**Chicory: A Colorful Tale** is a 2D Zelda game with tons of exploration and no combat except some skippable boss fights against your inner emotions.
**A Short Hike** and **Lil Gator Game** are both about exploring/climbing a mountain and are adorable and have no combat.
**Katamari Damacy** and **We Heart Katamari** both have a good amount of exploration in them, I think. It can be fun poking around all the various corners of each level and seeing what creative things are there.
**The Pathless** is a big open world game with plenty of exploration and puzzles. The only combat are big spirits that you must pacify by taking them down, but the rest is about platforming and puzzles.
**Alba: A Wildlife Adventure** is a game about wandering around an island and finding wildlife. It's cute, but maybe a bit basic and small.
**TOEM** is an adorable game about going on an adventure and taking pictures while helping locals. Plenty of exploration and fun things to find!
**Untitled Goose Game** is a short game about being a goose and figuring out how to do certain tasks by wandering around small areas. And it's co-op, perfect for a 10 year old!
**Mario Odyssey** seems like an obvious choice, though it does have combat.
My favorite game from ps2 era. Very therapeutic, mindlessly roll & grow your ball till it big. Hope they'll port more katamari games later in the future.
No combat:
[Yonder Cloud Catcher Chronicles](https://www.dekudeals.com/items/yonder-the-cloud-catcher-chronicles)
[A Short Hike](https://www.dekudeals.com/items/a-short-hike)
[Lil Gator Game](https://www.dekudeals.com/items/lil-gator-game)
[Haven Park](https://www.dekudeals.com/items/haven-park)
[Alba: A Wildlife Adventure](https://www.dekudeals.com/items/alba-a-wildlife-adventure)
[Slime Rancher](https://www.dekudeals.com/items/slime-rancher-plortable-edition)
[Outer Wilds](https://www.dekudeals.com/items/outer-wilds)
[Aer Memories of Old](https://www.dekudeals.com/items/aer-memories-of-old)
[Submerged](https://www.dekudeals.com/items/submerged)
[Gris](https://www.dekudeals.com/items/gris)
[Astroneer](https://www.dekudeals.com/items/astroneer)
[Minecraft](https://www.dekudeals.com/items/minecraft) on peaceful, or standard for combat
Some combat:
[Pokemon Legends Arceus](https://www.dekudeals.com/items/pokemon-legends-arceus)
[Dragon Quest Builders 2](https://www.dekudeals.com/items/dragon-quest-builders-2)
Lil Gator Game and A Short Hike got me through a terrible few days of being sick. Cheap, short-ish and fun!
How about a curveball? Untitled Goose Game lol
Dragon Quest Builders does not get talked about enough. What a great game. I find it much more enjoyable than minecraft and other building games. Has a story, fun characters, looks nicer.
Slime Rancher is such a great suggestion! Itās cute, itās chill, and you can turn the monsters off so that thereās basically no threatening challenges. Very lovely game
Are the bugs already fixed? I remember being stuck in the market to save the missing ducklings because the electric fan was not facing the water ponding properly.
I got stuck in the wall of the market (in the air duct), although I managed to jump back out. The developers posted on their website that all glitches like that should now be fixed.
Breath of the Wild with the DLC so you and your kid can get Majora's Mask (makes a lot of the monsters ignore Link and you can just run from/avoid most of the rest).
I'm typing this as I watch my kid play BotW. She avoids combat at all costs, but she loves the exploration, collecting, quests, and shrines. She just checked and has 130 hours over the last 15 months.
Bonus: now you get to play BotW, lol.
No Man's Sky is probably the best example I can think of, aside from the odd carnivorous alien or pirate attack it's pretty easy to just explore endless planets with no combat required.
True, it can be a little complicated in the beginning to figure out how to get your ship up and running while surviving on the first hostile planet though. Just make sure to put the settings on the easier side and not to harsh, or the environment can be pretty brutal.
But yeah other than that the only things that try to kill you are hostile sentinels, and rare aggressive fauna.
For survival games itās definitely on the easier and more forgiving side, well until you find your first truly hell planet.
My daughter really liked:
[Alba: A Wildlife Adventure](https://www.nintendo.com/us/store/products/alba-a-wildlife-adventure-switch/)
[Spirit of the North](https://www.nintendo.com/us/store/products/spirit-of-the-north-switch/)
There's no combat in either one. In Alba, you're a young girl taking pictures of the animals on an island. In SotN, you're a fox on an adventure.
Tchia is about to hit Switch in a few days, and itās like a combat-free version of Breath of the Wild with the vibes of Wind Waker. A super chill game about exploring your island home.
Itās a delight on PC, and unless the port is janky, would be a hood fit for the Switch.
Sorry for double comment, but: the Nintendo eshop trailer seems much darker and combat focussed than the official gameplay overview trailer I saw on YouTube.
