Question I don't know which games to buy for 12 year old son

#1 suggestion is to not let him play online. The below games can all be played solo:

Hottest game right now: Elden Ring (rated Mature for violence, blood and gore)--melee combat
One of the top games of all time: Portal 2 (rated E for everyone)--puzzle game
The best racing game on PC right now: Forza Horizon 5 (rated E for everyone)
One of the best shooters of all time: Titanfall 2 (rated Mature for violence)
Best sandbox game: Minecraft (Rated 10+)
A fantastic strategy game: Total War Warhammer 3 (rated Teen)
Best zombie single-player game: Dying Light 2 (rated Mature for violence)
Best single-player space game: X4 Foundations (rated Teen)
 
#1 suggestion is to not let him play online
Good suggestion.

Another might be to go for turn-based games, which don't get the adrenalin going in the same way as real-time games. Most 4X games like the Civilization series fit this bill.

May also be better to get an older game, say 2020 release or earlier. There's likely to be less peer pressure from his friends who are playing current releases.
 
#1 suggestion is to not let him play online. The below games can all be played solo:

Hottest game right now: Elden Ring (rated Mature for violence, blood and gore)--melee combat
One of the top games of all time: Portal 2 (rated E for everyone)--puzzle game
The best racing game on PC right now: Forza Horizon 5 (rated E for everyone)
One of the best shooters of all time: Titanfall 2 (rated Mature for violence)
Best sandbox game: Minecraft (Rated 10+)
A fantastic strategy game: Total War Warhammer 3 (rated Teen)
Best zombie single-player game: Dying Light 2 (rated Mature for violence)
Best single-player space game: X4 Foundations (rated Teen)
I noticed Dying Light 2 is getting probably the most diverse reception of any game right now. Many talk about a lot of problems with it, but it's rated pretty good on Steam, which if anything usually has no shortage of nit pickers. It's very confusing reading through the ups and downs, and it makes it really hard to know what to believe.

I forgot about the Portal games, those would not only fit my description of why race games would be good in this context, but also might help students "think outside the box". I enjoyed every one of them, including Portal Stories Mel, which IMO is one of the best fan made campaigns I've ever played. Really good stuff that drew a large audience.
 
Last edited:
Mar 6, 2022
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The only I can think of that might fit the requirement are race games. Why, because there's usually no story to be absorbed by, you can play them in short 1 race sessions, and they keep you attentive and hone reflexes. Maybe ask him what kind of racing he likes if any. I have enjoyed GRID 2019 and Monster Energy Supercross 3 lately.
I think that is a great answer.
 
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I noticed Dying Light 2 is getting probably the most diverse reception of any game right now. Many talk about a lot of problems with it, but it's rated pretty good on Steam, which if anything usually has no shortage of nit pickers. It's very confusing reading through the ups and downs, and it makes it really hard to know what to believe.

DL2 has some bugs. They don't really bother me, though. I think it's a great game. So far every bug we've found has been fixed by exiting to the menu and going back in. I really think there's just one underlying problem that keeps popping up, and once they figure that out, it should be fine.
 
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DL2 has some bugs. They don't really bother me, though. I think it's a great game. So far every bug we've found has been fixed by exiting to the menu and going back in. I really think there's just one underlying problem that keeps popping up, and once they figure that out, it should be fine.
That's very vague, making it even more confusing. What kind of bugs are you referring to?
 

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