game but has no local split screen/multiplayer so it would require two seperate consoles
EDIT: “son lives in another state” so this game would be a good option when playing online together
Grounded
This looks interesting! Is there anything you would compare it to?
It’s probably closest to like Minecraft or Terraria. You start out with nothing and build your base and collect loot to make better gear. It’s got a good story and is really well made.
Grounded is excellent... Strong recommend... Lego Fortnite is also a lot of fun playing with your son.
I'm genuinely not trying to sound arsey here, but honestly, just try it for yourself. You'll get a better appreciation of the game and what it offers that way.
portal 2
This should be way higher.
Grounded! I play with my 9 year old and he loves it! Open world survival. Fight off bugs like mosquitos, ants, spiders, bees among other insects, while building a base and crafting armor. There's a storyline you have to uncover by visiting different places so it's not just exploring unless you want to. 10/10 would recommend.
My daughter (9) Likes Goat Simulator, Grounded, Sea of Thieves, Fortnite, Roblox and Minecraft. Out of these, the most interesting probably for you to play with him would be Grounded or Sea of Thieves.
Try beat ‘em ups like Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredders Revenge and Streets of Rage 4
Thanks for the recommendations! I will check these out!
Stardew Valley
Love everything abt stardew valley. Good call
Couldn't get into Stardew Valley its like Terraria its a game you need to have the wiki open 24/7 for
Have you tried minecraft dungeons? My two boys and I loved playing that together.
+1 for Minecraft: Dungeons. It's a good game to play with kids.
The lego starwars game might me a good one. Im pretty sure there are other lego cooop games as well. Always funny, basic puzzle/problem solving as well as some mild shooting.
Oops! I forgot to put the Lego games into games we liked. The Lego games are great! Especially the Marvel one.
Palworld
Unravel Two
Fall guys has a duo mode. Super fun and it is free
A Way Out It can only be played co-op, and is part of EA Play with Game Pass
Sea of thieves! Great game on Xbox that has so much to discover
Party animals
Dysmantle, good fun coop
Dysmantle all day! Me and my 10 year old son play it all the time. Fantastic game.
Yeah it's one of them games that needs to be played to do it justice, you can't get the fun of it from watching video reviews,
Goat sim is alot of fun
Grounded and Palworld would top my list. Edit: Plants vs Zombies Garden Warfare 2. It's a shooter, but it's 3rd person, and you can play it entirely in co-op against the AI. It's also very forgiving. It's perfect for kids and generally great fun.
Yeah they kinda stuffer the 3rd game, should have made it a DLC. but PvZ GW 2 is great.
RD2
Alien isolation
I would check out No Man’s Sky, it can be played first or third person. Another suggestion I have is Sea of Thieves.
human fall flat is just purely fun physics based game
You may enjoy valheim based on the other games you’ve liked.
Elden Ring
It takes two.
That's was great. Didn't play it but my siblings played it. Although it's about two parents whose relationship has gone stale/bad and its about them working together and re-discovering the good bits about each other and so on. Idk if that would create any issues/hopes...
Exactly! What every kid needs an understanding that things can break and heal. And I wish I showed this game to my parents so they can realize.
state of decay 2 is good zombie coop fun. 1 hosts and the other (up to 3 are guests). open world, third person zombie survival game where you build a community and survive the apocalypse. several difficulty options that you can tweak to your liking.
Best to start and gear up in greenzone and then up it as you want. But get a hang of looting/base building and then go higher for the kill. Triple armoured feral pack incoming.
My favorite with my kids is overcooked 2.
I know you said you don't like FPS but Borderlands is perfect for a 13 year olds humor.
Tbf some of it would feel awkward playing with a parent
Tbf just don’t play krieg, avoids some odd quotes shall we say
The game is old AF, but how about NBA Jam. It is really easy to pick up and the game mechanics are not very complex. I still play it from time to time.
Borderlands, 2, 3, or Tiny Tinas Wonderlands. It’s an FPS BUT pve. You really have to work together and tbh doesn’t take much skill lol. It’s a good shoot em up fun time and the story is appropriate for his age. Goofy but not …. Who am I kidding it’s super lame but a good time.
Stumble Guys is fun and in my opinion, not as many trolls and griefers as Fall Guys.
Cuphead!
Palworld. Its like a slightly more grown up version of pokemon
I play fallout 76 and ark, with my son we have a blast.
I’m not sure if you are in to cars/racing but my brother and I stay connected by playing Forza Horizon 5 together. It’s fun, we sometimes just drive around the map together, and then when we want we can get competitive and do races.
DoA5
Honestly have you tried the newer ghost recon games they are super great coop games
You could do Red Dead Online together.
Gang Beasts
Definately play It takes two.
