Winners for the coveted Apple Design Awards are out. With WWDC 2025 only days away, Apple is celebrating 12 standout apps and games that have set a new design standard.
“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.
The awards recognise one app and one game across six categories: Delight and Fun, Innovation, Interaction, Inclusivity, Social Impact, and Visuals and Graphics.
Winners in the Delight and Fun category are CapWords and Balatro. CapWords has been developed by HappyPlan Tech (China) and is a language learning tool that transforms images of everyday objects into interactive stickers. Balatro (developed by LocalThunk in Canada) is a fusion of poker, solitaire, and deck-building with roguelike elements.
In the Innovation category, the winners are Play (app) and PBJ — The Musical (game). Play (developed by Rabbit 3 Times in the US) allows users to build interactive prototypes with SwiftUI frameworks while PBJ — The Musical (developed by Philipp Stollenmayer in Germany) is snack-based Shakespeare… a game that tells the story of Romeo and Juliet with condiments.
The third category is Interaction. The app winner here is Taobao (developed by Zhejiang Taobao Network in China), an engaging shopping experience on Apple Vision Pro, providing 3D models comparable to their real-life counterparts. Winning the gaming title is Dredge (from Black Salt Games in New Zealand), which blends slow-burn horror with exploration and adventure. Players take the helm of a fishing boat to navigate eerie islands.
In the Inclusivity category, Speechify (from the US) has been chosen best app. With support for hundreds of voices in over 50 languages, it is a powerful tool that transforms written text into audio with ease. The selected game is Art of Fauna (developed by Klemens Strasser in Austria), a puzzle that blends vintage-inspired wildlife imagery with a commitment to inclusivity and conservation.
Coming to Social Impact, the best app is Watch Duty (Sherwood Forestry Service in the US), which delivers up-to-the-minute updates, evacuation information, and critical resources with clarity and reliability. The best game in the category is Neva (developed by Devolver Digital in the US), an action-adventure tale that follows a girl and her wolf companion through a world in decline.
The final category is Visuals and Graphics for which the best app is Feather: Draw in 3D (developed by Sketchsoft in South Korea). It allows users to transform 2D designs into 3D masterpieces. Taking the gaming title in the category is Infinity Nikki (Infold Games in Singapore), an open-world adventure packed with magical outfits, whimsical creatures and unexpected moments.
