Apple Design Awards: Try the best apps and games of 2025

Apple revealed the winners of its prestigious 2025 Apple Design Awards Tuesday, celebrating 12 exceptional apps and games that showcase the very best of what’s possible on Apple devices. And the celebration of Apple Design Awards-winning apps and games will carry on at WWDC25, Apple said.

“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. “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.”

Apple Design Awards: Winning apps and games

Apple Design Awards winners represent developers from around the world who have created experiences that are not only beautifully designed but also push the boundaries of innovation and technical achievement, Apple said.

The awards recognize outstanding apps and games across six key categories, each highlighting different aspects of exceptional design and user experience. Here are this year’s winners and what makes them special for Apple users.

Delight and fun

CapWords takes language learning to the next level by turning everyday objects around you into interactive learning tools. Simply point your device at any object, and the app transforms it into a visual sticker that helps you learn new words in nine different languages. It’s an intuitive way to expand your vocabulary while exploring the world around you.

Balatro offers a fresh take on card games by blending poker, solitaire and deck-building mechanics. Players combine traditional poker hands with special joker cards that have unique abilities, creating endless strategic possibilities. The game challenges you to craft original decks and advance your scores through increasingly difficult rounds.

Innovation

Play revolutionizes how designers create prototypes by letting you build interactive experiences using SwiftUI frameworks. The app seamlessly syncs between your Mac and iPhone, allowing real-time collaboration and making it easier than ever to bring your design ideas to life.

PBJ — The Musical reimagines Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet with condiments as the main characters. This charming rhythm-based game combines storytelling with music and haptic feedback, creating a joyful experience that’s unlike anything else on the App Store.

Interaction

Taobao transforms shopping on Vision Pro by offering incredible 3D models that look almost identical to real products. You can compare items side by side in an immersive environment, giving you a new way to shop that takes full advantage of spatial computing.

Dredge combines horror elements with exploration as you captain a fishing boat through mysterious islands. The game offers seamless controls across iPhone, iPad, and Mac, letting you uncover strange wildlife and piece together a haunting mystery wherever you are.

Inclusivity

Speechify makes written content accessible to everyone by converting text to audio in over 50 languages with hundreds of different voices. The app is particularly valuable for people with dyslexia, ADHD, or low vision, and includes full support for Dynamic Type and VoiceOver.

Art of Fauna combines beautiful vintage-inspired wildlife imagery with thoughtful puzzle gameplay. Players can solve puzzles either by rearranging visual elements or reordering text descriptions, and the game includes comprehensive VoiceOver support and haptic feedback for maximum accessibility.

Social impact

Watch Duty serves as a crucial resource during wildfire emergencies, providing real-time updates on fire perimeters, wind conditions, and evacuation orders. The app has proven invaluable during recent California wildfires, helping keep communities informed and safe.

Neva tells a moving story about a girl and her wolf companion in a world facing environmental decline. This action-adventure game explores themes of friendship, care, and environmental responsibility through breathtaking visuals and emotional storytelling.

Visuals and graphics

Feather: Draw in 3D empowers users to transform 2D sketches into stunning 3D models directly on iPad. The app works beautifully with Apple Pencil and touch interactions, making advanced 3D modeling accessible to creators of all skill levels.

Infinity Nikki creates an enchanted open-world adventure filled with magical outfits, whimsical creatures, and unexpected discoveries. The game’s incredible attention to color, detail, and rendering makes it a true visual showcase for what’s possible on Apple devices.

These award-winning apps and games demonstrate the incredible creativity and technical skill of developers worldwide. They also show Apple users the amazing experiences available on their devices. You can learn more about all the winners and finalists by visiting developer.apple.com/design/awards or checking out the Apple Developer app.

Source: Apple

David Snow

David Snow, an expert on Apple hardware and software, writes on a variety of technological and cultural topics for Cult of Mac. They include Apple news, technology buying guides, and features about computer setups and Apple TV shows and movies.

With 30 years of experience covering technology and other subjects, he has written and edited for numerous print and online publications, including CMP Media, TechTV.com, CNET, Wired News, Red Herring magazine, Law.com, The National Law Journal and Law Technology News magazine. Among other roles, he served as executive editor of the Law.com network of websites and editorial director, technology, for ALM Media.

Snow graduated with a B.A. from Syracuse University with majors in magazine journalism and psychology. While there, he worked as a reporter for The Daily Orange newspaper and associate editor of Equal Time magazine.

Founder of the blog At the Waterline, he can be reached on X (formerly Twitter) via @atthewaterline and on Mastodon via @dsnow.