Best of 2023: Top apps and games on Apple App Store

Among 1.8 million apps, 40 finalists were selected and finally, 15 best apps and games were chosen as winners of App Store Awards 2023 edition.

As 2023 comes to a close, Apple has announced the most popular apps and gaming titles on its App Store.

It should be noted that when the App Store made its debut in 2008, it had around 500. Now, it has grown massive to house 1.8 million plus apps. Among them, 40 finalists were selected based on technical innovation, user experience, and new design.

Now, the company's App Store editors around the world have chosen the 15 winners for the year 2023.

“It’s inspiring to see the ways developers continue to build incredible apps and games that are redefining the world around us. This year’s winners represent the limitless potential of developers to bring their visions to life, creating apps and games with remarkable ingenuity, exceptional quality, and purpose-driven missions,” said Tim Cook, Apple’s CEO.

AllTrails app for iPhone

Best apps on Apple App Store in 2023:

1) The iPhone App of the Year: AllTrails (by AllTrails, Inc.)

2) The iPad App of the Year: Prêt-à-Makeup (by Prêt-à-Template)

3) The Mac App of the Year: Photomator ( by UAB Pixelmator Team)

Photomator app for Mac devices

4) Apple TV App of the Year: MUBI (by MUBI, Inc.)

5) Apple Watch App of the Year: SmartGym (by Mateus Abras)

SmartGym app for Apple Watch

Best games on Apple App Store and Arcade in 2023:

1) The iPhone Game of the Year: Honkai: Star Rail (by COGNOSPHERE PTE. LTD)

2) The iPad Game of the Year: Lost in Play (by Snapbreak Games.)

Lost in Play gaming app for iPad

3) The Mac Game of the Year: Lies of P (by NEOWIZ.)

4) Apple TV Game of the Year: El Hijo, (by HandyGames)

5) Apple Arcade Game of the Year: Hello Kitty Island Adventure (by Sunblink)

Prêt-à-Makeup app for iPad

Culture Impact Award Winners

Besides the best apps and games, Apple gives importance to apps that play a critical role on a user's personal life in terms of mental well-being. These apps also offer a platform for like-minded people to form a community of their own to help each other be it in terms of communications and also offer a shoulder to listen to their issues and get solutions.

1)Pok Pok (by Pok Pok)- It is a digital toy room for kids, offering a universal space for preschoolers of all backgrounds and abilities to play, explore, and see the world as one.

2) Proloquo (by AssistiveWare): augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) tools that help nonspeaking people who can use an iPad independently.

Too Good To Go app for iPhone.

3) Too Good To Go (by Too Good To Go): It offers a platform to minimise food waste. It helps people connect with restaurants and stores that have a surplus of unsold food and offer them at an affordable cost.

4) Unpacking (by Humble Bundle): It is a mental well-being app with a twist. It has meditative puzzles to create a soul-soothing triumph around familiar experiences of change and connection in the real world.

5) Finding Hannah (by Fein Games GmbH): It is a fun hidden-object game with inclusive and heartfelt tales that explore the power of healing and self-discovery.

Apple App Store also saw people showing great interest in generative Artificial Intelligence (gen AI) related apps. However, most of the apps are still in the early stages of implementing full-fledged gen AI-enabled features and we can expect them to offer better user experience and drive adoption of such apps more in 2024.

"Apps are a reflection of culture, and in 2023, generative AI captured users’ collective imagination with its evolution unfolding in real-time. Apps started integrating AI throughout the year in a variety of ways. Although many features are still in their infancy, they gave users a chance to see, firsthand, the technology in action and come to their own conclusions about the benefits and risks," said Apple.

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