Google Play’s Best Apps and Games of 2023 in India

30 Nov, 2023

John Mentgen

Global Director of Merchandising and Editorial, Google Play

The winners are in for Google Play’s Best of 2023 in India – our yearly awards to recognise the best apps and games on Google Play and the developers who bring them to life. A voice app helping non-native English speakers globally improve their proficiency in the language with AI-generated feedback, an ecommerce app catering to fashion choices of Gen Z users across the country including a special focus on non-metro cities, a social media app with a focus on safety and community building, and an action game truly customized for India – these are just some examples of the many innovations we are celebrating this year.

In 2023, once again, we saw many new and exciting apps helping people through a range of critical needs, with self care, personal growth, and ecommerce apps dominating app innovations on our list this year. Gaming continued to see strong momentum in India, with more gamers from diverse pockets of the country joining the fold and immersing themselves in a wide array of titles across genres, including casual, sports, role-playing, and action.

Many of these titles come from Indian developers. It gives us immense joy to see local developers of all sizes leverage the potential of reaching over 2.5 billion monthly active users in 190 markets on Google Play, and building winning solutions for India and the world.

Titles and developers as part of Google Play’s Best of 2023 reflected some of the app and game innovation trends we saw emerge across the year. The most significant trend being the increasing use of AI by developers to build and offer enhanced user experiences. Benefits of this can be seen across categories such as learning, wellness, ecommerce, and more. Several of the local developers on our list this year have integrated AI into their offerings.

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In the forefront is Level SuperMind, our Best App of the year, that’s helping people improve their mindfulness with personalized AI-enabled paths comprising a mix of meditation, exercises, journals, and sleep stories. Our winners of the Best with AI category: Stimuler is helping people improve their English speaking skills with AI-powered voice technology, and SwiftChat is using conversational AI chatbots to assist students and teachers with personalised learning content in multiple Indian languages.

Self-care and personal growth remained top-of-mind for people. Strong affinity for mental health solutions reflects in our Users’ Choice app of the year in India, therapy app THAP: Your Happiness Gym. The app is helping people improve their mental well-being and manage issues such as depression, anxiety, and stress, with easy access to resources and licensed therapists. In personal growth, Infinity Learn and upGrad are catering to e-learning needs with high-quality and engaging learning avenues, and AmbitionBox is helping people make more informed career decisions.

Ecommerce continues to be in demand, and local developers are building more diverse and creative solutions in this segment. NEWME is helping Gen Z India shop for the latest fashion trends also including customized offerings for audiences in Tier 2 and Tier 3 cities. Blissclub is helping women shop for stylish and comfortable athletic apparel. Unsweetened Beauty is matching users with beauty products based on their needs and preferences and helping them with expert-suggested skincare recommendations through AI-powered algorithms.

Local developers built for diverse global communities and use cases. Pepul is enabling global interest-based communities with hyperlocal and personalized content from creators. Earth5R is connecting people who are passionate about sustainable development and looking to participate in local initiatives or internship programs. Autism BASICS is assisting children with special needs across the world in developing behavioral, social, and academic skills.

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Gamers embraced new and exciting titles by renowned global franchises. Our Best Game of the year, Monopoly Go!, captured India’s fascination for multiplayer board games with the introduction of new and exciting boards, characters, and events, across the year. Indian players showered love for the adventures of the Subway Surfers crew, with Subway Surfers Blast winning the Users’ Choice game award. Mighty Doom, a winner in the Best Pick Up & Play category, reignited the legacy of the Doom franchise, bringing its iconic demon-slaying action right into the hands of gamers.

With much excitement around the game, Battlegrounds Mobile India captured the interest of the gaming community with a host of new updates such as an all-new NUSA map and integration of Dragon Super Ball characters, making it one of our winners in the Best Ongoing Game category. Sports game EA SPORTS FC Mobile Soccer also found a spot in the Best Ongoing Game category mirroring the growing popularity of sports titles among Indian gamers.

This year’s list also shows a rise in localisation of games for India, with local as well as global developers increasingly incorporating features, references, and experiences that resonate with gamers in the country. Our Best Made in India game winner, Battle Stars: 4v4 TDM & BR, immerses gamers in exhilarating shooting battles across cities like Mumbai and Delhi, with many localised characters adding to the fun. Gamers can embark on an Indian mythical journey with Kurukshetra: Ascension. In global titles, Road to Valor: Empires is helping gamers hone their martial prowess with Indian warriors like Sipahis and Maharathis, and a multitude of unique soldiers from across the universe at their side. And now gamers can also enjoy the AR magic of Pokémon Go in Hindi.

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 2023 section on the Play Store. Here's what some of the featured apps and games developers had to say: