What games did kids play in the 2000s? The answer depended on the hardware in the house and what friends were playing: a Nintendo DS on the bus, a Wii in the living room, an Xbox Live match after school, or a PC world that kept going after you logged off. This curated list spans those different memories rather than ranking the decade or assuming every childhood looked the same.
Handheld games: pocket-sized routines and adventures
Animal Crossing: Wild World
Wild World made a small town feel like a place to revisit: check in, talk to neighbors, and make changes at your own pace. Nintendo’s historical timeline connects the game with the DS era, when the handheld’s two screens and touch input helped distinguish its play style. Nintendo’s history of its hardware and games
Nintendogs
For many DS players, the memorable routine was caring for a virtual puppy. Touch-screen interaction made feeding, playing, and tending to pets feel different from using a standard console controller. Nintendogs also appears among the DS games named in Pew Research Center’s 2008 survey of teen gaming. Pew Research Center’s 2008 report on teens and video games
New Super Mario Bros.
This DS entry brought side-scrolling Mario platforming to a handheld, making it an easy fit for short sessions as well as longer attempts to find every secret. Nintendo’s timeline identifies it as one of the games associated with the DS period.
Do these 3 things before closing this tab:
1Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problems2Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minute3Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errors#1 Best Overall
- 🎮 620 RETRO GAMES – Rediscover classic-style gaming with 620 preloaded games in one compact GameNext console. Enjoy a wide variety of retro-inspired action, arcade, puzzle, racing, sports, and adventure games without downloading additional titles.
- 👥 TWO WIRED CONTROLLERS INCLUDED – Enjoy solo gaming or share the experience with a friend or family member. The GameNext console includes 2 wired controllers, making it easy to switch between single-player and two-player supported games.
- 📺 AV CONNECTION FOR TV PLAY – Connect the console to a compatible television using the included AV cable and enjoy classic gaming on a larger screen. Designed for straightforward setup so you can spend less time configuring and more time playing.
- 🕹️ CLASSIC RETRO GAMING EXPERIENCE – Designed for ages 15 and up, GameNext brings nostalgic, old-school gameplay into a compact console that's great for retro-gaming enthusiasts, teenagers, adults, and anyone who enjoys classic-style video games.
- 🎁 COMPLETE GAMING SET FROM GAMENEXT – Everything needed to get started comes together in one convenient package: GameNext retro game console, 2 wired controllers, and AV cable. A compact entertainment system that's easy to set up, store, and enjoy at home.
Pokémon Ruby and Sapphire
On Game Boy Advance, Pokémon’s familiar loop—explore, collect, train, and trade—could travel with you. The social part often depended on having another player nearby and a way to connect the handhelds, so the memory might be as much about trading with a friend as finishing the adventure.
Pokémon FireRed and LeafGreen
These Game Boy Advance remakes revisited the original Kanto journey for a new handheld generation. They paired the comfort of a familiar Pokémon adventure with the collecting and trading routines that made the series easy to share with friends.
Dr. Kawashima’s Brain Training / Brain Age
Known as Brain Training in some regions and Brain Age in others, this DS series was built around brief puzzles and repeat visits rather than a long campaign. It was among the Nintendo DS games listed in Pew’s 2008 report, alongside Nintendogs and Pokémon.
Pokémon Diamond and Pearl
For DS owners, Diamond and Pearl extended Pokémon’s handheld collecting-and-trading appeal into another generation. Like the other Pokémon entries here, the social memory could be local and personal: comparing teams, swapping creatures, or talking through where to go next.
Recommended Free Tools
Living-room games: motion, minigames, and friendly competition
Wii Sports
Wii Sports turned the Wii Remote’s motion controls into simple sports games that were easy to demonstrate to someone who had never played a console game. Nintendo and the National Science and Media Museum both place it with the Wii’s 2006 launch. The museum’s timeline is a useful reminder that the era’s play styles ranged from handheld touch controls to movement-based living-room games. National Science and Media Museum’s video-game timeline
Rank #2
- Kids Friendly Design: This P30S handheld game console is specially designed for kids. It has a stylish arcade - like appearance. The body fits a child's hand, and the game settings also cater to kids psychology, thus being very attractive.
