Kinect Alternatives in 2026: What Kids Can Play Instead

Somewhere in a cupboard there's a Kinect bar with a tangle of cable. You remember Kinect Sports nights, everyone leaping around the living room at once. Now your 6-year-old wants a game like that, and the Xbox it plugged into left the house years ago.

The short answer: A Kinect alternative for kids in 2026 is still a camera that follows the body, in a new place. The options are TV camera boxes (Nex Playground, LeapFrog LeapMove, KINHANK MotionX), the Switch 2 camera in select minigames, Just Dance's phone camera mode and webcam games on a PC or Mac. Microsoft stopped making the Xbox Kinect in 2017, news reports say.

Prices and availability checked on 31 October 2026. We make Fun Motion Labs, so weigh our entry with that in mind. We haven't tested any other Kinect alternative ourselves. Every fact about them comes from a maker's page or a store listing (how we check sources).

Is Kinect discontinued?

Yes. Microsoft stopped making the Xbox Kinect camera in 2017, TechCrunch reported at the time. It ended its last Kinect device, a developer camera called Azure Kinect, in 2023 (Video Games Chronicle, 2023).

So the Xbox camera you remember isn't sold new anymore. Azure Kinect was made for developers and businesses rather than living-room games. The partner cameras Microsoft pointed people to are developer hardware too.

If you have good memories of it, that's a fair place to start. The play was the point, and the play is still easy to find.

Kinect alternatives in 2026: what does the same job now?

The kids' options in 2026 still track the body with a camera, as Kinect did. The camera now lives in a small TV box, a Switch 2 accessory, a phone or a laptop. If you were hoping for Kinect games for kids, the sports and dance games you remember have moved onto these devices.

US prices from makers' pages and the US Nintendo store, checked 31 October 2026. LeapMove's is from Target, which listed $59.99 on sale ($69.99 regular). Ratings are from the ESRB, the US games rater.

Nex Playground

Nex Playground is a camera box that plugs into the TV (Nex). Five games come in the box, and an optional Play Pass opens the rest of the library. It's sold in the US, Canada, the UK and Ireland, and our guide to where you can buy Nex Playground has the country details.

Good fit if you want a box that lives by the TV. Check first whether five games will be enough, and read our breakdown of the Play Pass and first-year cost.

LeapFrog LeapMove

LeapMove is a camera box for the TV with 25 preloaded games (LeapFrog). LeapFrog asks for about 1.8 m (6 ft) between the child and the TV, with 1.5 m (5 ft) clear on each side.

Good fit if you have one child aged 4 to 7 and want a one-time buy. Check first that you have a Windows or Mac computer and internet to register it. LeapFrog also says only the player should be in view, so it's one child at a time.

KINHANK MotionX

MotionX is another TV camera box, with more than 40 games that stay playable without its optional membership (KINHANK). Its "3+" label is a product-safety grading, KINHANK says, and not an age guide for the games.

Good fit if you'd like a TV box with most games included. Check first that you're fine making an account, since setup needs one plus internet. KINHANK doesn't say which countries it delivers to, so check at checkout.

Switch 2 camera

Got a Switch 2 under the TV? One game, Super Mario Party Jamboree, Nintendo Switch 2 Edition + Jamboree TV, can use a USB-C camera (Nintendo). That gives full-body play in select minigames. Nintendo's own Switch 2 Camera has been out since June 2025 and is sold separately.

Good fit if you own a Switch 2 and want a party game for up to four players on one console. Check first that you're happy with camera play in some minigames only, plus the cost of the camera.

Just Dance with a phone camera

Just Dance 2026 Edition runs on Switch, Switch 2, PS5 and Xbox Series X and S. A free phone app can turn your phone's camera into a full-body tracker (Ubisoft).

Good fit if you already own one of those consoles and have a child who loves to dance. Check first that one dancer at a time is enough, because the phone camera mode is solo. We found no laptop webcam version.

A laptop with a webcam may be the one option you already own, and the next section covers it. If you're buying for a grandchild, it's worth asking the parents what's under their TV before you pick.

Can you play Kinect-style games on a PC or Mac?

Yes. On a PC or Mac, the Kinect alternative for families is a webcam game. The computer's own camera follows the player, with no extra sensor.

• Zazti is free, runs in a web browser and says it's for ages 3 and up. Kids "jump, duck, wave, and the camera follows along," the maker says.
• Starri is a rhythm game from Nex, sold on Steam for Windows and Mac at $17.99. You can play with a friend in the same room. Its Steam page shows no age rating.
• MovePlay is an app for Mac, iPhone and iPad. It's free to download with a subscription from $4.99 a month, and the App Store lists it as made for ages 6 to 8.

We searched itch.io and Steam for webcam games on 31 October 2026. We mostly found small experiments and streaming tools, not collections made for young children.

