The Google Play Awards finally unveils its winners for this year's app and game roster.
The 2022 Google Play Awards opened its voting last Nov. 1 for the Users' Choice App and Users' Choice game categories, where users can select their vote from ten nominees.
On Nov. 30, Google Play revealed the winners for this year's app and game from the Android roster in Google's official press release.
And the category is…inspirational ✨ You can view these Best of titles in the US Play Store. To discover local winners in your area, please visit: https://t.co/WW21XPJ1eE pic.twitter.com/EdLi400Deo
— Google Play (@GooglePlay) November 30, 2022
What Is the 'Google Play Awards'?
Google announced its first Google Play Awards in April 2016 as a way to recognize its incredible developer community and highlight some of its best apps and games for the year.
According to XDA Developers, the annual awards showcases five nominees in 10 award categories for both Android games and apps. Additionally, CNET reports that Google Play's Editorial Team chooses the game and app winners, but with the exception of the User's Choice categories for the favorite game and favorite app.
"Nominees were selected by a panel of experts on the Google Play team based on criteria emphasizing app quality, innovation, and having a launch or major update in the last 12 months," According to Google.
Google Play Awards Best of 2022 Winners
Google Play's best overall app this year was awarded to Dream by WOMBO, an AI-powered art generation tool that lets users create artwork through text and contextual images. Meanwhile, Apex Legends Mobile is crowned as the overall best game, making its back-to-back victory from its award in 2021.
Several apps and games have also been awarded in different categories and various criteria. Additionally, a new category has been introduced to the awards, namely the Best for Chromebooks award for both apps and games.
Check out the full list of Google Play Awards winners:
- Best Apps of 2022
- Best overall: Dream by Wombo
- Users' choice: BeReal
- Best for Fun: PetStar
- Best for Personal Growth: Breathwrk
- Best Everyday Essentials: Plant Parent
- Best Hidden Gems: Recover Athletics
- Best Apps for Good: The Stigma App
- Best for Wear: Todoist
- Best for Tablets: Pocket
- Best for Chromebooks: BandLab
- Best Games of 2022
- Best overall: Apex Legends Mobile
- Users' Choice: Apex Legends Mobile
- Best Multiplayer: Dislyte
- Best Pick Up & Play: Angry Birds Journey
- Best Indies: Dicey Dungeons
- Best Story: Papers, Please
- Best Ongoing: Genshin Impact
- Best on Play Pass: Very Little Nightmares
- Best for Tablets: Tower of Fantasy
- Best Game for Chromebooks: Roblox
The Google Play Awards also featured a category for its best-selling books and audiobooks.
- Top-Selling Books
- Fire & Blood by George RR Martin
- It Ends With Us by Colleen Hoover
- Fairy Tale by Stephen King
- I'm Glad My Mom Died by Jeanette McCurdy
- A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sara J. Maas
- Top-Selling Audiobooks
- I'm Glad My Mom Died by Jeanette McCurdy
- Fairy Tale by Stephen King
- Fire & Blood by George RR Martin
- Atomic Habits by James Clear
- It Ends With Us by Colleen Hoover