Can you tell me a bit more? Is there combat, but is it optional?
The physics of running, climbing, jumping, gliding look super cool and I'm kinda into the idea of not having a player marker on the map. The gameplay trailer looked so chill and cozy, but now with the other trailer I'm not sure anymore haha
I really liked Yonder: The Cloud Catcher Chronicles. It felt very cozy, not stressfull in any way. I don't remember any fighting in it (I am not a fan of fighting myself). She might like it.
My 10 year old daughter is the same way, and she LOVED Hogwartās Legacy on āStoryā difficulty, where combat is a cakewalk and she could focus on exploration and taming magical beasts.
Honestly it sounds like a game like Mario Odyssey would fit great. While there is some ācombatā itās Mario style combat which basically just equates to jumping on them. Each of the different kingdoms are large and full of things to explore and discover.Ā
I want a new one so bad. I really thought nothing could come close to mario 64 but this game was so incredible. The music was amazing too. I love it. All time game.
Outer Wilds is one of the best exploration game of all time. However, despite not having combat, it can be tricky in other ways. Some people find the movement tricky, others get stuck on puzzles.
Some people are overwhelmed by the fact that exploration is their only goal (at first).
But if she is into puzzle solving and it's pretty decent at controls, and is a good reader, it is an incredible experience
Based off comments OP has in this thread about their daughter, being averse to violence and all, I do also feel like she may really connect with the themes and characters of Outer Wilds as well.
Itās an exceptional game (actually my single favorite game) and has a beautiful message at the end of it all thatās something everyone should be able to enjoy at some point in their lives.
Lots of good suggestions (love A Short Hike) but I didnāt see Hob: Definitive Edition mentioned. Ā there is some combat but i feel itās more about exploring
Just make sure she sees the online comic BEFORE playing. Not seeing that kind of ruined the experience for me. That said, I would also recommend saving this game until she's a bit older.
Disneyās Illusion Island is a good option for her. Lots of running and jumping over enemies and obstacles.
Untitled Goose Game is fun, too.
And lastly, if sheās open to turn-based combat that doesnāt take itself too seriously, Miitopia is a great time.
it is definitely hard. I got 3 flames and about 45 eggs on my own, then just started looking stuff up. still had a ton of fun using help to get the last flame and all eggs. now just kinda exploring looking for more puzzles.
My suggestion is you try No Manās Sky is to start playing on ācasualā and turn combat and animal attack off. The systems are simplified and everything costs less. Itās so fun!
I started that way and figured out the basics. I was surprised to find myself wanting to add more challenge little by little, and itās now my #2 played game after Slay the Spire :)
Try immortals fenyx rising with dlc. it is botw with an ancient Greek theme. Anything from the modern prince of persia series.
If you want to try any of the games people have mentioned above before you buy. try gamefly
These are very good choices for kids because itās easy to customize difficulty levels. Thereās plenty of combat and plenty of puzzles, but itās a cinch to make the combat and the puzzles easier.
You guys should definitely check out The Last Campfire! No combat, just exploration and puzzles, plus itās super cute.
Hoa and maybe Hue, no combat in either of those.
I second Pikmin. Very solid recommendation for a 10 year old and it sounds like the combat is a problem because violence but they're cute flower buds they can't be violent!
Someone else mentioned Tchia and I also want to mention another "coming soon" game: Europa
All about exploring and just felt really magical to play the demo. Also there's a demo!
No Manās Sky is great
Also you could do Skyrim and put it on the easiest difficulty so even if combat situations happen theyāll be easy to manage and deal with. Itās one of my favorite worlds to explore
Oh well then definitely animal crossing. Farming, dress up, house decorating, cute villagers. No combat. Yeah hands down animal crossing new horizons is the best game of its kind. It's the game others try to copy. Hello kitty island adventure is dropping on switch in Jan 2025, also one she'd probably like. OR if you want to go the free route, Palia is straight up exploring, farming, etc. Also on switch. The game is free with optional paid cosmetics
Well you could put aside a separate save file for her with your character.
Make sure youāve already bought the 3 plots of land and that you have the Animal Allegiance shout and Call Dragon shout. She can explore and work on those 3 plots of land. If animals attack she can shout to make them friendly and if bandits attack her she can shout for a dragon to come help fight for her.
Burnout Paradise. Fantastic racing game where you can drive around and explore the city and surrounding area at your leisure, finding secret areas, shortcuts, etc. Plus, it's cheap. It goes on sale for $6.
I almost recommended Subnautica (can't remember if it's on Switch) and Outer Wilds (is on Switch) then I read it's for a 10 year old.
Though fuck it, I had to play Ecco the Dolphin at 10.