For tracking, LeapFrog asks for a well-lit room, and Zazti asks for the whole body on screen.

Which one suits a 3 to 8 year old, and how much space?

For a 3 to 8 year old, the makers' own age guides narrow the list. Zazti says 3 and up, LeapMove is made for 4 to 7, and Nex recommends 5 and up. For 3 and 4 year olds, Nex says they'll enjoy more of its games if a grown-up or older sibling plays too.

Nintendo Switch Sports and the new Switch Sports Resort are rated E10+ and played with Joy-Con controllers in hand, so they aren't camera games.

Nex asks for about 1.8 x 1.8 m (6 x 6 ft). LeapMove's side room adds up to about 3 m (10 ft) across. Our games need about 1.2 to 1.8 m (4 to 6 ft) of clear floor. If your living room is small, these ideas for small apartments need almost none.

Active games are one more way to move, alongside outdoor play, sport and free play. And any of these can lose its pull after a few weeks, ours included.

Where our games fit

We make Fun Motion Labs. Our motion games run on Windows and Mac computers with a webcam. They're one option for families who'd rather use a computer than buy a console or box.

You download each game and buy it once, with no subscription. After that it plays offline. The internet is needed only to download and for online multiplayer. You can connect the laptop to a TV by HDMI, which we recommend, though it's optional. Tracking and voice commands run on your computer. Your webcam video is never saved or uploaded.

In Zombie Run (ages 6+), you run, jump and duck through a cartoon town. In Fruit Swipe (ages 4+), you swing your arms to slice fruit.

Good fit if you already have a Windows or Mac laptop and don't want another box. Check first that the games are on sale. They launch in November 2026 and aren't on sale yet (our launch news). There are no reviews yet, and full system requirements come at launch. You can look through the games now.

Try this today

No need to decide tonight. Five minutes around the house will show which row of the table fits.

1. Look under the TV for a spare HDMI port or a Switch 2.
2. Check whether your laptop has a working webcam.
3. Measure the clear floor in front of the screen.
4. Match the maker's age guide to your child's age.

The Kinect bar can stay in the cupboard with its cable. The leaping around the living room is the part worth passing on.

FAQ

Nex Playground vs Kinect: what's the difference?

Kinect was a camera add-on for an Xbox console. Nex Playground is a camera box with its own games that plugs straight into a TV, so there's no console to buy. Nex recommends it for ages 5 and up. It says up to four people can play at once, depending on the game, with no controllers in hand. For more boxes like it, see our other picks besides Nex.

What about VR instead of Kinect?

Meta says children must be at least 10 to have the Meta account its Quest headsets need (Meta). For 10 to 12 year olds, a parent sets up and manages the account, and the age can vary by region. So Meta doesn't offer Quest for children aged 3 to 8.

Does it need an Xbox?

No, none of the options in this guide does. The camera boxes plug into a TV on their own, the Jamboree TV camera works with a Switch 2, and webcam games run on a computer. Just Dance does also run on Xbox Series X and S. So an Xbox you already own can still join in, with a phone as the camera.

Sources

1. TechCrunch (25 October 2017). Microsoft finally kills off the Kinect.
2. Video Games Chronicle (22 August 2023). Microsoft has officially ended production of its Kinect hardware.
3. Nex via Business Wire (22 June 2026). Nex Playground officially hits store shelves in the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland.
4. Nex (checked 31 October 2026). Nex Playground shop page and How it works.
5. Nex Help Center (checked 31 October 2026). Do you ship internationally?
6. LeapFrog (checked 31 October 2026). LeapMove pages for the US, Canada, the UK and Australia, and Setting up LeapMove.
7. Target (checked 31 October 2026). LeapMove search results.
8. KINHANK (checked 31 October 2026). KINHANK MotionX.
9. Nintendo US store (checked 31 October 2026). Nintendo Switch 2 Camera.
10. Nintendo US store (checked 31 October 2026). Super Mario Party Jamboree, Nintendo Switch 2 Edition + Jamboree TV.
11. Nintendo US store (checked 31 October 2026). Just Dance 2026 Edition.
12. Ubisoft (checked 31 October 2026). Just Dance Camera Controller.
13. Zazti (checked 31 October 2026). Zazti home page.
14. Steam (checked 31 October 2026). Starri.
15. Apple App Store (checked 31 October 2026). MovePlay.
16. Our store search (31 October 2026). itch.io webcam tag and Steam search for "webcam motion".
17. Nintendo US store (checked 31 October 2026). Nintendo Switch Sports and Nintendo Switch Sports Resort.
18. Meta Help Center (checked 31 October 2026). Why you need to have the right Meta Account for your age to use Meta Quest.

Card: Fun Motion Labs. Cover photo by Ketut Subiyanto on Pexels.