Gamescom 2026 in Cologne (Opening Night Live on August 25, show floor August 26 to 30) was still mostly a show for teens and adults: Gears of War: E-Day, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 and Metro 2039 had the biggest stages. For families, three things stood out: the first public hands-on with Minecraft Dungeons II, a playable demo of Rayman Legends Retold, and the reveal of LEGO Skylines, a LEGO city builder from Paradox Interactive, the publisher of Cities: Skylines.
TL;DR: Minecraft Dungeons II was playable for the first time at Xbox's booth and came out on September 29, 2026, rated E10+. Rayman Legends Retold, a rebuilt version of the 2013 platformer Rayman Legends, showed a new "Macarena" music level and was dated for October 1. LEGO Skylines was announced with no release date. The most-hyped open world on kids' feeds, Neverness to Everness, wasn't a Gamescom launch at all: it came out in April, and it's a gacha game built for spending.
Minecraft Dungeons II is out, and it's a couch co-op pick
The original Minecraft Dungeons was the gateway to the dungeon-crawler genre: simple enough for a six-year-old but deep enough that you didn't mind playing it with them. Mojang and Double Eleven revealed the sequel at the Xbox Games Showcase in June, Gamescom was the first time the public could play it, and it released September 29 on PC, Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 5, Nintendo Switch and Switch 2, and on Game Pass. The Standard Edition is $29.99.
It adds a connected world map with main and side quests, a new dimension called the Sift, jumping, and a deeper gear system. One to four players can play on one couch, online with crossplay, or both at once. If your kid is a Minecraft fan who wants a break from building, this is the one.
The watch-out is online matchmaking, which can drop your kid into a party with strangers. Use party codes to play with friends only, or keep play on the couch, and set multiplayer limits in your console's family settings.
Rayman Legends Retold brings back one of the best-looking platformers ever made
Ubisoft revealed Retold at a PlayStation State of Play in June, brought a 20-minute demo to its Gamescom booth, and showed a new music level set to Los Del Rio's "Macarena" during Opening Night Live. It adds a new story, voiced cinematics, an extra realm and new music stages, and Ubisoft dated it for October 1, 2026 on PS5, Xbox Series X|S, Nintendo Switch 2 and PC.
The game it's rebuilding, Rayman Legends, has always been the "anti-Mario" in a good way: faster, weirder and more visually experimental, with co-op for up to four players. For a full look at the best platformers, check out our best games for kids list.
LEGO Skylines turns city building into a brick box
Paradox Interactive and developer Iceflake Studios revealed LEGO Skylines at Opening Night Live. Players lay roads, zone neighborhoods and run supply chains, all in LEGO bricks, with room for absurd builds like a bakery on every corner. It's coming to PC, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S and Nintendo Switch 2, with no release date or price yet. City builders reward planning ahead, so it suits a kid who likes designing towns in Minecraft or with real LEGO.
This is the one all over kids' feeds, and it isn't new. Hotta Studio's free-to-play supernatural open-world RPG launched April 29, 2026 on PS5, PC, iOS and Android. You drive and customize cars around a neon-lit city and take on "anomaly" jobs, with the high-gloss anime look of Genshin Impact.
Parents hear the "anime GTA" nickname and panic, but the comparison is about driving around a city, not crime. The combat is against supernatural creatures, and the tone is nowhere near Grand Theft Auto V. The real issue is the business model: it's a gacha game, with character banners, rarity tiers and daily tasks designed to pull kids back and get them spending. It fits teens about 12 and up, with spending limits set before they start.
When a big gaming event like Gamescom happens, the hype cycle starts immediately. Your kid is going to see trailers that make every game look like a 10/10 masterpiece. This is a great time to talk about intentional curation.
Ask them: "Of everything you saw this week, which game looks like something you'd play for a month, and which only had a cool trailer?" Helping them tell a flashy cinematic from gameplay is a skill that saves money and disappointment later.
If they're drawn to the city-and-customization side of Neverness to Everness, point them toward cozy games with city-building or decorating. They get the "lifestyle" part without the gacha spending.
Q: Is Minecraft Dungeons II okay for a 7-year-old? Mostly, yes. ESRB rates it E10+ for fantasy violence, the same as the first game, and the combat is cartoonish: you're bonking skeletons and zombies. The real limit for younger kids is the busy gear menus. A 6- or 7-year-old does fine in co-op with an older player managing upgrades.
Q: Is Rayman Legends Retold on the original Nintendo Switch? No. Ubisoft announced it for Switch 2, PS5, Xbox Series X|S and PC. The 2013 Rayman Legends, in its Definitive Edition, plays on the original Switch.
Q: When does LEGO Skylines come out? Paradox hasn't announced a release date or window.
Q: Is Gamescom only for violent games? The headline trailers still lean that way: Gears of War, Call of Duty and Metro took the biggest slots in 2026. The family picks were on the show floor, where Minecraft Dungeons II and Rayman Legends Retold were playable.
Gamescom 2026 gave families one game to play now (Minecraft Dungeons II), one to try this fall (Rayman Legends Retold) and one to watch (LEGO Skylines). Minecraft Dungeons II is built for four players on one couch, which beats another season where the only choices are Roblox or Fortnite.
- Check out our best games for kids list for the current heavy hitters.
- Read our intro to the Nintendo Switch if you are looking for the best platform for these new releases.
- Find more games like Minecraft Dungeons