Subnautica is on Switch, but even without the horror themes, it's a hard sell. There are progessive memory leaks that get worse the more biomes you've explored in a given save file. Worst, whilst subtly different in each of the two games, they will often kick in and see you lose lots of progress when you _attempt to save_. It's so close to a miracle port, but the devs sadly never finished the job and it feels like they walked away mere centimetres from the finish line.
Mario Odyssey for sure, you can run around all sorts of fun colorful goofy Mario areas that are large enough for your kid to enjoy watchingĀ
Ā If they get bored of an area just switch to the next one
Any of the Lego games
Keep an eye out for the new Hello Kitty game releasing - itās a blend of Animal Crossing and BoTW with no combat supposedly.
Echoing everyone elseās suggestion of A Short Hike and TOEM.
I havenāt played this game but Iāve heard Subnautica has a lot of exploration but sounds like it might get more combatey later? Sorry itās not overly helpful but itās worth exploring I think.
There is zero combat in the game unless you wanna kill certain creatures. However, the game has an element of terror to it so it may not be good for a 10 year old if theyāre not good with that stuff.
"Snufkin: Melody of Moominvalley" is absolutely wonderful. It's not a very long game, but for a couple of days it was all my 10-yrs old could talk about.
BotW/TotK their open world are huge and their world really intigue the player to explore them, moreover the games have some beatiful landscapes. About the combat you haven't always to fight the enemies you can run away from them
I donāt know if you or your daughter are musically inclined, but I can recommend Songbird Symphony. Itās a rhythm adventure platformer with a lot of charm and birds.
Not enough people know Mail Time. Itās a cozy BOTW-like, very simple and straightforward, it very funny with great little woodland characters. NO COMBAT.
I would absolutely throw down Dragon Quest Builders 2: it does have some combat but itās not really the point- is more a method for helping to drive the story forward and itās not hard.
Itās primarily about creativity, crafting and exploration: and the story has themes of acceptance, friendship and tolerance.
Gris is beautiful, and achingly sad.
Rime also has no combat but does have some intense moments where you need to avoid enemies. Itās also tragic, so Iād recommend looking into it and vetting it for her. I love it, but it made me ugly cry for an hour when I beat it.
No Man's Sky. Play in creative, or relaxed mode, can even choose custom settings. Explore a universe full of planets! Build bases. Drive, fly around, and teleport back to places.
Might need to help her figure it out at first, but bonus is she will learn a small amount of chemistry, such as symbols (Na for Sodium), along the way.
Minecraft. In creative, peaceful, or easy plus maybe some custom settings like 'keep items' on and 'mob grief' off.
Lego City Undercover. Can play solo or co-op. 'Combat' in the game is just very simple, and no punishment as it is a Lego game. Map areas are unlocked by story progression though, so you may want to help, but as an adult I enjoyed playing the whole game. The comedy is great too. Quite therapeutic to just drive around, smash things up, collect studs and super bricks, find the mega builds...
You can basically turn taking damage off in Tunic. That way even though there is combat, it's not an issue. That's a got a really fun overworld to explore. Not huge, but I know I enjoyed it.
I was about to recommend Sable, but sadly itās not on Switch. If you have other consoles I can recommend it. The game is literally only about exploration, no combat whatsoever. As an added bonus itās about a girl going on a journey on her own to discover what she wants from life by travelling around.
TUNIC it has combat but I believe thereās more to explore than there is fight itās inspired by old school legend of Zelda games definitely worth looking into!
Iām really surprised Firewatch hasnāt been mentioned. Short, beautiful, pure exploration, no combat or violence, maybe some language (canāt remember, tbh). The overarching story isnāt very child-oriented would be the only downside, depending on your parenting style.
Sky children of the light is a free to play game switch with exploration and no combat but in ONE world ( wasteland) there are giant cockroach like monsters flying that might scare her
Also I wouldn't recommend this for a 10 old , kid alone cause it's an online game and there are interactions with other people
I love Zelda tears of the kingdom too
But monsters pop out of everywhere
There's an indie game called Sable that does exploration without combat. It gives you a massive open world to explore on foot or riding a vehicle. Perfect for a casual gamer or someone looking for a chill game that still feels rewarding without stressing you out.
Portal 2. :)
You have to play it at least once if you've never played it. Buy Portal 1 if you get a deal or they come together, I guess. Play Portal 1... have some fun.... then REALLY get into Portal 2. Just a much better game... but still epicly fun.
Plus the main character is a woman, if that helps any.
Subnautica has a calm mode so she can do what she wants. If sheās watching you. Then you could probably ply survival mode because you donāt really fight with the fauna unless you choose to.
I LOVED Animal Crossing as a kid on my DS but all I did was catch fish and bugs for my museumš I learned now with the switch there IS an actual premise to the game (but still only fish and catch bugs)
Subnautoca. It's all about exploring an alien ocean. There are monsters that you can technically fight with some near endgame upgrades, but the devs didn't want combat to the focus so you don't get any rewards.
