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Google Play Best of 2025: Focus Friend, Pokémon TCG Pocket and the 10 Android Apps You Need Right Now

November 19, 2025
by
Google Play Best of 2025: Focus Friend, Pokémon TCG Pocket and the 10 Android Apps You Need Right Now

Google’s “Best of 2025” list is live, and it’s all about focus, AI, and apps that follow you across phone, PC, car and even XR headsets.

Google Play Best of 2025 is here

Google has officially published its Best of 2025 awards, naming the standout Android apps, games and books of the year across the U.S. Play Store. Digital wellbeing tool Focus Friend by Hank Green has taken the top prize as Best App, while Pokémon TCG Pocket has been crowned Best Game of 2025. [1]

Alongside these headline winners, Google has picked out:

  • A new wave of multi‑device experiences like Luminar: Photo Editor and Disney Speedstorm
  • A curated set of 10 “best Android apps of the year”, covering cars, watches, XR headsets and tablets [2]
  • A strong slate of games ranging from live‑service hit Wuthering Waves to cozy card battler Pokémon TCG Pocket [3]
  • New Google Play book picks that spotlight 2025’s most talked‑about fiction and nonfiction [4]

Around the world, regional lists — including India’s “Best of Play 2025” — are also rolling out today, with local winners such as District: Movies Events Dining and CookieRun India: Running Game taking the top spots. [5]

App of the Year: Focus Friend by Hank Green

At the center of this year’s awards is Focus Friend, a “cozy, gamified focus timer” created by author and YouTuber Hank Green. [6]

Instead of another aggressive productivity dashboard, Focus Friend turns staying on task into a small emotional story:

  • You start a focus session in the app.
  • Your little “Bean Friend” starts working alongside you — knitting socks, scarves and other items.
  • If you give in to distraction and stop early, the bean gets sad.
  • If you finish the session, you earn in‑game rewards to decorate your bean’s room.

The idea is simple: it’s often easier to take care of someone else than yourself — even if that “someone” is a tiny cartoon bean. Google says the app helped users “disconnect in order to reconnect,” and it has also won the “Best for Personal Growth” category, making Focus Friend a double winner this year. [7]

Launched in August, Focus Friend quickly climbed both major app stores, hitting the top of Apple’s charts and surpassing a million installs on Android, according to coverage from TechCrunch. [8]

Game of the Year: Pokémon TCG Pocket

On the gaming side, Pokémon TCG Pocket has been awarded Best Game of 2025 on Google Play. [9]

The title adapts the Pokémon Trading Card Game into a free‑to‑play mobile experience:

  • Daily free booster packs to scratch that “pack opening” itch
  • Streamlined card battles designed for short, on‑the‑go sessions
  • Digital‑only collectible cards with 3D “feel” effects for collectors [10]

It’s this mix of nostalgia, smart monetization and mobile‑first design that convinced Google editors to give it the top gaming honor.

Multi‑device winners: Luminar and Disney Speedstorm

Google’s awards increasingly reward apps that seamlessly hop between phone, tablet and PC.

Best Multi‑device App: Luminar — Photo Editor

Luminar: Photo Editor is this year’s Best Multi‑device App. [11]

  • AI‑powered tools for sky replacement, portrait retouching, noise reduction and color enhancement
  • A unified experience across Android, Windows and macOS (via Luminar Neo on desktop)
  • A workflow that works whether you’re quickly fixing a social post on your phone or doing serious editing on your laptop

Google calls it a “shining example” of what multi‑device experiences on Play should look like. [12]

Best Multi‑device Game: Disney Speedstorm

Disney Speedstorm wins Best Multi‑device Game — a hero‑based kart racer where Disney and Pixar characters trade paint on tracks inspired by their films. [13]

The game is tuned for PC, tablet and mobile, with responsive controls and high‑end visuals that feel at home on big and small screens alike.

