We read the small print on the Google Play listings of 121 popular kids' games. A string is anything a game comes with beyond the game itself: adverts, purchases, data sharing or account data. Almost all of these games are free to download, but 109 come with at least one string. Only 12 come with none.
Published · Method v1.0 · PDF, 36 pages, 3.0 MB
109 with strings12 string-free
Start here
String · nounAnything a game comes with beyond the game itself.
Almost every game here is free to download (119 of 121)F04, so the strings are where the catches are.
The four strings we check on every listing
The listing carries Google’s “Contains ads” label.
Where to look: the labels under the title
50% of games carry it
61 of 121 games
In-app purchases (subscriptions included), or the game costs money to download.
Where to look: the labels under the title, and the price
78% of games carry it
94 of 121 games
The Data safety section declares data shared with third parties.
Where to look: the Data safety section
34% of games carry it
41 of 121 games
An email address, name, user ID or phone number is collected for an account.
Where to look: the Data safety section
26% of games carry it
31 of 121 games
None of the four? The game passes our No Strings test. Each one it has is a string attached.
How we did it
Pass all four checks
10%12 of 121 games
Only 12 of the most popular kids’ games come with no strings at all, and 10 of those 12 come from a single developerF03.
No Strings is our own test, not a safety rating. We never name games or developers.
How to read this report
Percentages are of all 121 games unless the chart says otherwise.
The short version
Chapter 01 · Strings
have at least one string: adverts, purchases, data sharing or account data.
String-free: 12 games (10%)
In short
What you can doRun the four checks in the No Strings test before you download a game.
Safe Play guideAre free games really free?The evidence
Kids’ games by how many of the four strings they carry
One dot per game. Among other top games, not one passes all four checks.
Source: Pumpkin Cat Games, Strings Attached UK (October 2026), from Google Play listings. PDF p.7.
More detail
Kids’ games carrying each string
Most carry more than one, so these add up to more than 100%.
Kids’ games with at least one string
A string is not always bad. But it is worth knowing which ones a game comes with before your child starts playing.
Chapter 02 · Money
charge for something, even though 98% are free to download.
Free to download: 98%
In short
Term to know
In-app purchases: things bought inside a game after you download it, such as coins, levels, characters or a subscription.
What you can doTurn on purchase approval in Google Play, or use Family Link, so nothing is bought without you.
Safe Play guideHow to stop in-app purchases, in 3 stepsThe evidence
From free download to the most expensive item
STRINGS ATTACHED · F04
121 KIDS' GAMES · GOOGLE PLAY UK · OCT 2026
CHARGE FOR SOMETHING84%
Share of all 121 games
These are the prices on the listing, not what families spend. Typical means the median: half are higher, half lower.
Source: Pumpkin Cat Games, Strings Attached UK (October 2026), from Google Play listings. PDF p.10.
More detail
Kids’ games selling in-app purchases, by their most expensive item
The top earners charge more: in top grossing lists the median most expensive item is £49.99; in top free lists it is £36.99.
How the most popular kids’ games charge
Each game is counted once, so the four groups make up all 121. Percentages are rounded to the nearest whole number, which is why they add up to 101%. On Google Play, in-app purchases include subscriptions.
Chapter 03 · Subscriptions
of listings describe a subscription, membership or free trial.
Other top games: 3%
In short
What you can doSearch the description for “subscription”, “membership” and “free trial” before you download.
Safe Play guideMake every purchase need your OK, subscriptions includedThe evidence
Kids’ games with and without a famous character or brand
One square per game. Highlighted: the listing describes a subscription or membership.
Famous character or brandOther kids’ games
Counting only a game’s own subscription or a publisher’s bundle, it is 14 of 25 against 17 of 96. The data shows the pattern, not the reason for it.
Source: Pumpkin Cat Games, Strings Attached UK (October 2026), from Google Play listings. PDF p.15.
More detail
Listings that describe a subscription or membership
Subscription, membership or free trial described on the listing.
Chapter 04 · Ads
carry Google’s “Contains ads” label.
In short
Term to know
Device ID: a code that lets an advertising network recognise the same phone or tablet across different apps.
What you can doTrust the “Contains ads” label under the title, not the description.
Safe Play guideHow ad-funded games collect data on childrenThe evidence
Kids’ games whose description says no ads or ad-free
The description says
“No ads” or “ad-free”
42 games
But the label under the title says
Contains ads
8 of those 42 games · 19%
One square per “ad-free” game. Orange: also labelled Contains ads.
The label comes from what the developer declares to Google. The description is the developer’s sales pitch.
Source: Pumpkin Cat Games, Strings Attached UK (October 2026), from Google Play listings. PDF p.17.
More detail
Adverts and advertising data in kids’ games
A device identifier lets an advertising network recognise the same device across different apps.
Chapter 05 · Data
declare sharing data with third parties.
Other top games: 65%
In short
Term to know
Families Policy: Google Play’s rules for apps aimed at children. 114 of these 121 games commit to it, and it still allows adverts and some data sharing.
What you can doOpen “Data safety” on the listing. Look for “shared”, “location” and “Data can’t be deleted”.
