Each year, Apple rounds up the 15 best apps and games on the App Store. Awards scatter to all corners of the web developer world — from people sitting in their parents’ basements to businesses intent on changing the game.
Apple chose the 2021 winners based on product quality, drive to innovate, creativity, 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 Apple CEO Tim Cook. “[T]hese standout developers innovated with Apple technology, with many helping to foster the profound sense of togetherness we needed this year.”
No matter what Apple device you have, there’s something for you on the list.
iPhone App of the Year: Toca Life World
Toca Life World puts kids at the controls, with colorful character design and 80 free-roam maps that continuously develop and change. Vivid colors pop (but don’t scream) from the graphics, and kids can animate their world in a novel layering method that gives the impression of stickers and board game maps. Download for free.
Publisher: Toca Boca
Platforms: iOS, Android
Rating: 4.3/5
Download Price: Free
iPad App of the Year: LumaFusion
LumaFusion sells itself as a capable, easy-to-use video editing platform. The multitrack editing software makes itself accessible with intuitive touches, and offers professional quality. The app’s control panel looks pleasingly complete; everything from multiple audio and visual tracks for editing, to special effects and time lapse overlays is available.
The app can look a little intimidating. If you’re a journalist or professional looking to up your video post game, check out this walkthrough before you fork over the $30 to buy it on the App Store.
Publisher: LumaTouch
Platforms: iOS, Android
Rating: 4.8/5
Download Price: $30
Mac App of the Year: Craft
Craft is all about content creators or editors who transmit a lot of varied information. The app lets you create documents and notes, then efficiently share them with one tap. It can handle most of the same things a web publishing tool can, like inline markdown, backlinks, code snippets, images, videos, and PDF files.
Publisher: Luki Labs Limited
Platforms: iOS, Android
Rating: 4.9/5
Download Price: Free
Apple TV App of the Year: DAZN
Simply put, DAZN is like ESPN for live streaming sports across a wide array of devices. It focuses on MMA and boxing but certainly isn’t limited to combat sports. Depending on your country, you’ll get access to a curated, typically wide range of programming from football to American football, baseball, cue sports, woodchopping, and most everything in between. Check out this handy chart on Wikipedia to familiarize yourself with DAZN programming in your country.
Publisher: DAZN Group
Platforms: Multiple
Rating: 4.6/5
Download Price: $20/month or $100/year
Apple Watch App of the Year: Carrot Weather
Really? A weather app won year’s-best status for the futurist-vogue Apple Watch? Correct, but Carrot is not just a digital version of a yawny weather conversation. Instead, the app gamifies the weather, tasking you to follow clues to track down secret locations (90+) and unlock achievements. To do it, navigate and sift through Carrot’s reputable weather data.
You can even film your own TV-news-style weather reports, or launch into Augmented Reality Mode. Put on your storm-chasing hat but box up the Camcorder — Carrot’s got you covered!
Publisher: Grailr
Platforms: iOS, Android
Rating: 4.7/5
Download Price: Free
iPhone Game of the Year: “League of Legends: Wild Rift”
Wild Rift adapts the popular 5-on-5 online battle arena experience of League of Legends to deliver a fun, visually rich mobile experience. From publisher Riot Games: “[e]ach game is a chance to land the perfect skill shot, turn the tides in a crazy teamfight, or pull off that sweet, sweet pentakill.”
Publisher: Riot Games
Platforms: iOS, Android
Rating: 4.0/5
Download Price: Free
iPad Game of the Year: “MARVEL Future Revolution”
Square off against an army in “MARVEL Future Revolution,” a game inspired by MARVEL Studios’ “Eternals.” You, and the typical cast of MARVEL superheroes, are all that stand between the Deviants and total destruction, in an immersive open world. Wear never-before-seen costumes and recruit the Eternals to win.
