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Ads, in-app purchases and “free”: the vocabulary
“Free” on a store page means one thing only: you pay nothing to download. How the makers earn money is a separate question, and games answer it in different ways.
| What you see | What it can mean | What to check |
|---|---|---|
| No ads at all | Nothing interrupts you or offers a video | Listing label and the privacy policy |
| No banners, optional rewarded videos | You can choose to watch an ad for a bonus | Whether the game works fine if you never watch one |
| No ads, paid extras | The game is free to play and sells things | What the extras are, and whether they change how a match plays |
| No ads, no purchases | No way to pay and nothing to watch | How the makers pay for it, and what the game stores |
The first three can get mixed up in search results. A page that says “no ads” in its headline may still offer a purchase, and a page that says “no purchases” may still show an ad. That is why we recommend reading both lines of the listing, not one.
We make a team brawler and a bullet heaven game, and if the second term is new to you, our plain guide to the genre explains it. Both games have an optional extra of some kind, as the examples below show.
The store labels that tell you
Each store has its own wording, and none of them is complete on its own.
Google Play. Google’s help page for developers says that apps that contain ads show a “Contains ads” label on their store listing. The developer has to declare ads, including ads from third-party software, and the page lists banner, interstitial, native and house ads among the examples to declare. The same page says the label is not meant to cover other commercial content, such as offers to make in-app purchases or upgrades. In plain words: no label does not mean there is nothing to buy.
App Store. Apple’s developer page for product pages says that users can view and start an in-app purchase from the product page, with in-app purchases and subscriptions shown in separate sections. So on iPhone and iPad, look at the purchase sections of the page to see what a game sells.
The game’s own page and policy. A store label is a single word. The makers’ own page can say which versions have which features. For us, that means the Store pages of Catchy and Gloomrush, and their privacy policies.
Rewarded video: the ad you choose to watch
A rewarded video is a short ad that you can accept or decline, usually in return for something inside the game. It is still an ad, but the choice changes how it feels.
What counts as a real choice? Look at what the game tells you before the ad starts: what you must watch and what you get in return. The offer should be clear, and you should lose nothing if you decline.
A good test is whether you can ignore the offer and still enjoy the game. If a rewarded video is the only way past a wall, the choice is thin. If it is a bonus you can skip, the choice is real.
No ads and still paid: cosmetic extras
A game can have no ads and still sell something. The questions to ask are what is sold and whether it changes play.
- Cosmetic extras change how a character looks and nothing else.
- Convenience extras save time, for example by skipping a wait.
- Advantages change how a match or a run plays, which matters most in online games where other people are on the other side.
Games that sell advantages in a competitive match deserve the closest look, because what you pay for can change what happens to other players. Games that sell only appearance are easier to judge, and that is the line we drew for gems in Catchy.
How to check before you download
- Read the listing labels. On Google Play, look for “Contains ads”. On the App Store, look at the in-app purchase sections.
- Read the description for the words “optional”, “rewarded” or “extras”. Makers who offer them may say so.
- Open the game’s own page. Check which version added what. Ours state versions where features arrived.
- Open the privacy policy. Look for ads, purchases, sign-in, chat and crash reports, and for what is stored and for how long.
- Start the game once. The first launch shows whether a consent question appears, whether you must sign in and what the first minutes feel like. You can delete the game if it does not suit you.
If you often play without a connection, our guide to offline games on Android covers that check separately.
Two examples from us, stated plainly
We make two games that sit in different places, and we state each one’s own facts, not a single slogan for both.
Catchy is a cartoon arena brawler with online rooms. It is free to download and has no ads, so nothing interrupts a match. From version 1.0.5 you can optionally buy gems with real money, through the App Store or Google Play, and spend them on colour skins. Gems do not change how a match plays, and nothing in a match is for sale. Versions before 1.0.5 have no purchases. Catchy is an online game, so you need a free account and an internet connection to host or join an online match. Its privacy summary says the game never asks to track you and does not use your advertising identifier. If you are looking for a game to play in a group, our guide to multiplayer games with friends explains how rooms and bots work.
Gloomrush is a bullet heaven roguelite. It is free to download and has no in-app purchases. From version 1.0.3 the game can show optional rewarded video ads that you choose to watch, for a revive or to double a run’s gold. There are no banners and no other ads, and the rewards stay in the game. Earlier versions show no ads. Its privacy summary adds that, in the EEA, the UK and Switzerland, the game asks for your consent before ads, and that from version 1.0.8 a player who answers No to the question “Are you 13 or older?” is shown no ads.
Put side by side: Catchy has no ads and optional cosmetic gems, and Gloomrush has no purchases and optional rewarded videos. Neither fits a single slogan, which is why we do not use one.
Questions
Are there any mobile games with no ads?
Yes, but check the details. Some games show no ads at all, some show only optional videos you choose to watch, and some have no ads but sell extras. Read the store listing, then the game’s own page, and check the version, because a game can change between updates.
What does “contains ads” mean on Google Play?
It is a label on the store listing of an app that has declared ads. Google’s help page says the label is not meant to cover other commercial content, such as offers to make in-app purchases or upgrades, so look for purchases separately.
Is a rewarded video an ad?
Yes, it is an ad format, but one you choose: you can accept it for a reward or decline it. A banner or pop-up gives you no such choice.
Can a game be free, with no ads and no purchases?
It can. That is a separate combination from games with optional extras: no way to pay and no ads to watch. Check the listing and the privacy policy for what data the game keeps.
Do games with no ads still collect data?
They can. Ads are one reason a game sends data, but sign-in, online matches, chat, purchases and crash reports are others. Read the privacy policy of the game and of the version you install, and look for what is stored and how long.
Frequently asked questions
Are there any mobile games with no ads?
What does "contains ads" mean on Google Play?
Is a rewarded video an ad?
Can a game be free, with no ads and no purchases?
Do games with no ads still collect data?
Products mentioned
Products from the Store that this post mentions.