Apple Announces App Store Award Winners, The Best Apps And Games Of 2023

Apple's 2023 App Store Awards celebrate 14 innovative apps and games, showcasing developers' limitless potential to redefine user experiences. From outdoor exploration to makeup artistry on the iPad, the winners showcase purpose-driven and culturally impactful applications.

Saihaj Kaur Madan

Updated on: 4 December 2023 1:03 pm

Apple unveils App Store Award winners

Apple announced the recipients of the App Store Awards 2023, celebrating 14 apps and games that enabled users to express their creativity, explore new adventures, and enjoy quality time with loved ones. The winners, chosen by the App Store's Editorial team, represent developers globally and were recognized for delivering meaningful experiences that inspire cultural shifts. Selected from a pool of nearly 40 finalists, these apps and games stood out for their outstanding technical innovation, user experience, and design.

“It’s inspiring to see the ways developers continue to build incredible apps and games that are redefining the world around us,” said Tim Cook, Apple’s CEO. “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.”

The recipients of this year's awards exemplify the vast range of creativity, technical innovation, and design achievable within the App Store and Apple's ecosystem.

AllTrails fosters a sense of community by providing extensive trail guides and encouraging outdoor exploration for all. Prêt-à-Makeup introduces a lifelike makeup sketchpad on the iPad, catering to both professional artists and casual users, while promoting inclusivity and self-expression. Photomator utilizes machine learning-powered tools to simplify and streamline advanced editing tasks. MUBI stands out for curating outstanding indie films with a human touch, and SmartGym excels on the Apple Watch, offering a comprehensive library of exercises, routines, and robust fitness reporting.

Within the gaming category, Honkai: Star Rail guides players through a narrative teeming with complex characters and strategically engaging combat on the iPhone. Lost in Play beckons players to immerse themselves in a charming, childlike imagination during an epic point-and-click adventure. Lies of P presents players with a meticulously crafted dark fantasy world, and Apple Arcade's Hello Kitty Island Adventure offers an immersive gaming experience with its primary goal being as delightful as can be: forging friendships.

2023 App Store Award Winners

Apps

iPhone App of the Year: AllTrails, from AllTrails, Inc.

iPhone App of the Year: AllTrails, from AllTrails, Inc. Courtesy: Apple

iPad App of the Year: Prêt-à-Makeup, from Prêt-à-Template.

iPad App of the Year: Prêt-à-Makeup, from Prêt-à-Template. Courtesy: Apple

Mac App of the Year: Photomator, from UAB Pixelmator Team.

Mac App of the Year: Photomator, from UAB Pixelmator Team. Courtesy: Apple

Apple TV App of the Year: MUBI, from MUBI, Inc.

Apple TV App of the Year: MUBI, from MUBI, Inc. Courtesy: Apple

Apple Watch App of the Year: SmartGym, from Mateus Abras.

Apple Watch App of the Year: SmartGym, from Mateus Abras. Courtesy: Apple

Games

iPhone Game of the Year: Honkai: Star Rail, from COGNOSPHERE PTE. LTD.

iPhone Game of the Year: Honkai: Star Rail, from COGNOSPHERE PTE. LTD. Courtesy: Apple

iPad Game of the Year: Lost in Play, from Snapbreak Games.

iPad Game of the Year: Lost in Play, from Snapbreak Games. Courtesy: Apple

Mac Game of the Year: Lies of P, from NEOWIZ.

Mac Game of the Year: Lies of P, from NEOWIZ. Courtesy: Apple

Apple Arcade Game of the Year: Hello Kitty Island Adventure, from Sunblink.

Apple Arcade Game of the Year: Hello Kitty Island Adventure, from Sunblink. Courtesy: Apple

Cultural Impact Winners?

Apart from acknowledging top apps and games across Apple devices, including iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch, and Apple TV, Apple’s App Store Editors identified five Cultural Impact winners. These recipients were lauded for fostering positive change by promoting inclusive learning environments, contributing to sustainability, and facilitating self-reflection and intergenerational connections.

Pok Pok from Pok Pok

Crafted with inclusivity at its core, Pok Pok serves as a digital playroom for youngsters, providing a universal environment where preschoolers from diverse backgrounds and abilities can engage, explore, and perceive the world as a unified space.

Pok Pok from Pok Pok Courtesy: Apple

Proloquo from AssistiveWare

For more than a decade, AssistiveWare's Proloquo has been a trailblazer in accessibility apps, developing augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) tools that revolutionize how the world communicates.

Proloquo from AssistiveWare Courtesy: Apple

Too Good To Go from Too Good To Go

Empowering users to reduce food waste, Too Good to Go connects them with restaurants and stores offering surplus unsold food at an affordable price.

Too Good To Go from Too Good To Go Courtesy: Apple

Unpacking from Humble Bundle

Unpacking combines meditative puzzles to deliver a soul-soothing triumph, revolving around the familiar themes of change and connection.

Unpacking from Humble Bundle Courtesy: Apple

Finding Hannah from Fein Games GmbH

Discover the vibrant coming-of-age journey in Finding Hannah, a hidden-object game featuring inclusive and heartfelt stories that delve into the transformative power of healing and self-discovery.

Finding Hannah from Fein Games GmbH Courtesy: Apple

Trend Of The Year

In 2023, apps became a cultural mirror, showcasing the real-time evolution of generative AI that captured users' collective imagination. Throughout the year, apps embraced AI integration in diverse ways, offering users a firsthand experience of the technology's potential benefits and risks, even though many features are still in early stages. Alongside the App Store Award winners, App Store Editors globally have curated a selection of generative AI apps, exemplifying the Trend of the Year.
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