- Excellent Gaming Experience: Equipped with a 3.0 - inch high - definition screen and excellent speaker sound, it provides an excellent visual and auditory experience for video games. This handheld game console is small and lightweight, convenient for kids to use and carry. Its ergonomic design ensures a comfortable grip, allowing children to fully enjoy the games.
- Rich Collection of Classic Games: This retro handheld game console contains 220 interesting kids video games, including various types such as entertainment, sports, and adventure games, just like those found in many retro game consoles. While playing these games, kids can cultivate skills such as hand - eye coordination, thinking, and problem - solving.
- Convenient Rechargeable and Long - lasting Battery: The video game console is equipped with an 860mAh lithium - ion battery. It ensures that kids can play games without interruption, because there is no need for frequent battery replacement, which is very suitable for playing portable games outdoors. It is a great addition to the world of handheld games for children and can bring more fun to them.
- Absolutely Surprising Gift: Our handheld game toy is a surprising gift for kids, teenagers, and even adults. It is the best gift for birthdays, Christmas, Halloween, and Thanksgiving. Customer satisfaction is our top priority. Our customer support team will serve you wholeheartedly.
Wii Play
Built around bite-sized activities, Wii Play suited a living room where people took turns rather than settling in for one long story. Pew’s 2008 report names it among the Wii games teens played, in a period when Wii gaming was often described as social and active.
Super Mario Galaxy
Super Mario Galaxy offered a more expansive solo adventure on Wii, using gravity-bending worlds to reinvent familiar 3D platforming. Pew listed it among Wii games in its 2008 report, showing that the console’s popular memories were not limited to party games.
Super Smash Bros. Brawl
Brawl made the Wii a place for living-room matchups, with friends choosing characters and settling rivalries in chaotic multiplayer fights. Pew’s 2008 list of Wii games also included it, alongside Wii Play and Super Mario Galaxy.
Outdated Drivers Are Slowing You Down
One free scan finds every outdated or missing driver and matches the right update for your exact hardware.Free scan · exact hardware matchWindows Errors? Fix Them Before They Spread
Repair common Windows errors and clear accumulated junk for a smoother, more stable PC - no reinstall needed.Free scan · no reinstallMario Kart: Double Dash!!
On GameCube, Double Dash!! made local racing unusually cooperative: two players could share a kart, one driving and one handling items. That twist gave couch multiplayer a different rhythm from racing alone or simply competing for first place.
The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker
With its expressive, cel-shaded look and sea-spanning adventure, The Wind Waker gave GameCube owners a Zelda journey that stood apart visually from other games of the decade. Its slower stretches of sailing could be part of the appeal: exploration mattered as much as combat.
Rank #3
- Officially licensed Atari titles. Titles include Asteroids, Centipede, Millipede, Breakout, Missile Command, Crystal Castles and many more. Game save options.
- Packed with over 200 built-in Atari games + bonus titles. Pac-Man & Galaga not included. Full Game list listed below.
- Includes Atari console, games instructions, 2 wireless joysticks, USB power cable, HDMI cable, and user manual. System connects directly to TV.
- Includes two 2.4 GHz wireless joysticks, inspired by the original Atari joysticks, include paddles for paddle games like Breakout, Warlords and many more.
- User Guide Languages: English, French, Spanish, Italian, Portuguese, German, Dutch, Japanese and Arabic. Dynamic RGB LED lights.
Metroid Prime
Metroid Prime translated the series’ exploration and atmosphere into a first-person view on GameCube. It is a strong fit for the quieter side of childhood gaming memories: scanning unfamiliar places, unlocking routes, and gradually understanding a world rather than competing with a roomful of friends.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Console games: online matches and cinematic adventures
Halo 3
On Xbox 360, Halo 3 could mean split-screen matches at home or competition over Xbox Live. Pew’s 2008 report includes it among Xbox 360 games and discusses online play as part of teens’ gaming habits. The online experience belongs to its period; the report does not establish whether original services or modes remain available today.
