Honoring the very best from its ecosystem, Apple’s App Store Award 2023 winners showcase creativity, exploration, cultural change, and much more. These 14 award winners were selected by the App Store’s Editorial team, which were curated from a list of about 40 finalists — honoring the best iPhone apps and best iPad apps among other things.
Showcasing the very best for the iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, Apple TV, and Mac, these App Store Award winners aren’t defined by the amount of downloads or revenue they’ve generated, but rather, their commitment to ingenuity, creativity, and design. “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,” said Apple’s Tim Cook in a statement heralding the winners.
We got the chance to check out some of the award winners for ourselves during an Apple event honoring the year's top apps. And as Apple suggested, the winners did not disappoint, as we were surprised by the amount of depth they cover. From the colorful animations from this year’s best App Store games, to the remarkable creativity from one of its cultural impact winners, here are our favorite winners
App Store Awards 2023 list of winners
- iPhone App of the Year: AllTrails
- iPad App of the Year: Prêt-à-Makeup
- Mac App of the Year: Photomator
- Apple TV App of the Year: MUBI
- Apple Watch App of the Year: SmartGym
- iPhone Game of the Year: Honkai: Star Rail
- iPad Game of the Year: Lost in Play
- Mac Game of the Year: Lies of P
- Apple Arcade Game of the Year: Hello Kitty Island Adventure
- Cultural Impact Winners: Pok Pok
- Cultural Impact Winners: Proloquo
- Cultural Impact Winners: Too Good To Go
- Cultural Impact Winners: Unpacking
- Cultural Impact Winners: Finding Hannah
Our top 3 favorite App Store Award 2023 winners
AllTrails — exploring trails around you made easy
One of the standout 2023 winners of Apple’s App Store Awards that we got to check out is AllTrails, an app that helps users better explore and find trails in the great outdoors. It’s like a mashup of Google Maps meets Yelp, since it features map views with guided directions — along with reviews and actual photos from people who’ve checked out the trails.
AllTrails includes a handy filter tool that better helps you find the perfect trail, whether it's trails that are pet friendly or others for bike riding. There’s a huge community behind AllTrails, which lends to the app’s great depth
Lies of P — gaming on a Mac never looked this good
We didn’t think games on Mac could ever be as good as games for PC, but Lies of P is one example of how things are changing.
Based on the popular tale of Pinocchio, but in a much darker style, Lies of P puts us in control of a character that battles ghoulish enemies while exploring a city covered under darkness. What’s notable about the game is its ferocious action and amazing graphics, something we didn’t think could ever be possible on a Mac. Yet, all of the intensive graphical animations of the attack scenes makes for a compelling case for gaming on a Mac.
Finding Hannah — fun enrichment for your brain
Out of all the award winners we got to see in action, Finding Hannah was the most ingenious one. That’s because of the enrichment value of having to use our skills to find objects in this colorful looking hidden object game.
Even though we think it’s a great memory game for all ages, we can see how this could be most beneficial to older adults who have memory impairments. Additionally, it earns Apple’s Cultural Impact award with its catchy art style, multi-era scenes, and diverse cast of characters.
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