Apple's Best of 2020: App Store Winners & Top Downloads

Apple recently unveiled its much-awaited annual selection of the year’s best apps and games for 2020. Similar to past years, editors from the App Store chose the winners considering aspects such as app quality, innovative design, ease of use, and integration with Apple’s technologies. This year’s “Best of 2020” list prominently features applications that assisted individuals in adapting to a more home-centered lifestyle. As an illustration, Wakeout! was recognized as the iPhone App of the Year, while Zoom earned the distinction of iPad App of the Year.

Disney+, which proved instrumental in providing entertainment for families during periods of lockdown related to the coronavirus, was honored as the Apple TV App of the Year. The streaming platform had also recently received the “best app” award in Google Play’s User Choice category, announced Tuesday alongside other winners from the Play Store.

The leading games of the year underscored a widespread desire for distraction, frequently through immersion in imaginative realms. This year’s winning games included Genshin Impact (also a “best game” winner on the Play Store) for iPhone Game of the Year; Legends of Runeterra as the iPad Game of the Year; Disco Elysium as Mac Game of the Year; Dandara Trials of Fear as Apple TV Game of the Year; and Sneaky Sasquatch as the Apple Arcade Game of the Year.

Productivity application Fantastical was selected as Apple’s Mac App of the Year, reflecting the shift towards remote work arrangements.

Endel, an app focused on relaxation and sleep, received the Apple Watch App of the Year award.

The recognition of another relaxation app is noteworthy, as Google also recently named sleep app Loóna as the best app of 2020 on Tuesday.

2020 presented a challenging year marked by numerous stressful events, including the COVID-19 pandemic, the impeachment proceedings of a former president, a volatile U.S. presidential election in November, a significant stock market downturn, protests and unrest concerning racial injustice, wildfires in Australia and the Western United States, legal verdicts, the completion of Brexit, the devastating Beirut explosion, instances of violence in Delhi, demonstrations in Hong Kong, locust infestations in East Africa, and the passing of notable individuals.

According to Apple’s announcement, apps serve as a reflection of contemporary culture. This year, they particularly highlighted people’s emphasis on self-care and mental wellbeing, remote work and education, maintaining connections with loved ones, engaging in interactive and social gaming, and more.

Apple highlighted several apps to exemplify these “app trends,” including Shine for self-care, Explain Everything Whiteboard for remote learning, Caribu for family communication, SharetheMeal for charitable contributions, and the updated Pokémon GO, which adapted to support indoor gaming experiences.

“This year, more than ever, some of our most creative and connected moments happened in apps. This was thanks to the incredible work of developers who introduced fresh, helpful app experiences throughout the year,” stated Phil Schiller, Apple Fellow. “Around the world, we saw remarkable efforts from so many developers, and these Best of 2020 winners are 15 outstanding examples of that innovation,” he continued.

The “Best of” winners for this year will receive a unique physical award – the first of its kind for the App Store – featuring the App Store logo embedded in 100% recycled aluminum, with the winner’s name displayed on the side.

Apple also revealed the most downloaded apps and games of the year, which, unlike the curated “best of” selections, demonstrate actual consumer preferences.

As expected, these lists included essential tools for remote work such as Zoom and Gmail; a variety of games offering escapism, including the pandemic simulator Plague Inc.; the viral sensation Among Us!, which was even streamed by a public official; “metaverse” platforms for children like Minecraft and Roblox; and the leading social media applications, with TikTok taking the lead this year.

The most-downloaded apps and games of 2020 were as follows:

Top Free iPhone Apps

1. ZOOM Cloud Meetings
2. TikTok
3. Disney+
4. YouTube
5. Instagram
6. Facebook
7. Snapchat
8. Messenger
9. Gmail
10. Cash App

Top Paid iPhone Apps

1. TouchRetouch
2. Procreate Pocket
3. Dark Sky Weather
4. Facetune
5. HotSchedules
6. AutoSleep Track Sleep
7. The Wonder Weeks
8. SkyView
9. Shadowrocket
10. Sky Guide

Top Free iPhone Games

1. Among Us!
2. Call of Duty: Mobile
3. Roblox
4. Subway Surfers
5. Ink Inc. – Tattoo Drawing
6. Magic Tiles 3: Piano Game
7. Brain Test: Tricky Puzzles
8. Brain Out
9. Coin Master
10. Cube Surfer!

Top Paid iPhone Games

1. Minecraft
2. Plague Inc.
3. Heads Up!
4. Monopoly
5. Bloons TD6
6. Geometry Dash
7. NBA 2K20
8. Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas
9. The Game of Life
10. True Skate

Top Free iPad Apps

1. ZOOM Cloud Meetings
2. Disney+
3. YouTube
4. Netflix
5. Google Chrome
6. TikTok
7. Amazon Prime Video
8. Gmail
9. Hulu
10. Google Classroom

Top Paid iPad Apps

1. Procreate
2. GoodNotes 5
3. Notability
4. Duet Display
5. Teach Your Monster
6. LumaFusion
7. Affinity Designer
8. Toca Hair Salon 3
   9: Toca Life: Hospital
9. Toca Kitchen 2

Top Free iPad Games

1. Among Us!
2. Roblox
3. Magic Tiles 3: Piano Game
4. Ink Inc. – Tattoo Drawing
5. Call of Duty: Mobile
6. Subway Surfers
7. Dancing Road: Color Ball Run!
8. Tiles Hop – EDM Rush
9. Mario Kart Tour
10. Save The Girl!

Top Paid iPad Games

1. Minecraft
2. Monopoly
3. Bloons TD 6
4. Plague Inc.
5. Geometry Dash
6. The Game of Life
7. Five Nights at Freddy’s
8. Human: Fall Flat
9. Stardew Valley
10. Terraria

Top Arcade Games

1. Sneaky Sasquatch
2. Hot Lava
3. Skate City
4. Sonic Racing
5. PAC-MAN Party Royale
6. SpongeBob: Patty Pursuit
7. Oceanhorn 2
8. Crossy Road Castle
9. WHAT THE GOLF?
10. LEGO Brawls