Apple announced the finalists for its 2023 App Store Awards on 14 November 2023. The historical shortlist included nearly 40 apps and games across ten categories covering iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch, Apple TV, Apple Arcade and Cultural Impact. Apple announced the winners separately on 29 November 2023, so finalist status should not be confused with winning an award.
Apple’s finalist release, “Meet the 2023 App Store Award finalists”, described the selections as examples of technical innovation, user experience and design. Those descriptions are Apple’s editorial framing, not independent product tests.
2023 App Store Awards finalists by category
Apple organized the shortlist by platform and purpose rather than treating every title as one cross-platform ranking. The following are the complete finalists named in the 14 November announcement.
iPhone
| Award | Finalists | Apple’s description |
|---|---|---|
| iPhone App of the Year | AllTrails; Duolingo; Flighty | Outdoor trail guides, language learning and flight information |
| iPhone Game of the Year | Afterplace; Honkai: Star Rail; Vampire Survivors | Retro role-playing, space fantasy and roguelike action |
iPad
| Award | Finalists | Apple’s description |
|---|---|---|
| iPad App of the Year | Concepts; DaVinci Resolve; Prêt-à-Makeup | Drawing, video editing and makeup design |
| iPad Game of the Year | Eggy Party; Lost in Play; Pocket City 2 | Games spanning party play, adventure and city building |
Mac
| Award | Finalists | Apple’s description |
|---|---|---|
| Mac App of the Year | Linearity Curve; Photomator; Portal | Design, photo editing and landscapes with spatial audio |
| Mac Game of the Year | ELEX II; Lies of P; Return to Monkey Island | Large-scale role-playing, action and adventure games |
Apple Watch, Apple TV and Apple Arcade
| Award | Finalists | Apple’s description |
|---|---|---|
| Apple Watch App of the Year | Planny; SmartGym; Tide Guide | Tasks, workouts and marine conditions |
| Apple TV App of the Year | Bugsnax; FitOn; MUBI | Game play, workouts and cinema |
| Apple Arcade Game of the Year | Cityscapes; Hello Kitty Island Adventure; stitch. | City building, Hello Kitty adventures and embroidery-inspired play |
Cultural Impact
The Cultural Impact category recognized ten finalists whose themes or intended benefits addressed health, finance, the environment, communication, education, representation or emotional wellbeing.
#1 Best Overall
- WHY IPAD — The 11-inch iPad is now more capable than ever with the superfast A16 chip, a stunning Liquid Retina display, advanced cameras, fast Wi-Fi, USB-C connector, and four gorgeous colors.* iPad delivers a powerful way to create, stay connected, and get things done.
- PERFORMANCE AND STORAGE — The superfast A16 chip delivers a boost in performance for your favorite activities. And with all-day battery life, iPad is perfect for playing immersive games and editing photos and videos.* Storage starts at 128GB and goes up to 512GB.*
- 11-INCH LIQUID RETINA DISPLAY — The gorgeous Liquid Retina display is an amazing way to watch movies or draw your next masterpiece.* True Tone adjusts the display to the color temperature of the room to make viewing comfortable in any light.
- IPADOS + APPS — iPadOS makes iPad more productive, intuitive, and versatile. With iPadOS, run multiple apps at once, use Apple Pencil to write in any text field with Scribble, and edit and share photos.* iPad comes with essential apps like Safari, Messages, and Keynote, with over a million more apps designed specifically for iPad available on the App Store.
- FAST WI-FI CONNECTIVITY — Wi-Fi 6 gives you fast access to your files, uploads, and downloads, and lets you seamlessly stream your favorite shows.
| Finalist | Theme identified by Apple |
|---|---|
| balance | Menopause support |
| Copilot | Personal finance |
| Endling | Environmental impact |
| Finding Hannah | Gameplay and intergenerational stories |
| How to Say Goodbye | Difficult emotions |
| Pok Pok | Children’s play and learning |
| Proloquo | Communication without speech |
| Rebel Girls | Stories about women |
| Too Good To Go | Food waste |
| Unpacking | Puzzle gameplay |
What “nearly 40 finalists” means
Apple said the program contained nearly 40 finalists across ten categories. It did not publish an exact finalist total in the cited announcement, so “nearly 40” is the accurate figure. The categories include separate app and game awards for several devices, plus the Cultural Impact category; they are not nominations for one overall winner.
“These finalists are all incredibly talented and have put enormous effort into creating these great apps and games.”
