If you thought the Oscars has a tough time whittling down the dozens of great releases into 24 winners, we guarantee it was worse for the team who choose the winners for the 2025 App Store Awards, with an estimate 8.93 million apps - although in one year alone it was probably a mere 500,000. 17 winners from over a hundred thousand candidates. Easy.
The awards looks at apps and games, judging them on their technical ingenuity and lasting cultural impact. This year’s winners were hand-selected by App Store editors, from a list of 45 finalists, all f which demonstrated exceptional innovation, user experience and design.
This year’s winners included: Tiimo, Essayist, Explore POV, Strava, HBO Max, DREDGE, and Porta Nubi.
Tiimo - a visual planning app that incorporates AI to help you *actually * get things done - won iPhone App of the Year award. Detail won iPad App of the Year, thanks to its AI editing tools which democratizes video production processes on iPads. Similarly, Essayist was the winner of the same award for Macs, using AI to tackle the time-consuming formatting work required on computers.
Apple Vision Pro’s App of the Year was Explore POV which also came up trumps thanks to its incredible immersive experience which takes users to some of the most stunning locations across the globe. And, if you thought Strava obsession was restricted to Instagram, think again, as it was praised for its connectivity ability with Apple Watch, winning the Apple Watch App of the Year Award. Meanwhile HBO Max cinched the Apple TV App of the Year Award thanks to its inclusive streaming experience integrating American Sign Language.
In the gaming category, Pokemon TCG Pocket won iPhone Game of the Year, DREDGE won in the iPad category, with Cyberpunk 2077: Ultimate Edition winning for Macs. Apple Vision Pro’s Game of the Year was the stunning Porta Nubi, and Apple Arcade’s was WAHT THE CLASH?
As well as apps and games across each Apple device, the panel also selected six Cultural Impact winners for their ability to drive meaningful change. Art of Fauna was one of the six, the app which turns wildlife illustrations from around the world into relaxing puzzles, setting a new standard for accessible game design. Chants of Sennaar also made it into the top six thanks to its focus on the power of language throughout animated adventure. Third on the list was despelote - an intimate slice-of-life story that shares a glimpse into a nation navigating tumult and uniting through their love for soccer. Be My Eyes - an app uniting AI and volunteers to help people who are blind are low vision - was also in the list. The final two were Focus Friend and StoryGraph.
Skip the search — follow Shortlist on Google News to get our best lists, news, features and reviews at the top of your feeds!
You must confirm your public display name before commenting
Please logout and then login again, you will then be prompted to enter your display name.
