Google Play's Best Of 2025 List Is Out: Here Are The Best Apps And Games
The end of 2025 is almost here, which means the "best of the year" lists are starting to come out. The Google Play Best of 2025 list is actually available on Tuesday, with Google having designated this year's winners in various categories, as you'll see below. Google said in a blog post that the Best of 2025 awards "celebrate the incredible apps, games, and books that impressed us with their brilliance, ingenuity, and quality." The company added that the "excellence is a reflection of our ongoing work to make Google Play more than a store and into an experience built entirely around you." But what matters the most to users and developers is the actual list of best apps, games, and books the company revealed. Android device owners can download some of the following apps if they're not using them already, while developers can inspect them to glean insights into what impresses consumers and Google when it comes to app design and content.
The best app of 2025 is Focus Friend by Hank Green, an app that will help you find your focus. "It's the essential, helpful (and cute!) app we all needed this year," Google writes. The best overall game of 2025 is a Pokémon title, Pokémon TCG Pocket. Google explains that the game "went above and beyond" to deliver an authentic digital version of the iconic trading card game.
Luminar, an AI app that lets users create "stunning, high-quality images," is the best multi-device app of 2025, according to Google. The Disney Speedstorm racing game is Google Play's best multi-device game of 2025. "From its beautiful visuals to its responsive controls, everything has been optimized for perfect play across PC, tablet, or mobile," Google writes.
Google's best apps and books of 2025
In addition to the four big winners above, Google also listed the best apps and games of 2025 for specific categories, as follows:
Best apps of 2025:
- Best for Fun: Edits, an Instagram app
- Best for Personal Growth: Focus Friend by Hank Green
- Best Everyday Essential: Wiser – 15 Minute Audio Books
- Best Hidden Gem: Pingo AI Language Learning
- Best for Families: ABCmouse 2: Kids Learning Game
- Best for Watches: SleepisolBio: sleep, alarm
- Best for Large Screens: Goodnotes: Notes, docs, PDF
- Best for Cars: SoundCloud: The Music You Love
- Best for XR Headsets: Calm – Sleep, Meditate, Relax
Best games of 2025:
- Best Multiplayer: Dunk City Dynasty
- Best Pick Up & Play: Candy Crush Solitaire
- Best Indie: Chants of Sennaar
- Best Story: Disco Elysium
- Best Ongoing: Wuthering Waves
- Best on Play Pass: DREDGE
- Best for Google Play Games on PC: Odin: Valhalla Rising
In addition to apps and games, Google picked the best books of 2025 that are available in Google Play, including fiction, nonfiction, and titles for kids and teens. Here are two selections for each category, with more of them available in Google's blog post:
Fiction:
- Favorite fantasy: "The Raven Scholar" by Antonia Hodgson (ebook)(audiobook)
- Favorite thriller: "Famous Last Words" by Gillian McAllister (ebook)(audiobook)
Nonfiction:
- Favorite memoir: "This American Woman" by Zarna Garg (ebook)(audiobook)
- Favorite business book: "The Ambition Trap: How to Stop Chasing and Start Living" by Amina AlTai (ebook)(audiobook)
Kids & Teens: