When it comes to educational video games, the Carmen Sandiego series is the benchmark. Original computer game, Where in the world is Carmen Sandiego?was released in 1985 and has since spawned dozens of sequels and spin-offs. In 2025, the first up-to-date installment of the franchise in 10 years, titled simply Carmen Sandiegowill hit store shelves (or perhaps more accurately, public library shelves). After just a few hours of play, Polygon has shown that it’s not just for fans of the series – the game also has profound educational value, which is refreshing in an age of overstimulation and hastily created content for kids. Carmen Sandiego also seems like a great kid-friendly crash course in playing video games.
In the up-to-date puzzle-adventure game, Carmen Sandiego is a spy working on a case-by-case basis to eliminate a malicious group of thieves called VILE (as was the case in her Netflix TV show adaptation). As Carmen, the player visits locations around the world to uncover clues about suspects, pursue VILE agents, and ultimately issue an arrest warrant for the main perpetrator.
Educational elements are woven into the game mechanics, so it is impossible not to learn facts about the countries visited. For example, a witness who saw a thief might give you some information, such as that the thief talked about exploring Mayan ruins and that they had red hair. You can employ this first piece of information to choose your next destination – in this case, Mexico. At the same time, you employ the information you gain about the thieves themselves to narrow down your database of suspects, marking “red hair” as a “yes”, for example.
Learning doesn’t just come in the form of stationary facts; Carmen Sandiego is designed to encourage players to pay attention and absorb the whole picture. There will always be kids (and gamers in general) who want to skip all the dialogue and text and focus solely on the interactive gameplay mechanics. However, in this case, you’ll quickly fail missions if you don’t read it, so the incentive to learn the facts and make informed decisions is high, and the fun gameplay mechanics are still heavily sprinkled throughout. This way Carmen Sandiego also successfully teaches the player how to play different types of video games; In one minigame you’ll control Carmen in first person, and in the next you’ll solve a puzzle involving tangled cables. If you take another 10-hour flight around the world, you’ll start writing down quick math problems to determine how much time you have left to solve a given case. You’ll sit idle at your computer for a few moments, wondering whether to pursue a suspected thief or just rob him.
The game is not very uncomplicated, and without voice reading it will probably only be suitable for sturdy readers or children who play games with adults who can read. There are some quirks that make me think it would work well in a classroom where a teacher can facilitate students search for clues online (e.g. In which country is Nara Park located?) and define challenging vocabulary (like “southpaw” for lefties). But based on this preview Carmen Sandiego it looks like it will be a near-perfect up-to-date addition to the series, and more importantly, a near-perfect game for kids who love to learn.
The game is not sanitized, nor is it a watered-down version of the original – in compact, it does not try too demanding to attract the attention of the youngest audience, although I think they will like it. It’s a Carmen Sandiego style game, which means it’s real fun AND subtly educational. I, an adult without children, will probably spend a few more hours with him for fun – but if he did I have kids, I’m sure this will be their first killer RPG/puzzle game.
Carmen Sandiego will be released in the first quarter of 2025 on PC, PS5, Xbox Series X and Nintendo Switch. This preview was played on PC using a pre-download code provided by Gameloft and HarperCollins Productions. Vox Media has affiliate partnerships. These do not influence editorial content, although Vox Media may earn commissions for products purchased through affiliate links. Additional information about Polygon’s ethics policy can be found here.
