The best Disney games honor the source material and are exciting to play for all ages. From kart racing, to farming, to platforming, there’s a surprising amount of variety. Here are the best Disney games you can play in 2023.
[Note: I’m including games you can easily access on modern platforms. Unfortunately, it’s quite difficult to get a copy of Disney’s Extreme Skate Adventure in 2023. Otherwise, I’d put it on the list!]
Cars 3: Driven to Win
Cars 3: Driven to Win takes the Mario Kart approach and makes for a surprisingly good Disney racing game. You’re driving through locations from the film, and trying to triumph in the race, items included. There’s a wide variety of characters to drive as, including Lightning, Cruz Ramirez, and even the unconventional Mater.
There’s also a decent drifting and boosting system in place in the game, making it feel high-speed.
Disney’s Aladdin
Disney’s Aladdin took “one jump ahead” to the platforming genre with fun platforming levels, groundbreaking 2D roto-scoping animation, and a great recreation of the desert city Agrabah in game form. This game’s tough, however, so I’d recommend getting the Disney Classic Games Collection.
It has the function to rewind and even does a perfect playthrough for you. For the latter feature, you can also jump into the game whenever you’d like. The collection can switch between the Genesis and Super Nintendo versions of the game too.
Disney Dreamlight Valley
Disney Dreamlight Valley is an absolute joy for any fan of the House of Mouse. In this relaxing Animal Crossing-like experience, you’re rebuilding a town, as well as bringing back old and new Disney characters to the settlement. It’s quite satisfying when the town gets busier and busier.
You’ll also be cooking a bunch of recipes from the ingredients you grow and collect from around the world. You’ll need to have some patience too in this game with the farming elements!
Disney Infinity on Steam
What once was a toys-to-life game (remember those?), Disney Infinity has become a comprehensive package on Steam. You can get all the characters and campaigns through the Gold Collection on Valve’s client. You won’t need a figure. Within the game are some charming levels, simple Lego-like beat-em-up sections you can play with your family, and great production values all around. For example, in Disney Infinity 1.0, you can explore the Caribbean on a pirate ship.
You can’t share your creations online, but there’s a pretty awesome toolset for making your own levels as well.
Disney Speedstorm
Disney Princesses don’t have to wait for their “prince to come.” Instead, they can race around all manner of landmarks throughout the animation studio’s history. From Mulan‘s Great Walls of China to Aladdin‘s Agrabah, there are exciting places to explore on your kart.
The action’s intense, the driving’s surprisingly smooth for a tie-in game like this, and the graphics are top-notch. I personally love that each item you use has a second ability from holding down the corresponding button.
The problem is that it’s free-to-play and has a lot of barriers in place to unlock your favorite characters. Still, the game itself is thrilling to play; it’s worth the headaches. Read my review for more information.
DuckTales
Available through The Disney Afternoon Collection, you can play this platforming classic in 2023. You’re using Scrooge’s cane as a pogo stick, bumping enemies. The level design is immaculate.
The music is also phenomenal, especially the Moon level’s theme, which cover artists still love to highlight to this day. Like Aladdin‘s port to modern systems, you can rewind the game as well, making this game more accessible to modern players. It might be an NES game, but you might go quackers over it.
“Borrowing a page from Mega Man with its freeing world selection system, the maps themselves are full of twists, turns, alternate paths, and secret areas,” Chris Carter says in his Destructoid review for The Disney Afternoon Collection. “Like most of the Afternoon Collection, it stands on its own two feet, free of the shackles of nostalgia.”
Kingdom Hearts HD 1.5 + 2.5 ReMIX
If you know me, this selection isn’t a surprise at all. Kingdom Hearts is near and dear to my heart. The characters are relatable, the storyline is surprisingly deep, and the action RPG combat system keeps me coming back over and over. I’ve always found it wonderful how the magical worlds of Disney blend with the Final Fantasy-esque storyline and combat.
Mickey flips around like Star Wars’ Yoda and uses a golden keyblade, while Final Fantasy X‘s tough Auron takes on Hercules’ Cerberus in the Underworld alongside our heroes Sora, Donald, and Goofy. Kingdom Hearts is bonkers, and I’m here for it. The combat’s also top of the line with some stunning abilities at Sora’s disposal like Sonic Blade and Ragnarok. The bosses, for the most part, are also well-designed and will challenge you.
It’s been said many times, but the fusion of Disney and Square Enix properties shouldn’t work. And yet, it’s a perfect match. Please get on the gummi ship and take a journey into the wacky chaos, which is the Kingdom Hearts series.
