Here are the winners of Apple's 2024 App Store Award

Apple recently announced the winners of its 2024 App Store Awards. Out of 45 finalists selected by App Store Editors, 17 apps and games took home the top honours. 

The apps span the iPhone, iPad, Mac, and other devices in the Apple ecosystem, so there's bound to be something for everyone.

“We are thrilled to honour this impressive group of developers who are harnessing the power of Apple devices and technology to deliver experiences that enrich the lives of users and have a profound impact on their communities. The remarkable achievements of this year’s winners demonstrate the incredible ingenuity that can be unlocked through apps,” said Tim Cook, Apple’s CEO.

App Store Awards 2024 list of winners

Apps

• iPhone App of the Year: Kino
• iPad App of the Year: Moises
• Mac App of the Year: Adobe Lightroom
• Apple Vision Pro App of the Year: What If...? An Immersive Story
• Apple TV App of the Year: F1 TV
• Apple Watch App of the Year: Lumy

Games

• iPhone Game of the Year: AFK Journey
• iPad Game of the Year: Squad Busters
• Mac Game of the Year: Thank Goodness You're Here!
• Apple Vision Pro Game of the Year: THRASHER: Arcade Odyssey
• Apple Arcade Game of the Year: Balatro+

Cultural Impact

• Cultural Impact Winners: Oko
• Cultural Impact Winners: EF Hello
• Cultural Impact Winners: DailyArt
• Cultural Impact Winners: NYT Games
• Cultural Impact Winners: The Wreck
• Cultural Impact Winners: Do You Really Want To Know 2

Highlights

It's no surprise that AFK Journey was named the iPhone Game of the Year. Despite its constant advertising bombardment, the game's unique gameplay and excellent art style have fared well since its launch, with over 16 million downloads globally. Developed by Lilith Games as a sequel to the company's popular AFK Arena title, AFK Journey redefines how mobile games can have quality, depth, and engaging mechanics while maintaining its monetisation traditions. 

Supercell's Squad Busters won iPad Game of the Year, and if you're a fan of Supercell's other games like Brawl Stars, Clash of Clans or Clash Royale, you might spot some of your favourite characters from those games here. This game benefits from a larger screen, so we can see why players enjoyed having the iPad's large display to ensure they don't miss out on clutch plays.

While What If...? An Immersive Story leans more towards an interactive story app; this Apple Vision Pro App of the Year winner lets Apple Vision Pro users immerse themselves while using custom hand gestures and eye-tracking to fight enemies and cast spells. This interactive story allows the wearer to switch between mixed reality and virtual reality modes on the Vision Pro as they are guided through. 

Balatro+, the Apple Arcade Game of the Year, is another standout, with the game also nabbing the Game of the Year Award and winning the Best Independent, Best Debut Indie Game and Best Mobile Game awards at the recent The Game Awards 2024. It's a highly unique title that combines the best elements of various game genres into one: you play poker, but in a roguelike, deck-building fashion, with rule-changing perks like the ones you see in Final Fantasy Tactics Advance. The game is also available as a standalone title if you want to get it outside of an Apple subscription.

Word puzzle lovers might be pleased that NYT Games was named a Cultural Impact winner, thanks to the New York Times' acquisition of Wordle. However, the app also has other game content, with word and logic puzzles available. 

Congratulations to all the winners!

PS: Award-winning isn't the same as the most popular apps. Check out Singapore's most downloaded Apple apps and games here.

Our articles may contain affiliate links. If you buy through these links, we may earn a small commission.