The only sure way to stop ads in mobile games is to pay in some form: buy the game’s one-time “remove ads” upgrade, switch to a premium game, or subscribe to Apple Arcade or Google Play Pass, whose games have no ads. There are free options too. Airplane mode stops most ads in games that work offline, and choosing games whose ads are optional cuts the interruptions without costing anything. Turning off personalized ads is worth doing for privacy, but it won’t reduce how many you see.
What kinds of ads do mobile games show? #
| Ad type | What it looks like | How to get rid of it |
|---|---|---|
| Banner | A strip at the top or bottom of the screen | Usually removed by a “remove ads” purchase |
| Interstitial | A full-screen ad between rounds or levels, often a video | Usually removed by a “remove ads” purchase |
| Rewarded | An optional video you watch for a bonus, like an extra life | Always optional, so just don’t tap it |
Interstitials cause most of the complaints, and they’re what the fixes below target. Rewarded ads are the ones most players put up with, because you decide when to watch and you get something back, which is why many games now lean on them instead of forced ads. For the money side of all this, see why mobile games have so many ads.
7 ways to get fewer ads, or none #
1. Buy the “remove ads” upgrade #
Many free games sell a one-time purchase that switches off banners and interstitials. You’ll find it in the game’s shop or in the In-App Purchases list on the store page. Before you pay:
- Read what it removes. Most keep the optional rewarded ads, which is usually what you want. A few only remove banners.
- Make sure it’s one payment. It should say “Remove Ads,” not offer a weekly or monthly subscription.
- Check that it restores. A one-time purchase should come back through Restore Purchases if you reinstall or change phones.
For a game you open every day, this is often the best few dollars you’ll spend on it.
2. Play premium games #
A game you pay for up front has no reason to show ads. A few good ones on the US App Store:
| Game | What it is | US App Store price |
|---|---|---|
| Stardew Valley | Farming life sim | $4.99 |
| Threes! | Sliding number puzzle | $5.99 |
| Geometry Dash | One-tap rhythm platformer | $3.99, plus a free Lite version with ads |
| Mini Metro, Monument Valley, Slay the Spire | Strategy, puzzle and deckbuilding | One-time purchases |
Prices change and vary by country, so check the listing before you buy. Look at its In-App Purchases section too, since a “premium” game with a long list of purchases isn’t really premium. Our comparison of free-to-play vs premium games explains when paying up front works out cheaper.
3. Subscribe to Apple Arcade (iPhone and iPad) #
Apple Arcade costs $6.99 a month or $49.99 a year in the US and includes hundreds of games with no ads and no in-app purchases. One subscription covers your family through Family Sharing. It’s the easiest fix if you play several games and hate being interrupted.
Wrong for: people who only play one or two free games. Their remove-ads purchases will cost less than a year of Arcade.
4. Subscribe to Google Play Pass (Android) #
Google Play Pass is Android’s equivalent. For games in its catalog, Google says all ads are removed and in-app purchases and paid titles are included at no extra cost, and the family manager can share it with up to five family members. The price and the catalog vary by country, so open the Play Pass section of the Play Store before you subscribe and make sure the games you actually play are included.
5. Play offline games in airplane mode #
Ads have to download before they can show, so in a game that works offline, airplane mode usually means few or no ads. The catch:
- Some games refuse to start without a connection.
- Optional rewards that come from ads, like a revive, stop working.
- Cloud saves won’t sync until you’re back online.
Ads are also how a free game pays its developer. If you play one a lot this way, buying its ad removal or leaving a good review is a fair trade. Our list of offline mobile games covers games that work fully without a connection.
6. Pick games whose ads are optional or rare #
Some free games barely interrupt you. Vampire Survivors is free on mobile and never forces an ad on you. You can watch one for a second life if you want to.
Flappy Kittens (Flappy Cat on Google Play), our own game, shows the kind of rules to look for. The banner sits in its own strip below the play area, so it can’t cover the game or catch a stray tap. A full-screen ad can appear at most once every four game overs, never within three minutes of the last one and never in your first two minutes of play, and it’s skipped after a new best score or a revive. Everything else is opt-in: one revive per run, doubling the fish from a run, or a 75-fish gift in the shop. To be upfront, there’s no paid ad-free version, because the game has no in-app purchases at all. It plays fully offline, though, so airplane mode works if you want a stretch with no ads.
7. Stop accidental ad taps #
Some games put ads right next to buttons or use a tiny, delayed close button. When an ad appears, wait for its timer before you tap, because tapping around the X early usually opens the store page instead. If a game keeps tricking you into ad taps, that’s a good reason to delete it. If an ad is misleading, or pretends to be a virus warning or a prize notice, tap the small “i” or AdChoices icon in its corner to report it, and don’t install what it’s pushing.
Why do some players see more ads than others? #
Your friend might see a full-screen ad every third level while you see one every fifth, in the same game. That’s usually A/B testing. Developers split players into random groups, give each group a slightly different setup, such as ad frequency, ad placement or which offer appears after a loss, and then roll out whichever version keeps players around and earns more.
A few things follow from that:
- Ad frequency can change after an update without any announcement.
- Some games show fewer ads to players who’ve spent money, since a paying player is worth keeping happy.
- Testing isn’t automatically bad. Careful developers use it to find the setup that annoys players least, because players who quit earn nothing.
What doesn’t work #
- Ad-blocker apps. On iPhone, content blockers only work in Safari, not inside games. On Android, private DNS ad-blocking can block some in-game ads, but it often breaks rewarded ads, logins or the game itself.
- “No ads” mod APKs. Modified copies of games skip every store safety check and are a common way to spread malware. Our guide on whether mod APKs are safe explains the risks.
- Turning off personalized ads. It’s worth doing for privacy, but you’ll see the same number of ads, just less targeted ones. See how to turn off personalized ads for the steps.
Ads and kids #
Children often tap ads by accident and land in the App Store or a browser. On iPhone, turn on Ask to Buy or Screen Time’s purchase restrictions. On Android, require authentication for purchases in the Google Play Store. That way an accidental tap can’t turn into a download or a charge. Apple Arcade and Google Play Pass are the simplest way to give a child games with no ads and no purchases at all.
Frequently asked questions #
Does airplane mode stop ads in games? #
In games that work offline, mostly yes, because ads can’t load without a connection. You’ll lose rewarded extras like ad revives, and games that need the internet to start won’t open. Test a game in airplane mode before relying on it.
Are there free mobile games without ads? #
A few, usually ones funded entirely by in-app purchases, and those purchases can be pushier than ads. The reliable ad-free options are premium games and subscriptions like Apple Arcade and Google Play Pass.
Is Apple Arcade worth it to avoid ads? #
If you play several games a month, often yes. At $6.99 a month or $49.99 a year in the US, it costs about the same as a handful of remove-ads purchases, and none of its games have ads or in-app purchases. If you only play one game, buying that game or its ad removal is cheaper.
Is it worth paying to remove ads? #
For a game you play most days, usually yes, since a one-time removal changes the experience completely. For a game you’ll try once, it isn’t.
Can I pay to remove ads in Flappy Kittens? #
Not at the moment. The game has no in-app purchases, so there’s no ad-free upgrade to buy. It works offline, and in airplane mode you’ll see few if any ads, at the cost of the optional revive and fish bonuses.