It’s that time of the year again when Apple names the top performing apps on its App Store. Given the fact that games make up around 44 percent of the total spending on the App Store, it is hardly a surprise that gaming apps have again featured prominently in this year’s list, with Pokémon TCG Pocket, DREDGE, and Cyberpunk 2077 among the most notable mentions.
Tim Cook: The winners of Apple App Store Awards for 2025 “showed exceptional innovation, user experience, and design – from accessible game design to supercharging creativity”
Every year, developers bring their ideas to life in ways that push what’s possible. These winners showed exceptional innovation, user experience, and design—from accessible game design to supercharging creativity. pic.twitter.com/4dAEBy65wy
— Tim Cook (@tim_cook) December 4, 2025
Apple’s App of the Year award goes to:
The AI-powered visual planner app Tiimo (best for iPhones)
The AI-powered video editing app Detail (best for iPads)
The academic papers-focused formatting service provider Essayist (best for Macs)
Explore POV (best for the Vision Pro)
The Strava app (best for the Apple Watch)
HBO Max (best for Apple TV)
The Apple App Store’s Game of the Year awards goes to:
Pokémon TCG Pocket (best for iPhones)
DREDGE (best for iPads)
Cyberpunk 2077: Ultimate Edition (base for Macs)
Porta Nubi (best for Vision Pro)
WHAT THE CLASH? is Apple’s pick for the best arcade game of the year
Apple App Store’s Cultural Impact Winners of the Year award goes to:
The Art of Fauna puzzles app
The language skills builder app Chants of Sennaar
The despelote app that showcases an intimate slice-of-life story
The blind assistance app Be My Eyes
The Focus Friend that helps users stay away from digital distractions
The StoryGraph app for book lovers
Of course, this years awards come at a time when the Apple App Store itself is experiencing something of a growth recession, which appears to be a direct consequence of allowing third-party app stores in the EU.
As we noted recently, Apple’s year-over-year App Store spending growth rate slowed to just 6 percent in November 2025 from 9 percent in October 2025 and 12 percent in July 2025.
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