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.

The incredibly popular Fortnite might be what you would get if Blizzard had. Best Tetris Tribute: 1010! Enjoyable, slightly less frantic pace than Tetris.

• 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.

You can browse and buy apps in the App Store on your iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, on your Apple Watch, on your Mac, or on your Apple TV.

Browse and buy

To download and buy apps from the App Store, you need an Apple ID. Your Apple ID is the account that you use to access Apple services. If you use other Apple services like iCloud, sign in to the App Store with the same Apple ID. If you don't have an Apple ID, you can create one.

If you're in the App Store on any of your devices and see the download button near an app, you already bought or downloaded that app. When you tap or click the download button , the app downloads to your device again, but you are not charged again. You can also see a list of apps that you purchased and redownload them.

Learn what payment methods you can use to buy apps and other content. You can also create an Apple ID without a payment method when you download a free app.

1. Tap the App Store app on your Home screen.
2. Browse or search for the app that you want to download, then tap the app.
3. Tap the price or tap Get. You might need to sign in with your Apple ID.
   If you find a game that says Arcade, subscribe to Apple Arcade to play the game.

After your app finishes downloading, you can move it to a different spot on your Home screen. Apps stay up-to-date by default, but you can learn more about updating apps.

You can make additional purchases within some apps. If you set up Family Sharing, you can use Ask to Buy so that kids must get permission before they make in-app purchases. Learn more about in-app purchases.

If an app is sold with an iMessage app or sticker pack, you can open it in Messages.

How to buy apps on your Apple Watch

With watchOS 6, you can download apps directly from the App Store on your Apple Watch. You can also add apps to your Apple Watch from your iPhone.

1. Open the App Store app.
2. Browse or search for the app that you want to download, then tap the app.
3. Tap the price or tap Get. You might need to sign in with your Apple ID.

Apps stay up-to-date by default, but you can learn more about updating apps.

If you set up Family Sharing, you can use Ask to Buy so that kids must get permission before they download an app or make an in-app purchase. Learn more about in-app purchases.

1. Open the App Store.
2. Browse or search for the app that you want to download. Apps for iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch don't always have a version for Mac.
3. Click the app.
   
4. Click the price, then click Buy App. If you don't see a price, click Get, then click Install App. You might need to sign in with your Apple ID. If you find a game that says Arcade, subscribe to Apple Arcade to play the game.

Best Apple Apps Games Free

After your app finishes downloading, you can find it and keep it organized in Launchpad. Apps stay up-to-date by default, but you can learn more about updating apps.

You can make additional purchases within some apps. If you set up Family Sharing, you can use Ask to Buy so that kids must get permission before they make in-app purchases. Learn more about in-app purchases.

1. Open the App Store on your Apple TV.
2. Browse or search for the app that you want to download, then select the app.
3. Select the price or select Get. You might need to sign in with your Apple ID.
   If you find a game that says Arcade, subscribe to Apple Arcade to play the game.

After your app finishes downloading, you can move it around on your Home screen. Your apps will update automatically.

You can make additional purchases within some apps. You can use Restrictions to restrict, block, or allow in-app purchases. Learn more about in-app purchases.

The App Store isn’t available on Apple TV (3rd generation or earlier).

Get information about an app

If you want to know specific information about an app, like what languages the app is available in, the app’s file size, or its compatibility with other Apple devices, scroll to the bottom of an app’s page. You might be able to tap some sections to learn more.

You can also contact the app developer for help with an app's functionality.

Get help with billing

• Learn what to do if you see a charge from an app that you don't recognize.
• Learn how to cancel an in-app subscription.
• If you can’t update your apps because your payment method is declined, update or change your payment method.
• If you have another issue with an app, report a problem or contact Apple Support.

Learn more

Best Apple Apps Games Free

• If your App Store is missing or you can't find it on your device, you might have parental controls turned on. Adjust your iTunes & App Store Purchases settings and make sure that you choose 'Allow' for the Installing Apps setting.
• Learn what to do if an app unexpectedly quits, stops responding while installing, or won't open.
• Learn what to do if you can't download apps, or if apps get stuck.
• If you want to download apps that are larger than 200 MB over cellular, go to Settings > [your name] > iTunes & App Store, then tap App Downloads and choose the option that you want.
• If you bought part of an apps bundle, the price of the full apps bundle is reduced by the amount you already spent.