Apple has announced its annual App Store best of 2021 winners, recognising 15 apps and games of the year across iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch, and the Apple TV.
This year the company was looking for apps and games that helped users tap into “personal passions, discover creative outlets, connect with new people and experiences.”
The criteria for last year was “apps that helped users increase productivity and well-being from home amid the pandemic.”
This year’s winners were selected by Apple’s global App Store editorial team for delivering exceptional quality, innovative technology, creative design, and positive cultural impact.
“The developers who won App Store Awards in 2021 harnessed their own drive and vision to deliver the best apps and games of the year — sparking the creativity and passion of millions of users around the world,” said Tim Cook, Apple’s CEO.
“From self-taught indie coders to inspiring leaders building global businesses, these stand-out developers innovated with Apple technology, with many helping to foster the profound sense of togetherness we needed this year,” he said.
In addition to recognising the best apps and games, Apple’s global App Store editors named ‘Connection’ as the top trend of the year and the company has also listed some apps that are set to follow in the same path, which includes Among Us by Innersloth, Bumble, Canva Editor, Peanut and EatOkra.
Apple has also said that all the winners of the best apps and games would receive physical App Store awards. Each of these awards would have the signature blue App Store logo set into the 100% recycled aluminium used to make Apple products, along with the name of the winners engraved on the other side.
These are the 2021 App Store award winners:
iPhone App of the Year: Toca Life World, from Toca Boca.
iPad App of the Year: LumaFusion, from LumaTouch.
Mac App of the Year: Craft, from Luki Labs Limited.
Apple TV App of the Year: DAZN, from DAZN Group.
Apple Watch App of the Year: Carrot Weather, from Grailr.
And these are the 2021 Game App Store award winners:
iPhone Game of the Year: "League of Legends: Wild Rift," from Riot Games.
iPad Game of the Year: "MARVEL Future Revolution," from Netmarble Corporation. Mac Game of the Year: "Myst," from Cyan.
Apple TV Game of the Year: "Space Marshals 3," from Pixelbite.
Apple Arcade Game of the Year: "Fantasian," from Mistwalker.