Best mobile games for kids with no ads
Six games with no third-party ads, no chat with strangers and no "watch a video for coins", sorted by age from toddlers to tweens. Two are free, two are subscriptions, and two have shops worth locking first.
"Free" kids' games are the worst corner of either app store: unskippable ads for other games, fake buttons that open the store, and pop-ups timed for when a parent is not looking. The six picks below make the business model visible up front. Each has an age-range tag based on the developer's guidance and Common Sense Media, and a plain note on what, if anything, costs money. Prices are US as of September 2026.
1. Khan Academy Kids
Free, no ads, no IAPAges 2 to 8iOS + Android
Reading, phonics, maths, drawing and storybooks, framed as a game with animal guides, from the non-profit Khan Academy. The store listing says "always 100% free, no ads, no subscriptions" and that has held since launch. It is the best answer to "what should I put on the tablet"; the only mark against it is that it is more school than play for older kids.
2. PBS KIDS Games
Free, no ads, no IAPAges 2 to 8iOS + Android
More than 280 short games built around PBS shows such as Daniel Tiger and Wild Kratts, with no ads and nothing to buy, from a public broadcaster. Store ratings sit around 4.4 across hundreds of thousands of reviews. One caveat: a late-2025 update reportedly removed offline play for many games, so do not count on it for a flight without testing first in airplane mode.
3. Pok Pok
SubscriptionAges 2 to 8iOS + Android
A Montessori-inspired "digital playroom" of open-ended toys, deliberately low-stimulation: no language, no scores, no winning or losing, and, per the listing, no ads. It won an App Store Award in 2023 and holds a 4.7 rating. The catch is the model: a monthly or annual subscription with a free trial, so it costs more over a year than any premium game on this site. For a toddler who gets wound up by louder apps, it is worth it.
4. Sago Mini World
SubscriptionAges 2 to 6iOS + Android
Dozens of gentle preschool mini-games (a vet, a boat, a bakery) in one app, no ads, no reading required. It is now sold through Sago Mini's Piknik subscription, which also bundles Toca Boca Jr and other preschool apps, on monthly or annual plans, with a few activities free to try. Good value at the exact right age; cancel before they age out, which happens fast.
5. Minecraft
Premium + optional IAPAges 8 to 12iOS + Android
The one game here an eight-year-old will actually ask for. Roughly $6.99 buys the full game with no ads; the in-app Marketplace sells skins and worlds and the Realms subscription adds private servers, all skippable. The thing to manage is multiplayer, not the shop: play single-player or on a family Realm, and turn off chat and outside connections in the settings. Rated Everyone 10+ by the ESRB.
6. Toca Boca World
Free + IAP shopAges 4 to 9iOS + Android
A digital dollhouse: make up stories across colourful locations with hundreds of characters, no rules, no online play, no third-party ads or chat. Common Sense Media rates it for ages 4 and up. The free download includes a handful of locations and characters; everything else is sold by the pack at roughly $0.99 to $13.99, and the shopping-cart icon is always on screen, which is why it ranks last. Lock purchases and the free version is a good game.
Parent controls: five minutes that prevent the $200 surprise
- iPhone and iPad, Ask to Buy: set up Family Sharing, give your child their own Apple Account, and turn on Ask to Buy. Every download and in-app purchase then sends you an approval request, according to Apple's support guide.
- iPhone and iPad, hard block: Settings, Screen Time, Content and Privacy Restrictions, iTunes and App Store Purchases, then set In-app Purchases to Don't Allow. Also set "Require Password" to Always.
- Android, Family Link: create or supervise the child's Google Account in Family Link and turn on purchase approvals, so Play purchases need a parent's OK. Google notes this only covers purchases made through Play billing.
- Android, any device: in the Play Store, open your profile, Settings, Authentication, and require a password or biometric for every purchase. This is the fallback for a shared family phone.
How we rate
- Store ratings: current App Store and Google Play scores, weighted by review count, checked September 2026.
- Monetization: free with nothing to buy scores highest, then a clear premium price, then a subscription. Third-party ads, "watch to unlock" prompts or unmoderated chat disqualify a game.
- Age fit: developer guidance and Common Sense Media reviews.
- Not hours played: these are research-based editorial ratings, not hands-on scores.
The premium rule: for kids, the fairest deal is a free app from a non-profit, and the second fairest is a one-time purchase. If a "free" kids' game has a shopping cart on the home screen, assume the game is designed around it.
Quick answers
Which kids' games are completely free with no ads and no purchases?
Khan Academy Kids and PBS KIDS Games. Both are run by non-profits, both state on their store pages that they have no ads and no in-app purchases, and both are on iOS and Android. They cover roughly ages 2 to 8 and are the first two apps we would install on any child's device.
Is Toca Boca World safe for kids if it has in-app purchases?
It has no third-party ads, no chat and no online play, which is why it is here, but its in-app shop for extra locations and characters is prominent and ranges from roughly $0.99 to $13.99 per pack. Turn on Ask to Buy on iOS or purchase approvals on Google Play before handing it over, and treat the free version as the game.
How do I stop my child making purchases in games?
On iPhone and iPad, set up Family Sharing and turn on Ask to Buy, or disable in-app purchases entirely under Settings, Screen Time, Content and Privacy Restrictions. On Android, use Family Link purchase approvals, or in the Play Store set purchase authentication to require a password or fingerprint for every purchase.
