Google Play’s best apps and games of 2022 in India

01 Dec, 2022

John Mentgen

Global Director of Merchandising and Editorial, Google Play

The winners are in for Google Play’s Best of 2022 in India – our yearly awards to recognise the best apps and games on Google Play and the developers who bring them to life. 2022 marked the post-pandemic era for many across the world – and in India too, people once again opened themselves to the possibilities and experiences in the outside world, while continuing to depend on digital solutions for support across many of their diverse needs.

In many ways, our winners this year reflected this. Once again, we saw apps that helped people in numerous ways, including personal growth, daily tasks, creative expression, and business aspirations – while many experienced and immersed themselves in whole new worlds with delightful games. Many of these titles come from local developers in India that once again inspired us with their ambition and creativity, building winning solutions for India and the world.

E-learning remained in demand, such as our Best App for Personal Growth winner Filo – and others in the category like PrepLadder, Cuemath, and Yellow Class – engaging learners across age groups with high-quality content, live engagement sessions, gamified experiences, and expert guidance. This year’s winners also used advanced technologies to build custom solutions. Questt, which earned our Best App of 2022 award in India, offers personalised learning paths and insights to students, using artificial intelligence to make education more data-driven.

Ecommerce was a much-loved category by users across the country. This resulted in hypervalue ecommerce app Shopsy being voted as our Users’ Choice app of the year in India, emerging as a popular choice for many people and small businesses. The app also led our Best Apps for Everyday Essentials category. We also saw the rise of a new trend, with ultra-fast delivery apps such as Blinkit and Zepto gaining prominence among people across the country for their timely grocery needs.

Health and wellness continued to be on people’s minds, with apps such as Bunkerfit, Neend, and Dance Workout for Weight Loss offering creative and localised solutions to help people stay fit physically and mentally.

Developers also built empowering solutions for diverse communities. For instance, our Best Apps for Good winner Khyaal is helping senior citizens interact with each other and supporting them with holistic care needs. We saw this spanning other categories too, with ZyadaShop enabling entrepreneurs to create their stores from their mobile phones, while Kohbee enables educators and creators globally to teach courses and monetise their content easily.

Digital solutions continued to bring communities together – social app Turnip, leading our Best Apps for Fun category, is helping people globally connect, share, and stream content with others with like-minded interests. Parenting and pet parenting apps too are finding users – Hidden Gems winner BabyG is helping parents with guidance on the development needs of their infants and toddlers, while Pet Perfect serves pet parents with information to take care of their furry family member.

Meanwhile, in gaming, developers enthralled players in new and imaginative worlds. Apex Legends Mobile set a new bar in the battle royale genre winning the Best Game of the year for its impeccable gameplay and cutting-edge visuals. On the other hand, Indian players showered love for Rovio’s classic feathery friends with Angry Birds Journey winning the Users’ Choice game award.

This year we also introduced new categories to celebrate the unique experiences games have to offer. The Best Ongoing games category features Indian games Ludo King and Real Cricket 20 for keeping players engaged with compelling new updates, fresh content, and advanced gameplay experiences. We also saw globally appealing games being built from diverse pockets of the country, such as indie game Cooking Valley: Cooking Games by Rajkot-based gaming studio, The AppGuruz.

Congratulations to this year’s winners and to our entire Google Play developer community! Check out the full list of this year’s India winners below. You can find the complete list in the Best of 2022 section on the Play Store. Also, here's what some of the featured local apps and games had to say:

GOOGLE PLAY'S BEST OF 2022 WINNERS (INDIA)

Users’ Choice 2022 in India:

Here are the top titles users chose as the favourites of the year through votes.

Users’ Choice App of 2022 (India): Shopsy Shopping App - Flipkart

The hypervalue e-commerce app by Flipkart has found popularity with people and small businesses that are accessing and selling products across a diverse portfolio range including fashion, beauty, mobiles, footwear, and accessories.

Users’ Choice Game of 2022 (India): Angry Birds Journey

Striking an ideal balance between strategy and stress-relief, and breathing new life into a classic formula, Angry Birds Journey cuts right to the chase bringing instant fun to your fingertips.

Best of 2022 in India:

Explore the below list to see what the Google Play editors loved.

Best App of 2022 (India): Questt: Navigator for Learning

Questt is using AI to better identify academic needs, provide personalized learning paths, and gamify the learning experience for students with engaging quests. The app aims to help students reach their maximum potential by making learning more customized and engaging, while helping teachers with data-driven insights on learning patterns.

Best Game of 2022 (India): Apex Legends Mobile

In this battle royale, super powered competitors from around the world collide in the crucible of Apex Games. The game brings all the excitement of the Apex Legends series to mobile and tablets for gratifying, high-action gameplay wherever you are.