Balatro, Watch Duty head up 2025 Apple Design Award winners

Less than a week before WWDC, Apple has revealed the winners of the 2025 Apple Design Awards, honoring the best apps in the App Store.

The Apple Design Awards are Apple's way of celebrating the best apps and games that have been submitted to the App Store. Announced as usual just before WWDC, the list includes 36 finalists and 12 winners, with one app and one game winning across six categories.

All six categories carry over from the 2024 awards. However, a seventh category for "Spatial Computing" introduced in 2024 has not been brought back for 2025.

"Developers continue to push the boundaries of what's possible, creating apps and games that are not only beautifully designed but also deeply impactful," said Susan Prescott, Apple's vice president of Worldwide Developer Relations, in a statement. "We're excited to celebrate this incredible group of winners and finalists at WWDC and spotlight the innovation and craftsmanship they bring to each experience."

The list of categories, winners, and nominees follows:

Delight and Fun

"Delight and Fun" covers apps with "memorable, engaging, and satisfying experiences enhanced by Apple technologies."

Best App: CapWords (HappyPlan Tech)
Best Game: Balatro (LocalThunk)
Lumy (Raja V)
Denim (Feel Good Tech)
Thank Goodness You're Here! (Panic)
Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown (Ubisoft Montpellier)

Innovation

"Innovation" awards go to apps that "provide a state-of-the-art experience through novel use of Apple technologies that set them apart in their genre."

Best App: Play (Rabbit 3 Times)
Best Game: PBJ - The Musical (Philipp Stollenmayer)
Moises (Music.AI)
Capybara (Digital Workroom)
Pawz (Bootloader Studio Holdings)
Gears & Goo (Resolution Games)

Interaction

The "Interation" category deals with apps that provide "intuitive interfaces and effortless controls that are perfectly tailored to their platform."

Best App: Taobao (Zhejiang Taobao Network)
Best Game: Dredge (Black Salt Games)
iA Writer (Information Architects)
Mela - Recipe Manager (Silvio Rizzi)
Gears & Goo (Resolution Games)
Skate City: New York (Snowman)

Inclusivity

Apps in the "Inclusivity" category provide a great experience for all users "by reflecting a variety of backgrounds, abilities, and languages."

Best App: Speechify (Speechify)
Best Game: Art of Fauna (Klemens Strasser)
Evolve (GTA Solutions)
Train Fitness (Train Fitness)
puffies (Lykke Studios)
Land of Livia (Split Atom Labs)

The "Social Impact" category deals with apps that "improve lives in a meaningful way and shine a light on crucial issues."

Best App: Watch Duty (Sherwood Forestry Service)
Best Game: Neva (Developer Digital)
Ground News (Snapwise)
Opal (Opal OS)
Ahoy! (Picardy by Daniel Jones)
Art of Fauna (Klemens Strasser)

Visuals and Graphics

The "Visuals and Graphics" list of nominees and winners consist of apps that have "stunning imagery, skillfully drawn interfaces, and high-quality animations with a distinctive and cohesive theme."