Apple Reveals 2025 App Store Awards Finalists
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This week, Apple announced the finalists for this year’s App Store Awards, an annual event that recognizes apps and games that are innovative, provide unique and well-designed user experiences, or make a cultural impact.
There are 45 finalists for the 2025 App Store Awards across 12 different categories. Eight cover the best apps and best games on each of Apple’s major platforms — the iPhone, iPad, Mac, and Vision Pro — while the Apple Watch and Apple TV have separate awards for app of the year (but no games). The last two categories are Apple Arcade Game of the Year and Cultural Impact.
This year’s finalists feel like a reflection of Apple’s evolving priorities, from AI-powered creativity tools on iPhone and iPad to deeper spatial storytelling on Vision Pro. Here’s the rundown of the finalists in each category.
iPhone
The iPhone remains the most popular platform, which naturally makes it one of the toughest categories to narrow down. For the top iPhone apps, Apple focused on those that “helped users refine their workflows in everyday life,” covering a cross-section of creativity, fitness, and routine task management. Three games were also chosen as finalists for “fantastic gameplay and generation-spanning fun” across a broad selection of genres.
iPhone App of the Year Finalists
- BandLab, for helping musicians record and mix tracks with a community.
- LADDER, for taking the guesswork out of strength training.
- Tiimo, for presenting to-dos in a way that feels a bit more calming.
iPhone Game of the Year Finalists
- Capybara Go!, for taking players on a quirky idle adventure as a lovable critter.
- Pokémon TCG Pocket, for making collecting and playing legendary Pokémon cards even better.
- Thronefall, for combining thrilling defense battles with minimalist controls.
iPad
This year’s finalists for best iPad apps seem to reflect Apple’s desire to emphasize the device’s role in creativity, while the selection of games focuses on “immersive narratives.”
iPad App of the Year Finalists
- Detail, for redefining the content creation workflow.
- Graintouch, for bringing the beauty of print art to more creatives.
- Structured, for visualizing the busiest days in the form of digestible timelines.
iPad Game of the Year Finalists
- DREDGE, for delivering a haunting mystery and smooth gameplay to players.
- Infinity Nikki, for immersing players in the whimsical world of Miraland.
- Prince of Persia Lost Crown, for delivering an epic adventure from start to finish.
Mac
The Mac finalists for top apps ran the gamut of photo editing, academic writing, and home organization, while the game selections highlighted two powerful and popular titles that go well beyond the Apple ecosystem, plus a hidden gem that raises the bar for emotional imagery. One thing that was particularly interesting in this category was the selection of Acorn, a venerable photo editing app that stands in contrast to a previous winner, Pixelmator Pro, which won an award in 2018 but is now owned by Apple.
Mac App of the Year Finalists
- Acorn, for being the go-to tool for pro-level photo edits.
- Essayist, for taking the stress out of sourcing and formatting academic papers.
- Under My Roof, for keeping homeowners organized and prepared.
Mac Game of the Year Finalists
- Assassin’s Creed Shadows, for designing a stealthy journey through feudal Japan.
- Cyberpunk 2077: Ultimate Edition, for captivating players with stunning, futuristic visuals.
- Neva, for depicting an emotionally moving tale enhanced with striking imagery.
Vision Pro
Apple’s spatial computing platform may be among the most challenging for app and game nominations. In addition to a smaller selection, there’s a much higher bar for choosing ones that really show off the value of its $3,500 headset. Apple’s app picks here covered unique approaches to live-streaming, immersive storytelling, and Apple Immersive Videos, while the games looked for those that took players into rich spatial environments.
Apple Vision Pro App of the Year Finalists
- Camo Studio, for offering creators a more flexible way to livestream and create videos.
- D-Day: The Camera Soldier, for pioneering the future of immersive storytelling.
- Explore POV, for transporting users through its library of Apple Immersive videos filmed around the world.
Apple Vision Pro Game of the Year Finalists
- Fishing Haven, for immersing players seeking a retreat into calm waters.
- Gears & Goo, for combining strategic gameplay with endearing characters.
- Porta Nubi, for building atmospheric puzzles that make users feel like a light-bending superhero.
Apple Watch
For obvious reasons, the Apple Watch doesn’t get a game of the year category, and it’s also little surprise that two of the finalists focus on health and fitness. A third mirrors Apple’s own Camera Remote but goes well beyond the capabilities of that first-party app.
Apple Watch App of the Year Finalists
- GO Club, for helping users stay active and hydrated.
- Pro Camera by Moment, for allowing users to snap pro-level photos directly from their wrist.
- Strava, for connecting the global fitness community through performance.
Apple TV
The finalists for Apple TV apps feel like a reflection of how weak the tvOS app ecosystem has become. There’s no game category here at all, and two of the three finalists for Apple TV App of the Year are simply portals into popular streaming services, while the third actually is a game that’s been slotted into the app category.
Apple TV App of the Year Finalists
- HBO Max, for streaming must-see series and prioritizing accessibility.
- PBS KIDS Video, for giving parents peace of mind with kid-friendly entertainment and educational programs.
- Super Farming Boy 4K, for creating a challenging adventure powered by chain reactions and combos.
Apple Arcade
The cross-platform nature of Apple Arcade necessitates a separate category. This is where the Apple TV story redeems itself, as all three of this year’s finalists are playable on the big screen alongside the iPhone, iPad, and Mac.
Apple Arcade Game of the Year Finalists
- Katamari Damacy Rolling LIVE, for entertaining players through the chaos of a sticky ball.
- PGA TOUR Pro Golf, for transporting fans right onto the golf course.
- WHAT THE CLASH?, for delivering hundreds of silly but memorable mini games.
Cultural Impact
The final category recognizes a longer list of apps that “fostered greater understanding and gave users more ways to interact with their communities.” The selection here covers a broad range of apps that may not have qualified as best in their respective categories, but still made a difference in promoting physical and mental health, inclusivity and community, and even protecting users against scams.
- Art of Fauna, for capturing wildlife’s beauty in accessible puzzles.
- A Space for the Unbound, for exploring mental health through a touching slice-of-life narrative.
- Be My Eyes, for empowering users who are blind or have low vision.
- Chants of Sennaar, for celebrating the power of language and connection.
- despelote, for creatively crafting culturally grounded gameplay.
- Focus Friend, for gamifying focus sessions into enjoyable challenges.
- Is This Seat Taken?, for fostering empathy and inclusivity.
- Retro, for creating a privacy-friendly social platform that keeps loved ones in the loop.
- StoryGraph, for building an inclusive book community.
- Venba, for spotlighting cultural cuisine with heartfelt storytelling.
- Whoscall, for protecting users against scams.
- Yuka, for helping users make conscious choices about what they consume.
“We’re thrilled to celebrate the App Store Award finalists, a diverse and talented group of developers from around the globe,” said Carson Oliver, Apple’s head of App Store Worldwide. “Their commitment to excellence is an inspiration, resulting in experiences that empowered users to tap into their creativity, achieve more through technical innovations, and discover new adventures through the world of gameplay.”