Safe Play guideWhich permissions should a kids’ game ask for?The evidence
What kids’ games declare collecting or sharing
Location here is approximate, such as the town or city: none declares precise location.
Source: Pumpkin Cat Games, Strings Attached UK (October 2026), from Google Play listings. PDF p.21.
More detail
Kids’ games holding data: what the listing says about deletion
Among other top games holding data: 21%. The label is the developer’s own answer: UK data protection law gives people rights over their data either way.
Kids’ games committed to the Families Policy: what they declare
The policy allows this. Adverts in apps for children have to come through advertising software that its makers self-certify under Google’s Families Self-Certified Ads SDK Program.
Installed apps, from the App activity part of Data safety
21%25 of 121 games
of kids’ games declare collecting information about the apps installed on the device
Other top games: 9% (19 of 223)
The declaration does not say which apps a game can see: on current Android versions an app sees only a limited set of other apps unless Google Play allows it more.
Chapter 06 · Reviews
of the newest 1–2★ reviews mention payment: the top complaint by far.
Next most mentioned: adverts, 10%
In short
What you can doRead a few one-star reviews before you download, not only the star average.
Safe Play guideWhat a rating can’t tell youThe evidence
The newest 1–2★ reviews of kids’ games: what they mention
A review can mention more than one topic. A mention is a keyword match, not a verified complaint.
Source: Pumpkin Cat Games, Strings Attached UK (October 2026), from Google Play listings. PDF p.26.
More detail
Top earners only: kids’ games in top grossing lists
50%734 of 1,469 reviews
of the newest 1–2★ reviews of kids’ games in top grossing lists mention payment
Other games in those lists: 25%
Reviews using words such as pay, price, buy, premium, unlock or “£”. A mention is not a verified complaint.
Chapter 07 · Who makes them
come from 8 of the 53 developers.
Largest developer: 10 games
In short
What you can doA kids’ game’s star rating rests on far fewer voices. Read a few of the one-star reviews too.
Safe Play guideWhat a rating can’t tell youThe evidence
One square per game, grouped by who made it
Counted by developer account. We never name developers. 25 of the 121 are built on a famous character or brand.
Source: Pumpkin Cat Games, Strings Attached UK (October 2026), from Google Play listings. PDF p.30.
More detail
Share of lifetime ratings that are one star
Kids’ gamesOther top games
11 of 120 kids’ games have at least three in ten of their ratings at one star, against 1 of 222 other top games.
Years since first release (the median: half are older, half newer)
6.0 yearsMedian years since first release
the typical age of a popular kids’ game
Other top games: 3.2 years
Only 12 of 121 came out this year or last, against 89 of 224 other top games. A game’s age says nothing about its adverts, purchases or data: the labels on the listing do.
Chapter 08 · In fairness
include loot boxes (“Includes Random Items”), against 31% of other top games.
Other top games: 31%
In short
The bottom lineThe story isn’t that kids’ games are the worst on Google Play. It’s how few come with no strings at all.
Safe Play guideAre mobile games safe for kids?The evidence
Kids’ games against other top games
Kids’ gamesOther top games
Kids’ games also declare that data is encrypted more often, and their developers reply to more negative reviews.
Source: Pumpkin Cat Games, Strings Attached UK (October 2026), from Google Play listings. PDF p.32.
What you can do
Every check uses what Google Play already shows on a game’s listing. None needs the game installed.
Free to download doesn’t mean free of strings. Check the next listing together: it takes two minutes, and it helps your child spot the strings too.
Want the step-by-step version? Safe Play is our free 40-page parent’s guide to the settings and conversations that help.
Get the free guide →Case notes
We publish the method in full so anyone can judge the numbers.
For press, schools and researchers
Quote any figure or use any chart, free, with a credit and a link to this page. Every chart has an “Embed or cite” button.
No. 01October 2026 (this edition, latest)
Mostly not. In our October 2026 study, 98% of the 121 most popular kids’ games on Google Play UK were free to download, but 84% charged for something: in-app purchases, a paid download or a membership bought outside Google PlayF04F06. Only 19 games had no payment built in at all.
76% of the most popular kids’ games sell in-app purchasesF04, and 32% of listings describe a subscription, membership or free trial. For games built on a famous character or brand it rises to 72%, against 3% of other top gamesF07.
Many say they do. 34% declare sharing data with third partiesF02, 30% declare collecting or sharing approximate locationF11, and 35% of the games that hold any data say it can’t be deletedF12. These are the developers’ own declarations to Google, shown in each listing’s Data safety section.
Our own four checks on each Google Play listing: no ads, no purchases, no data sharing and no account data. A game passes only if all four are true. Only 12 of the 121 most popular kids’ games passF01, and 10 of those 12 come from one developerF03. It is not a safety rating.
The study is about the market, not about calling out individual games or developers. Everything we count is public on each listing, and the four checks in this report show you how to look for yourself before your child taps Install.
Monthly. Each edition keeps its own address and PDF, so you can cite a specific month and see how things change. Months are only compared when the method is the same, and any change to the method is flagged on every edition it affects.
About us. Pumpkin Cat Games makes a kids’ games app, so we have an interest in this market. Our app is not counted in this study, and every number comes from the games’ own Google Play listings.