Publisher: Netmarble Corporation
Platforms: iOS, Android
Rating: 4.7/5
Download Price: Free
Mac Game of the Year: “Myst”
Cryptic free-roam epic “Myst” is back, and promises to be as beautiful and frustrating as ever on Mac. The game, originally released in 1993, gets an intriguing new storyline in 2021. Per usual, you travel between Myst Island and other visually captivating locations; this time, unravel a mystery that might tear apart both a storied family and the world of Myst itself.
Publisher: Cyan
Platforms: iOS, Android
Rating: 3.9/5
Download Price: $30.
Apple TV Game of the Year: “Space Marshals 3”
In “Space Marshals 3,” you join a rag-tag crew to hunt bad guys outer space. The story-driven gameplay emphasizes stealth and tactical combat — shoot-em-up sequences are bound to occur, but you’ll have to strategize to come out on top.
Publisher: Pixelbite
Platforms: iOS, Android
Rating: 4.0/5
Download Price: Free
Apple Arcade Game of the Year: “Fantasian”
In 1987, Hironobu Sakaguchi changed the world by bringing “Final Fantasy” into it. Now, he delivers an iOS and Android-compatible update, Fantasian. The backdrops (adapted from over 160 hand-built dioramas) look mind-bending. The Manga-inspired characters and RPG combat style look familiar and reliable. Feast your eyes.
Publisher: Mistwalker
Platforms: iOS, Android
Rating: 4.1/5
Download Price: $5/month (Apple Arcade subscription)
App Store Trend of the Year: Connection
In addition to the various Apps of the Year, App Store editors also chose a “Trend of the Year.” The goal? To identify a movement or quality that made a lasting impact on people’s lives, and to recognize the apps and games that facilitated it.
Perhaps unsurprisingly, 2021’s Trend of the Year was “Connection.”
EatOkra
Entrepreneurs Anthony Edwards Jr. and Janique Edwards built EatOkra for one reason: to connect people to Black-owned restaurants in any community. The user-driven guide currently features more than 8,700 Black-owned eateries (restaurants, food trucks, etc.) across the U.S. The app offers menus, photos, and information for restaurants that offer soul food and African, Caribbean, and Cajun/Creole cuisine.
Publisher: EatOkra, Inc.
Platforms: iOS, Android
Rating: 4.7/5
Download Price: Free (no in-app purchases)
Peanut
Peanut helps people find friends and helpful information at all stages of womanhood. Whether you’re negotiating fertility, pregnancy, motherhood or menopause, the app facilitates a community to listen, give advice, and transmit information. Safety protocols like a zero-tolerance abuse policy and selfie-based profile verification are in place.
Publisher: Peanut App Limited
Platforms: iOS, Android
Rating: 4.3
Download Price: Free (no in-app purchases)
Among Us!
The cute little avatars of Among Us! stole the show in 2021. By combining collaboration with competition, ‘Among Us!’ “cultivated community through bite-size matches that urged users to talk — and listen — to each other via banter, bluffing, and teamwork,” Apple said.
Play with 4-15 players to prep your spaceship for departure. But, beware: one or more random players in the crew are impostors trying to kill everyone.
Publisher: InnerSloth LLC
Platforms: iOS, Android
Rating: 4.1/5
Download Price: Free
Bumble
Apple says Bumble’s 2021 updates helped “bridge the gap” for romantics and heartthrobs trying to date, connect, and thrive in the ongoing pandemic. All, of course, in a female-led environment. If you didn’t know, Bumble now has “BFF” and “Bizz” interfaces to help users looking for platonic love in all the…places.
Publisher: Bumble Holding Ltd.
Platforms: iOS, Android
Rating: 4.2/5
Download Price: Free
Canva
Canva leads with its elegant simplicity, but it’s also heavily capable. Highly functional photo editing, plus edit features for Instagram stories and more, help you make your memories of your best life look their best. Collages, greeting cards, even logos and book covers; Canva covers it all.
For the record, it’s also extremely popular and the highest-rated app on the list overall, with over 880,000 downloads and 4.9 stars.
Publisher: Canva
Platforms: iOS, Android
Rating: 4.9/5
Download Price: Free
Learn more at Apple.com.
