No, I don't want to count red cars!

May 26, 2011 10:04 AM

What games are good to keep kids occupied on a long car trip? Looking for ds, psp, cellphone games etc.

Hi all,

I need to find as many games as possible that children/young people can play in the car on long driving trips. I'm specifically looking not for traditional games we all played as kids, but games that kids like and can be played on a cellphone, handheld console or whatever. By 'kids' I mean any person from about 5 to about 12-14/15, so feel free to suggest primary school as well as teenage stuff.

Thank you.

posted by mudkicker to Computers & Internet (15 answers total)

You can't go wrong with Angry Birds and Cut the Rope on iPhone -- my kids (5 & 8) love them. They're also big fans of Stack the States and Stack the Countries (also on iPhone), which have an educational bent to them.
posted by BurntHombre at 10:23 AM on May 26, 2011

Pocket Frogs for iPhone or iTouch.
posted by Fairchild at 10:30 AM on May 26, 2011

Not a game, but my recommendation is to drop $40 on a portable DVD player at Target and let them watch movies. 2 hour movie - bathroom break - 2 hour movie - bathroom break, etc. You'll be there before you know it. Also, my kids never had a problem watching movies, but looking down to play games tended to bring on motion sickness.
posted by COD at 10:32 AM on May 26, 2011

There's a version of Civilization for iPhone that my oldest two played like crazy. Ok, I did too. Are they into crossword puzzles? I have an app("Crosswords") on the iPad that downloads from all over the place (and saves them) every time you fire it up so that you can play them without any sort of connectivity.

And seconding the movie idea, as long as everyone can see the screen and hear it OK. You might consider headphones and an audio splitter for the sake of your own sanity.
posted by jquinby at 10:42 AM on May 26, 2011

Best answer: The only way to keep my kids from getting carsick is for them to be immersed in their DS's. So a trial run of their carsickedness would be prudent.

Games my kids play on DS:

cooking mama 2
lego batman
lego indiana jones
link to past (gameboy game - which works on the ds)
virus busters
brain age
mario kart ds
scribblenauts
new super mario bros. ds
lego star wars - the complete saga
mario party ds
zelda spirit tracks
carnival games
nintendogs

I'd just have a wide variety available. Some games they may just not like or catch on to, others will be a hit.
posted by Sassyfras at 11:25 AM on May 26, 2011

Especially if you're driving more than one kid, probably more middle and teenage than primary: Clubhouse Games. Easy to find used, there's plenty to do as a solo player, and you only need one cartridge for two DS to play.
posted by gnomeloaf at 12:55 PM on May 26, 2011

For PSP:
Lumines
Hot Shots Golf 1&2
LittleBigPlanet
Ratchet & Clank: Size Matters

for DS: Echoing New Super Mario Brothers, Clubhouse Games and Mario Kart DS.
posted by porn in the woods at 1:15 PM on May 26, 2011

Snood. I have it on my (ancient) cell phone and I could probably play it for 8 hours straight.
posted by Green Eyed Monster at 1:57 PM on May 26, 2011

My 6 year old nephew loves Tap Tap and Angry Birds and always plays them on my wife's iphone when he is over.

He played a lot on my DS too (before he broke it!). The games he liked on that were New SMB, MarioKart and Pokemon.
posted by any portmanteau in a storm at 2:02 PM on May 26, 2011

For android, Angry Birds and my new favorite Stupid Zombies which is just like angry birds but uses ricocheting bullets (Physics!). And on Tuesday May 31 Amazon marketplace will be offering Plants vs. Zombies for free for one day.
posted by CathyG at 2:24 PM on May 26, 2011

For the DS, Pokemon and the Advance Wars series are incredible time sinks.
posted by clorox at 3:47 PM on May 26, 2011

For DS, I recommend the Professor Layton games for the older ages.
posted by Terriniski at 6:10 PM on May 26, 2011

Response by poster: Thanks guys, just what I was looking for! Cheers.
posted by mudkicker at 8:02 PM on May 26, 2011

The only game I could play for hours as a kid was Tetris.
posted by knile at 4:39 AM on May 27, 2011

I (20 yrs old) just finished playing Okamiden on the DS, and I think it's good for a wide age range of kids... it's not as repetitive or short as Mario Kart or iPhone games, has one single story that supports the whole game (keeps interest), and lots of cut scenes (I know some people don't like cut scenes, but I personally do, and anyways all the cut scenes in this game are skippable). I personally had some 4 hour sessions with the game so I think it would be good for long trips :) It is also a very beautiful game, and not too hard to play for younger kids I think (the bosses aren't that hard).
posted by kitsuloukos at 8:49 PM on May 27, 2011