How to Block Games on iPhone (Without Deleting Them)
The quickest free way to block games on iPhone is Settings > Screen Time > App Limits > Add Limit, tick the whole Games category, set 1 minute and turn on Block at End of Limit. Then stop new downloads under Content & Privacy Restrictions > iTunes & App Store Purchases > Installing Apps > Don't Allow, and add any browser game sites to the Never Allow list. If you only want games gone during study, work or bedtime, and you keep tapping past your own limits, use a scheduled app blocker like BlockMind.
Last updated October 30, 2026
Quick answer
- All installed games: App Limits > Games category > 1 minute, Block at End of Limit on.
- New games: Content & Privacy Restrictions > iTunes & App Store Purchases > Installing Apps > Don't Allow.
- Browser games: add the sites to Never Allow under Web Content.
- Only at certain times: Downtime, or a scheduled block in an app blocker.
Why block games instead of deleting them?
Deleting a game feels decisive for about a day. Then you reinstall it, your progress syncs back and you are exactly where you started, just with less trust in yourself. Mobile games are designed to pull you back: daily rewards, energy that refills while you are away, events that end tonight. Blocking keeps the game and your progress, but takes it out of reach during the hours you want back, whether that is homework, deep work or the hour before sleep.
How do you block games with Screen Time?
Step 1: Limit the whole Games category
- Open Settings > Screen Time and turn on App & Website Activity if it is off.
- Tap App Limits > Add Limit.
- Tick Games. This selects every app Apple classes as a game, including ones you install later.
- Set the time to 1 minute (or a small daily allowance, like 30 minutes) and turn on Block at End of Limit.
Then scroll through your Home Screen. Some games are listed under Entertainment or another category. Add those to the same limit by name.
Step 2: Stop new game downloads
A category limit does nothing if you can install a new game in thirty seconds. Go to Screen Time > Content & Privacy Restrictions, switch it on, then iTunes & App Store Purchases > Installing Apps > Don't Allow. The App Store disappears until you turn it back on. If that is too blunt, set an age rating under App Store, Media, Web & Games > Apps instead, which hides apps above that rating.
Step 3: Limit Game Center
Under Content & Privacy Restrictions > App Store, Media, Web & Games, scroll to Game Center. You can turn off Multiplayer Games, Adding Friends and other options. This matters most for games you play with friends, where an invite is often what pulls you back in.
Step 4: Close the browser backdoor
Plenty of games run in Safari: .io games, puzzle sites, chess sites, and web versions of popular titles. In Web Content, choose the option that limits websites and add the sites you use to Never Allow. Then test them in Safari and any other browser you have installed. Our guide to blocking websites on iPhone covers the details.
Step 5: Lock the settings
Set a Screen Time passcode. Without it, every limit comes with an Ignore Limit button. With a passcode you know, it is still only a few taps away, so consider letting someone else set it, or use an app blocker (below).
How do you block games only during study, work or bedtime?
A permanent block is not always the goal. Many people are fine gaming on a Saturday afternoon and just want it gone from 9 to 5, or after 10 p.m.
- Downtime (Screen Time > Downtime) blocks every app except the ones you allow during a window you set. Leave games off Always Allowed.
- A daily allowance instead of 1 minute, like 30 minutes on the Games category, lets you play but stops the three-hour session.
- A schedule in an app blocker lets you block just games (and anything else that eats the same hours) on different times for different days.
If you game to procrastinate while studying, see how to stay focused while studying for how to plan those blocks.
How do you block games so the block actually holds?
The weak spot in Screen Time is that you can undo it the moment you want to play. BlockMind is an iPhone app and website blocker built to make that harder:
- Block games and other distracting apps and websites together, right now, on a schedule, or after a daily usage limit.
- A cooldown before you can turn blocking off. You choose it in advance, from 15 minutes up to 24 hours, and everything stays blocked until it ends. Most "just one round" urges are gone before it finishes.
- Strict Mode locks protection for a period you choose, with no way to switch it off early.
- Deletion protection, so deleting BlockMind to escape the block goes through a cooldown first.
- My Why, a note you write for yourself and read when you are about to undo the block.
- House phases that unlock as your streak grows, at the start, 7, 30 and 60 days, so time away from games builds something visible.
Which method should you use?
| Your goal | Best option |
|---|---|
| Play less overall | Games category App Limit with a daily allowance |
| Stop installing new games | Installing Apps set to Don't Allow |
| No games at night | Downtime, or a scheduled night block |
| No games while studying, and you keep undoing limits | BlockMind schedule with a cooldown or Strict Mode |
Related guides
- How to block apps on iPhone
- How to limit screen time on iPhone
- How to stop phone addiction
- Do gamified focus apps work?
Bottom line
You do not have to delete your games to get your evenings back. Limit the Games category, stop new installs and block browser games. If you want games off during set hours and you keep tapping past your own limits, use a scheduled blocker like BlockMind, where turning the block off takes a cooldown you set in advance.
FAQ
Can I block all games on iPhone at once?
Yes. In Settings > Screen Time > App Limits, add a limit for the Games category, set it to 1 minute and turn on Block at End of Limit. It covers every app Apple classes as a game, including ones you install later.
How do I stop myself downloading new games?
In Screen Time, go to Content & Privacy Restrictions > iTunes & App Store Purchases and set Installing Apps to Don't Allow. Turn it back on when you need to install something else.
Why does a game still open after I limited the Games category?
Some apps are listed under another category, such as Entertainment. Add those apps to your limit by name, and check that Block at End of Limit is on.
Can I block games only during school or work hours?
Yes. Use Screen Time Downtime for a fixed window, or an app blocker such as BlockMind that blocks chosen apps on a schedule and makes turning the block off wait through a cooldown.