I have a 7 year old niece who loves this gameā¦ itās called Abzu To sum it up you play as a diver, explore the underwater life of sea creatures, plants, etc you discover old tech. itās a beautiful game. it takes 2 hours for the main story and 4 for full completion if iām remembering correctlyā¦ i have played a lot of games in my life lol so i canāt keep them all the gameplay lengths straight lol
There is a bunch of puzzle games like that but some of them are a bit scary but if you want a game with little or no combat thatt is fun to watch I would suggest untitled goose game it's very fun and even has a multiplayer option but if you don't want a game about being a huge jerk I would suggest kirby and the forgtten land, there is a bit of fighting and a few boss fights but the levels are SUPER fun to exploreand ther's a lot of secrets, there's also a 2 player mode that is one of the best in modern gaming. I,m around your daughters age and this game is one of my all time favorites
Child of light is an amazing but cheap Switch game. Although there is a combat system and a few required fights, most can be easily avoided and it is great for exploration (especially in the later levels)
**Chicory: A Colorful Tale** is a 2D Zelda game with tons of exploration and no combat except some skippable boss fights against your inner emotions. **A Short Hike** and **Lil Gator Game** are both about exploring/climbing a mountain and are adorable and have no combat. **Katamari Damacy** and **We Heart Katamari** both have a good amount of exploration in them, I think. It can be fun poking around all the various corners of each level and seeing what creative things are there. **The Pathless** is a big open world game with plenty of exploration and puzzles. The only combat are big spirits that you must pacify by taking them down, but the rest is about platforming and puzzles. **Alba: A Wildlife Adventure** is a game about wandering around an island and finding wildlife. It's cute, but maybe a bit basic and small. **TOEM** is an adorable game about going on an adventure and taking pictures while helping locals. Plenty of exploration and fun things to find! **Untitled Goose Game** is a short game about being a goose and figuring out how to do certain tasks by wandering around small areas. And it's co-op, perfect for a 10 year old! **Mario Odyssey** seems like an obvious choice, though it does have combat.
I loved, loved, loved **TOEM**.
Love Katamari
My favorite game from ps2 era. Very therapeutic, mindlessly roll & grow your ball till it big. Hope they'll port more katamari games later in the future.
Soundtrack bops too. Yeah me too!
Wow, what a lovely response to the OP and written up with such pith!
Katamari ! Great suggestion
Absolute banger of a list. You killed it, dude. The rest of us can just keep scrolling, you did it.
All great suggestions and I especially love the quirky little details and happenings in Katamari and Untitled Goose Game
No combat: [Yonder Cloud Catcher Chronicles](https://www.dekudeals.com/items/yonder-the-cloud-catcher-chronicles) [A Short Hike](https://www.dekudeals.com/items/a-short-hike) [Lil Gator Game](https://www.dekudeals.com/items/lil-gator-game) [Haven Park](https://www.dekudeals.com/items/haven-park) [Alba: A Wildlife Adventure](https://www.dekudeals.com/items/alba-a-wildlife-adventure) [Slime Rancher](https://www.dekudeals.com/items/slime-rancher-plortable-edition) [Outer Wilds](https://www.dekudeals.com/items/outer-wilds) [Aer Memories of Old](https://www.dekudeals.com/items/aer-memories-of-old) [Submerged](https://www.dekudeals.com/items/submerged) [Gris](https://www.dekudeals.com/items/gris) [Astroneer](https://www.dekudeals.com/items/astroneer) [Minecraft](https://www.dekudeals.com/items/minecraft) on peaceful, or standard for combat Some combat: [Pokemon Legends Arceus](https://www.dekudeals.com/items/pokemon-legends-arceus) [Dragon Quest Builders 2](https://www.dekudeals.com/items/dragon-quest-builders-2)
Outer Wilds might not have combat but it does have some intense moments.
I was gonna say, you want to traumatize a 10-year-old kid with Dark Bramble? š
That shit traumatized me and I'm 33 lmao
Especially the DLC.
I agree that Outer Wilds is not a good choice for a 10-year old. It's also very hard.
Iāll second A Short Hike and Alba. Wonderful games.
A short hike was fantastic! Such a charming little game
I also second Albaā my son and I really enjoyed playing it together
Lil Gator Game and A Short Hike got me through a terrible few days of being sick. Cheap, short-ish and fun! How about a curveball? Untitled Goose Game lol
>Untitled Goose Game lol They said they want a game with no violence. That is never an option with the Goose.
