The smartphone platform in general is aimed at teenagers and adults who own their smartphones. However, the platform is quickly growing into a great place for kids with a selection of apps and games that cater to younger minds along with hardware specifically geared toward kids. In this roundup, we’ll take a look at some of the best Android kids games. It’s important to note that kids can be anywhere from three or four years old to twelve years old so this list may feature games that are too mature or difficult for younger kids or easy for older kids. Please use your best discretion.
Angry Birds
[Price: Free with in app purchases]
First up is Angry Birds. This game is a classic with easy controls and an easy premise that makes it perfect for kids. It also helps that there are cartoon graphics, goofy sound effects, and catchy music. There are several Angry Birds games and each one has hundreds of levels. They’re all free as well so you can get every version and your kid will grow bored with the games long before they ever actually finish all of them. Rovio, developers of Angry Birds, also have an RPG, a racing game, a puzzle game, and a side scrolling shooter that round out a very large and diverse Angry Birds portfolio. You can get all of those for free as well just watch out for those in app purchases.
Candy Crush series
[Price: Free with in app purchases]
The Candy Crush series (Candy Crush Saga, Candy Crush Soda, etc) is another intensely popular series of games that were probably aimed at adults but are actually way better for kids. Much like Angry Birds, Candy Crush games feature simple game play, cartoon graphics, and plenty of stuff to do that will keep your kid entertained for hours on end. The developers, called King, have a total of ten games in the series which means, like Angry Birds, your kids will probably get sick of the games long before they actually finish all of them.
Cut the Rope series
[Price: Free with in app purchases]
Cut the Rope is a great game for kids and it’s actually a fairly decent time waster for adults as well. The game play is simple because all you have to do is feed a monster candy and let’s face facts, millions of people do that on Halloween every year. It’s a cute, but simple game with plenty of levels to play and 12 games to choose from. The only potential issue with this one is that the levels do get much harder by the end so be prepared to help out if your kids can’t figure it out!
Doodle Jump
[Price: Free with in app purchases]
Doodle Jump made its debut on iOS with monumental success. So much so that it was mentioned in popular TV shows like The Big Bang Theory. It would later come to Android see similar success. It’s a good game for kids thanks to its simple game play. All you need to do is make the monster thing jump from one cloud platform to the next and the score is determined by how far up someone can get. It’s also free to play and the in app purchases aren’t needed to enjoy it.
Dipdap
[Price: $1.99]
Dipdap is a sort of mixture of a drawing app and a game. In each adventure, there are things missing that the kids must draw to help Dipdap complete the level. It helps foster creativity while allowing the child to have fun. There is also a free-draw mode where kids can draw whatever they want. It’s $1.99 to buy the game but there are no in app purchases and no advertising which is perfect for kids.
Endless Alphabet
[Price: Free with in app purchases]
Endless Alphabet is a game for younger kids that helps teach them how to read. They’re given a word and the letters are strewn about the screen. They must drag each letter to each word. Once they complete the word, the letters turn into little creatures who demonstrate what the word means. If your kid can already ready, chances are they’re too old to enjoy a game like this so that is something to keep in mind. It’s also free to download which is a nice plus.
Explorium: Ocean For Kids
[Price: $2.48]
Explorium: Ocean for Kids is a kids game where your kid plays as two other kids who are exploring the ocean looking for Atlantis. Along the way they learn about the ocean and its many creatures. It comes complete with the game itself along with a small assortment of facts about marine life. There is even a mode where parents can play with their kids. There are no in app purchases, advertising, or social media links which makes it totally kid safe.
Intellijoy games
[Price: Varies]
Intellijoy is a developer in the Google Play Store that specializes in kids games. There are simple titles like Connect the Dots and ABC Letters to more recreational stuff like Kids Painting and Preschool Puzzles. Most of their apps and games are well regarded by parents and are great for younger kids. You can browse their entire library by clicking the button below. Another option is using their all-in-one app to buy all of their games for $21.99 (usually around $50 if you buy them separate) and have access to their entire library of apps and games forever. If you don’t want to pay, pretty much all games come with a free version.
Lego Bionicle
[Price: Free]
Lego Bionicle is a game that is more for older kids. They get to play as some awesome looking Lego robots as they take on evil robots. It’s a tap-to-play game which keeps it simple for kids while the large explosions and colorful graphics will keep them engaged. It may be a tad violent for some parents but there is no actual violence against people, just robots. It’s also free with no in app purchases and many kids are already familiar with the Lego brand.
Pou
[Price: Free with in app purchases]
Pou is a simple little game that is slightly reminiscent of the old Tamagotchi digital pet games from 1990’s. In this game, your kid will be tasked with taking care of an alien pet by feeding it, playing games with it, and even dressing it up. It’s a great way to teach your kids how to take care of things and it’s a great way to prepare them for owning a real life pet. It’s also fun and free to play.
Slice Fractions
[Price: $2.58]
A lot of people hate fractions and hate math because of fractions. Slice Fractions is a game that allows your kids to learn fractions in a fun and unique way. As your kid progresses, they’ll be asked to solve fraction-based puzzles. There are over 90 puzzles overall and kids will learn the basics in things like equivalent fractions, subtracting fractions, and more. It’s $2.58 to buy but there are no in app purchases or advertisements.
Temple Run
[Price: Free with in app purchases]
Temple Run is a fun game for kids thanks to its cartoon style and its simple game play. They’re essentially just running away from a bad guy and they have to avoid obstacles and collect coins. It’s highly addicting and there are a couple of Temple Run games to choose from. There are in app purchases but they aren’t required to play or do well which is a plus. It’s a very popular game with over 100 million installs to date.
Threes!
[Price: $0.99]
Threes! is a popular game that took the world by storm in 2014. It’s a simple puzzle game where you must combine all the threes to make sixes, then all the sixes to make 12’s, and so on. The graphics and game play are very simple although the game may be too difficult for younger kids. Threes! has no in app purchases but if you want a free version of this game and don’t mind having in app purchases, then 2048 is another good option.
Where’s My Water?
[Price: Varies]
Where’s My Perry is a puzzle game by Disney where you must dig through dirt to create a path for water to flow. There are multiple versions of this game with Mickey Mouse and Perry but they’re all the same concepts. Disney employs a “free trial, paid version” so while you can download the apps for free, they are just demo versions until you purchase and unlock the full version of the game. There are a few games and they’re all fun and challenging.
Wrap up
If we missed any excellent kids games for Android, leave us a comment and let us know!
To see our complete list of Android apps and games lists, click here!