MadeForMums Toy Awards 2025 Winners: Best family and action games

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• Best action toy
• Best family game
• Best family card game

Best action toy

Action toys are all about getting kids moving, sparking imagination and creating epic adventures. From blasters to immersive play sets, these toys offer plenty of screen-free fun while supporting fine motor skills and creative play.

Our testers and their parents evaluated everything from ease of handling and play potential to durability and long-term appeal. These are the 2025 MadeForMums Toy Awards winners.

Gold: TOMY Dōteki Multi Player Battle Pack

All three of my boys really loved playing with this game. They were very quick to get the hang of it, it is a really entertaining toy that kept them occupied for a good while.

MadeForMums Toy Awards Team say: "This battle game will keep kids and adults alike occupied and entertained for hours thanks to its fast-paced mechanics and flexible, dynamic arena. Plus, we love that it can be customised to fit 2, 10, or even more players."

Silver: Playmobil: Sky Trails 71969 Starter Kit

I love Playmobil. My favourite bit is that it came with two Playmobil men who I can fly down the track. They go so fast and I have tried to make them go faster and faster as well as making them go backwards. I have enjoyed playing with this with my brothers.

MadeForMums Toy Awards Team say: "We, and our child testers, were immediately impressed by this exciting, action-packed twist on such a classic toy. Our testers spent hours flying the figures down the tracks they'd built and it's clear that there are plenty more hours of play potential to come."

Bronze: XSHOT Insanity Smoking Barrel Blaster by ZURU

It's a great toy with loads of fun functions and the smoke element really adds to the immersive play. It's got loads of play potential especially as it can be added to a big XSHOT set up. We love the smoke and lights and the satisfaction of the pump action instead of a trigger.

MadeForMums Toy Awards Team say: "This toy really takes the blaster experience to the next level. This innovative blaster smokes and lights up every time a dart is fired which led to hours of fun for our tester families."

Best family game

Family games bring everyone together for laughter, strategy and friendly competition. Our testers played a wide range of games to see which offered the most fun for the whole family.

They judged how exciting and inventive each game was, how much laughter and friendly competition it sparked and whether everyone from little siblings to grown-ups could get in on the fun. Here are the 2025 winners.

Gold: Exploding Kittens: The Board Game

I like how it was different to other board games with two different sides, it has a unique layout. I like how it was competitive and it's similar to the card game but still different. Yes, I would definitely play again.

MadeForMums Toy Awards Team say: "A unique, innovative, and most importantly, extremely fun board game that entertained our child testers and their families for hours. Our testers particularly loved the creative 'flipping' board that turns over mid-game and unleashes chaos, surprise and tension. This is a must-have for family game night."

Silver: Exploding Pigeon- By Exploding Kittens

I love this game, it is so fast and fun and exciting. My terrible drawings make everyone laugh.

MadeForMums Toy Awards Team say:"This fun and fast-paced party game had our child testers howling with laughter — it's quick, it's funny, it's super easy to set up and works with any number of players. This would be a perfect game to bring out on Christmas day — just watch out for the exploding pigeon!"

Silver: PICTIONARY PIC-TATO

This game is a lot of fun. Trying to draw all the things can be hard but I’m getting better and better all the time. I love getting to play games with my family as you need a minimum of 3 people to play this. Seeing some people’s drawings and hearing some guesses make me laugh and all my family laugh too. This is a great game for everyone.

MadeForMums Toy Awards Team say: "We all love Pictionary, so we really love this twist on the classic family game. Our child testers loved the fast-paced nature of the game and their parents loved how easy it is to set up — plus, it's a great size to pack away and take with you when travelling."

Bronze: TOMY Extreme Silence

The novelty element of the game concept was thoroughly enjoyed by my child. He enjoyed the challenges that the game brought and it did generate some creativity in him as he thought of his own challenges to try instead of the challenges that came with the toy.

MadeForMums Toy Awards Team say: "TOMY Extreme Silence is a fun game with a real 'wow' factor — our child testers loved the novelty aspect of the Decibel Detector and were super excited to play it with their friends."

Shortlisted: Disney Villainous Unstoppable

Best family card game

Card games are perfect for family fun that’s portable, quick to play and full of surprises. Our testers, along with their siblings and parents, tried a variety of games to find the ones that were most engaging, easy to learn and replayable.

They looked at how fun each game was for different ages, how simple it was to set up and play, and how much excitement it brought to family game night. These are the 2025 award winners.

Gold: Coyote - by Exploding Kittens

Maryam thought the Coyote game was absolutely brilliant. She described it as a fun card game and perfect ice breaker. She loved the coyote design on the back of the cards and absolutely loved the actions that had to be done.

MadeForMums Toy Awards Team say: "Our testers thought there was 'something special' about this fast-paced family card game and loved how it brings people together, with plenty of laughs and giggles along the way!"

Gold: Speedy Pants from Confident Games

Clara found this a hilarious speedy card game that was quick to get to grips with. She quickly realised it was getting her to use her maths skills but reflected that it was ok as she was having fun.

MadeForMums Toy Awards Team say: "Quick to learn, extremely fun to play and offers 10 games in 1 compact, portable game — win, win, win! Our testers loved this hilarious card game that includes just a touch of chaos too."

Silver: UNO Zero

This is an amazing game. It is so fun because you don't know what the next person is going to do to make you win or lose. Can we keep playing? Can we make this one of our family games night games now? This is the best Uno game ever, this is so fun.

MadeForMums Toy Awards Team say: "We all know and love UNO and our testers grew to know and love this new twist on the classic card game too. It's a perfect combination of fun and strategy that kids (and adults!) will have great fun playing."

Bronze: Sussed Oddball Orange

It was really fun. I liked that it was a game about people knowing you and your personality because it made it entertaining to play. It was quite easy to learn the rules and get started. I would play it again with some of my friends to test how much we know each other. It’s easy to take around so I will play with it a lot.

MadeForMums Toy Awards Team say: "Packed with quirky questions and hilarious surprises, our testers loved how the game helped them learn new things about their families and friends."

Bronze: Sussed Hello Yellow

Joseph really enjoyed playing with Hello Yellow. He was excited to play every time we got the game out.He said the game is “really fun” and he likes that “it’s funny, like when it says what would I do if I farted.

MadeForMums Toy Awards Team say: "Considering its theme of Everyday Laughs, it's no surprise that our testers were smiling, chatting and laughing in no time when playing Sussed Hello Yellow — it's full of upbeat questions and feel-good fun."

Bronze: Sussed Cool Blue

I love how it reveals things about the people you're playing with that you wouldn't know about otherwise. I found It very funny and enjoyed it when the others got my question wrong, it makes really good conversation when you're playing the game.

MadeForMums Toy Awards Team say: "With thoughtful prompts and clever twists, we love how this edition sparks meaningful conversations and unexpected laughs along the way too."

Bronze: Sussed Amazing Purple

Zach enjoyed this game, I haven't seen another game like it so I do think it's quite original. We have played a few times and have what looks like hundreds of cards to still play with. We will definitely play this game again it's a bit different to other games and it's good for encouraging reading.

MadeForMums Toy Awards Team say: "This edition of the conversational card game is brimming with energy and surprises, and our testers loved the connections that playing the game helped to make."

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