GOOGLE has dished out its annual list of the very best Android apps and games.
The tech giant revealed the must-have downloads that might be missing from your phone – and they include a top AI title.
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Not only that, but there’s also a new Best with AI Award specifically created to recognize artificial intelligence.
And OpenAI’s ultra-smart chatbot ChatGPT bagged a top prize too.
The best oveall app of the year is Imprint: Learn Visually.
It’s designed as a “micro-learning” app that lets you quickly and easily understand complicated topics in just 10 minutes per day.
And Game of the Year went to Honkai: Star Rail, a stunning RPG from China that also collected Apple’s top gaming gong for iPhone.
“This sci-fi extravaganza takes the title of our best game of the year thanks to its excellent depth of content, stunning visuals and thoughtful design,” said Google Play boss Sam Bright.
“By sprinkling lore and character backstories throughout the game, Honkai: Star Rail delivers lasting entertainment for role-playing game enthusiasts and newcomers alike.”
Google also revealed two User’s Choice app and game winners.
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For the apps category, it’s no surprise that ChatGPT bagged the number one spot.
And in games, users picked MONOPOLY GO! as their title of the year.
Best Android apps of 2023 – Google’s official list
The top winners were:
- Best App: Imprint: Learn Visually
- Best Game: Honkai: Star Rail
- Best Multi-device App: Spotify
- Best Multi-device Game: OUTERPLANE – Strategy Anime
And the full list of best apps is as follows:
- Best for Fun: Bumble For Friends: Meet IRL
- Best for Personal Growth: Voidpet Garden: Mental Health
- Best Everyday Essential: Artifact: Feed Your Curiosity
- Best Hidden Gem: Aware: Mindfulness & Wellbeing
- Best with AI: Character AI: AI-Powered Chat
- Best for Families: Paw Patrol Academy
- Best App for Good: AWorld in support of ActNow
- Best for Watches: WhatsApp Messenger
- Best for Tablets: Concepts: Sketch, Note, Draw
- Best for Chromebooks: FlipaClip: Create 2D Animation
- Best for Google TV: Max: Stream HBO, TV, & Movies
- Best for Cars: Amazon Prime Video
The full list of best games is here:
- Best Multiplayer: Farlight 84
- Best Pick Up & Play: MONOPOLY GO!
- Best Indies: Vampire Survivors
- Best Story: Honkai: Star Rail
- Best Ongoing: Stumble Guys
- Best Games for Good: Pokémon Sleep
- Best on Play Pass: Magic Rampage
- Best for Tablets: Honkai: Star Rail
Google also used the awards to reveal some changes made recently to the Play Store.
“For example, we made it even easier to discover all that Play has to offer, including for different device types like wearables, foldables and tablets,” Bright explained.
“We also introduced new ways to redeem Play Points, along with new features and titles on Google Play Games on PC.”
Play Store history
Google launched its iconic Play Store way back in 2008 – although it was called Android Market at the time.
It’s the main app store for Google’s Android devices, and also appears on ChromeOS laptops too.
Android Market was eventually combined with Google Music, Google Movies and the eBookstore to create Google Pplay in 2012.
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The store hosts millions of apps from over 150 locations, making it one of the biggest app stores in the world.
Originally the “Android Market” had a cap of 25 megabytes on app sizes, which was raised to 50 megabytes in 2010. Today, apps can be multiple gigabytes in size.
