Google Play has announced its Best Apps and Games of 2025, highlighting the tools, creators, and experiences that shaped how millions of Android users learned, played, and stayed productive. This year’s picks span cozy productivity apps, fast-paced racing titles, and multi-device experiences powered by smarter AI and stronger cross-platform support. Here’s the full list of 2025 winners.
Google Play’s Best Overall App – Focus Friend by Hank Green
Focus Friend is 2025’s standout productivity app – an adorable, gamified focus companion created by online educator Hank Green. Designed for students, creatives, remote workers, and anyone who struggles to stay on task, Focus Friend turns sustained concentration into a cozy, low-pressure game.
When you start a focus session, your tiny Bean Friend focuses with you. Stop early, and you’ll break their heart (just a little). Finish successfully, and your Bean rewards you with prizes you can use to decorate their room, unlock new themes, or even try on different “Bean Skins”, including Coffee Bean, Edamame Bean, Kitty Bean, and even Hank and John Bean.
Key Features:
- Live Activity for lock-screen timer tracking
- Deep Focus Mode to block distracting apps
- Pomodoro-friendly break timers
- Hundreds of decorations across fun themes
- Customizable Bean skins
- Friendly task-starting prompts
Google Play’s Best Overall Game – Pokémon TCG Pocket
Pokémon Trading Card Game Pocket takes the global excitement of Pokémon cards and makes them accessible anytime, anywhere. With players across more than 150 countries and regions, this mobile-first version blends collection, nostalgia, and strategic battling into a format built for short sessions or hours of play.
Key Features:
- Two free booster packs every day
- Classic and exclusive card artwork
- Accessible battling system
- Rich global community
- Fast, mobile-friendly gameplay loops
Google Play’s Best Multi-Device App – Luminar: Photo Editor
Luminar: Photo Editor earned Google Play’s top spot for multi-device experiences with its unified performance across Android phones and ChromeOS. It’s a powerful yet simple all-in-one photo editor featuring intuitive gestures, gliding sliders, and tactile dials that make photo editing feel physically interactive.
Google Play’s Best Multi-Device Game – Disney Speedstorm
From the creators of the Asphalt series, Disney Speedstorm brings hero-based racing to phones, tablets, TVs, and PCs. Each Disney or Pixar character has unique skills, and every track transforms iconic worlds into high-speed circuits.
Best Apps of 2025
Google Play’s app category winners reflect the diversity of how people use their phones, from creativity and self-improvement to audio learning and family experiences.
- Best for Fun: Edits, an Instagram App
- A playful, trend-driven editing tool that helps users remix, restyle, and experiment with photos and videos using Instagram’s newest creative features.
- Best Everyday Essential: Wiser – 15 Minute Audio Books
- Wiser turns bestselling books into short, expertly narrated audio summaries, perfect for commuters and quick learners.
- Best Hidden Gem: Pingo AI Language Learning
- A lightweight conversational AI tutor that makes language practice feel friendly, fast, and low-pressure.
- Best for Families: ABCmouse 2: Kids Learning Game
- A refreshed version of the classic learning platform with adaptive lessons, early reading support, and family-friendly gameplay.
- Best for Watches: SleepisolBio: Sleep, Alarm
- A smart sleep companion for WearOS with detailed insights, gentle alarms, and nighttime monitoring.
- Best for Large Screens: Goodnotes: Notes, Docs, PDF
- A classroom-favorite note-taking app adapted brilliantly for tablets and foldables with stylus-first writing tools.
- Best for Cars: SoundCloud – The Music You Love
- SoundCloud’s car-optimized interface makes discovering mixes, indie artists, and playlists safer and simpler during commutes.
- Best for XR Headsets: Calm – Sleep, Meditate, Relax
- A fully immersive meditation environment that uses XR to deepen relaxation, soundscapes, and guided sessions.
Best Games of 2025
This year’s gaming winners highlight artistic storytelling, multiplayer innovation, and seamless PC-to-mobile experiences.
- Best Multiplayer: Dunk City Dynasty
- A fast-paced, stylized basketball battler with tight controls and team-based competition.
- Best Pick Up & Play: Candy Crush Solitaire
- A surprisingly addictive blend of classic card mechanics and colorful puzzle design.
- Best Indie: Chants of Sennaar
- A visually striking puzzle-adventure centered on language, culture, and deciphering ancient scripts.
- Best Story: Disco Elysium
- The critically acclaimed narrative RPG arrives on Android with its rich storytelling and deep character-driven choices intact.
- Best Ongoing: Wuthering Waves
- Consistent updates, new characters, and sweeping open-world exploration keep players returning month after month.
- Best on Play Pass: DREDGE
- A dark fishing adventure with exploration, mystery, and eerie tension—now fully available through Play Pass.
- Best for Google Play Games on PC: Odin: Valhalla Rising
- A massive Norse-themed MMORPG that shines on PC with high-resolution support and cross-progression.
Final Takeaway
The Best of Google Play 2025 highlights a year of creative apps, cozy productivity tools, cross-platform games, and smart AI experiences. Whether you’re looking to stay focused, learn something new, or discover your next favorite game, this year’s winners reflect the best of what mobile experiences can offer.
