How to Download LeapFrog Games for Free

With hundreds of children’s games available for both fun and education, there’s little doubt about the target market for LeapFrog tablets. Of course, to play most games, you need to first purchase them from the LeapFrog app store. And there’s the rub – downloading a couple of great games may cost up to $100 or even more.

Regardless of the price, it is certain that your children will have lots of fun with these games. But what happens when they don’t find them so interesting anymore? You’ll have to buy another game. And another… this can get quite expensive over time.

That got some parents thinking. Like anything online that costs money, can you download for free? And in the case of LeapFrog games, there are ways to do so.

One option is to look for LeapFrog coupon codes that offer free games or at least discounts. You can search websites such as Giving Assistant and Retail Me Not for some nice deals.

Another way to keep your kids entertained for a time is to download free games from a source other than the LeapFrog app store. This can be done through Amazon Appstore or directly downloading game installation files from websites that provide such content.

At this point, you’re probably expecting the standard disclaimer. Here it is: Doing this may expose your device to viruses, data loss, and or technical issues.

Before you proceed, please make sure that you’ve updated your device to the latest firmware version. If not, some of the options described in this section may not be available. To check if there are any fresh updates available, go to the “System Updates” menu.

Connecting to Amazon Store

LeapFrog doesn’t prevent the download and installation of apps outside of the official app store. But that’s not to say that they encourage it for obvious reasons. The following steps explain how to install Android apps from the Amazon Store.

1. Turn on your LeapFrog tablet without logging into a user account.
2. Tap the “Parents” icon and enter the parental lock code.
3. Tap “Device: Settings and Accounts”.
4. Tap “App Center”.
5. In the “LeapFrog App Center” section, tap “Other”.
6. Tap “Continue” on the warning screen to confirm.
7. You’ll receive another warning message informing you that the web browser you’re about to use is open to the internet. Tap “Continue” to confirm.
8. Tap “Amazon Store Instructions” and select the link relevant to your country.
9. When the Amazon.com website opens, tap “Download the Amazon App Store”.
10. Wait for the application to download and then open it. NOTE: You may not see Amazon Appstore listed on the screen after the download. In that case, find it under “App Manager” in the Parent menu.
11. The first time you open the Amazon Appstore app on your device, an “Install Blocked” notification will appear. This is normal as the device doesn’t allow installations from unknown sources by default.
12. Tap “Settings” and check the box next to the “Unknown Sources” option.
13. You’ll see another warning message regarding the potential vulnerability of your device. Tap “Okay” to proceed.
14. Tap the back arrow to return to the previous menu and then “Amazon Appstore” to install it.
15. Tap “Next” to confirm the installation.
16. When the installation is complete, tap “Amazon Appstore” to access it.
17. From there, simply choose and install any of the available Android apps you wish for your child.

Downloading APK Files

Downloading Google Play apps is a bit different than the above.

Although LeapFrog tablets run on the Android operating system, they don’t have Google Play at all. And because Google Play only comes preloaded on Android devices, it can’t be installed like any regular Android apps.

The workaround would be to avoid Google Play entirely and use the corresponding APK files to install your desired apps directly on your LeapFrog tablet.

APK stands for Android Application Package and can be downloaded from various APK download sites. These sites and their files are not always properly screened like official app stores, so you never know what you might find in those files besides the apps. For one, APK Mirror is considered one of the safest APK websites. For other sites, you might want to do your own research to make sure you’re using a trusted source.

To enable your LeapFrog device for use with APK files, please follow the next few steps.

1. Open the browser as described in steps 1 to 7 of the previous section.
2. Instead of tapping “Amazon Store Instructions”, type the address of the APK website of your choice. For example, you can type APKMmirror.com in the address bar and press enter.
3. Once the website loads, search for the app that you want to install.
4. Download the app and tap on it to start the installation. Once again, if you don’t see the app on the screen, look for it in “App Manager” under the Parent page.
5. If you get the “Install Blocked” notification, follow steps 11 and 12 from the previous section.
6. Confirm the installation by tapping “Next” and “Install”.
7. After the installation is complete, you’ll see the “App Installed” message. Tap “Open” to start the app.

Safeguarding Your Leapfrog

When you’re done installing apps, make sure to turn the security feature back on. This will prevent any automatic installations from sources other than the official LeapFrog app store.

1. Enter the Parent screen.
2. Tap “Device: Settings & Accounts”.
3. Tap “Device Settings”.
4. Tap “Security”.
5. Uncheck the option “Unknown Sources”.
6. Return to the home screen.
   

Endless Fun for Your Children

Now that you’re able to install any of the thousands of free apps to your child’s LeapFrog tablet, you might want to make sure that these applications are indeed appropriate for children. This would include testing the apps yourself beforehand. And don’t forget to have fun doing it 😉

What games does your child enjoy? Do you have your personal favorites as well? Please leave your recommendations and comments in the section below.