Quick wins for a faster PC:
Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsFree Scan →Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitchesFind Drivers →Gears of War
Gears of War brought cover-based action and cooperative play to Xbox 360, with multiplayer adding another way to meet friends in-game. Pew listed it among the Xbox 360 titles teens played in 2008, alongside Halo 3 and Call of Duty 4.
Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare
Modern Warfare helped make online shooter matches a defining Xbox 360 memory for many players. Its appearance in Pew’s 2008 list of Xbox 360 games places it in a broader landscape that included both local play and network competition.
Guitar Hero
Guitar Hero transformed a PlayStation 2 session into a performance, with players strumming a guitar-shaped controller along to on-screen notes. The National Science and Media Museum dates the series’ arrival to 2005, capturing how a dedicated plastic peripheral could turn a game into a party activity.
Rank #4
- 🕹️Officially Licensed: Officially licensed Atari titles, ensuring an authentic gaming experience, includes bonus games.
- Portable Gameplay: Powered by 4 AA batteries (not included) or by a USB-C cable (not included). IMPORTANT NOTE: Please use standard non-rechargeable batteries.
- Collector's Item: A must-own for collectors and fans of video games, celebrating Atari's pioneering legacy spanning over 50 years.
- Headphone Jack: 3.5mm headphone jack lets you enjoy Atari on the go on your own privately. Built-in speaker with volume control and brightness adjustment
- 🎯 Iconic Titles: Relive iconic Atari classics like Pong, Yars Revenge, Breakout, Asteroids Centipede, Missile Command, and many more with 100 games in one compact unit.
Grand Theft Auto III
Grand Theft Auto III made an open city central to the experience, letting players move between missions and self-directed exploration. The National Science and Media Museum includes it among the important games in its account of the medium’s history; its appeal came from the freedom to decide what to do next as much as from following objectives.
Free tools Windows power users keep installed
One-click scans. No signup required.
Grand Theft Auto IV
For players who moved on to PlayStation 3 or Xbox 360, Grand Theft Auto IV offered another sprawling city to explore, this time with a more grounded tone. It represents the cinematic, open-world side of the decade’s console memories, distinct from handheld routines and couch-party games.
LittleBigPlanet
LittleBigPlanet made creation part of the platforming appeal: players could work through levels and experiment with making their own. The National Science and Media Museum marks its release in 2008, a reminder that console play could be creative and shareable as well as competitive.
Computer games: worlds that kept going online
World of Warcraft
World of Warcraft offered a persistent online role-playing world, where the memorable parts could include quests, character progression, and the people encountered along the way. The National Science and Media Museum dates the game to 2004. Unlike a handheld puzzle or a living-room match, an online world made play feel connected to a much larger community.
The Sims 2
The Sims 2 turned the computer into a stage for household stories: build lives, manage relationships, and see what happens when plans go off course. Its appeal was personal and creative rather than score-driven, making it a very different kind of computer-game memory from an online role-playing world.
Why 2000s gaming memories vary so much
The decade’s most recognizable games were shaped by where people played and who was available to join. A DS could make gaming private and portable; Wii motion controls made some games easy to pass around a living room; Xbox Live connected console players online; and PC role-playing could turn a game into an ongoing social world. These are different kinds of nostalgia, not evidence that every child played the same hits.
Contemporary data also shows how broad the landscape was. Pew’s 2008 report listed DS games such as Nintendogs, Pokémon, and Brain Age; Xbox 360 games including Halo 3, Gears of War, and Call of Duty 4; and Wii games such as Wii Play, Super Mario Galaxy, and Super Smash Bros. Brawl. The report recorded 21 million DS and DS Lite units sold since launch, 25 million Wii units sold globally, and 19 million Xbox 360 units sold worldwide at that time; those are historical figures reported by Pew in 2008, not current lifetime totals. Pew Research Center’s 2008 report
Quick Recap
Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.
