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A game can win both, but the meaning is different: a Pocket Gamer win says a specialist mobile-games audience selected or celebrated it, while a Google Play win says Google considered it a standout within its distribution and device ecosystem.
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What is the difference between the Pocket Gamer Awards and Google Play Best of?
The simplest distinction is voting audience versus platform curation. Pocket Gamer’s awards are an audience-led mobile-gaming program. For the 2024 edition, Pocket Gamer opened categories to public nominations, used those responses to build a shortlist, and gave fans the month of November to vote. Winners were announced at a live event on 6 December 2024.
Google Play Best of is Google’s annual awards program for apps, games and books. Its game winners are presented as Google Play’s selections rather than as the result of a public vote. The 2024 announcement, published on 18 November 2024, grouped games by experiences and services connected to Play, such as multiplayer, pick-up-and-play sessions, Play Pass, ongoing games and Google Play Games on PC.
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Neither system is a universal ranking of every mobile game. Each reflects the question its organizer is equipped to answer:
- Pocket Gamer: Which mobile games, people and communities did a specialist mobile-gaming audience consider the best or most notable?
- Google Play: Which games best fit Google’s curated categories and the capabilities of the Play distribution and device ecosystem?
That distinction explains why the lists can overlap without being duplicates.
How the Pocket Gamer Awards work
Three stages: nominations, shortlist and fan vote
Pocket Gamer’s official 2024 About page describes the awards as “a celebration of the best in mobile games, from the publishers of the leading and longest-running mobile games website.” The process had three stages:
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1Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problems2Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minute3Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errors- Public nominations: Pocket Gamer opened the categories so members of the public could suggest eligible games, people and organizations.
- Shortlisting: Pocket Gamer used the responses to create the final nominees in each category.
- Fan voting: Fans had the month of November to vote on the shortlist. The winners were then revealed at a live event on 6 December 2024.
Because nominations and the final vote are public-facing, a Pocket Gamer trophy is best read as a measure of audience recognition within a dedicated mobile-gaming community. It is not the same as a closed jury score, a store-wide sales chart or a technical certification.
The 2024 eligibility window was specific for new releases
Pocket Gamer stated that new releases for the 2024 awards had to fall between 1 October 2023 and 30 September 2024. That date range does not apply in exactly the same way to every category: Pocket Gamer also said that some awards drew on the wider mobile-game back catalogue. A long-running game could therefore appear in categories designed around continuing play, updates or an established community even when it was not a new release in that period.
Categories extend well beyond genre
The winners index listed 19 categories. Genre awards were only part of the program; Pocket Gamer also recognized service work, ports, communities and the companies making games. The 2024 categories were:
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| Category | What it emphasizes |
|---|---|
| Best Updated Game of the Year | Quality and impact of updates to an existing game |
| Best Multiplayer Mobile Game | Competitive or cooperative play with other people |
| Best Game We’re Still Playing | Enduring engagement with an established title |
| Best Digital Board/Card Game | Digital adaptations or interpretations of board and card play |
| Best Family Game | Games suited to family audiences |
| Best Puzzle | Puzzle-focused design |
| Best Action | Action-focused design |
| Best RPG | Role-playing games |
| Best Strategy | Strategy-focused design |
| Best Sports/Racing | Sports and racing games |
| Best Platform | Platform games |
| Best SLG/Simulation | Simulation and strategy-simulation games |
| Best Roblox Game | A game made within or for the Roblox platform |
| Best Mobile Port | A strong move of a game to mobile |
| Most Anticipated Game | Upcoming games attracting attention |
| Best Community | The strength or contribution of a game’s player community |
| Best Mobile Publisher | Publisher-level achievement |
| Best Mobile Developer | Developer-level achievement |
| Best Mobile eSports Game | Competitive mobile games and their esports significance |
| Mobile Game of the Year | The overall top honor |
This breadth is one of Pocket Gamer’s defining differences. A game can be recognized for a particularly good update, a successful mobile port or a durable community, not only for belonging to a genre.
Examples from the 2024 winners
Pocket Gamer’s 2024 news report gives concrete examples of how those categories operate. Brawl Stars won Best Updated Game, Eggy Party won Best Multiplayer, Warhammer 40,000: Tacticus won Best Game We’re Still Playing, and Balatro won Best Digital Board Game. These results show that the program can reward live-service improvement, multiplayer appeal, long-term retention and a particular format in the same year.
