Apple has announced the winners of the 2025 App Store Awards, recognising 17 apps and games among the 45 finalists across 12 different categories spanning the iPhone, Mac, and Apple Vision Pro.
The winning apps and games were hand-selected by App Store editors for their achievements in innovation, user experience, and design, such as Detail, which provides AI editing tools on the iPad that are made accessible to both aspiring and seasoned creators, Essayist, which helps to streamline the formatting of academic papers on Mac, or Pokémon TCG Pocket, which marks an evolution of the card game on the iPhone with stunning visuals and a user-friendly interface.
“Every year, we’re inspired by the ways developers turn their best ideas into innovative experiences that enrich people’s lives,” said Apple CEO Tim Cook in a statement. “This year’s winners represent the creativity and excellence that define the App Store, and they demonstrate the meaningful impact that world-class apps and games have on people everywhere.”
Here’s a list of all the winners of the 2025 App Store Awards:
Apps
Apple’s App Store boasts countless options of diverse apps catered to assisting users’ everyday needs across the entire Apple ecosystem, something that’s reflected in this year’s winning entries.
Planning daily schedules, for example, can be a time-consuming task, one made more streamlined on the iPhone with the Tiimo AI planner app. Wearables have also taken the spotlight this year, with Explore POV on the Apple Vision Pro earning accolades for providing an immersive video experience for users to embark on breathtaking journeys across the globe, while Strava on the Apple Watch takes home the award for encouraging a healthy and active lifestyle that users can share with their friends. In the Apple TV category, HBO Max takes the win for providing viewers with a wealth of content not just at home, but on the go across various devices.
The winning apps in this category are as follows:
- iPhone App of the Year: Tiimo (tiimo)
- iPad App of the Year: Detail (Detail Technologies B.V.)
- Mac App of the Year: Essayist (Essayist Software Inc.)
- Apple Vision Pro App of the Year: Explore POV (James Hustler)
- Apple Watch App of the Year: Strava (Strava, Inc)
- Apple TV App of the Year: HBO Max (WarnerMedia Global Digital Services)
Games
It’s not just about productivity, however, as the App Store also provides numerous gaming titles that transport players into amazing digital worlds, even on the go, such as DREDGE on the iPad, which immerses players into a creepy yet charming fishing simulator backed by a sinister mystery lurking beneath the waves, or WHAT THE CLASH?, available on the Apple Arcade subsciption service, which delivers non-stop laughter and entertainment built to be enjoyed with a friend.
Over on Mac, Cyberpunk 2077: Ultimate Edition emerges victorious by not just providing a thrilling sci-fi RPG with a huge world to explore, but doing so while performing smoothly with optimisations built for different chips and systems, while Porta Nubi takes immersive gaming on the Apple Vision Pro to the next level by turning a user’s surroundings into an engaging extended reality (XR) puzzle experience.
The winning games in this category are as follows:
- iPhone Game of the Year: Pokémon TCG Pocket (The Pokémon Company)
- iPad Game of the Year: DREDGE (Black Salt Games)
- Mac Game of the Year: Cyberpunk 2077: Ultimate Edition (CD PROJEKT S.A.)
- Apple Vision Pro Game of the Year: Porta Nubi (Michael Temper)
- Apple Arcade Game of the Year: WHAT THE CLASH? (Triband ApS)
Cultural Impact Winners
Apart from recognising the best apps and games available on the App Store across the Apple ecosystem, six Cultural Impact winners were also selected for their achievements in driving meaningful change and shaping a more inclusive world.
Art of Fauna turns wildlife illustrations into relaxing puzzles and sets the standard for accessible game design, while Chants of Sennaar and despelote both provide an immersive narrative gaming experience, with the former exploring the importance of language and communication, while the latter celebrates the unity of the people in a unique first-person journey through the streets of Ecuador.
Three other apps were also recognised for championing inclusivity, including Be My Eyes, which combines the efforts of millions of global volunteers and AI to assist those who are blind or have low vision with their everyday activities, Focus Friend, which helps users prone to distractions focus with fun activities and prizes, and StoryGraph, which creates an inclusive space for the book community that helps elevate diverse authors.
The winning apps and games in this category are as follows:
- Art of Fauna (Klemens Strasser)
- Chants of Sennaar (Playdigious)
- despelote (Panic, Inc)
- Be My Eyes (Be My Eyes)
- Focus Friend (Hank Green from B-Tech Consulting Group LLC)
- StoryGraph (The StoryGraph)
Kevin is a reformed PC Master Race gamer with a penchant for franchise “duds” like Darksiders III and Dead Space 3. He has made it his life-long mission to play every single major game release – lest his wallet dies trying.
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