best iPhone apps and games of 2024 so far, Apple OFFICIALs

Every year, Apple awards Design Awards to standout apps and games. The 2023 winners have been announced, and the shortlist for the 2024 awards is here. These awards are prestigious, and the winners will be announced at WWDC 2024 on June 10.

The 2024 shortlist is divided into seven categories: Delight and Fun, Inclusivity, Innovation, Interaction, Social Impact, Visuals and Graphics, and Spatial Computing. Here are some of the top-tier contenders.

In Delight and Fun, notable apps include Dudel Draw for drawing, Bears Gratitude for journaling, and Rooms for 3D space exploration. Games in this category are the chaotic racer What The Car?, the slower-paced NYT Games, and the “sweet adventure” Hello Kitty Island Adventure.

For Inclusivity, standout apps are Oko for pedestrian assistance, Complete Anatomy 2024 for exploring the human body, and Tiimo, a calendar app designed for neurodivergent users. Games include the meditative Unpacking, the puzzler Quadline, and the colorful Crayola Adventures.

In the Innovation category, apps like Copilot for financial assistance, SmartGym for fitness, and Procreate Dreams for digital art are featured. Games include the action-packed Call of Duty: Warzone, the graphic novel-like Lost in Play, and the board game adaptation Wavelength.

The Interaction category includes Procreate Dreams again, the Arc Search app (a competitor to Google), and Crouton for recipe management. Games in this category are the eerie Little Nightmares, the rhythm game Rytmos, and the thoughtful matching game Finity.

For Social Impact, apps like How We Feel, Ahead: Emotions Coach, and Gentler Streak Fitness Tracker aim to improve well-being. Games here are the visual novel The Wreck, city simulation Cityscapes: Sim Builder, and bedtime experience The Bear.

In Visuals and Graphics, finalists include Sunlitt for sun tracking, Meditate for meditation tracking, and Rooms again. Notable games are Death Stranding Director’s Cut, the imaginative Lies of P, and the turn-based combat game Honkai: Star Rail.

The final category, Spatial Computing, features apps like Sky Guide for stargazing, NBA for basketball, and Djay for music making. Games here are the rhythm game Synth Riders and the peaceful puzzlers Blackbox and Loóna.

We haven’t tested all these apps and games yet, but they seem to be of high quality, as expected from Apple’s shortlist. Try some of them out while we wait for WWDC 2024 next month.