Block Games on School iPads and Chromebooks
Games reach student devices through app stores, extensions, Android apps and plain websites. Close each route on both platforms, and keep the learning games teachers actually use.
On school iPads
- App Store hidden, games blocked by bundle ID category list
- Multiplayer gaming, Game Center and App Clips turned off
- Web filter blocks game sites, on and off campus
- Learning games pushed from the MDM
On school Chromebooks
- Chrome Web Store and Google Play in allowlist mode
- Guest mode, incognito and Linux kept off
- Game sites blocked by the web filter and URL blocklist
- Approved learning games and extensions force-installed
Where games come from on school devices
Blocking one route usually moves students to the next. These are the six routes to plan for, and which platform each one affects.
App Store games
The obvious route. Closed by hiding the App Store and blocking the Gaming category for anything already installed or pushed by mistake.
Android games from Google Play
If Google Play is turned on, students can reach the same mobile games as on a phone unless the store runs in allowlist mode.
Chrome Web Store games
Game extensions and web apps install in seconds. Allowlist mode with student requests keeps this under control.
Browser game websites
"Unblocked games" sites, game portals and cloud gaming pages. Only the web filter can close this route.
Saved web apps
A game site saved to the Home Screen or installed as a web app looks like an app but is really a website.
Built-in play
Game Center multiplayer on iPads and the offline dinosaur game on Chromebooks. Each has its own setting.
Game categories and what schools do with them
Not every game is a problem for the same reason. Grouping them by risk makes it easier to explain the policy to teachers and families.
| Game type | Typical examples | What worries schools | Usual default |
|---|---|---|---|
| Social worlds and sandboxes | Roblox, Minecraft, Avatar World, Highrise | Chat with strangers, user-made content, purchases | Block |
| Battle royale and shooters | Fortnite, PUBG Mobile, Call of Duty: Mobile, Free Fire | Violence, voice chat, long matches | Block |
| Strategy and clan games | Clash of Clans, Clash Royale, Brawl Stars | Clan chat, timers that pull students back | Block |
| Casual and arcade | Subway Surfers, Candy Crush Saga, 8 Ball Pool | Distraction, ads, in-app purchases | Block |
| Gacha and role-playing | Genshin Impact, Gacha Life | Loot-box style spending, mature themes | Block |
| Real-money bingo and skill games | Blackout Bingo, Bingo Clash | Cash prizes and entry fees: gambling in all but name | Block |
| Game platforms and launchers | Steam | Store, chat and friends lists in one app | Block |
| Location and AR games | Pokemon GO | Location sharing, walking around campus | Block |
| Word, logic and board games | Chess.com, Sudoku.com, NYT Games | Mostly time; some have chat or ads | Teacher review |
| Curriculum games | Prodigy Math Game, PBS KIDS Games, Kahoot! | Little, when chosen per grade band | Allow |
IDs for the games above
| Game | iOS bundle ID | App Store ID | Android package |
|---|---|---|---|
| Roblox | com.roblox.robloxmobile | 431946152 | com.roblox.client |
| Minecraft | com.mojang.minecraftpe | 479516143 | com.mojang.minecraftpe |
| Avatar World | com.pazugames.avatarworld | 1635318586 | com.pazugames.avatarworld |
| Highrise | com.pz.life | 924589795 | look up |
| Fortnite | com.epicgames.FortniteGame | 6483539426 | com.epicgames.fortnite |
| PUBG Mobile | com.tencent.ig | 1330123889 | com.tencent.ig |
| Call of Duty: Mobile | com.activision.callofduty.shooter | 1287282214 | com.activision.callofduty.shooter |
| Free Fire | com.dts.freefireth | 1300146617 | com.dts.freefireth |
| Clash of Clans | com.supercell.magic | 529479190 | com.supercell.clashofclans |
| Clash Royale | com.supercell.scroll | 1053012308 | com.supercell.clashroyale |
| Brawl Stars | com.supercell.laser | 1229016807 | com.supercell.brawlstars |
| Subway Surfers | com.kiloo.subwaysurfers | 512939461 | com.kiloo.subwaysurf |
| Candy Crush Saga | com.midasplayer.apps.candycrushsaga | 553834731 | com.king.candycrushsaga |
| 8 Ball Pool | com.miniclip.8ballpoolmult | 543186831 | com.miniclip.eightballpool |
| Genshin Impact | com.miHoYo.GenshinImpact | 1517783697 | com.miHoYo.GenshinImpact |
| Gacha Life | com.lunime.gachalife | 1440430680 | air.com.lunime.gachalife |
| Blackout Bingo | com.bigrunstudios.blackoutblitz | 1464235676 | look up |
| Bingo Clash | co.aviagames.bingo | 1523820531 | look up |
| Steam | com.valvesoftware.Steam | 495369748 | com.valvesoftware.android.steam.community |
| Pokemon GO | com.nianticlabs.pokemongo | 1094591345 | com.nianticlabs.pokemongo |
How to block games on school iPads and Chromebooks, step by step
The two platforms need different settings, but the goal is the same: one controlled way to get apps, a category block for games, and the web side covered.
