Apple’s 2024 App Store Awards: Celebrating the Brilliance of Balatro

The end of the one-year potential awards season has arrived, and Apple has announced the winners of its 2024 App Store Awards. In their statement, the technology company mentioned that the honorees “showcase the abundant possibilities within the App Store and the Apple ecosystem.”

For its game design, Farlight Games’ AFK Stride was recognized as the Easiest iPhone Game, while Supercell’s Squad Busters secured the title of Easiest iPad Game. In addition, Farlight Games’ title also received Game of the Year at Google Play’s awards last November, and the latter for Easiest Multiplayer.

Fright Inc’s Thank Goodness You’re Here! was designated as the year’s most accessible Mac game, while Thrasher: Arcade Odyssey was awarded the first prize for the Apple Vision Pro. Lastly, LocalThunk’s Balatro received the Easiest Apple Arcade award. This roguelike deckbuilder has been nominated for several industry honors this year, including “Best Game Direction” and “Game of the Year” at the upcoming Game Awards.

Apple also acknowledged the New York Times’ video games division, Pixel Hunt’s The Destroy, and Gamtrophy’s Do You Really Want to Know 2 as part of its “Cultural Impact” awardees. This category emphasizes video games and applications that have made a “lasting impact” on players’ lives and communities.

Do You Really Want to Know 2, for example, is a text-based interactive game created for “exploring the intricacies of living with HIV, providing users with local resources and informative materials to facilitate conversations with family and friends.” The NYT Games was recognized for “connecting family and friends across generations with a variety of engaging and simple daily games.”

The complete list of App Store Award winners can be viewed here.

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