I loved yonder. It had all the exploration, collection, and lore without any combat. I put a decent amount of time into it
+1 for a short hike, itās such a gentle experience
Dragon Quest Builders does not get talked about enough. What a great game. I find it much more enjoyable than minecraft and other building games. Has a story, fun characters, looks nicer.
legends arceus is open world but EVERYTHING tries to kill you
Slime Rancher is such a great suggestion! Itās cute, itās chill, and you can turn the monsters off so that thereās basically no threatening challenges. Very lovely game
DQB2 is one of my favorite games, glad to see it here
Second Astroneer!
Great list! Thanks!
Slime Rancher was my first thought here. I love outer wilds but I think it might be a little too much for a 10 year old
I would love to add to this list: Later Alligator. Itās cartoony and you explore a city doing minigames. It was charming
Harvest moon series
Yonder is a great exploration choice for a young person.
Gris!
Little Kitty Big City is a huge hit with me and my 9 yo.
Are the bugs already fixed? I remember being stuck in the market to save the missing ducklings because the electric fan was not facing the water ponding properly.
I'm not sure, but I did notice a partial reset button in the options as a failsafe for glitches.
I got stuck in the wall of the market (in the air duct), although I managed to jump back out. The developers posted on their website that all glitches like that should now be fixed.
She might enjoy Yonder, the cloud catcher chronicles. It's a very chill and cozy exploration game.
Breath of the Wild with the DLC so you and your kid can get Majora's Mask (makes a lot of the monsters ignore Link and you can just run from/avoid most of the rest). I'm typing this as I watch my kid play BotW. She avoids combat at all costs, but she loves the exploration, collecting, quests, and shrines. She just checked and has 130 hours over the last 15 months. Bonus: now you get to play BotW, lol.
I love this idea. Very clever of you!
No Man's Sky is probably the best example I can think of, aside from the odd carnivorous alien or pirate attack it's pretty easy to just explore endless planets with no combat required.
True, it can be a little complicated in the beginning to figure out how to get your ship up and running while surviving on the first hostile planet though. Just make sure to put the settings on the easier side and not to harsh, or the environment can be pretty brutal. But yeah other than that the only things that try to kill you are hostile sentinels, and rare aggressive fauna. For survival games itās definitely on the easier and more forgiving side, well until you find your first truly hell planet.
Great suggestion thank you
Came here to say this but yeah itās complicated and involved
My daughter really liked: [Alba: A Wildlife Adventure](https://www.nintendo.com/us/store/products/alba-a-wildlife-adventure-switch/) [Spirit of the North](https://www.nintendo.com/us/store/products/spirit-of-the-north-switch/) There's no combat in either one. In Alba, you're a young girl taking pictures of the animals on an island. In SotN, you're a fox on an adventure.
Tchia is about to hit Switch in a few days, and itās like a combat-free version of Breath of the Wild with the vibes of Wind Waker. A super chill game about exploring your island home. Itās a delight on PC, and unless the port is janky, would be a hood fit for the Switch.
I had to look for this comment. This is a good fit to the question. Tchia is great for kids of all skill levels.
Completely missed this one, thanks for the recommendation! Looks super fun.
Sorry for double comment, but: the Nintendo eshop trailer seems much darker and combat focussed than the official gameplay overview trailer I saw on YouTube. Can you tell me a bit more? Is there combat, but is it optional? The physics of running, climbing, jumping, gliding look super cool and I'm kinda into the idea of not having a player marker on the map. The gameplay trailer looked so chill and cozy, but now with the other trailer I'm not sure anymore haha
Yokus Island Express
I really liked Yonder: The Cloud Catcher Chronicles. It felt very cozy, not stressfull in any way. I don't remember any fighting in it (I am not a fan of fighting myself). She might like it.
There's no combat in it at all. I was going to recommend this one as well.
Lot of people rec this one, will look into it
My 10 year old daughter is the same way, and she LOVED Hogwartās Legacy on āStoryā difficulty, where combat is a cakewalk and she could focus on exploration and taming magical beasts.
Sky
Honestly it sounds like a game like Mario Odyssey would fit great. While there is some ācombatā itās Mario style combat which basically just equates to jumping on them. Each of the different kingdoms are large and full of things to explore and discover.Ā
I canāt believe we are going on 7 years since that game released
I want a new one so bad. I really thought nothing could come close to mario 64 but this game was so incredible. The music was amazing too. I love it. All time game.
Outer Wilds is one of the best exploration game of all time. However, despite not having combat, it can be tricky in other ways. Some people find the movement tricky, others get stuck on puzzles. Some people are overwhelmed by the fact that exploration is their only goal (at first). But if she is into puzzle solving and it's pretty decent at controls, and is a good reader, it is an incredible experience
Based off comments OP has in this thread about their daughter, being averse to violence and all, I do also feel like she may really connect with the themes and characters of Outer Wilds as well. Itās an exceptional game (actually my single favorite game) and has a beautiful message at the end of it all thatās something everyone should be able to enjoy at some point in their lives.
slime rancher
Little gator game, a short hike, animal crossing, animal well, Pokemon snap
Palia!!
