Great apps provide intuitive new ways for people to learn, create, and accomplish. The App of the Year winners set the bar for them all. We celebrate this year’s selects — and the developers behind them — for their innovation and exceptional design.

Shop Best Buy's Apple brand store for great prices on a new or refurbished Mac Pro, MacBook, iMac and Mac mini.

• Spectre Camera

  Lux Optics LLC

  • • iPhone App of the Year

• Flow by Moleskine

  Moleskine Srl

  • • iPad App of the Year

• Affinity Publisher

  Serif Labs

  • • Mac App of the Year

• The Explorers

  The Explorers Network

  • • Apple TV App of the Year

Of the many, many games we played this year, these took our breath away. With inspirational storytelling, delightful design, and innovative use of the latest Apple technologies, they did more than challenge players — they delivered exceptional, compelling experiences.

• Sky: Children of the Light

  thatgamecompany

  • • iPhone Game of the Year

• 光·遇

  Hangzhou NetEase Leihuo Technology Co., Ltd.

  • • iPhone Game of the Year

• Hyper Light Drifter

  Abylight S.L.

  • • iPad Game of the Year

• GRIS

  Devolver

  • • Mac Game of the Year

• Wonder Boy: The Dragon's Trap

  DotEmu

  • • Apple TV Game of the Year

In a collection of groundbreaking games, this one stood out to become the first Apple Arcade Game of the Year. The incredible visuals, marvelous music, and brilliant gameplay make it a must-play experience.

• Sayonara Wild Hearts

  Annapurna Interactive

These apps and games for iPhone and iPad were part of two cultural phenomenons that helped define 2019.

Blockbusters Reborn

Simultaneously nostalgic and new, these world-famous franchises were boldly reimagined.

• Alien: Blackout

  D3PA

• Assassin's Creed Rebellion

  Ubisoft

• Call of Duty®: Mobile

  Activision Publishing, Inc.

• Call of Duty: Mobile - Garena

  Garena Mobile Private

• 콜 오브 듀티: 모바일

  Tencent Games

• 跑跑卡丁车官方竞速版

  Tencent Mobile Games

• Dota Underlords

  Valve

• Dr. Mario World

  Nintendo Co., Ltd.

• 辐射：避难所Online

  Shulong Information Technology (Zhejiang) Co., Ltd.

• 最终幻想：勇气启示录

  Chengdu Seasun Shiyou Technology Co., Ltd

• Gears POP!

  Microsoft Corporation

• Hot Wheels Infinite Loop

  Mattel, Inc.

• Langrisser

  ZlongGames

• 梦幻模拟战

  Shanghai Zishun Information Technology Co., Ltd.

• ラングリッサー モバイル

  ZlongGames

• 랑그릿사

  ZlongGames

• Lineage 2: Revolution

  Netmarble Corporation

• 리니지2M

  NCSOFT

• ドラゴンクエストウォーク

  SQUARE ENIX

• Mario Kart Tour

  Nintendo Co., Ltd.

• Minecraft Earth

  Mojang

• Pokémon Masters

  DeNA Co., Ltd.

• The Elder Scrolls: Blades

  Bethesda

• The King of Fighters ALLSTAR

  Netmarble Corporation

• 三国志·战略版

  Aligames Inc.

• Warhammer: Chaos & Conquest

  Tilting Point

• 轩辕剑龙舞云山

  Hangzhou NetEase Leihuo Technology Co., Ltd.

• 龍舞雲山

  SOFTSTAR Games INC.

The Storyteller Within

In 2019, these apps helped us discover our inner creators — in whatever form they took. With their help, we became podcasters, photographers, designers, videographers, and authors.

• 1 Second Everyday: Video Diary

  1SE

• 24FPS - Video Filter & LUT

  Polarr, Inc.

• Anchor

  Anchor FM Inc.

• Canva: Stories & Video Maker

  Canva

• Filmr - Video Editor & Filter

  Stei App, ltda

• FlipaClip: Cartoon Animation

  Visual Blasters LLC

• 快手

  Beijing Kwai Technology Co., Ltd.

• Lifecake Family & Baby Photos

  Lifecake Ltd

• Magisto Video Editor

  Vimeo, Inc.

• Mojo - Stories Editor

  Archery Inc.

• Nizo

  Image Mechanics

• Noisy Book

  Lumen Digital

• Over: Design/Flyer/Story Maker

  Over, Inc.

• Spark Camera - Video Editor

  Dayworks.

