Sky: Children of the Light

Flying through Sky's seven realms

Sky: Children of the Light asks you to restore light to a world overcome by darkness. You free trapped spirits across seven realms and return them to the constellations, gathering Winged Light to strengthen your flight along the way.

The developer, thatgamecompany, describes it as a peaceful, award-winning MMO from the creators of Journey. Flying is the heart of it: diving and gliding over clouds, through ruins and above water.

You also get a personal Nest, a cosy space you can decorate with collectible furniture and placeables.

The developer encourages exploring alone or with friends who guide the way, and calling for help from friends as you travel. Some puzzles are designed to be solved with other players.

Self-expression is a big part of the game. The developer describes hundreds of cosmetic items that combine into millions of outfits, and it is easy to spend as much time on your look as on exploring.

How Sky handles chat and strangers

Sky is an online game, so you will share the world with other people. The developer explains that while the world beyond your Nest is shared, chat is only visible with friends or in designated areas such as benches, where open interaction is allowed. Built-in translation lets players communicate across languages.

Other interactions include emotes, hand-holding and playing instruments together. Players can also leave messages for others to find.

Nintendo UK lists Users Interact on the age rating. If a child plays, set up console and phone parental controls first. Our guide to calm games for kids walks through what to check.

The developer describes Sky as designed to be a safe, welcoming place for everyone. Even so, any game with strangers benefits from a quick conversation with younger players about what to do if someone makes them uncomfortable.

You can simply move away from other players, and play much of the game without engaging with strangers at all. Your Nest is a private space, which is a good place to spend time when you would rather be alone.

Seasons, events and purchases in Sky

Sky is free to play and funded by in-game purchases. Nintendo UK lists In-Game Purchases on its age rating, and Google Play UK lists in-app purchases. The developer describes hundreds of collectible cosmetic items such as capes, masks and hairstyles.

A new season arrives every three months, with shorter events through the year and special limited-time live experiences. That rhythm keeps the game fresh, but it is also the main reason we have not ticked the no-timers or no-online-pressure flags.

Our guide to playing without pressure covers how to approach seasonal content without feeling you must keep up.

In a calm library, Sky is the exception that proves the rule: the world is gentle, but the business model and live calendar are built to bring you back. If you already know that seasonal rewards tend to pull you in, one of the offline games here may suit evenings better.

Where Sky is available in the UK

The UK App Store and Google Play list Sky: Children of the Light as a free download, with Google Play showing PEGI 7. Nintendo UK lists the Switch version, released on 29 June 2021, as PEGI 7 with mild violence and fear descriptors. Steam lists a free Windows PC version from April 2024, with cross-platform multiplayer.

If you would rather have the same mood without other players or purchases, Journey and Flower come from the same studio.

Because it is free to download, it is easy to try before deciding whether its online, seasonal shape suits you.

Cross-platform play means friends on different devices can meet in the same world.