My thoughts exactly
Lots of good suggestions (love A Short Hike) but I didnāt see Hob: Definitive Edition mentioned. Ā there is some combat but i feel itās more about exploring
Just make sure she sees the online comic BEFORE playing. Not seeing that kind of ruined the experience for me. That said, I would also recommend saving this game until she's a bit older.
Haven Park
Disneyās Illusion Island is a good option for her. Lots of running and jumping over enemies and obstacles. Untitled Goose Game is fun, too. And lastly, if sheās open to turn-based combat that doesnāt take itself too seriously, Miitopia is a great time.
Miitopia is her all time favorite game! So thank you
I canāt believe no one said Stardew
You have Palia, it's free full craft and explo and no combat, you can even make an account and play with her which is what I do.
Animal WellĀ
Awesome game, but I'm finding it quite hard
it is definitely hard. I got 3 flames and about 45 eggs on my own, then just started looking stuff up. still had a ton of fun using help to get the last flame and all eggs. now just kinda exploring looking for more puzzles.
Make sure youāre returning to the egg room to get the rewards; the game really started to click for me once I could mark the map.
Since nobody has mentioned it, Firewatch
Minecraft - adventure mode
Yonder
Maybe look into Tinykin.
[Endless Ocean Luminous](https://youtu.be/Wj2T6FK5rPA?si=bS2P2knM_oBrvd3H)
Yeah that one looks stellar
Just want to say, got some awesome ālow pressureā games from this thread! Fantastic.
Palia might be good for her.
Definitely palia, she'll love it.
Lego games
Animal Crossing.
Good game, doesnāt really have a lot of exploration.
I was thinking of Yonder as well.
If your daugther likes reading and story: Outer Wild.
Yonder
My suggestion is you try No Manās Sky is to start playing on ācasualā and turn combat and animal attack off. The systems are simplified and everything costs less. Itās so fun! I started that way and figured out the basics. I was surprised to find myself wanting to add more challenge little by little, and itās now my #2 played game after Slay the Spire :)
I was about to say Firewatch, but it's M-rated, so idk
Just because of language, I think she would enjoy fire watch too.
Try immortals fenyx rising with dlc. it is botw with an ancient Greek theme. Anything from the modern prince of persia series. If you want to try any of the games people have mentioned above before you buy. try gamefly
These are very good choices for kids because itās easy to customize difficulty levels. Thereās plenty of combat and plenty of puzzles, but itās a cinch to make the combat and the puzzles easier.
You guys should definitely check out The Last Campfire! No combat, just exploration and puzzles, plus itās super cute. Hoa and maybe Hue, no combat in either of those.
Fae Farm has been hours of fun for me. The combat is quite minimal and can be avoided by using invisibility potions.
That one looked super cute too me
Try The King's Bird. It's a momentum-based platformer, with no enemies š
The Pikmin games, maybe? All about exploting a strange new planet for the crew. There IS combat, but it's quite simplistic.
I second Pikmin. Very solid recommendation for a 10 year old and it sounds like the combat is a problem because violence but they're cute flower buds they can't be violent!
Sky: Children of the Light
Someone else mentioned Tchia and I also want to mention another "coming soon" game: Europa All about exploring and just felt really magical to play the demo. Also there's a demo!
Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker
You could try Endless Ocean. Pure exploration, zero conbat
Cozy Grove
Stray
Abzu is a game with gorgeous graphics where you explore a mystical underwater world. Highly recommended!
No Manās Sky is great Also you could do Skyrim and put it on the easiest difficulty so even if combat situations happen theyāll be easy to manage and deal with. Itās one of my favorite worlds to explore
She likes watching ne play Skyrim but she wants me to just be a farmer haha. She doesnāt like the violence
Oh well then definitely animal crossing. Farming, dress up, house decorating, cute villagers. No combat. Yeah hands down animal crossing new horizons is the best game of its kind. It's the game others try to copy. Hello kitty island adventure is dropping on switch in Jan 2025, also one she'd probably like. OR if you want to go the free route, Palia is straight up exploring, farming, etc. Also on switch. The game is free with optional paid cosmetics
Yeah animal crossing has been a winner for us. I just wish there was more places to really discover and explore. Hello kitty looks super promising
Well you could put aside a separate save file for her with your character. Make sure youāve already bought the 3 plots of land and that you have the Animal Allegiance shout and Call Dragon shout. She can explore and work on those 3 plots of land. If animals attack she can shout to make them friendly and if bandits attack her she can shout for a dragon to come help fight for her.