How Google Play Best of works
A platform-curated annual program
Google’s announcement, dated 18 November 2024, introduced the winners of Best of 2024 across apps, games and books. It presented winners for Google Play’s Best App, Best Game, Best Multi-device App and Best Multi-device Game, followed by a broader list of game categories. The announcement does not describe a public nomination-and-vote process like Pocket Gamer’s 2024 process; it presents the results as Google Play’s curated selections.
That makes the award a signal of fit within Google’s storefront and services. It can reflect how a game works across supported devices, how it serves a particular audience or play pattern, and how it relates to Play offerings. It should not be interpreted as a referendum of every Android player.
Best Game: AFK Journey
Google named AFK Journey its Best Game of 2024. Google’s stated reasons included the game’s “expansive roster of characters,” “satisfying tactical battle system,” “vast explorable world” and “beautiful art style.” Those comments illustrate the kind of editorial explanation attached to a Google Play top award: Google highlighted the experience’s features and presentation rather than reporting a vote total.
Best Multi-device Game: Clash of Clans
Google named Clash of Clans Best Multi-device Game. Google explained that the long-running mobile game had expanded to PCs and Chromebooks and was optimized for phones, foldables, tablets, Chromebooks and PCs. The category therefore communicates something specific about cross-device availability and optimization, not simply that the game is popular on a phone.
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Categories connect games to play styles and services
Google’s 2024 game-category list included:
| Google Play category | Signal the category gives |
|---|---|
| Best Multiplayer | Strength of shared or competitive play |
| Best Pick Up & Play | Ease of starting a satisfying session quickly |
| Best Indie | Recognition for an independent game |
| Best Story | Narrative quality or storytelling impact |
| Best Ongoing | Continued support and an active game experience |
| Best for Families | Suitability for family audiences |
| Best on Play Pass | Value or quality within the Play Pass subscription catalog |
| Best for Google Play Games on PC | Fit with Google’s PC version of the Play gaming experience |
These labels differ from Pocket Gamer’s genre-heavy list. Google’s categories are organized around session length, audience, narrative, ongoing support, subscription access and device integration. They are useful when a reader is deciding what to try through a particular Play service or on a particular screen.
Pocket Gamer Awards and Google Play Best of compared
| Axis | Pocket Gamer Awards | Google Play Best of |
|---|---|---|
| Organizer | Pocket Gamer, a specialist games publisher | Google Play, the Android and multi-device platform |
| Selection mechanism | Public nominations, a shortlist and fan voting | Google-curated winners announced by the platform |
| Scope | Mobile-game genres, updates, ports, community, publishers, developers, esports and an overall game award | Apps, games and books, with game categories connected to Play Pass, PC and multi-device play |
| Eligibility signal | For 2024 new releases, 1 October 2023–30 September 2024; some categories used the back catalogue | The cited 2024 announcement does not publish one universal release-date rule |
| What a win communicates | Recognition from a specialist mobile-gaming audience | Recognition within Google’s Play distribution and device ecosystem |
| Typical emphasis | Genre identity, updates, longevity, community and industry roles | Play style, audience, subscription access, ongoing service and device/platform integration |
| Can the same game win? | Yes | Yes |
Are the Pocket Gamer Awards fan voted?
For the 2024 edition, yes. Pocket Gamer explicitly described public nominations, a shortlist built from the responses and a month of fan voting in November. The final awards were announced at the 6 December 2024 live event.
“Fan voted” has a precise meaning here: fans voted on Pocket Gamer’s shortlisted nominees. It does not mean that every mobile game automatically entered a single open ballot, nor that each category was decided without a shortlisting stage. The process began with public input and then moved to a defined shortlist.
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How does Google choose Best Game on Google Play?
Google’s Best of announcement identifies the winners as Google Play’s selections and gives editorial reasons for them. For 2024, Google selected AFK Journey as Best Game and pointed to its characters, tactical combat, explorable world and art style.
The published announcement does not set out a single scoring formula, judge panel, public-vote mechanism or universal release-date rule. The safest interpretation is therefore limited: Best Game is a Google-curated recognition within the 2024 Google Play program. It is not evidence of a public vote or a disclosed numerical ranking against every game available on Android.
Can the same mobile game win both awards?
Yes. The 2024 example documented by Pocket Gamer is Eggy Party: it won Pocket Gamer’s Best Multiplayer Mobile Game and had also received a Google Play award. The overlap is not a contradiction. Both programs can identify a strong multiplayer game while evaluating it through different lenses—one through Pocket Gamer’s nominations, shortlist and fan vote, and the other through Google Play’s curated award structure.