The 10 best Android apps of 2025, according to Google

TechRadar has pulled together Google’s app category winners into a clear list of the 10 best Android apps of the year, each aligned with a specific use case. [14]

Here’s the full rundown, re‑grouped with what each app actually does in your daily life:

  1. Focus Friend – Best Overall App & Best for Personal Growth
    A focus timer that uses a virtual “Bean Friend” and light gamification to help you put your phone down and stay on task.
  2. Luminar: Photo Editor – Best Multi‑device App
    An AI‑heavy photo editor that lets you carry the same powerful toolkit from your phone to your desktop and back again.
  3. Edits (Instagram) – Best for Fun
    Instagram’s standalone editing companion for fast, polished Reels and short‑form video, built for creators who live in vertical video. [15]
  4. Wiser – 15 Minute Audio Books – Best Everyday Essential
    Condenses books into roughly 15‑minute audio insights, with recommendations tuned to your interests so you always have something quick and useful to listen to. [16]
  5. Pingo AI Language Learning – Best Hidden Gem
    Uses conversational AI to role‑play in the language you’re learning, adjusting to your pace and proficiency as you chat. [17]
  6. ABCmouse 2: Kids Learning Game – Best for Families
    A learning platform for kids aged 2–8, mixing games, books, songs and videos to cover early math, reading, science, art and more. [18]
  7. SleepisolBio: sleep, alarm – Best for Watches
    A watch‑first sleep app that combines AI‑driven sleep analysis with soundscapes and audio therapy to help users fall asleep more easily and improve rest quality. [19]
  8. Goodnotes: Notes, docs, PDF – Best for Large Screens
    A powerhouse note‑taking and PDF app that truly shines on Android tablets and foldables, letting students and professionals annotate, organize and search handwritten notes. [20]
  9. SoundCloud – Best for Cars (Android Auto)
    With a clean Android Auto interface, SoundCloud becomes an excellent way to explore mixes and emerging artists on the road while keeping controls simple and safe. [21]
  10. Calm – Sleep, Meditate, Relax – Best for XR Headsets
    Calm isn’t new, but Google is highlighting how its meditations and soundscapes now take advantage of mixed‑reality headsets to create fully immersive relaxation sessions. [22]

The thread running through this list is clear: wellbeing, micro‑learning, AI and multi‑device design are what impress Google’s editors in 2025.

Full list: Google Play’s Best of 2025 app and game winners (U.S.)

If you want the short version straight from Google’s blog and Play Store editorial pages, here are the core U.S. winners. [23]

Overall and multi‑device awards

  • Best App: Focus Friend by Hank Green
  • Best Game: Pokémon TCG Pocket
  • Best Multi‑device App: Luminar: Photo Editor
  • Best Multi‑device Game: Disney Speedstorm

Category‑based app awards

  • Best for Fun: Edits (Instagram video editing app)
  • Best for Personal Growth: Focus Friend
  • Best Everyday Essential: Wiser – 15 Minute Audio Books
  • Best Hidden Gem: Pingo AI Language Learning
  • Best for Families: ABCmouse 2: Kids Learning Game
  • Best for Watches: SleepisolBio: sleep, alarm
  • Best for Large Screens: Goodnotes: Notes, docs, PDF
  • Best for Cars: SoundCloud: The Music You Love
  • Best for XR Headsets: Calm – Sleep, Meditate, Relax [24]

Category‑based game awards

  • Best Multiplayer: Dunk City Dynasty (competitive basketball)
  • Best Pick Up & Play: Candy Crush Solitaire
  • Best Indie: Chants of Sennaar
  • Best Story: Disco Elysium
  • Best Ongoing: Wuthering Waves
  • Best on Play Pass: DREDGE
  • Best for Google Play Games on PC: Odin: Valhalla Rising [25]

Google Play’s book picks for 2025

Google isn’t just celebrating apps and games — the Books tab is getting attention too.

From its official blog and partner coverage, Google highlights several titles as favorites of 2025 on Play Books: [26]

  • Fiction standout:
    • The Raven Scholar by Antonia Hodgson — fantasy
    • Famous Last Words by Gillian McAllister — thriller
  • Nonfiction picks:
    • This American Woman by Zarna Garg — memoir
    • The Ambition Trap: How to Stop Chasing and Start Living by Amina AlTai — business & self‑development
  • Kids & teens:
    • Wind Watchers by Micha Archer — picture book
    • Very Bad at Math by Hope Larson — middle‑grade title

Books don’t show up in the same flashy rankings as apps, but they round out Google Play’s push to be a full ecosystem for entertainment, productivity and learning.