• Steller

  Expedition Travel Advisor, Inc.

• StoryBoost: Story Editor

  Lightricks Ltd.

• Tayasui Sketches

  Tayasui.com

• Typic 2: Fonts & Text on Photo

  Hi Mom S.A.S

• Unfold — Create Stories

  Unfold Creative

• Vostok

  Dmitry Mashkin

• VUE Vlog

  VUE VIDEO CO., LTD.

• VUE - Video Camera and Editor

  VUE VIDEO CO., LTD.

• Wattpad

  Wattpad Corp

• WIDE短视频 - 一键自动Vlog

  Xiamen Meitu Technology Co., Ltd.

App selections vary by region, language, and/or platform.

Apple Watch is cool — just plain cool. There are myriad things that we can now do by tapping the gorgeous device on our wrists, and while productivity is the name of the game, a little fun once in a while never hurt anyone!

Let's be real: You're not gonna find a fully immersive gaming experience for Apple Watch, but you will find some excellent time wasters.

Here are the best games you can play on your Apple Watch!

Note: You'll have to download all of these on your iPhone first, and in many cases, you'll have to play a bit or sign in/open them on your iPhone before you can play on your Apple Watch.

Pocket Bandit

Although it's a rather simple game, Pocket Bandit does what a lot of other Apple Watch games don't; use the hardware in a memorable way.

You're a thief who's always on the prowl for the next jewel, gold, gemstone, or top secret file that you can pry from the security of a safe. The gameplay is simple, you need to figure out the combination of each safe (usually two or three numbers) before the time runs out and the cops catch you. You're always trying to beat your high score — calculated by how much money you steal — so open as many safes as you can. Some of the vaults you need to crack even have special anti-theft devices attached to them that you'll need to avoid.

The best part of Pocket Bandit is its use of the Digital Crown. You need to rotate the Digital Crown around to dial the number of the safe. When you get close to the right number, you'll feel your Apple Watch vibrate. With the haptic feedback provided by the Apple Watch, it really makes you feel like you are turning a dial or lock of some kind.

Lifeline

If you're looking for something to pass the time and want something kinda creepy cool, then check out Lifeline. You'll speak with stranded astronaut and try to unravel his predicament and secrets by choosing your responses to everything he says.

You'll have to connect to the app on your iPhone first, but once you do, you'll start to receive the messages on your Apple Watch, tapping each of your responses as you delve deeper into the mystery and try to help Taylor survive by giving him instructions to explore marooned ships and tell him which way to travel.

This is the first in a series of great text adventures from developer 3 Minute Games. Check 'em out!

Rules!

Rules! is a fantastic brain teaser app that has you, well, following rules. Things will start off simple, like 'Tap the unicorn', so you'll have to tap the unicorn tile. The next round will add a rule, which you'll have to follow, and it'll then say 'Follow rule 1', so you'll have to tap the unicorns again. As you progress, more rules are added, so you have to think about the rule of the moment while trying to remember all the other rules in succession.

If you're looking for fun, colorful timewaster that'll give your brain a hell of a workout, then I highly recommend Rules!

Trivia Crack

Like trivia? Like competitive trivia even better? Good. Trivia Crack is just that.

In a sort of Trivial Pursuit-style game, you play random people around the world in an effort to collect all the game characters, each representing a different category. Each turn, you'll spin the wheel, which will land on a character, forcing you to answer a question based on that category. It could be history, geography, entertainment, sports, art, or science.

You'll answer questions until you get one wrong, so you could very well running the board and increasing your points total. You can also challenge your opponents in head-to-head battles of wits or chat with your friends and challenge them to games of mental fortitude.

Apple Store Mac Pro

If you're a trivia buff, then definitely check this one out. Just don't expect a game for PhDs — most of the questions are fairly simple, with the odd curveball tossed in for good measure.

Field Day

If you're a fan of Farmville or Hay Day, then you'll have a field day with this one (OMG DID YOU SEE WHAT I DID THERE?!). In Field Day, you buy plots of land with the coins you accumulate from selling your produce. You'll grow veggies and sell them, while unlocking new crops and livestock, fulfilling orders, and growing your farm as you participate in various events.

One of the coolest features of Field Day is its integration of the Digital Crown, which you use to scroll up and down your farm to view orders, your crops, and your farmhouse. The Postman will randomly show up to give you missions, which you'll need to complete on your iPhone, so this game is perfect for quick 15-second blasts, as well as somewhat longer play sessions when you have the time.

