How to Install Skylanders Trap Team on Nvidia Shield

Skylanders Trap Team is available for Android tablets. But the system requirement is not slim. It requires the latest Android tablet with a good graphics processor unit (GPU). That means the Nvidia Shield with its awesome Tegra GPU is an excellent candidate to run this game.

The problem? Skylanders Trap Team app is only available in the Google Play store for the Nvidia Shield Tablet K1. The Nvidia Shield and Shield Pro Android TV is even better with the stronger Tegra X1 GPU. And who wouldn't want to play Skylanders on the big screen TV over the 8" tablet screen?

This article will explain how to install the Skylanders Trap Team app on the Nvidia Shield Android TV. Then it will explain how to launch and play the game, including how to launch two player co-op and installing the premium content.

Downloading the App

You need to side-load the Skylanders Trap Team app onto your Nvidia Shield. So you need to find it and download it on your computer. You can download the app from either of the following links:

It's not clear what how the version 1.4.0 is modded. But it's a newer version, so that's the one I installed. Version 1.3.0 maybe be cleaner.

Installing a File Manager

Nvidia Shield does not come with a file manager. But you can install one from the Google Play store on the Nvidia Shield. "ES File Explorer File Manager" is free; it's the one we used to install Skylanders Trap Team.

Transferring the App

After downloading the Skylanders Trap Team app to your computer (see the downloading section above), you need to extract the app and the data to transfer to the Nvidia Shield. The app and data is in a GPK package. It is basically a ZIP file. Change the GPK extension to ZIP and you can double-click it see its content.

Copy the "application.apk" file and the "com.activision.skylanders.trapteam" folder out of the ZIP file. You will transfer these two items to your Nvidia Shield.

There are numerous ways to transfer these items to Nvidia Shield. I have used an microSD card to transfer. You can also transfer them over the network. There are numerous other ways. You decide your preferred method.

On the Nvidia Shield, copy the folder into the "Android/OBB" directory. It has to be the "Android/OBB" directory on the Nvidia Shield's internal storage, not the "Android/OBB" directory on the microSD Card. Unfortunately, Skylanders Trap Team app can't find the data if it is not in the internal storage. The full path to the internal storage location is "/sdcard/Android/OBB".

Cross-Reference
After Skylanders Trap Team is installed on the Nvidia Shield, it can move the data to the microSD Card for you. Refer to our "Configure Nvidia Shield to Move Apps to microSD Card" article for details.

On the Nvidia Shield, install the "application.apk",but do not launch it. You can install the app by launching the APK in a file manager.

Launching the Game

Launching the game is a little tricky. Skylanders Trap Team app does not show up on the home page. And depending on whether you want to use the Skylanders Trap Team wireless controller or the Nvidia Shield Controller. If have two Nvidia Shield Controllers and don't intend to use the Skylanders Trap Team wireless controller at all, then you can just launch the game without any worries.

But if you want to use the Skylanders Trap Team wireless controller either by itself or alongside the Nvidia Shield Controller, then you have to follow the instructions here.

Before you launch Skylanders Trap Team app, make sure the Nvidia Shield Controller is off. Because the Nvidia Shield Controller is off, you'll need another device to control the Nvidia Shield. You can do that with the Nvidia Shield Remote (see "Related Link" below) or a Bluetooth mouse.

Navigate to "Settings" -> "Apps". Select the "Skylanders Trap Team" app. Select "Open" to launch the app. After it launches, turn on the Skylanders Trap Team wireless controller and let it pair with the app. If you are going to play single player, this is all you need to do; you can start the game.

If you want to play co-op, start the game and then turn on the Nvidia Shield Controller. The app will detect the second controller and ask you to press "A" on the controller to enter the game.

Installing the Premium Content

Skylanders Trap Team app will run faster if you install the premium content, which takes up 6 GB of space. Once you do, the game will not have to download content over the Internet. I think it's a good idea to do so, in case Activation ever turns off the Skylanders Trap Team server that serves the data.

If you try to install the premium content, the app will ask you to confirm. But the confirmation screen doesn't work with the controller nor the Nvidia Shield Remote. Perhaps, this is the reason Activision doesn't release the app for Android TV. Seems like an easy fix for their development team.

Anyway, the only way you can install the premium content is with a Bluetooth mouse that is paired to the Nvidia Shield. Once you have a Bluetooth mouse paired, it's just a matter of clicking the appropriate button to install the premium content.