Apple has announced the standout apps and games of 2025 with the release of this year’s App Store Award winners.
Apple has announced the winners of its 2025 App Store Awards, recognising 17 apps and games that stood out this year.
The winners were selected from a shortlist of 45 finalists, picked by App Store editors for offering experiences that help users get more done, express creativity or immerse themselves in new types of interactive storytelling.
Apple CEO Tim Cook said this year’s group reflects “the creativity and excellence that define the App Store,” highlighting how developers continue to push the boundaries of what apps can do across Apple’s ecosystem.
The standout apps of 2025
Tiimo takes the iPhone App of the Year award with a visual daily planner that transforms user goals into manageable tasks. On iPad, Detail wins App of the Year for bringing advanced AI-powered video editing tools to a wider range of creators, while Mac App of the Year goes to Essayist for simplifying academic formatting through automation.
Apple Vision Pro’s App of the Year, Explore POV, showcases Apple Immersive Video with travel experiences that drop users into real-world locations in stunning clarity. Strava claims Apple Watch App of the Year for its clean design and real-time performance tracking, while HBO Max earns the Apple TV title thanks to its expanded catalogue and accessibility improvements, including ASL support.
This year’s top games and cultural impact winners
Pokémon TCG Pocket wins iPhone Game of the Year for modernising classic card battles with dynamic artwork and an accessible interface.
DREDGE takes the iPad prize with its eerie, story-driven fishing adventure, while Cyberpunk 2077: Ultimate Edition secures the Mac award after its successful next-gen overhaul.
Apple Vision Pro honours Porta Nubi for its atmospheric puzzle design, and Apple Arcade’s top title is WHAT THE CLASH? for its absurd, fast-paced competitions. Apple also highlighted six Cultural Impact winners for encouraging empathy, accessibility and deeper understanding.
These include Art of Fauna for its inclusive puzzle design, Chants of Sennaar for its exploration of language, despelote for its slice-of-life storytelling, Be My Eyes for its volunteer-powered accessibility tools, Focus Friend for gamifying productivity, and StoryGraph for promoting diverse authorship in the book community.
