Five great IAP-proof kids games for iOS and Android
There's a big gap between a young child's love of smart devices and most parents' grasp of what games are good enough – or appropriate – for them to play with. While devices like the Fire HD 6 Kids Edition made some headway into the guidance business for children, we've got a lot of work to do! What follows is a relatively SHORT guide to get you started in the world of apps and games made for very young children – all of them without the threat of your child buying massive amounts of "coins" without your knowledge. One cost or free, then done – that's it.
IAP stands for In-App-Purchase, a system that exists in apps and games that are generally "free", but include the ability to purchase upgrades or features once you've downloaded the app in the first place. The following apps do NOT include IAP – guaranteed.
As with every list we made like this, please feel free to make more suggestions – we're open to more without a doubt!
SweetLand
We discovered SweetLand in our review of the NABI Big Tab. It's like Candy Land in an alternate dimension – your child only needs to do the following to play this game:
1. Select their color (1-4 players can play)
2. Spin the spinner (swipe their finger across the screen)
3. Tap or hold a button to make their character advance a number of spaces on the board according to their spin.
This game will cost you $1.99 on Google Play or iTunes App Store and it's well worth the cash.
Sushi Cat
The game Sushi Cat was released all the way back in February of 2010 – but it never really gets old. There's been a browser version of it since the beginning, but it's also been released for iPhone. The player is asked to do the following to play the game:
1. Tap a level.
2. Move the crane back and forth with a swipe.
3. Release cat.
The cat, once released, bounces and falls to the bottom of the screen like Plinko from The Price is Right. You can lose, but it's difficult to not have fun while playing, no matter how many sushi you eat in one go.
This game is not out for Android at this time, but you will be able to download it for iOS for $0.99 USD on the iTunes App Store – you CAN play it on iPad, but it's made for iPhone.
Save the Animals
This game is not made by a massive group of developers churning out game after game to make massive profits. Instead, this game is made by a single developer by the name of Daniel Pace, and it's entirely free. There aren't any in-game purchases (or there aren't at the time this article is published) and it's a simple tap-and-go game.
You'll see an environment like you see here – animals appear and the player has to tap them before snakes slither to them and bite them. You'll be tapping animals until three snakes hit three animals, at which point your score will be shown. Simple.
This game is on the Google Play App Store right now for free. Since this is a brand new game, Pace has yet to release it for iOS devices.
Petting Zoo
Christoph Niemann's Petting Zoo is an interactive illustration experience. It's not so much a game as it is a fun experiment in basic shapes and lines. You see an animal and you touch it, pet it, push it, whatever you like – it reacts and makes funny noises.
This app will cost you $0.99 on Google Play and $2.99 on iTunes and is a PRIME example of how much better the apps are at the $1-$3 price point than they are at the FREE point. It's like a whole different world.
Minecraft
The game Minecraft is simple and very, very addicting. Not in a bad way, mind you – it's just very fun and entertaining in the way LEGO blocks are fun and entertaining. You're placed in an open environment with blocks that look like mountains, trees, grass, snow, and water.
You can walk around the environment and explore or you can create. If you're in creative mode, you have only to worry about what you're going to build. There are no points, there aren't any enemies – unless you add them in yourself, and your only aim is to have fun.
Because there aren't any in-app purchases, this game will cost you a few bucks. Again, we wouldn't put this game on the list if it wasn't well worth the cash it costs.
On the iTunes App Store you'll find Minecraft Pocket Edition for $6.99, while the Google Play App Store also has Minecraft Pocket Edition for the same price.
This might be more cash than you've ever spent on an app for your device, but you'll know where the money went once you and/or your kid begin to play... then find yourself having lost hours of gameplay at a time. It's immersive beyond compare.