Local “Best of Play 2025” lists: India leads with local flavor and AI

Beyond the U.S. list, Google is promoting local Best of Play 2025 winners in markets like India, Indonesia, Japan, Korea and Taiwan, each with their own standout apps and games tuned to regional needs. [27]

In India, for example, Google Play’s Best of Play 2025 awards put a spotlight on:

  • Best App (India): District: Movies Events Dining — a lifestyle app that helps people discover films, local events and dining options in one place.
  • Best Game (India): CookieRun India: Running Game — a localized take on the popular CookieRun franchise, built around Indian festivals, characters and themes. [28]

Coverage in Indian media today also notes how many of the local winners lean heavily on AI, cultural relevance and everyday utility, from city‑specific discovery apps to regionally themed games and kids’ learning tools. [29]

What this year’s list tells us about Android in 2025

Looking across the winners, some clear trends emerge:

  1. Digital wellbeing has gone mainstream
    In a year dominated by AI chatbots, Google’s choice of Focus Friend — an app that literally helps you use your phone less — as Best App is a strong signal. It shows there’s user and editorial appetite for tools that protect attention, not just monetize it. [30]
  2. AI is now table stakes, not a novelty
    From Luminar’s AI photo tools to Pingo’s AI tutors and SleepisolBio’s biometric sleep insights, many winners quietly bake in machine learning without selling themselves as “AI apps.” AI is becoming an invisible layer that powers better experiences rather than a marketing tagline. [31]
  3. Cross‑device continuity is the new premium
    Google’s explicit multi‑device categories reward apps and games that move effortlessly between phone, PC, tablet, car and XR — a big hint at where the Play ecosystem is heading. Titles like Disney Speedstorm, Goodnotes and Calm for XR headsets exemplify this shift. [32]
  4. Family, education and kids are central
    Apps like ABCmouse 2, Baby Phone & Kids Games (from the broader Play editorial list) and kid‑friendly regional winners underscore how important the family segment is to Google Play’s strategy. [33]
  5. Gaming is more varied than ever
    From hyper‑casual Candy Crush Solitaire to narrative‑heavy Disco Elysium and live‑service anime RPG Wuthering Waves, the games list shows that mobile gaming in 2025 spans almost every genre imaginable — and that premium and indie titles can coexist with free‑to‑play juggernauts. [34]

How to find and install the winners

If you want to try these apps and games yourself:

  1. Open the Google Play Store on your Android device.
  2. On the front page, look for the “Best of 2025” banner or editorial shelf — tap it to see curated sections for Apps, Games and Books. [35]
  3. Alternatively, you can search for each title directly (e.g., “Focus Friend”, “Pokémon TCG Pocket”, “Luminar”, “Disney Speedstorm”).
  4. Remember that regional lists differ: depending on your country, you may see local winners like District: Movies Events Dining or CookieRun India featured instead of or alongside the U.S. picks. [36]

The bottom line

As of November 19, 2025, Google Play’s Best of 2025 awards paint a clear picture of where Android is headed:

  • Apps that protect your time and attention
  • Games that turn your phone into a console‑class device
  • AI quietly powering everything from photos to language learning
  • Experiences that carry across devices, cars and XR headsets

Whether you’re looking to finally get your focus back, dive into Pokémon battles on your commute, or squeeze more value from your tablet, this year’s Google Play winners are a ready‑made download list for the rest of 2025 — and a preview of what mobile life will look like in 2026.

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References

1. blog.google, 2. www.techradar.com, 3. blog.google, 4. blog.google, 5. m.economictimes.com, 6. techcrunch.com, 7. blog.google, 8. techcrunch.com, 9. blog.google, 10. hypebeast.com, 11. blog.google, 12. blog.google, 13. blog.google, 14. www.techradar.com, 15. www.techradar.com, 16. www.techradar.com, 17. www.techradar.com, 18. www.techradar.com, 19. www.techradar.com, 20. www.techradar.com, 21. www.techradar.com, 22. www.techradar.com, 23. blog.google, 24. blog.google, 25. blog.google, 26. blog.google, 27. blog.google, 28. m.economictimes.com, 29. m.economictimes.com, 30. techcrunch.com, 31. blog.google, 32. blog.google, 33. blog.google, 34. blog.google, 35. play.google.com, 36. m.economictimes.com

Mateusz Brzeziński

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