Apple Crowns The Best Apps Of The year – Two weeks after showcasing the finalists for App of the Year and just one day after Spotify Wrapped took over social media, Apple has officially announced the winners of the 2025 App Store Awards. This year, the company recognized 17 standout apps and games across three main categories: Apps, Games, and Cultural Impact.
Many of the finalists seemed strong from the start, but the winners make one thing clear. AI is continuing to shape the way we use our devices. These apps feel simple, helpful and well-designed, offering great utility without unnecessary complexity and in some cases a fun escape when needed.
App Winners Worth Noting
The top spot for iPhone App of the Year went to Tiimo, an AI planner that helps you map your day visually and stay productive. On iPad, Detail earned App of the Year for transforming video editing into something more intuitive. Instead of dragging sliders and cutting clips manually, you just describe your idea and let AI build the edit for you.
Apple continued its tradition of naming an app and a game for every platform including iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch, Apple TV, and Apple Vision Pro. The lineup also includes one Apple Arcade Game of the Year, along with six Cultural Impact winners.
2025 App Store Award Winners – Full List
iPhone App of the Year: Tiimo
iPhone Game of the Year: Pokémon TCG Pocket
iPad App of the Year: Detail
iPad Game of the Year: DREDGE
Mac App of the Year: Essayist
Mac Game of the Year: Cyberpunk 2077: Ultimate Edition
Apple Vision Pro App of the Year: Explore POV
Apple Vision Pro Game of the Year: Porta Nubi
Apple Watch App of the Year: Strava
Apple TV App of the Year: HBO Max
Apple Arcade Game of the Year: WHAT THE CLASH?
Cultural Impact Winners: Art of Fauna, Chants of Sennaar, despelote, Be My Eyes, Focus Friend, and StoryGraph
AI is clearly a major theme again this year. Some apps use it openly while others let it enhance the experience behind the scenes.
A Few Interesting Highlights
One difference from previous years is the Apple TV category. Instead of F1 TV taking the title again, HBO Max won Apple TV App of the Year after launching a new navigation bar in 2025. With Formula 1 set to start streaming on Apple TV next year, the change adds a bit of extra curiosity to the shift.
Cyberpunk 2077: Ultimate Edition is another standout as Mac Game of the Year. Porting a game of that scale to macOS took a long development process, but CD Projekt Red made sure it runs smoothly on Apple silicon. More powerful Macs will still offer the best experience, but it now performs well across the lineup.
Essayist, which won Mac App of the Year, will likely make students wish it existed sooner. It automates academic citations across formats with the help of AI, saving a lot of time and frustration for research papers.
Cultural Impact and Vision Pro Favorites
Among the Cultural Impact winners, Be My Eyes continues to make a meaningful difference. It combines AI with real volunteers to support users who are blind or have low vision. People can ask for help identifying objects or getting visual descriptions in everyday situations.
For Apple Vision Pro, Explore POV earned App of the Year by letting users experience new places in a fully immersive way. Porta Nubi was named Game of the Year for blending fantasy puzzles with real-world surroundings, creating an interactive mixed-reality adventure.
The 2025 winners deliver creativity, practicality, and entertainment across every Apple device. With AI evolving so quickly, next year’s list might be even more surprising and ambitious.
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