Every year, Apple selects the best apps for iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch and Apple TV as part of the App Store Awards. 2023 was no exception, and the jury has already prepared Meet the finalists / Apple Developer list of finalists.
App of the Year for iPhone
- AllTrails is an application for fans of running, cycling and hiking, which helps to build a route and track the results.
- Duolingo is a legendary service for language learning with a mascot owl, which many users are afraid to disappoint.
- Flighty is a flight tracking service with the function of predicting delays due to weather conditions.
App of the Year for iPad
- Concepts is a digital sketchbook for vector drawing and notes.
- DaVinci Resolve is a powerful video editor for video processing, audio mixing and creating visual effects.
- Prêt-à-Makeup is an application where you can experiment with makeup: apply cosmetics with different colors and textures to the face chart, choosing interesting combinations before working on the face.
App of the Year for Mac
- Linearity Curve is a graphical editor with AI functions, previously called Vectornator.
- Photomator is a photo editor from the creators of Pixelmator, a competitor to Lightroom with support for more than 600 RAW photo formats.
- Portal is a program with white noise and beautiful visual design. The iOS version of Lifehacker has already been told.
App of the Year for Apple Watch
- Planning is a to—do planner that combines a list of tasks with a calendar.
- SmartGym is a fitness application that creates personal training plans and helps you track their effectiveness.
- Tide Guide is an application for tracking tides, sunset times and weather conditions — useful for surfers, lovers of swimming on the beach or just sitting by the water.
App of the Year for Apple TV
- Bugsnax is a game about traveling to an island with mysterious creatures — delicious bugs.
- FitOn is an assistant application for training and weight loss that offers free exercise videos and personalized lesson plans.
- MUBI is a streaming service with high—quality films from recognized directors and rising cinema stars.
Game of the Year for iPhone
- Afterplace is an indie adventure with an open world full of dark secrets, treasures and monsters.
- Honkai: Star Rail is a turn—based role-playing game from the Chinese company HoYoverse, known for Genshin Impact.
- Vampire Survivors is a survival "bagel" that was released on PC in early access in 2021, and in early 2022 became a Steam hit.
Game of the Year for iPad
- Eggy Party is an action game in the style of Fall Guys with simple and stupid tasks that need to be performed in the company of other players.
- Lost in Play is an adventure with puzzle elements in which the player needs to help his brother and sister travel through a fantastic world in search of a way home.
- Pocket City 2 — the sequel to the popular urban planning simulator — now in 3D.
Game of the Year for Mac
- ELEX II is a vintage role—playing game with an open post-apocalyptic world.
- Lies of P — soulslike based on the fairy tale "Pinocchio".
- Return to Monkey Island is the long—awaited finale of the classic series of games.
Apple Arcade Game of the Year
- Citades: Sim Builder is a city—building simulator in which the player acts as the mayor of the city and must make decisions that improve the lives of citizens.
- Hello Kitty Island Adventure is a cozy and cute life simulator with a popular mascot.
- stitch. is a casual puzzle game in which you need to embroider stitch by stitch by numbers.
Cultural influence
Applications and games that help change the world for the better were noted in the nomination.
- balance — Menopause Support is an application that helps you track the symptoms of menopause and learn more about this condition.
- Copilot is a service for budget planning and spending tracking.
- Endling is a role-playing game in which a mother fox needs to fight for the survival of herself and her children after an environmental disaster.
- Finding Hannah is a hidden object game about a girl who has a good job and a comfortable life, but she does not feel happy at the same time. Together with the player, she will have to get to know herself better and understand what it means to be happy.
- How to Say Goodbye is a game about the journey of a man who turned into a ghost and found himself in a world full of disoriented spirits.
- Pok Pok Playroom is a children's game based on the Montessori method.
- Proloquo is an application designed for non—speaking children and adults that helps to explore alternative communication methods.
- Rebel Girls is an application offering inspiring audio stories about great women — among them Frida Kahlo, Greta Thunberg and Malala Yousafzai.
- Too Good To Go is an application that allows you to buy food from restaurants or shops with an expiring expiration date at a great discount, which otherwise would have to be thrown away at the end of the day.
- Unpacking is a meditative moving simulator game in which the player learns about the life of a character who never appears on the screen during 8 moves. In 2022, the game received two BAFTA Games awards at once.
The winners will be announced in the coming weeks. What do you think they will be like?