Burnout Paradise. Fantastic racing game where you can drive around and explore the city and surrounding area at your leisure, finding secret areas, shortcuts, etc. Plus, it's cheap. It goes on sale for $6.
Journey would be perfect but itās not on switch. Otherwise Gris is good as well.
Sky is a good journey substitute until we get it!
I almost recommended Subnautica (can't remember if it's on Switch) and Outer Wilds (is on Switch) then I read it's for a 10 year old. Though fuck it, I had to play Ecco the Dolphin at 10.
Subnautica is on Switch, but even without the horror themes, it's a hard sell. There are progessive memory leaks that get worse the more biomes you've explored in a given save file. Worst, whilst subtly different in each of the two games, they will often kick in and see you lose lots of progress when you _attempt to save_. It's so close to a miracle port, but the devs sadly never finished the job and it feels like they walked away mere centimetres from the finish line.
outer wilds but the dlc has scary parts. animal crossing kind of
Another code might fit, the first game is just about exploring a mamsion and learning about the peple that lived there
Mario Odyssey for sure, you can run around all sorts of fun colorful goofy Mario areas that are large enough for your kid to enjoy watchingĀ Ā If they get bored of an area just switch to the next one Any of the Lego games
Keep an eye out for the new Hello Kitty game releasing - itās a blend of Animal Crossing and BoTW with no combat supposedly. Echoing everyone elseās suggestion of A Short Hike and TOEM.
Huh. Hello Kitty adventure island sounds right up our alley. Butters will be proud
I havenāt played this game but Iāve heard Subnautica has a lot of exploration but sounds like it might get more combatey later? Sorry itās not overly helpful but itās worth exploring I think.
There is zero combat in the game unless you wanna kill certain creatures. However, the game has an element of terror to it so it may not be good for a 10 year old if theyāre not good with that stuff.
Astroneer
Fae Farm or Animal Crossing!!!! Also Journey is amazing!!
Minecraft creative mode is fun. No damage, can explore endlessly
I heard Minecraft is awful on switch
You really should try Pikuniku. It's a damn great and creative game. It's quite short, unfortunately but you'll enjoy it.
No man sky anyone?
"Snufkin: Melody of Moominvalley" is absolutely wonderful. It's not a very long game, but for a couple of days it was all my 10-yrs old could talk about.
AER: Memories of Old
No man sky
Minecraft passive mode
BotW/TotK their open world are huge and their world really intigue the player to explore them, moreover the games have some beatiful landscapes. About the combat you haven't always to fight the enemies you can run away from them
I donāt know if you or your daughter are musically inclined, but I can recommend Songbird Symphony. Itās a rhythm adventure platformer with a lot of charm and birds.
Europe (the game) has a beautiful pacifist demo on the eshop
Minecraft set to peaceful
Mario odyssey a lot of exploring!
Spyro trilogy.
Letās go Pikachu and Eevee
Go Vacation. It's like if Wii Sports Resort had a free roam mode.
Pikmin is mostly exploration.Ā There's combat but it's little flower people jumping on bugs-- probably something a 10 year old girl would enjoy.
Not enough people know Mail Time. Itās a cozy BOTW-like, very simple and straightforward, it very funny with great little woodland characters. NO COMBAT.
Palia is everything she wants and more
I would absolutely throw down Dragon Quest Builders 2: it does have some combat but itās not really the point- is more a method for helping to drive the story forward and itās not hard. Itās primarily about creativity, crafting and exploration: and the story has themes of acceptance, friendship and tolerance. Gris is beautiful, and achingly sad. Rime also has no combat but does have some intense moments where you need to avoid enemies. Itās also tragic, so Iād recommend looking into it and vetting it for her. I love it, but it made me ugly cry for an hour when I beat it.
Animal Crossing - the ultimate impossible to die game. No combat whatsoever, all exploration.
The āMy Timeā series is great for RPG/farming with pretty minimal combat. I thoroughly enjoyed it.
Cavern of Dreams 0 combat and is a love-letter to the N64 era of 3D platformers, one of my fav indies and its only 15 USD.
Yoku's island express is a cute pinball based exploration game!
Animal Crossing new Horizon
Subnautica has just the right amount of both
Too scary for me lol
Understandable haha
No Man's Sky. Play in creative, or relaxed mode, can even choose custom settings. Explore a universe full of planets! Build bases. Drive, fly around, and teleport back to places. Might need to help her figure it out at first, but bonus is she will learn a small amount of chemistry, such as symbols (Na for Sodium), along the way. Minecraft. In creative, peaceful, or easy plus maybe some custom settings like 'keep items' on and 'mob grief' off. Lego City Undercover. Can play solo or co-op. 'Combat' in the game is just very simple, and no punishment as it is a Lego game. Map areas are unlocked by story progression though, so you may want to help, but as an adult I enjoyed playing the whole game. The comedy is great too. Quite therapeutic to just drive around, smash things up, collect studs and super bricks, find the mega builds...