School iPads
- Confirm supervision. Every rule below needs supervised iPads enrolled through Apple School Manager.
- Hide the App Store. Turn off Install apps using App Store and deliver apps from the MDM.
- Load the Gaming blocklist. Add the bundle IDs to the blocked apps setting, or to the declarative App settings deny list on iPadOS 27.
- Turn off multiplayer. Set Multiplayer gaming and Game Center to off, and stop adding Game Center friends.
- Turn off App Clips. Small instant-play clips skip the install step entirely.
- Set an age-rating limit. It adds a second net for mature games filed under other genres.
- Block game sites. Use the web filter's gaming category so browser games and saved web apps fail too.
- Push the learning games. Install the approved list per grade band, so students never need the store.
- Check reports weekly. Look for game names in the installed apps report, on devices that dodged a profile.
School Chromebooks
- Open the student organizational unit. In the Google Admin console, work under Devices, Chrome, Apps and extensions.
- Chrome Web Store in allowlist mode. Choose Block all apps, admin manages allowlist, with or without student requests.
- Google Play in allowlist mode. If Android apps are on, use the same block-all option for Google Play.
- Keep sideloading and Linux off. Android apps from untrusted sources and Linux virtual machines are blocked by default on managed devices; leave them that way.
- Disable guest mode and incognito. Guest sessions skip your user policies. K-12 domains default to both off; confirm it.
- Turn off the dinosaur game. The Dinosaur game setting controls offline play.
- Block game sites. Use your web filter, plus the Blocked URLs list (up to 1,000 entries) for stubborn domains.
- Stop unpacked extensions. Set Extensions page developer mode to not allowed, so game extensions cannot be loaded from files.
- Force-install approved games. Push the learning games and extensions teachers have approved.
Browser games and "unblocked games" sites
Student searches show where the pressure is. Phrases like these appear every term, often with the current year added.
Why the sites keep returning
- Game portals are copied to new addresses constantly.
- Short videos share fresh links every week.
- Some pages hide inside shared documents or site builders.
What closes the gap
- A web filter that blocks the gaming category, updated often.
- Filtering on the device, so it works on home Wi-Fi.
- Blocking proxy and VPN routes at the same time.
What to watch
- Top visited domains for student groups each week.
- New names students mention in class.
- Teacher reports of game tabs during lessons.
Why blocking the Games genre is not enough
The App Store genre is chosen by the developer. It tells you where an app is filed, not what it is like to use.
Games filed elsewhere
Toca Boca World is listed under Education, yet it is an open play world. Our data gives it both an Education and a Gaming category, so you can decide per grade.
Game tools outside Games
Add-on and mod apps for popular games are often filed under Entertainment. A genre filter misses them; a Gaming category list does not.
Cash games inside Games
Real-money bingo and skill apps sit in the Games genre but behave like gambling. They carry our Gambling category as well as Gaming.
Learning apps that play
Math and reading games carry Education and Gaming together. That lets you block entertainment games and keep curriculum games in one rule set.
Learning games to allow instead
"What games can you play on a school iPad?" is a fair question from students. A short approved list per grade band answers it and lowers the pull toward bypass attempts.
