Four Aussie developers win Google Play’s 2023 Best Apps and Games awards

Developers play a critical role in the digital economy. Through the apps and games they create, they drive innovation and become the source of new jobs, products and services. Since we’ve first introduced Android and Google Play, the creativity and ambition from developers in Australia and around the world has been spurring amazing new app experiences we could never have imagined, ranging from apps to help people with daily tasks, to entertaining puzzles and educational games.

This is why we’re excited to celebrate the success of developers. Every year, with Google Play’s Best of Awards, we recognise and award the most creative and inspiring apps and games developers from around the world — including local innovators and creators right here in Australia.

This year, Australian developers found global success with apps that are focused on helping people solve problems small and large — whether it’s monitoring brain health more easily, inspiring great home-cooked meals, or enabling people to create beautiful designs in just a few minutes.

BrainTrack, a brain health and healthy ageing app, won “Best App for Good” in Australia. Developed by Dementia Australia, it helps users identify dementia risk factors, monitor their cognitive performance over time, and seek advice from their GPs and dementia experts. The app also picked up the “Best Hidden Gem” award in Singapore, where there is a growing aging population and a push for better quality of life for dementia patients.

Australian unicorn Canva is loved globally, with their graphic design app winning "Best for Tablets" in India, and receiving Honourable Mentions as “Best for Tablets" in Australia, the US, Canada, Great Britain, and several markets across APAC, including Indonesia, Korea, Japan, Hong Kong, Taiwan and Singapore. Its user-friendliness, and the many built-in templates and design elements it offers, have made it popular among creators worldwide.

Aussies love a good home-cooked meal, and discovering trusted recipes from the cooking community and sharing it with friends and family. It is why ReciMe, an Australia-based social platform app that lets users easily share, discover and save recipes, won "Best Everyday Essential" in Australia, and in Great Britain and Hong Kong. It also received Honourable Mentions as “Best Everyday Essential" in the US, Canada and Singapore.

The ReciMe team said: “Cooking is a chore and our mission is to make it fun and easier for everyone. Inflation is impacting the cost of living and eating, and more people are looking for cheap, easy and healthy meals. Our next goal is to introduce tools to help people organise recipes and shop better!”

Last but not least, Down in Bermuda, an adventure game by Australia-based developer Yak & Co, made it to the list as well. The game traps players inside the infamous Bermuda, where they have to solve puzzles and mysteries to escape. Its quirky content and characters won it Honourable Mentions as “Best Story” in several markets across Australia, Europe, the US and Middle East.

The co-founders of Yak & Co said: “One thing we were surprised and delighted to hear about our game is that due to its peaceful puzzling nature, it can be very soothing to play and has been used as a chill-out style recovery game for those wanting to look after their mental health. It's an incredible honour to be a part of the Best of 2023 class.”

To support the developer community, we’ve made lots of improvements to Google Play this year. For example, we made it even easier to discover all that Play has to offer, including for different device types like wearables, foldables and tablets. And because Play is only successful when our developers are, we continued to make updates to help them grow their businesses. That included launching tools to help them make their apps more discoverable, generate revenue and protect users’ privacy. It’s been amazing to see developers showcase their creativity and build great content people love on Play - huge congratulations to the Best of 2023 winners and the developer community across Australia who continue to create amazing experiences for Australians and people around the world!