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An overlap is best read as converging recognition, not as proof that the two awards use the same criteria. A game may also fit one program better than the other. A highly regarded mobile port or esports title may map naturally to Pocket Gamer’s categories, while a game optimized for PC, Chromebooks or Play Pass may have a clearer Google Play category.
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Why the eligibility rules matter
Pocket Gamer has a stated new-release window
The 1 October 2023–30 September 2024 window gives readers a clear way to understand Pocket Gamer’s 2024 new-release consideration. It also explains why a game launched late in 2023 could appear in a 2024 awards cycle. The separate use of the back catalogue in some categories allows recognition of games whose importance comes from continued play, updates or community strength rather than a recent launch.
Google’s announcement does not state one universal window
The cited Google Play Best of 2024 announcement is dated 18 November 2024, but it does not publish one release-date rule that applies to every game category. Do not assume that a Google Play winner must have launched during the same period as a Pocket Gamer nominee. The two programs’ calendars and eligibility signals are not interchangeable.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Which award is more important for mobile games?
There is no single answer because “important” can mean different things. Choose the award that matches the question you are asking.
If you want a specialist mobile-gaming audience’s view
Pocket Gamer is the more direct signal. Its categories are built specifically around mobile games, and the 2024 process included public nominations and fan voting. Its awards also cover specialist concerns such as mobile ports, esports, updates, communities, publishers and developers.
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Google Play Best of is the more relevant signal. Its categories tell you whether Google highlighted a game for multiplayer, quick sessions, family play, ongoing support, Play Pass or Google Play Games on PC. The Best Multi-device Game award additionally points to support across phones, foldables, tablets, Chromebooks and PCs when Google gives that explanation.
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If you are evaluating a new release
Check the award year and eligibility context before drawing conclusions. Pocket Gamer provides a concrete 2024 release window for new games, while Google’s cited announcement does not provide one universal window. A winner from one list may be recognized for a different period or for an established catalog than a winner from the other.
If you are choosing a game to play
Use the category as a filter rather than treating the trophy as a guarantee that you will enjoy the game. Pocket Gamer’s Best Puzzle, Best RPG or Best Sports/Racing labels can help you narrow by genre. Google Play’s Best Pick Up & Play, Best for Families or Best on Play Pass labels can help you narrow by session style, audience or service access.
What each program tells developers and publishers
Pocket Gamer’s signals
A Pocket Gamer category can point to a particular part of a mobile strategy. Best Updated Game emphasizes the quality of post-launch work. Best Game We’re Still Playing points to durability. Best Community recognizes the player base, while Best Mobile Publisher and Best Mobile Developer recognize company-level contributions. Best Mobile Port identifies successful adaptation to mobile rather than an original mobile launch.
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Google Play’s signals
Google’s categories show how a game is positioned inside Play services and hardware. Best on Play Pass is relevant to subscription distribution. Best for Google Play Games on PC is relevant to the PC version of the Play experience. Best Multi-device Game highlights the ability to serve players across device types. Best Ongoing and Best Multiplayer, meanwhile, identify service longevity and social play without requiring a genre label.
How to read a winner list without overclaiming
- Identify the organizer. A Pocket Gamer award and a Google Play award come from different institutions.
- Check the category name. “Best RPG,” “Best Updated Game” and “Best on Play Pass” describe different kinds of achievement.
- Check the year and date context. Pocket Gamer’s 2024 new-release window was 1 October 2023 through 30 September 2024; Google’s cited announcement was published on 18 November 2024 and does not state one universal release window.
- Separate audience recognition from platform recognition. Pocket Gamer’s process included fan voting; Google’s announcement presents curated selections.
- Look for overlap as supporting evidence, not a shared score. Eggy Party’s recognition by both programs shows that a game can satisfy both lenses, but it does not mean the awards were decided by the same method.
Bottom line: two award systems answering two questions
Pocket Gamer Awards are the stronger reference when you want a broad, mobile-specific view shaped by public nominations and fan voting. Their 2024 categories cover genres as well as updates, longevity, ports, communities, companies and esports.
Google Play Best of is the stronger reference when you want Google’s curated view of games within its Play ecosystem. Its 2024 categories connect recognition to play styles, families, ongoing support, Play Pass, Google Play Games on PC and multi-device use.
The most accurate comparison is not “which award is objectively higher?” It is “which kind of recognition does this game have, and does that match what I need to know?” When a title wins both, as Eggy Party did in the documented 2024 example, the two awards provide complementary evidence rather than duplicate trophies.
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