I was trying to game on my brother's iPad (M1 chip) and realised that iPad even though powerful are absolutely trash when it comes to the free video gaming market. Filled to the brim with advertisement, slot machines, lootboxes, paid powerups to levelup. Only acceptable games were paid like Minecraft, terraria, Limbo etc. But they cost too much on the iPad. I won't advise strangers on how to raise kids but a steam deck ( if its available in your region ) with parental settings on has a huge list of games which go on sale very often or Nintendo switch would be a great option for kids to play.
I tried so hard to find good free games on my brother's ipad but I realised, thats not what an iPad is good for. Its Excellent for video content consumption, reading, surfing web but not gaming period. I remember a time when there were lots of beautiful video games on my nexus tablet but the switch to freemium model has completely turned the mobile market into a dumpster fire.
Regardless of ads or Internet connectivity requirements, I can find hardly any acceptable games on phones/tablets, in mobile app stores. If you want to play games on the go, I suggest a proper videogame console, like a 3DS.
I agree, and thanks for the advice. However, as another commenter pointed out, I believe the lack of good games in mobile app stores is a direct consequence of the economic model, driven by ads and internet connectivity.
Until now I hadn't realized how sensible Apple's rules around children's games had been, notably: no internet connection required, and no ads.