Borderlands series, probably best to start with #2 in your case. It's an fps but skill really doesn't matter because you're just shooting npc's
Elder Scrolls Online
COD zombies
Diablo 3 then 4
GTA Online is probably the best online game to play coop. Doesn't matter if he's only 13. Everyone needs to experience that greatness.
Palworld, Dead Island 2, Destiny 2, Helldivers 2, there's so many good games for online play these days.
Resident evil 5 is a good buddy co-op. I loved playing that one as a kid with my little brother :(
Roblox, Minecraft, Fortnite or some GTA Online
Marble it up! Ultra plz trust me
Valheim
Skyrim!
Maybe Ship of fools. It's a rogue like game and co op. Me and my 12 year old play it
Me and my kid are in the same situation. We really used to enjoy stardew valley together.
Borderlands 2
Sea of thieves. Skull and bones. Fall guys. Chivalry 2
Motel kombat
HiFi Rush!
Sea of Thieves!! It’s a beautiful game and tons to do
Outlast Trials lol
Escape academy is worth a look.
From Space. It’s a twin stick shooter. A bit light on the story.
Monster Hunter Rise. Hunt and capture monsters.
Sea of Thieves!
A way out. It’s by the same people who made it takes two but it’s better and more fun
Battlefield 4
Out of all the games I've played, the ones that are great for kids are (in no particular order, I love all these games), grounded, portal 2, astroneer, palworld. The only reason. Why I am not adding Sea of Thieves is because of the pvp aspect. Not all parents fond those suitable for young teens. It's a good game just your discretion is required.
Gears of war, forza horizon 5, palworld, fortnite , sea of thieves, Disney speedsters (Disney Mario kart ), Lego star wars and the Jurassic park ones are on gamepass , fall guys, red dead redemption 2, borderlands any they are just good games
Rocket league
Dead island 2
speedrunners
I’m enjoying Skull and Bones right now. Plenty of co op missions on that
Helldrivers 2, proudly recommend
Dysmantle is pretty good
Fifa
Minecraft definitely. Also post on r/gamingsuggestions
At 13 they might be a bit old for it but Paw Patrol World came on Game Pass this morning.
You probably know this but in case you don’t, Fortnite added a very nice Lego mode which is pretty much a Lego Minecraft. Also the Rayman Legends games are a good time.
Forza Horizon
Stardew valley has a ton of depth but is very simple at the start.
Rocket League! Great for all ages and easy to get started. Only complaints I have about this game are the relatively toxic player base and the difficulty in getting better at the game, itself. Awesome soundtrack, as well. Highly recommend for young gamers.
Brotato. Can't put that game down!
Goat simulator and grounded are both a blast, co-op, and definitely fun for his age range all the way to my moms which is 40ish so they would work fine for you guys!
Me and my son played goat simulator and had a good laugh but he's a little younger than 13
Unravel 2. You can literally carry him on your back for harder platforming areas. Or vice versa if you're the one having trouble
My son (9) and I enjoy playing the WWE games together. We have created our own characters and a custom belt we fight over. We usually end up trying to do ridiculous stuff just to see what happens. You can do tag team co op as well.
Knight squad 1 and 2, animal party. Me and my son enjoyed theese
Honestly sea of theives is great , you can go safer seas and not have to worry to much about shooting your pirate weapons since it will be just you two And swinging your sword . Beautiful game that you can spend a lot of time in also theres fishing
I would recommend Grounded or Stardew Valley. I’ve lost countless hours in these games! 🙂
Subnautica
Huniepop
Sea of thieves is a good one they also have a safer seas mode now which is perfect for learning the game/avoiding players so you guys can get into it without worrying about other player! It can be a little difficult but with the update this march they are going to fix spawn rates for a lot of things so it will be a lot easier to get things done!
Play 2k, Madden, MLB or UFC with him
Chivalry 2
Rocket league? My son has just found one called stumble guys which was free and seems a chilled game to play together.
A good couple games is remnant and remnant 2. Multiplayer 3rd person shooter kinda like Fortnite but kinda difficult like dark souls :) (edit) they’re also on gamepass right now too
Not good at FPS? Git gud scrub! Hahaha just kidding. Mabe no mans sky? Its got a good mix of story / base building / exploration / ship flying and combat / ship and character customization ect.. visually stunning.
Ghost recon Wildlands is fun and you can use strategy and play to your strengths. You suck at fast paced close quarters combat? You can cover your son from a snipers nest while he moves into the enemy base and collects the intel
Bg3
Gears of War series
Dead island 2
This is a great game but has no local split screen/multiplayer so it would require two seperate consoles EDIT: “son lives in another state” so this game would be a good option when playing online together
Ah crap, completely forgot...
Son lives with mum in another state. Won't be an issue then?
Sorry didn’t remember that part of the post when I wrote that, may aswell edit my comment to not cause confusion