With 2025 ending not too far from now, you can bet that we’re going to see a lot of round-ups for the best tech products that we’ve seen throughout the year, although it should be said that there’s also been a ton of great apps and games which made 2025 just a bit more fun and productive. That in mind, Google finally unveiled the Google Play awards for the Best Apps, Books and Games of 2025, which includes the most downloaded and well-received apps from the Play Store.
For the Best Overall App and Game, the awards went to Focus Friend by Hank Green and Pokémon TCG Pocket, respectively. Focus Friend helps users maintain a calmer approach to time management and overall focus, which in today’s crazy world of social media doom-scrolling makes for a rather peaceful respite. Meanwhile, Pokemon TCG Pocket modernizes the fan-favourite card game which initially saw much popularity back in the 90s.
For Best Multi-device App and Game, the awards went to Luminar: Photo Editor and Disney Speedstorm. That in mind, Google has published its full list of winners, which you can check out below:
Best apps of 2025
Best games of 2025
2025 Books Picks
- Fiction
- Favorite fantasy: “The Raven Scholar” by Antonia Hodgson
- Favorite thriller: “Famous Last Words” by Gillian McAllister
- Favorite romance: “Promise Me Sunshine” by Cara Bastone
- Favorite contemporary fiction: “The Emperor of Gladness” by Ocean Vuong
- Favorite horror: “Bat Eater and Other Names for Cora Zheng” by Kylie Lee Baker
- Favorite historical fiction: “Herod the Great” by Zora Neal Hurson
- Favorite science fiction: “Remember You Will Die” by Eden Robins
- Favorite graphic novel:“Buddha Jumps over the Wall, and Other Curiously Named Classic Chinese Dishes” by Ying Chang Compestine
- Favorite manga: “The Guy She Was Interested In Wasn’t a Guy at All Vol 1” by Sumiko Arai
- Favorite light novel: “Witch and Mercenary volume 1” by Chohokiteki Kaeru
- Nonfiction
- Favorite memoir: “This American Woman” by Zarna Garg
- Favorite business book: “The Ambition Trap: How to Stop Chasing and Start Living” by Amina AlTai
- Favorite self help: “Validation: How the Skill Set That Revolutionized Psychology Will Transform Your Relationships, Increase Your Influence, and Change Your Life” by Caroline Fleck
- Favorite nonfiction: “Little Bosses Everywhere: How the Pyramid Scheme Shaped America” by Bridget Read
- Kids & Teens
- Favorite picture book: “Wind Watchers” by Micha Archer
- Favorite middle grade book: “Very Bad at Math” by Hope Larson
- Favorite young adult fiction: “Sisters in the Wind” by Angeline Boulley
Speaking of “best of” lists, be sure to check out our many gift guides and product recommendations for the 2025 holidays. Here’s a couple to help you get started:
