Thank you to GameStop for gifting us a Wii U. All opinions expressed are 100% my own.

You probably already know that the Smiths are a family of gamers. We own pretty much every console out there, and use them on a daily basis. My girls are 5 and 7 years old and their personal favorite is the Wii U. If we allowed them to play it all day, every day, they totally would. In fact there probably (definitely) have been days like that – don’t judge. I sat them down and asked them to pick out their favorite Wii U games to play so that I could share them with you. They narrowed them down to 10 and I have to say, I love all the games they chose too!

TIP: Head to your local GameStop (or shop online) for some amazing deals on pre-owned games. If you are a PowerUp Rewards member, which you totally should be, you can pretty much always get even better deals. Like buy two, get one free on all pre-owned games. That is my personal favorite deal to take advantage of. Not to mention, you get more value when you trade in games. You can even save on pre-owned gaming consoles. It is totally a no brainer.

Minecraft

Minecraft is a game about placing blocks and going on adventures. Explore randomly-generated worlds and build amazing things from the simplest of homes to the grandest of castles. Play in Creative Mode with unlimited resources or mine deep into the world in survival mode, crafting weapons and armor to fend off the dangerous mobs. Craft, create, and explore alone, or with up to four players in split-screen and up to eight online.

This is my girls’ favorite game. Hands down. They spend hours playing it. And honestly, it is teaching them a lot. They are learning about how things work, and improving their hand eye coordination. My husband and I have been shocked by how much they are learning and how good this game has actually been for them.

Super Mario Maker

The Mario experience of your dreams has arrived and is bursting with creativity… including yours! Play a near-limitless number of intensely creative Super Mario levels from players around the world. It’s easy enough to create your own levels with the Wii U GamePad controller that it may feel like you’re simply sketching out your ideas on paper, but you can now bring enemies and objects into a playable course in ways you could only dream of before. What was impossible in traditional Mario games is now impossibly fun, so let your imagination run wild!

My daughters are always creating levels that are literally impossible, and they find it hilarious. My husband and I have so much fun trying to beat their levels and stump them with our own. This is a great family game!

Mario Kart 8

Feel the rush as your kart rockets across the ceiling! Race upside-down and along walls on anti-gravity tracks in the most action-fueled Mario Kart game yet! Take on racers across the globe and share videos of your greatest moments via Mario Kart TV. This is a game that we all have so much fun playing! We battle it out in all of the modes, and somehow I pretty much always lose. But that is OK because I adore watching my girls have the time of their life playing!

Yoshi’s Woolly World

Embark on a new Yoshi adventure in a world made from yarn, cloth and textiles. Explore the world by using yarn to weave wool patterns and warp pipes to reach new areas, and gleefully unravel its secrets and puzzles by pulling yarn walls apart. Add a little color to Yoshi’s life with a spectrum of yarn balls. Then team up with a friend to have a ball together in this wild and woolly world.

My girls could play this game for hours on end. And they have gotten really good at it. My husband and I enjoy sitting back and watching them play it together quite often. The controls are easy for kids to pick up on.

Just Dance

Just Dance 2015 is the latest, most awesome-filled version of the world’s #1 dance game! Bringing new moves and game modes to over 40 top tracks, Just Dance 2015 features hit songs like “Happy” by Pharrell Williams, “Burn”” by Ellie Goulding, and legendary favorites like “Walk This Way” by Run DMC & Aerosmith, with more tracks to be announced very soon. There are a million reasons to play and a million stories to be created with Just Dance 2015!

All dance games are super fun with kids. Trust me. My 7 year old tries REALLY hard, and I love watching her. While my 5 year old could care less to match the moves and just kind of does her own thing. My husband and I sit back and watch and just laugh and laugh. Every now and then we jump in and play too.

Adventure Time: Finn and Jake Investigations

Adventure Time: Finn and Jake Investigations is an all-new, real-time, fully 3D action-oriented twist on the classic story-driven graphic adventure game. At the start of the game, Finn and Jake decide to carry on the profession of their parents, who were Professional Investigators. Confronted with mysterious Land of Ooo disappearances and strange events, players will interview colorful Ooo inhabitants, dispatch evil doers in fast-paced combat, solve mind-bending puzzles, explore secret and familiar locations, and genuinely feel as if they have stepped into their own personal episode of Adventure Time.

My daughters love the show Adventure Time, so this quickly became one of their favorite games. At first, we really had to help them with the controls, but they easily figured them out after a few times playing. If you are a fan of the show, you will love this game.

Mario Party 10

Bowser crashes the latest Mario Party, the first installment of the series on the Wii U console. In the new Bowser Party Mini-games, play as Bowser himself and face off against up to four others playing as Mario and friends. Control Bowser using the buttons, motion controls and touch screen of the Wii U GamePad controller in different ways, and wreak havoc as Bowser in each mini-game while the other players strive to survive.

This is another four player couch co-op, so you know it is a hit in our house! We play it at least twice a week. Of course, we have to rotate who is Bowser because, for some reason, the girls always fight over being him. Even though he always loses. Well, almost always.

LEGO Dimensions

When a mysterious and powerful vortex suddenly appears in various LEGO® worlds, different characters from DC Comics, The Lord of the Rings and The LEGO® Movie are swept away. To save their friends, Batman, Gandalf and Wyldstyle bravely jump into the vortex and quickly find themselves fighting to save all of LEGO humanity.

We are such big fans of this game in our house because we love LEGOs. We not only get to build some of our favorite characters, but we get to play them as well. My 5 year old adores UniKitty! Her favorite part of the game is that she can teleport in to UniKitty’s world. And me being a collector, I just want to complete ALL the missions and collect ALL the things. I am still working on that….

Kirby and the Rainbow Curse

Do you have the magic touch? Then guide Kirby as he sets off on grand adventures in a hand-sculpted clay world. Draw lines on the touch screen of the Wii U GamePad controller to create rainbow-colored clay ropes to move Kirby around freely, or tap him to attack enemies or blast through obstacles. Transformations include a submarine, rocket and tank. In underwater levels, Kirby dons a swim mask. If his power level gets too low, a clay bandage appears on his head.

This is another game that we can all play together. We rotate who gets to be Kirby, of course, but we have a blast no matter what character we play. I love that we can all actively help complete a level. This is a must for families who love to game together!

Super Mario 3D World

Work together with your friends or compete for the crown in the first multiplayer 3D Mario game for the Wii U console. In the Super Mario 3D World game, players can choose to play as Mario, Luigi, Princess Peach, or Toad. This game is a total blast. We played it all the way through (twice) as a family. I love that it is a couch co-op for a family of four because there are not many of those. My girls love becoming kitties. It is their favorite part of the game. Hands down.

Don’t forget to show pre-owned at GameStop! You are sure to save so much money on deals you never thought possible! This holiday season, you can pick up a pre-owned console and whole collection of games for a price you could never imagine.