It’s the time of the year when Apple presents the winners of the 2022 App Store Awards, highlighting the apps and games that encouraged users to engage deeply with the world, use more of their imaginations, and maintain connections with their friends and loved ones.
Chosen by Apple’s global App Store editorial team for providing outstanding user experiences and making a significant cultural impact, the winners of the 2022 App Store Awards represent a wide range of apps and games from all around the world.
They were selected for “delivering exceptional experiences and making a profound cultural impact”, according to Apple CEO Tim Cook.
2022 App Store Award Winners
The App Store and Apple’s ecosystem boast countless options of diverse apps and games, catering to a user’s every need, and that is reflected in this year’s winners.
Fitness tracker Gentler Streak helps users balance exercise and rest to maintain a healthy lifestyle, and the innovative social media tool BeReal offers users a real peek into the lives of their family and friends.
With best-in-class Apple Pencil support, GoodNotes 5 elevates digital note-taking, while MacFamilyTree 10 encourages genealogy research with gorgeous visual family trees and global cooperation with loved ones around the globe, whereas the ViX developers push Spanish-language content to the forefront of entertainment.
The winning apps in this category are as follows:
- iPhone App of the Year: BeReal, from BeReal.
- iPad App of the Year: GoodNotes 5, from Time Base Technology Limited.
- Mac App of the Year: MacFamilyTree 10, from Synium Software GmbH.
- Apple TV App of the Year: ViX, from TelevisaUnivision Interactive, Inc.
- Apple Watch App of the Year: Gentler Streak, from Gentler Stories LLC.
Games
Along with the apps honored at the App Store Awards, 2022 was a big year for games on the App Store. iPhone users have the luxury of experiencing the popular, fast-paced battle royale game Apex Legends Mobile, while Moncage’s memorable puzzles brilliantly play with perspective on the iPad.
The immersive card battler Inscryption draws players in with innovative storytelling, and El Hijo, a Wild West story, is a cleverly-designed stealth game that looks amazing on the big screen with Apple TV.
Wylde Flowers, an original life simulation game from Apple Arcade, pulls players into its endearing world of colorful characters and enchanted spells, and League of Legends Esports Manager lets players control the most influential esports leagues in the entire world.
The winning games in this category are as follows:
- iPhone Game of the Year: Apex Legends Mobile, from Electronic Arts.
- iPad Game of the Year: Moncage, from X.D. Network Inc.
- Mac Game of the Year: Inscryption, from Devolver.
- Apple TV Game of the Year: El Hijo, from HandyGames.
- Apple Arcade Game of the Year: Wylde Flowers, from Studio Drydock Pty Ltd.
- China Game of the Year: League of Legends Esports Manager, from Shenzhen Tencent Tianyou Technology Ltd.
Cultural Impact Winners
Apple also singled out five “Cultural Impact Winners”, which are apps that “have made a lasting impact on people’s lives and influenced culture”. The winning apps include How We Feel which encourages users to tap into their mental well-being with daily check-ins, Dot’s Home which highlights systemic housing injustices, and Locket Widget which sends live photos right to their loved ones’ home screens. Waterllama reminds users to drink water daily, while Inua explores historical events that weave in elements of Inuit culture.
The winning apps in this category are as follows:
- How We Feel from the How We Feel Project, Inc.
- Dot’s Home from the Rise-Home Stories Project
- Locket Widget from Locket Labs, Inc.
- Waterllama from Vitalii Mogylevets
- Inua – A Story in Ice and Time from ARTE Experience
A physical App Store award in the shape of the App Store logo will be given to each App or Game of the Year winner. Each award is made entirely from recycled aluminum, and the winner’s name is engraved on the side.
Natalie is a big fan of anything related to movies, TV shows, games, and comics — you name it. When she’s not reading or geeking out about the latest shows on Netflix, she’s probably playing Honkai: Star Rail, cosplaying, or daydreaming of meeting her idols.
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