Google Play announced its Best of 2025 winners on November 18, 2025. In the United States, Focus Friend won Best App, Pokémon TCG Pocket won Best Game, Luminar: Photo Editor won Best Multi-device App, and Disney Speedstorm won Best Multi-device Game.
The list is an editorial selection by Google Play’s editors—not a ranking of the most-downloaded, highest-grossing, or most highly rated titles.
What Google Play’s Best of 2025 awards mean
Google’s annual awards cover apps, games, books, multi-device experiences, and platform-specific categories. The detailed list below is the U.S. selection; Google also published separate local Best of lists for markets including India, Indonesia, Japan, Korea, and Taiwan.
Google Play identifies its editorial team as the decision-maker. Because Google has not published a detailed scoring system for these awards, the winners should be treated as editorial recommendations rather than independently verifiable performance data.
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The four overall winners
| Award | Winner | Why Google highlighted it |
|---|---|---|
| Best App | Focus Friend by Hank Green | A focus and digital-distraction tool designed to help users stay present. It also won Best for Personal Growth. |
| Best Game | Pokémon TCG Pocket | A digital version of the Pokémon Trading Card Game featuring virtual booster packs and collectible cards. |
| Best Multi-device App | Luminar: Photo Editor | An AI-powered photo editor selected for its use across multiple device types. |
| Best Multi-device Game | Disney Speedstorm | A Disney racing game designed to work across PC, tablet, and mobile. |
Google’s announcement and editorial hub are available through Google’s Best of 2025 announcement and the official Google Play Best of 2025 page.
Best apps in the U.S.
These are category winners, not an ordered top-nine ranking.
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| Category | Winner |
|---|---|
| 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 |
The device labels matter: a watch, car, large-screen, or XR award does not mean the same experience is available on every Android phone. Features, controls, performance, and compatibility can differ by device.
Best games in the U.S.
| Category | Winner |
|---|---|
| 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 |
DREDGE won a platform-specific Play Pass category, not Best Game overall. Play Pass catalogs vary by country and can change, so check the current game listing and subscription terms before assuming it is included. Likewise, the Google Play Games on PC award describes a PC-focused Play experience and is not interchangeable with the overall mobile-game award.
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Best books in the U.S.
Google grouped its book selections into fiction, nonfiction, and kids and teens. Many titles had separate ebook and audiobook listings, but format availability, pricing, publishers, narrators, and regional rights can vary.
Fiction
- Favorite fantasy: The Raven Scholar — Antonia Hodgson
- Favorite thriller: Famous Last Words — Gillian McAllister
- Favorite romance: Promise Me Sunshine — Cara Bastone
- Favorite contemporary fiction: The Emperor of Gladness — Ocean Vuong
- Favorite horror: Bat Eater and Other Names for Cora Zheng — Kylie Lee Baker
- Favorite historical fiction: Herod the Great — Google’s page lists the author as “Zora Neal Hurson,” which appears to be an apparent typo for Zora Neale Hurston; verify the author on the linked book listing.
- Favorite science fiction: Remember You Will Die — Eden Robins
- Favorite graphic novel: Buddha Jumps over the Wall, and Other Curiously Named Classic Chinese Dishes — Ying Chang Compestine
- Favorite manga: The Guy She Was Interested In Wasn’t a Guy at All, Vol. 1 — Sumiko Arai
- Favorite light novel: Witch and Mercenary, Volume 1 — Chohokiteki Kaeru
Nonfiction
- Favorite memoir: This American Woman — Zarna Garg
- Favorite business book: The Ambition Trap: How to Stop Chasing and Start Living — Amina AlTai
- Favorite self-help: Validation: How the Skill Set That Revolutionized Psychology Will Transform Your Relationships, Increase Your Influence, and Change Your Life — Caroline Fleck
- Favorite nonfiction: Little Bosses Everywhere: How the Pyramid Scheme Shaped America — Bridget Read
Kids and teens
- Favorite picture book: Wind Watchers — Micha Archer
- Favorite middle-grade book: Very Bad at Math — Hope Larson
- Favorite young-adult fiction: Sisters in the Wind — Angeline Boulley
How to find the winners
Start with the Google Play Best of 2025 editorial hub, then open the individual app, game, or book listing. Check the listing for your country and device before downloading or buying. Availability may depend on Android version, hardware, Wear OS, Android Auto, tablet, Chromebook, PC, or XR support.
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Apps and games may be free, paid, ad-supported, or contain in-app purchases. Book editions may be sold separately as ebooks and audiobooks. If you are considering Google Play Pass for DREDGE or another title, confirm that the game is still included in your region and review the current terms. For books, Google Play Books is the relevant Google storefront, though readers may prefer Kindle, Kobo, Audible, or Libby depending on their existing library and device ecosystem.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.What readers should take away
Google Play’s 2025 winners are best understood as a discovery guide. Focus Friend is the headline choice for focus and personal growth, Pokémon TCG Pocket is the overall game winner and the obvious starting point for Pokémon card fans, and Luminar and Disney Speedstorm represent Google’s emphasis on experiences that extend beyond a phone. The category structure also makes the list more useful than a single popularity chart: readers can look specifically for a family app, a watch app, a Play Pass game, a PC title, or a book in a preferred genre.
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None of the awards guarantees universal availability, identical cross-device features, low cost, or objective superiority. Google selected these titles editorially, and the practical fit still depends on your country, hardware, subscriptions, format preferences, and budget.
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