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Apple announced its 2024 App Store Award winners on December 11, 2024, selecting 17 apps and games from 45 finalists. The platform-by-platform picks included Kino, AFK Journey, Balatro+, and the first Apple Vision Pro app and game winners. These are Apple editors’ choices—not the most-downloaded apps—and they are not the latest awards: Apple announced its 2025 winners on December 4, 2025.
2024 App Store Award winners at a glance
Apple divided its 17 app and game awards by platform or service, rather than naming one overall app and one overall game. The six Cultural Impact selections were a separate recognition. Apple’s winner announcement lists the titles and their developers.
Apps
| Category | Winner | Developer | What it does |
|---|---|---|---|
| iPhone App of the Year | Kino | Lux Optics | Video capture with film-inspired looks and advanced controls. |
| iPad App of the Year | Moises | Moises Systems | AI-assisted music tools for practicing and working with audio tracks. |
| Mac App of the Year | Adobe Lightroom | Adobe | Photo editing, including AI-powered features. |
| Apple Vision Pro App of the Year | What If…? An Immersive Story | Disney | An immersive Marvel story designed for spatial computing. |
| Apple Watch App of the Year | Lumy | Raja V. | Sun position and daylight information for the wrist. |
| Apple TV App of the Year | F1 TV | Formula One Digital Media Limited | Formula 1 viewing, including live feeds from cars. |
Games
| Category | Winner | Developer | What it offers |
|---|---|---|---|
| iPhone Game of the Year | AFK Journey | Farlight Games | A fantasy role-playing adventure with tactical battles. |
| iPad Game of the Year | Squad Busters | Supercell | Accessible multiplayer competition featuring characters from Supercell games. |
| Mac Game of the Year | Thank Goodness You’re Here! | Panic | A comedic adventure built around absurd scenarios. |
| Apple Vision Pro Game of the Year | Thrasher: Arcade Odyssey | Puddle | A spatial arcade game built around movement and spectacle. |
| Apple Arcade Game of the Year | Balatro+ | Playstack | A roguelike deck-builder that reworks poker concepts. |
What Apple recognized in the app winners
Kino gives iPhone filmmakers film-inspired filters and manual controls for shaping video. Apple highlighted its cinematic approach; it is aimed more at people who want to direct or refine footage than those looking only for a basic camera.
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Moises uses AI-powered tools to help musicians practice and work with tracks. Adobe Lightroom was recognized for bringing AI-assisted photo-editing capabilities to Mac. These awards identify Apple’s editorial selections, not a guarantee that either app suits every workflow.
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What If…? An Immersive Story received the Vision Pro app award for its Marvel experience built for the headset. It is distinct from the separate Vision Pro game winner; Apple classified this title as an app. Lumy focuses on sunlight and daylight information on Apple Watch, while F1 TV offers Formula 1 coverage and immersive viewing features, including onboard feeds.
What Apple recognized in the game winners
AFK Journey combines fantasy role-playing with tactical combat. Squad Busters brings characters from Supercell’s games into accessible multiplayer matches. Their recognition does not mean they are download-chart leaders or that their monetization suits every player.
Rank #2
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Thank Goodness You’re Here! is a comic adventure whose appeal lies in absurd situations and playful scenarios. Thrasher: Arcade Odyssey is the Vision Pro game winner, designed around spatial movement and visual spectacle; it should not be mistaken for a game available across Apple devices generally.
Recommended Free Tools
Balatro+ was named Apple Arcade Game of the Year. It adapts poker-inspired scoring into a roguelike deck-building game. The award is for the Apple Arcade edition; availability and features can differ from other versions of Balatro, and Apple Arcade access is relevant to playing that edition.
Rank #3
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Six Cultural Impact selections
Apple separately recognized six titles for contributions involving accessibility, learning, connection, and awareness of important issues. They are not additional platform-category winners.
- Oko: Helps blind and low-vision people navigate streets.
- EF Hello: Uses AI-supported tools for language learning.
- DailyArt: Makes art history approachable through daily artwork features.
- NYT Games: Connects players through daily word and logic puzzles.
- The Wreck: Uses interactive storytelling to explore crisis and mental struggle.
- Do You Really Want to Know? 2: Uses an interactive narrative to address HIV-related misconceptions.
Apple’s App Store awards page provides its editorial descriptions and links to the titles. Apple cautions that some may not be available in every region or on every compatible device.
Rank #4
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How Apple chose the winners—and what the awards mean
Apple’s global App Store editorial team selected 45 finalists across 12 categories, then chose the winners. Apple describes its considerations as user experience, design, innovation, technical achievement, and the ability to improve people’s lives or create cultural impact. The finalist announcement also marked the introduction of Apple Vision Pro categories for an app and a game.
These are curated editorial awards, not a ranking based on downloads, revenue, or user votes. They are also different from Apple’s Apple Design Awards, a separate program. A win does not mean a title is free, suitable for children, available worldwide, or compatible with every Apple device. Before downloading or subscribing, check the listing for your region, hardware and operating-system requirements, and current purchase or subscription terms. Apple’s awards page is a useful starting point, but listing details can change.
Best Value
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Latest awards update
This article covers the 2024 awards. Apple’s latest announced App Store Awards are the 2025 awards, announced December 4, 2025. That year’s winners included Tiimo, Detail, Essayist, Strava, HBO Max, Pokémon TCG Pocket, DREDGE, Cyberpunk 2077: Ultimate Edition, Porta Nubi, and WHAT THE CLASH? See Apple’s 2025 announcement for the current-year list.
Quick Recap
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