Play for the Planet: Celebrate Earth Day with These 6 Games
Looking for fun and educational ways to celebrate Earth Day with your kids or students? Luckily, there are tons of video games that focus on environmental topics—from wind power to coral preservation to the movement of ice floes. To celebrate Earth Day, we’ve compiled six of our favorites that are available online for free.
Screenshot of Figdit Power! From PBS Kids Design Squad
Grades K+
Fidgit Power! | PBS Kids Design Squad
In this game, kids help bring electricity to Fidgitville with wind turbines, learning about how they keep the air and water clean along the way.
Litter Critters - Recycling Game | ABCya
Learn the basics of recycling with the Litter Critters! Kids will sort trash into four different litter categories: recyclables, compost, electronic waste, and landfill waste. With easy and hard modes, this is one perfect for both beginner and experienced recyclers!
Grades 3+
Coral Bleaching | NASA Climate Kids
Coral reefs are an essential part of a healthy ocean, supporting an estimated 25% of all other ocean life - not to mention its benefits to humans, like their protection of coastlines, and uses in food and medicine! This game teaches kids about coral bleaching, which happens when coral gets stressed from environmental factors and ejects its algae.
Carbon Runner | Green Ninja
Kids step into the shoes of Green Ninja in this running game in order to collect or destroy items that are good or bad for the environment. Correctly answering questions about carbon and the environment unlock new powers and advance to higher levels.
Grades 6+
Eco Warriors | Code.org Hour of Code
This game design and coding activity, made by pro game developers at Gamefroot, scaffolds learners through making their own real 2D platformer video game about collecting trash. With this knowledge, players can go forth and create their own unique levels, upload their own images, and share their unique games with friends and family.
Screenshot from Ice Flows
Play as different kinds of penguins in this fun game while learning about how ice floes flow in the Antarctic, and how that movement is altered by changes in the environment. The game mimics computer-based ice sheet simulation models used by scientists to both understand how the ice behaves and to make predictions about its movement.
Want more Earth Day content? Check out our list of coding-specific Earth Day games here.