The end of the year means awards season, and Apple has revealed the winners for its 2024 App Store Awards. In its announcement, the tech company said the recipients “highlight the endless opportunities across the App Store and the Apple ecosystem.”
For its game categories, Farlight Games’ AFK Journey won Best iPhone Game, and Supercell’s Squad Busters for Best iPad Game. The former also won Game of the Year for Google Play’s awards in November, and the latter for Best Multiplayer.
Panic Inc’s Thank Goodness You’re Here! was deemed the year’s best Mac game, and Thrasher: Arcade Odyssey was the inaugural winner for the Apple Vision Pro. Finally, LocalThunk’s Balatro took the Best Apple Arcade award. The roguelike deckbuilder is nominated for several industry awards this year, including “Best Game Direction” and “Game of the Year” at tomorrow’s Game Awards.
Apple also recognized the New York Times’ games division, Pixel Hunt’s The Wreck, and Gamtrophy’s Do You Really Want to Know 2 as part of its “Cultural Impact” winners. The category highlights games and apps that have made a “lasting impact” on players’ lives and communities.
Do You Really Want to Know 2, for example, is a text adventure game chosen for “exploring the nuances of living with HIV, offering users local resources and educational materials to navigate conversations with family and friends.” NYT Games was selected for “connecting family and friends across generations with a variety of fun and simple daily games.”
The full list of App Store Award winners can be read here.