The results are in: Here are the best Google Play Apps and games of 2021

If you’ve voted for the best app and game of 2021 via the Google Play Store, you may be happy to know that the time has come to pick the winners! Google has published a new blog post outlining the top experience in several categories, as it does each year, and the results are both what you’d expect, and simultaneously full of apps you probably haven’t personally heard of. In fact, this is the first year where tablet, Wear OS, and Google TV apps are being included in the voting process, so there’s more to see.

Starting with the Users’ Choice 2021 top app pick, we have Paramount+. As far as streaming services go, it’s one of the new kids on the block, but despite this, it has quickly amassed over 1 million new subscribers since it launched in March. For the game in this category, Garena Free Fire MAX comes out on top, which is as popular outside of the United States (In Latin America, South Asia, and Southeast Asia) as PUBG is within.

The best app of the year is actually Balance, a meditation and sleep app with a slick interface and a free first year of membership (You can claim this until December 31, 2021). If you’re familiar with Headspace, then you may be interested in this as well. Two of my favorite apps in this vein are Abide and Dwell, neither of which made the cut, but if you’re interested in more Bible-focused content rather than traditional Eastern meditation, then you may want to check those out instead.

The best game of the year, to almost no one’s surprise, is actually Pokemon UNITE – the Pokemon-themed MOBA that feels and plays a lot like League of Legends Wild Rift. It was first released on the Nintendo Switch, but ever since it’s launched on Android, it’s already gained mass appeal. My son loves this game, but if you’re a parent, watch out for the microtransactions. With that being said, you’re probably already dodging or caving to Pokemon GO payments if your children are checking out UNITE.

Other notable inclusions for the year’s best apps include Clubhouse in the “Best for Fun” category since it exploded in growth upon release earlier this year, Laughscape, a comedic relaxation app as one of the “Best Hidden Gems”, the well known Canva and Concepts for tablets and more. Wear OS app top picks included Calm, MyFitnessPal (which recently became available on your wrist!), and Sleep Cycle, while the most popular Google TV apps were Disney+, ESPN, and Tubi TV. Disney+ is obviously at the top of the list, what did you expect?

Speaking of League of Legends: Wild Rift from earlier, it joins Pokemon UNITE, MARVEL Future Revolution, and a few others as the top “Best Competitive” games of the year. While you’re checking out the full list of winning apps and games over on Google’s blog, be sure to pick up some of the Best Indies like the popular Donut County, 7 Billion Humans, and Bird Alone. Let me know in the comments if you voted, and if so, what you voted for!