Rank #2
— Phil Schiller, Apple Fellow, in Apple’s 14 November 2023 finalist announcement
Finalists versus the later winners
Apple published the results on 29 November 2023 in “Apple unveils App Store Award winners, the best apps and games of 2023.” The winners were:
Rank #3
- WHY IPAD — The 11-inch iPad is now more capable than ever with the superfast A16 chip, a stunning Liquid Retina display, advanced cameras, fast Wi-Fi, USB-C connector, and four gorgeous colors.* iPad delivers a powerful way to create, stay connected, and get things done.
- PERFORMANCE AND STORAGE — The superfast A16 chip delivers a boost in performance for your favorite activities. And with all-day battery life, iPad is perfect for playing immersive games and editing photos and videos.* Storage starts at 128GB and goes up to 512GB.*
- 11-INCH LIQUID RETINA DISPLAY — The gorgeous Liquid Retina display is an amazing way to watch movies or draw your next masterpiece.* True Tone adjusts the display to the color temperature of the room to make viewing comfortable in any light.
- IPADOS + APPS — iPadOS makes iPad more productive, intuitive, and versatile. With iPadOS, run multiple apps at once, use Apple Pencil to write in any text field with Scribble, and edit and share photos.* iPad comes with essential apps like Safari, Messages, and Keynote, with over a million more apps designed specifically for iPad available on the App Store.
- FAST WI-FI CONNECTIVITY — Wi-Fi 6 gives you fast access to your files, uploads, and downloads, and lets you seamlessly stream your favorite shows.
- Apps: AllTrails (iPhone), Prêt-à-Makeup (iPad), Photomator (Mac), MUBI (Apple TV) and SmartGym (Apple Watch).
- Games: Honkai: Star Rail (iPhone), Lost in Play (iPad), Lies of P (Mac) and Hello Kitty Island Adventure (Apple Arcade).
- Cultural Impact: balance, Pok Pok, Proloquo, Too Good To Go and Finding Hannah.
These outcomes are a later editorial decision. A finalist that did not win remained a finalist; the two labels describe different stages of the awards.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.How to use the shortlist when choosing an app or game
The finalist label can help narrow a search, but it does not establish that one title is best for every person. Compare titles within their category using the criteria that matter to you:
Rank #4
- WHY IPAD — The 11-inch iPad is now more capable than ever with the superfast A16 chip, a stunning Liquid Retina display, advanced cameras, fast Wi-Fi, USB-C connector, and four gorgeous colors.* iPad delivers a powerful way to create, stay connected, and get things done.
- PERFORMANCE AND STORAGE — The superfast A16 chip delivers a boost in performance for your favorite activities. And with all-day battery life, iPad is perfect for playing immersive games and editing photos and videos.* Storage starts at 128GB and goes up to 512GB.*
- 11-INCH LIQUID RETINA DISPLAY — The gorgeous Liquid Retina display is an amazing way to watch movies or draw your next masterpiece.* True Tone adjusts the display to the color temperature of the room to make viewing comfortable in any light.
- IPADOS + APPS — iPadOS makes iPad more productive, intuitive, and versatile. With iPadOS, run multiple apps at once, use Apple Pencil to write in any text field with Scribble, and edit and share photos.* iPad comes with essential apps like Safari, Messages, and Keynote, with over a million more apps designed specifically for iPad available on the App Store.
- FAST WI-FI CONNECTIVITY — Wi-Fi 6 gives you fast access to your files, uploads, and downloads, and lets you seamlessly stream your favorite shows.
- Device fit: Check whether the app runs on your iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch or Apple TV model and operating-system version.
- Core task: Match the product to the job—such as trail navigation, video editing, workouts, language study or personal finance—rather than to the award label alone.
- Accessibility: Review the current App Store listing for supported accessibility features, input methods and language options.
- Cost model: Check whether the current listing uses a one-time purchase, subscription, in-app purchases or Apple Arcade access.
- Availability: Apple warns that titles may not be downloadable in every region. Open the listing in your local App Store before relying on a finalist or winner, because storefront availability can change after the 2023 announcements.
Apple’s own selection criteria—meaningful experiences, technical innovation, user experience, design and cultural impact—explain why productivity tools, entertainment, games and socially focused products appear together, but they are not a substitute for checking a title’s current features and terms.
Quick Recap
Best Value
- Smart Connector. 3.5 mm headphone jack. Stereo speakers. On/Off - Sleep/Wake. Home/Touch ID sensor. Dual microphones. Volume up/down. Nano-SIM tray (cellular models). Lightning connector
- A10 Fusion chip.
- Touch ID fingerprint sensor,
- 8MP back camera, 1. 2MP FaceTime HD front camera.
- Stereo speakers.
Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.
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