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Google today announced the winners of its 2022 Play Awards. It gave top honors to Apex Legends Mobile, naming it the Best Game of 2022, and also introduced new awards. This announcement comes a day after Apple also named Apex Mobile its best game of 2022.
Speaking of Apex Mobile, Google said in its announcement, “Apex Legends Mobile rose through the Esports ranks, regularly trending and appearing in top 10 download lists throughout the year. The game brings all the excitement of the Apex Legends series to mobile and tablets so you can easily play wherever you are.”
The other games listed for the awards include Dislyte (for best multiplayer), Dicey Dungeons (for best indie) and Angry Birds Journey (for best pick up and play). Dislyte is a futuristic urban-fantasy RPG where players recruit Espers, mysterious people drawing people from various deities. It’s a Gacha game where players battle their teams of gods against each other. Dicey Dungeons is a roguelike in which players are a giant walking dice on dungeon runs.
Google also introduced some new categories to the awards, including Best Story, which went to the mobile port of Lucas Pope’s Papers Please. It also honored 2020’s best game, Genshin Impact, with the new Best Ongoing title. The other new category recognized games on Google’s Play Pass subscription service, which includes hundreds of games.
2022 Best of Play games award winners
- Best Game: Apex Legends Mobile
- Best Multiplayer: Dislyte
- Honorable mentions: Apex Legends Mobile, Catalyst Black, Diablo Immortal, Rocket League Sideswipe
- Best Pick Up & Play: Angry Birds Journey
- Honorable mentions: Gun & Dungeons, Hook 2, Hyde and Seek, Quadline
- Best Indies: Dicey Dungeons
- Honorable mentions: Dungeons of Dreadrock, Knotwords, One Hand Clapping, Phobies
- Best Story: Papers, Please
- Honorable mentions: Deemo II, Inua – A Story in Ice and Time, The Secret of Cat Island, Turnip Boy Commits Tax Evasion
- Best Ongoing: Genshin Impact
- Honorable mentions: Candy Crush Saga, Garena Free Fire, Pokémon GO, Roblox
- Best on Play Pass: Very Little Nightmares
- Honorable mentions: Bridge Constructor, Final Fantasy VII, Linelight, Path of Giants
- Best for Tablets: Tower of Fantasy
- Honorable mentions: Angry Birds Journey, Catalyst Black, Diablo Immortal, Papers, Please
- Best for Chromebooks: Roblox
2022 Best of Play apps award winners
- Best App: BeReal by Wombo
- Best for Fun: PetStar
- Honorable mentions: DanceFitMe, NoteIt Widget
- Best for Personal Growth: Breathwrk
- Honorable mentions: Duolingo ABC, Gym Log & Workouts, Ukulele by Yousician
- Best Everyday Essentials: Plant Parent
- Honorable mentions: Book Morning Routine Waking Up, Daily Diary, Sleep Tracker
- Best Hidden Gems: Recover Athletics
- Honorable mentions: Linktree, Little Lunches, Wamble
- Best Apps for Good: The Stigma App
- Honorable mentions: Sleep Fruits, Zario
- Best for Wear: Todoist
- Best for Tablets: Pocket
- Best for Chromebooks: BandLab
Google Play’s best-selling books and audiobooks
Best-selling books:
- Fire & Blood by George R. R. Martin
- It Ends with Us by Colleen Hoover
- Fairy Tale by Stephen King
- I’m Glad My Mom Died by Jennette McCurdy
- A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas
Best-selling audiobooks
- I’m Glad My Mom Died by Jennette McCurdy
- Fairy Tale by Stephen King
- Fire & Blood by George R. R. Martin
- Atomic Habits by James Clear
- It Ends with Us by Colleen Hoover
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