Nostalgic games that were popular when we were kids
Don’t you think kids are truly geniuses at killing time?
During recess or after school, we played all kinds of games every day!
I bet you can instantly think of a few nostalgic games too, right?
In this article, we’ll introduce plenty of the games we used to play as kids!
We’ve rounded up nostalgic games that will take you right back to childhood the moment you see them and put a smile on your face.
I’m sure today’s kids would enjoy them too.
You can play together across generations, and we hope this helps you fondly remember those days!
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- A special feature on nostalgic toys and the trends we craved as kids—loads of the things we wanted back then are here!
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Nostalgic games that were popular in our childhood (11–20)
GunplaNEW!
Even as adults, countless people find themselves completely hooked! Some enjoy painting them, combining different parts, or customizing them as they go.
Commonly abbreviated as “Gunpla,” these Gundam plastic model kits let you build the mobile suits that appear in the anime Mobile Suit Gundam.
First released in 1980, they gradually gained popularity and are now loved overseas as well.
With so many different types available, they really stoke your desire to collect.
Their appeal isn’t just for skilled model builders—products are also thoughtfully designed for beginners.
Cabbage Patch KidsNEW!
Released by an American toy manufacturer as dolls born from cabbage patches, the Cabbage Patch Kids came with birth certificates and names, and each one had unique features like different facial expressions and hair colors, making every doll one of a kind.
While the head is plastic, the body is made of soft cloth, offering an ideal tactile feel for children.
Since each one is different, some children may have wanted to collect many of them! Their individual personalities likely made doll play even more engaging.
Game & WatchNEW!
There are many handheld game consoles like the Switch and the DS, but it’s no exaggeration to call the Game & Watch the original.
Released by Nintendo in 1980 as its first handheld game console, it reportedly got its name from the fact that it could be used as a clock when you weren’t playing.
The line evolved over time, with larger screens and even a dual-screen clamshell design.
In 2020, a limited-time Super Mario edition of the Game & Watch was released.
Pachin GumNEW!
If you reach out your hand, tempted by the kind offer of “Here, have some gum,” your fingers will get snapped with a sharp “snap!” This is a prank toy that was popular from the Showa era into the early Heisei period.
It looks like a stick of chewing gum, but you can’t eat what’s inside.
It’s an easy-to-understand prank, yet it has a certain charm that makes you want to try it over and over.
If you really want to catch someone off guard, surprising them out of the blue might work best.
ButamintonNEW!
The badminton-style competitive sports game “Butaminton” is a nostalgic toy for those who spent their childhood from the Showa into the Heisei era.
In badminton you use a racket to hit the shuttlecock, but in Butaminton you use a pig toy! You squeeze the pig to puff out air from its snout, and that force launches the shuttlecock.
Revived in the Reiwa era, it won the Grand Prize at the Japan Toy Awards 2025.
Truly a wildly popular toy that transcends generations!
Panpan Beam
This is a one-on-one game; I don’t know its official name, but I bet many people played it with friends when they were little.
After clapping your hands twice—pan, pan—you choose one of three moves: Beam, Charge, or Guard.
The basic rule is that if your opponent uses Beam while you’re Charging, you lose.
There’s also a rule where, after Charging a preset number of times, you can fire a Beam that breaks through a Guard and wins, so it’s actually a surprisingly strategic game! With moves like Beam and Guard, it’s a fun, very boyish kind of play.
kneaded eraser
Do you know “neri-keshi” (kneaded eraser)? In Japan, the first boom happened in the 1970s.
It’s an item shaped like a regular eraser; you chop it up into small pieces and knead it by pressing it between something flat like a ruler and your desk.
It takes patience to finish, but it’s quite rewarding when you do.
If you knead it thoroughly, you’ll get a stretchy, well-made kneaded eraser.
Just make sure you don’t make one during class by mistake…!
Facial parts in a free notebook
It’s a game where you hand-draw facial features on a sketchpad and have your friends pick one part at a time to complete a face.
Listing out all the facial parts takes quite a bit of time and patience, but coming up with different parts is surprisingly fun.
If you slip in a few odd or silly features, there will definitely be a friend who chooses them, so roaring laughter at the finished face is guaranteed.
paper popper
“Paper Popper” You can easily make it with a single sheet of paper.
Haven’t you made one at least once? It’s that thing that goes “pop!” when you swing it down hard.
Even elementary school kids can fold it easily, and once you start popping it, you’ll want to do it over and over.
When playing with friends, don’t pop it right by someone’s ear or behind them to startle them—that’s dangerous, so please don’t do it.
Fruits Basket
In “Fruit Basket,” one person is chosen as “it,” and the other participants are each assigned the name of a specific fruit, then sit on chairs arranged in a circle.
The person who is “it” stands in the center and calls out a fruit name; anyone assigned that fruit must stand up and move to a different chair.
At this time, the “it” person also tries to sit in a chair.
It’s a game still beloved in kindergartens and nursery schools, and there are variations such as “Anything Basket.”