The Best Wii Games for Families and Parties
The Wii's whole idea was getting everyone in the room to play, and its best family games still do that better than most modern ones. Every game here works on a Wii or a Wii U (which plays Wii discs and uses Wii Remotes).
Check the controllers: most games need one Wii Remote per player, many add a Nunchuk, and Wii Sports Resort needs Wii MotionPlus (built into the Wii Remote Plus).
Best for four players
- Mario Kart Wii: Four-player racing that works with the Wii Wheel or a Remote and Nunchuk. Easy for beginners, competitive at the top.
- New Super Mario Bros. Wii: Classic side-scrolling Mario with four players on screen at once. Cooperative, and gloriously chaotic.
- Mario Party 8: Board-game minigames using the Wii Remote's motion controls. Mario Party 9 changes the format so everyone rides together.
- Wii Party: Nintendo's own party collection, with games that use the room as well as the screen.
- Super Smash Bros. Brawl: Four-player Smash with a long adventure mode for solo play.
Co-op adventures
- Kirby's Return to Dream Land: Up to four players drop in and out of a classic Kirby platformer.
- Kirby's Epic Yarn: A gentle, two-player platformer made of yarn and fabric. Kirby cannot really lose, so it is great with small children.
- Super Mario Galaxy: One of the best Mario games ever made; a second player can help by collecting star bits and stunning enemies.
- Super Mario Galaxy 2: The sequel, with Yoshi and even more inventive levels.
- LEGO Star Wars Complete Saga: All six films in two-player co-op LEGO form.
Sports and moving around
- Wii Sports: Bowling, tennis, golf, baseball and boxing with the Wii Remote. It came with most Wiis, and bowling night is still undefeated.
- Wii Sports Resort: Swordplay, archery, table tennis, frisbee and more, played with the more precise Wii MotionPlus, which it requires.
- Just Dance 3: Follow the dancer with a Wii Remote in your hand. Every Just Dance plays the same way, so pick the song list you like; Just Dance Kids 2 is aimed at younger dancers.
- Mario and Sonic at the Olympic Games: Olympic events with Mario and Sonic characters, best with a full room.
- Punch-Out: Nintendo's boxing classic, rebuilt for the Wii, played with the Remote held sideways or with motion controls.
Easy wins for younger kids
- Boom Blox: Physics puzzles where you knock down, pull out and blow up towers of blocks.
- Epic Mickey: Mickey Mouse with a magic paintbrush in a world of forgotten Disney characters.
- Wii Play: Nine simple minigames that teach the Wii Remote. Originally sold with an extra Remote in the box.
Browse the full Wii collection, or Wii games under $10 for stocking stuffers. If you have an original Wii, it plays GameCube games too: the best GameCube games.
Every game is cleaned and tested and backed by our 1-year warranty, and orders of $50 or more ship free in the US. Prices follow the market, so the listing always shows today's price.
