Apple releases its best of podcasts, apps, books, and games of 2020

It’s the most wonderful time of the year because Apple just released its annual “Best of 2020,” featuring the most downloaded apps and games, as well as books and podcasts of the year.

First up, the apps that made 2020.

Of course, this was a year unlike any other. And because of that, Apple’s winners recognize apps and games that proved “to be essential for making life easier, healthier, and more connected this year.”

“This year, more than ever before, some of our most creative and connected moments happened in apps. This was thanks to the amazing work of developers who introduced fresh, helpful app experiences throughout the year,” said Phil Schiller, Apple Fellow.

“Around the world, we saw remarkable efforts from so many developers, and these Best of 2020 winners are 15 outstanding examples of that innovation. From helping us stay fit and mindful, and keeping our children’s education on track, to helping fight hunger, their impact was meaningful to so many of us.”

From Apple Arcade’s Canadian-made Sneaky Sasquatch, which delivered a great escape to endless meetings and family calls through Zoom, these apps helped us live our best lives at home.

Best of 2020 Apps Charts 

Top Free iPhone Apps 

1. ZOOM Cloud Meetings
2. TikTok
3. Disney+
4. YouTube
5. Instagram
6. Facebook
7. Snapchat
8. Messenger
9. Gmail
10. Cash App

Top Paid iPhone Apps 

1. TouchRetouch
2. Procreate Pocket
3. Facetune
4. HotSchedules
5. AutoSleep Track Sleep on Watch
6. The Wonder Weeks
7. SkyView
8. Shadowrocket
9. Sky Guide
10. Forest — Stay Focused

Top Free iPhone Games 

1. Among Us!
2. Call of Duty: Mobile
3. Roblox
4. Subway Surfers
5. Ink Inc. – Tattoo Drawing
6. Magic Tiles 3: Piano Game
7. Brain Test: Tricky Puzzles
8. Brain Out
9. Coin Master
10. Cube Surfer!

Top Paid iPhone Games 

1. Minecraft
2. Plague Inc.
3. Heads Up!
4. Monopoly
5. Bloons TD6
6. Geometry Dash
7. NBA 2K20
8. Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas
9. The Game of Life
10. True Skate

Top Free iPad Apps 

1. ZOOM Cloud Meetings
2. Disney+
3. YouTube
4. Netflix
5. Google Chrome
6. TikTok
7. Amazon Prime Video
8. Gmail
9. Hulu
10. Google Classroom

Top Paid iPad Apps 

1. Procreate
2. GoodNotes 5
3. Notability
4. Duet Display
5. Teach Your Monster
6. LumaFusion
7. Affinity Designer
8. Toca Hair Salon 3
9: Toca Life: Hospital
10. Toca Kitchen 2

Top Free iPad Games 

1. Among Us!
2. Roblox
3. Magic Tiles 3: Piano Game
4. Ink Inc. – Tattoo Drawing
5. Call of Duty: Mobile
6. Subway Surfers
7. Dancing Road: Color Ball Run!
8. Tiles Hop – EDM Rush
9. Mario Kart Tour
10. Save The Girl!

Top Paid iPad Games 

1. Minecraft
2. Monopoly
3. Bloons TD 6
4. Plague Inc.
5. Geometry Dash
6. The Game of Life
7. Five Nights at Freddy’s
8. Human: Fall Flat
9. Stardew Valley
10. Terraria

Top Apple Arcade Games 

1. Sneaky Sasquatch
2. Hot Lava
3. Skate City
4. Sonic Racing
5. PAC-MAN Party Royale
6. SpongeBob: Patty Pursuit
7. Oceanhorn 2
8. Crossy Road Castle
9. WHAT THE GOLF?
10. LEGO Brawls

Next up, we have podcasts, books, and ebooks.

Here are the best in podcasts, books, and audiobooks of the year according to Apple Podcasts and Apple Books, as well as the most popular fiction and non-fiction titles.

Apple Podcasts Show of the Year 2020:

Code Switch by NPR

Apple Podcasts Biggest Shows of 2020

Stuff You Should Know
This American Life
The Daily
Crime Junkie
My Favorite Murder with Karen Kilgariff and Georgia Hardstark
The Ben Shapiro Show
Up First
Call Her Daddy
Armchair Expert with Dax Shepard
Unlocking Us with Brené Brown

Apple Podcasts Biggest New Shows of 2020 

Apple Podcasts: Our Favorites this year:

Apple Books: Best books of the year

The Vanishing Half, Brit Bennett
28 Summers, Elin Hilderbrand
Long Bright River, Liz Moore
Deep State, Chris Hauty
The Last Flight, Julie Clark
Reborn Yesterday, Tessa Bailey
The Roommate, Rosie Danan
The City We Became, N. K. Jemisin
Piranesi, Susanna Clarke
We Are Not Free, Traci Chee
Silver Arrow, Lev Grossman
The Velvet Rope Economy, Nelson D. Schwartz
Caste, Isabel Wilkerson
The Book You Wish Your Parents Had Read, Philippa Perry
My Autobiography of Carson McCullers, Jenn Shapland

Apple Books: Best audiobooks of the year

Open Book, Jessica Simpson
Memorial Drive, Natasha Trethewey
Upstream, Dan Heath
The Vanishing Half, Brit Bennett
Interior Chinatown, Charles Yu
Caste, Isabel Wilkerson
The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, Suzanne Collins
Stamped: Racism, Antiracism, and You, Ibram X.Kendi
Fair Warning, Michael Connelly
The Guest List, Lucy Foley
Take a Hint, Dani Brown, Talia Hibbert
Untamed, Glennon Doyle
Think Like a Monk, Jay Shetty
Devolution, Max Brooks
The City We Became, N. K. Jemisin