Letter Zap

I love word games, and if you love word games too, then you'll dig Letter Zap. It's a quick time-waster that you can play in short bursts. All you're trying to do is make a word out of the given letters, of which there will be three to six.

You have to use all the letters you're given and you're trying to make as many words as possible in the time allotted. If a race against the clock isn't what you're after, then try Zen Mode, where you can form unlimited words with no time limit. Heartbeat Mode has you playing against your own heart rate (you'll have to give Letter Zap access to your Health data on your iPhone). The higher your heart rate, the more time you have to make words.

This is an excellent word game with great animations on the Apple Watch. Definitely not to be missed!

Snappy Word

Snappy Word is a lot like Letter Zap but with a simpler interface and only four letters at a time. Play to make as many words as you can in 30 seconds or pick up your phone and play the same way or play until you make a mistake, with no time limit. There's also an iMessage app that lets you challenge friends to unscramble words.

Every time a game ends, you'll get kicked out of the app on your Apple Watch so that it can refresh (I guess?). If you're looking for another fun, wordy time-waster, Snappy Word is great, and it's free.

Runeblade

Top Games Apple Store

Are you an RPG fan? Would you believe you can get a fairly full RPG experience on your wrist? I never would've thought so either, but Runeblade is a wildly fun continuous slasher where you fight enemy after enemy, accruing points so that you can upgrade your runes and cast new spells upon them to lengthen your attack duration, raise damage, and more.

The enemies are fun and weird-looking, which makes this game extra special (you encounter the strangest old dude early on — you'll know him when you see him).

The iPhone app is a little more involved, with more animations and stuff, but we're talking about Apple Watch, and if you're looking for a full-color, animated, hackin' and slashin' good time, then definitely check out Runeblade. It's perfect in short bursts and addictive enough that it'll keep you on the toilet long after you're finished with your business.

Tiny Armies

Wrist-based conquest has never been so fun. Tiny Armies is a fast-paced game that makes you swipe to move your units and take over your enemy's territory. You'll encounter lakes, mountains, and forests as obstacles, and gameplay is in quick bouts, perfect for the Apple Watch. You can play alone, head-to-head with your friends, or with anyone in the world via iMessage.

Komrad

Komrad is an interactive fiction game in which you chat with a Soviet A.I. from 1985. The A.I. has been training in secret for 30 years and still thinks the Cold War is raging. If you're at all interested in casually playing through a cryptic tale of mystery and potential nuclear disaster, then Komrad should keep you occupied as you carefully choose your responses so as not to destroy the entire world.

Elevate: Brain Training

This may not be a game, per say, but Elevate: Brain Training will still entertain you while also making use of your epic brainpower. With the Apple Watch app, you can enjoy over 35 mini game activities that help you improve your critical cognitive skills, like focus, memory, processing, math, precision, and comprehension. It also gives you detailed performance tracking so you can see how good you're doing, and it adapts to you to provide you with a level of challenge that is geared for you and no one else.

Bubblegum Hero

Need something to keep you busy for a few minutes? Then Bubblegum Hero is the entertainment you're looking for. The concept is simple: hold a finger on the screen to blow a bubble, and make sure that your bubble is big enough to fit within the two circles on the screen. Sounds simple, right? But make sure you don't fill it up too much, because then it'll pop and you'll end up with gum everywhere! The circles are constantly expanding and contracting, so the target sizes change, making it harder to keep up with over time. Think you can handle it?

Lifeline 2

Did you not get enough of the first Lifeline? Then Lifeline 2 will satisfy your Apple Watch text adventures. In Lifeline 2, you get a text adventure that is almost twice as long as the original, and it has even more choices and paths to explore. It also has a 28-minute original soundtrack.

Best Games In Apple Store

The story of Lifeline 2 involves Arika, a young woman who must set out on a deadly adventure to avenge her parents and rescue a long lost brother. Your choices are what keeps her alive, or kills her.

Gettin' wristy with it

What's your favorite game for Apple Watch? Did you even know there were so many awesome games to play on your wrist? Let us know in the comments below!

Apple Watch

Main

We may earn a commission for purchases using our links. Learn more.

Apple is now redirecting (PRODUCT)RED purchases to COVID‑19 relief fund

Free Apple Mac Games

Now through September 30, Apple is redirecting 100% of a portion of (PRODUCT)RED purchases to the Global Fund’s COVID‑19 Response.