| Learning game | iOS bundle ID | App Store ID | Android package | Grade band |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Prodigy Math Game | com.prodigygame.prodigy | 950795722 | com.prodigygame.prodigy | Elementary, middle |
| PBS KIDS Games | org.pbskids.gamesapp | 1050773989 | org.pbskids.gamesapp | Early elementary |
| Khan Academy Kids | org.khanacademy.Khan-Kids | 1378467217 | look up | Early elementary |
| ABCmouse | com.aofl.abcmouse | 6460300848 | com.aofl.abcmouse | Early elementary |
| Lingokids | es.monkimun.lingokids | 1002043426 | es.monkimun.lingokids | Early elementary |
| IXL | com.ixl.IXLMath | 693689912 | com.ixl.ixlmath | All grades |
| Duolingo | com.duolingo.DuolingoMobile | 570060128 | com.duolingo | Middle, high |
| Kahoot! | no.mobitroll.kahoot.controller | 1131203560 | no.mobitroll.kahoot.android | All grades |
| Quizlet | com.quizlet.quizlet | 546473125 | com.quizlet.quizletandroid | Middle, high |
| Chess for Kids | com.chesskid.iphone | 629375826 | look up | Elementary, middle |
Games teachers often ask about
| App | iOS bundle ID | App Store ID | Things to check |
|---|---|---|---|
| Minecraft | com.mojang.minecraftpe | 479516143 | This is the consumer edition with online play. The education edition is a separate app; look it up before allowing. |
| Toca Boca World | com.tocaboca.tocalifeworld | 1208138685 | Open play world filed under Education. Fine for free time in early grades, if your policy allows. |
| Chess.com | com.chess.iphone | 329218549 | Online play and chat with others; chess clubs often prefer it on club devices only. |
| Coolmath Games | com.coolmath-games.Coolmath | 979633999 | Mostly arcade and puzzle games despite the name. Review the content, not the title. |
| Sudoku.com | com.easybrain.sudoku | 1193508329 | Logic practice with ads. Usually a free-time choice, not a lesson tool. |
| NYT Games | com.magmic.NYTCrosswords09 | 307569751 | Word puzzles; subscription features. Often allowed for older students. |
A review checklist for game requests
Teachers will ask for games that fit a unit. Run each request through the same short checklist so decisions are quick and consistent across schools.
Four rules that keep a game policy workable
Blocking alone turns games into a contest. These rules keep the policy clear for students and light for IT.
Block by category
Use the Gaming category list, not hand-typed IDs, so new clones are covered in the next monthly update.
Allow by name
Approve curriculum games one by one, per grade band, and push them from the MDM.
Cover the web
Every app rule needs a matching web rule, or the game simply opens in a browser tab.
Give a channel
Let teachers request a game for a lesson, with a short review, so nobody needs a workaround.
Games on take-home iPads and Chromebooks
Most game time on school devices happens after school, on home Wi-Fi. Rules that live only on the school network stop at the school gate.
App rules travel with the device
Blocked bundle IDs, the hidden App Store and Chrome Web Store allowlists apply wherever the device goes. They need no change for home use.
Web rules need a device-based filter
A filter that runs on the device or through a managed profile keeps game sites blocked on home Wi-Fi and phone hotspots alike.
Tell families what is blocked
Share the policy at handout. Families who know games are blocked on the school device are less likely to treat a workaround as harmless.
Personal devices stay personal
Games on a family tablet are a family decision. Keeping the school device for school work makes the rule easy to explain.
Questions about blocking games at school
The short version of what IT teams ask most.
How do I block games on a school iPad?
On a supervised iPad, hide the App Store, add a Gaming category blocklist of bundle IDs in your MDM, turn off multiplayer gaming and Game Center, and turn off App Clips. Then block game websites in your web filter so the browser versions are covered too.
How do I block games on school Chromebooks?
In the Google Admin console, set the Chrome Web Store and Google Play to block all apps with an admin-managed allowlist, keep Android apps from untrusted sources and Linux turned off, disable guest mode and incognito, and block game sites through your web filter or the URL blocklist.
Why do unblocked games sites keep working?
Unblocked games sites are copied to new addresses all the time, so a hand-made list of blocked URLs falls behind within days. A web filter that blocks the gaming category and is updated often catches new copies far better than single URLs.
What games are good to allow on school iPads?
Curriculum games tied to lessons are the usual allowlist: math practice games, early reading and phonics games, language practice and quiz games used in class. Pick a short list per grade band and deliver it from the MDM so students do not need the App Store.
Is blocking the Games genre enough?
No. Some games are listed under Education, Entertainment or Sports, and some learning apps play like games. A category list built from what each app actually is catches games filed under other genres and keeps real learning apps available.
Can students play the offline dinosaur game on a school Chromebook?
The Google Admin console has a Dinosaur game setting that controls whether users can play it when the device is offline. Many schools turn it off for student organizational units.
Gaming blocklists for iPads and Android, every month
Get the Gaming category, plus Gambling and the other school categories, as bundle ID lists, Android package lists and MDM import files, updated monthly. Districts can get separate files per school.
iPad, App Store, App Clips and Game Center are trademarks of Apple Inc. Chromebook, Google Play, Chrome Web Store and Google Admin are trademarks of Google LLC.
Roblox is a trademark of Roblox Corporation. Minecraft is a trademark of Microsoft Corporation. Fortnite is a trademark of Epic Games, Inc. Other game and app names are trademarks of their respective owners.
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