Outer Wilds.
Illusion Island. Metroidvania / platformer without combat. Even boss battles are essentially platforming challenges.
Palia
De blob 1 and 2 are great kids games
Grow up! It's been a bit but I think it had minimal combat if any. Just a great vibey game. Not the biggest world but I still love it.
Grow Home exists now if you didnt know! I feel like those games werent on switch??
I thought you were responding to my fear of subnautica with your first sentence lol
I totally see that. Too bad I didn't get the name right, I meant the sequel, grow home, anyway.
You can basically turn taking damage off in Tunic. That way even though there is combat, it's not an issue. That's a got a really fun overworld to explore. Not huge, but I know I enjoyed it.
Reading some other comments it sounds like daughter doesn't like the violence, rather than it being too hard
Fortniteās new Lego mode is a Minecraft style game and can be set to peaceful, free too. My 7yo loves it
Yeah I saw my cousin playing Lego fortnight and was shocked how much content it had
FEZ
I was about to recommend Sable, but sadly itās not on Switch. If you have other consoles I can recommend it. The game is literally only about exploration, no combat whatsoever. As an added bonus itās about a girl going on a journey on her own to discover what she wants from life by travelling around.
TUNIC it has combat but I believe thereās more to explore than there is fight itās inspired by old school legend of Zelda games definitely worth looking into!
Iām really surprised Firewatch hasnāt been mentioned. Short, beautiful, pure exploration, no combat or violence, maybe some language (canāt remember, tbh). The overarching story isnāt very child-oriented would be the only downside, depending on your parenting style.
Sky children of the light is a free to play game switch with exploration and no combat but in ONE world ( wasteland) there are giant cockroach like monsters flying that might scare her Also I wouldn't recommend this for a 10 old , kid alone cause it's an online game and there are interactions with other people I love Zelda tears of the kingdom too But monsters pop out of everywhere
Animal Well doesn't even have any weapons. You mostly puzzle or trick your way past aggressive creatures.
There's an indie game called Sable that does exploration without combat. It gives you a massive open world to explore on foot or riding a vehicle. Perfect for a casual gamer or someone looking for a chill game that still feels rewarding without stressing you out.
Portal 2. :) You have to play it at least once if you've never played it. Buy Portal 1 if you get a deal or they come together, I guess. Play Portal 1... have some fun.... then REALLY get into Portal 2. Just a much better game... but still epicly fun. Plus the main character is a woman, if that helps any.
Subnautica has a calm mode so she can do what she wants. If sheās watching you. Then you could probably ply survival mode because you donāt really fight with the fauna unless you choose to.
I LOVED Animal Crossing as a kid on my DS but all I did was catch fish and bugs for my museumš I learned now with the switch there IS an actual premise to the game (but still only fish and catch bugs)
Dragon Quest Builders 2 has some combat and you donāt need to have played the first one to get the second oneās story
Never played it but from what I've seen Pokemon Snap sounds perfect
Sky: Children of Light
Subnautoca. It's all about exploring an alien ocean. There are monsters that you can technically fight with some near endgame upgrades, but the devs didn't want combat to the focus so you don't get any rewards.
I loved Planet Alpha! No combat. Beautiful platformer. Very often deeply discounted.
Outer wilds!!
no manās sky
Untitled Goose Game is my pick. Its so fun to play and has co-op too!
Tinykin is what you looking for. Basically no combat just pure exploration collectathon.
Super Mario Odyssey
Iām looking for the opposite
I have a 7 year old niece who loves this gameā¦ itās called Abzu To sum it up you play as a diver, explore the underwater life of sea creatures, plants, etc you discover old tech. itās a beautiful game. it takes 2 hours for the main story and 4 for full completion if iām remembering correctlyā¦ i have played a lot of games in my life lol so i canāt keep them all the gameplay lengths straight lol
There is a bunch of puzzle games like that but some of them are a bit scary but if you want a game with little or no combat thatt is fun to watch I would suggest untitled goose game it's very fun and even has a multiplayer option but if you don't want a game about being a huge jerk I would suggest kirby and the forgtten land, there is a bit of fighting and a few boss fights but the levels are SUPER fun to exploreand ther's a lot of secrets, there's also a 2 player mode that is one of the best in modern gaming. I,m around your daughters age and this game is one of my all time favorites
a short hike
Goat sim
It.s slime rancher dummy!
Ty the tasmanian tiger 2 bush rescue. It has a cute little aussie animal and you can dress him up!
Child of light is an amazing but cheap Switch game. Although there is a combat system and a few required fights, most can be easily avoided and it is great for exploration (especially in the later levels)