One possible issue is that Exploding Kittens can have a lot of “take that” moves, which can upset some younger players.
I would recommend Flash Point as well. It’s another co-op. It has basic and advanced rules so you can adjust the difficulty. And even young kids can grasp the theme; the players are a team of firefighters who are trying to rescue the occupants of a burning house before the fire spreads too far.
What about Unstable Unicorns? Does that have any artwork or moves that’ll upset youngsters?
Unstable Unicorns | Board Game | BoardGameGeek - the artwork is okay for kids in my opinion but you can judge for yourself
Like Exploding Kittens, Unstable Unicorns has a NSFW version. But I won’t link to that.
We bought that for my 11-year-old. (She’s 12 now but was 11 at the time.)
One thing I’ll say is that Unstable Unicorns requires more decision-making and is slightly more complicated than Exploding Kittens. (I also think that makes it a better game.) If anything, it might be a bit more difficult for a very young person to catch on to. But there’s definitely nothing in the artwork or themes that is more than G-rated.
Just retired my first character in Gloomhaven and am starting the Suncaster. We play on weekends but not as often as we’d like.