Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Mobile

Digital Trends may earn a commission when you buy through links on our site. Why trust us?

Pokémon Unite tops the list of Google Play’s Best Games of 2021

Jesse Hollington
By

In its usual end-of-year retrospective, Google has announced the Best of Play winners for 2021, highlighting key apps and games that Google feels made the most positive contributions to the world of mobile over the past year. 

For the first time, Google has also expanded these awards beyond the Android smartphone platform this year to include apps and games on tablets, Wear OS, and Google TV. The awards recognize innovation in app and game development, and in making its selections, Google looks for apps that challenge the norms by “introducing unique gameplay features and giving users never-before-seen experiences.” 

Pokemon Unite home screen.
The Pokémon Company

Pokémon Unite took the Best Game of the Year award for 2021, beating out top picks from previous years such as Genshin Impact (2020), Call of Duty: Mobile (2019), and PUBG Mobile (2018). Google cited the dynamic gameplay and cross-platform experience of Pokémon Unite as its key merits, while also giving honorable mentions to independent developers that it says are “creating imaginative and personal gaming experiences.” The runners-up this year were notably both indie developers: George Batchelor for Bird Alone and Annapurna Interactive for Donut County.

Recommended Videos

Masaaki Hoshino, Producer for Pokémon Unite, thanked Google for the recognition, adding, “All of us who worked on the game are very honored to receive such an award,” particularly as this is Pokémon’s first strategic team battle game. “We tried to distill the best parts of the MOBA genre to create a new kind of game,” Hoshino added, while also candidly admitting that he was “unsure if it would be well received by players around the world.” The Pokémon Unite producer says he’s thrilled to have the affirmation that his team is on the right track and plans to continue improving the game and making it even more exciting. 

Related

Google Play also acknowledged winners in five more specific categories, including Best Competitive, Best Game Changers, Best Indies, Best Pick up & Play, and, for the first time, Best for Tablets. 

Once again, Google also ran its Users’ Choice awards to give Play Store users a chance to weigh in by voting on their most popular picks. This year, the vote for Best Game went to Garena Free Fire MAX. Previous Users’ Choice award winners include SpongeBob: Krusty Cook-Off (2020), Call of Duty: Mobile (2019), and PUBG Mobile (2018). Although the 2018 and 2019 Users’ Choice matched Google’s own pick for Game of the Year, this is now the second year in which the user vote has gone in a different direction. 

As for apps, Google noted that apps focused on personal growth continued to be in high demand throughout 2021, and its top picks reflected that. 

Screenshots of Balance app by Elevate Labs.
Elevate Labs

Personalized meditation app Balance by Elevate Labs got the nod for the Best App of Play for 2021, while the runners-up were also personal wellness apps. Moonly provides tips and guidance based on the lunar calendar, and Laughscape uses laughter to help people improve their meditation. 

Jesse Pickard, founder and CEO at Elevate Labs, said his team was “deeply honored” by Google’s choice, adding, “We built Balance with the individual in mind. No two people are the same, and we wanted to create a personalized mental wellness program that could reflect and support those special differences.”

The Google Play editorial team also named 21 other app winners across eight categories, which included Best Apps for Good, Best Everyday Essentials, Best for Fun, Best Hidden Gems, and Best for Personal Growth, along with three new categories — Best for Tablets, Best for Wear, and Popular on Google TV. The Users’ Choice pick for Best App for 2021 went to streaming app Paramount+.

For the full list of this year’s winners, from large developers to up-and-coming indies, check out the Best of 2021 section of the Play Store.

Editors' Recommendations

Topics
Jesse Hollington
Jesse Hollington
Mobile Writer
Jesse has been a technology enthusiast for his entire life — he probably would have been born with an iPhone in his hand…
For horror fans, Fortnite is secretly gaming’s best haunted house
Fortnite Jonesy running from a ghost bride in a dimly lit hallway.

I never thought the day would come where I'd call Fortnite one of the greatest horror games of all time, but here we are.

If you find yourself questioning that revelation, I completely get it. “Is he talking about the tension of Battle Royale mode? Or maybe the zombies in the Save the World playlist?” No. I straight-up mean there is a fantastic horror game inside Fortnite. There are hundreds of them, in fact, and they're all completely free. These experiences, made entirely by fans in the game's creative mode, feel completely separate from the game they're based in. When taking an even closer look, I found that an entire community of developers have been saturating the Fortnite horror genre with quality titles for audiences of all ages.

Read more
Don’t ignore Spider-Man 2’s side missions. They’re the best parts of the game
Miles checking his phone in spider-man 2.

With Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 out, you might be tempted to devour Insomniac’s new superhero adventure as fast as possible like a hungry Venom. I wouldn’t blame you. The sequel’s sprawling story is a complicated web of threads that beg to be untangled. It’s tempting to zoom from mission to mission, ignoring all other side activities until New York City has been properly saved from Kraven’s wrath.

If you find yourself in that boat, consider this a PSA: Don’t skip out on Spider-Man 2’s side missions. Though they aren’t as glitzy as the main campaign, the sequel’s best moments are consistently tucked away in quieter quests that emphasize compassion and community support over comic book violence. They’re the moments that best illustrate what it truly means to be a superhero.
Community support
Just like the previous two Spider-Man games, Insomniac’s open-world take on New York City is filled with optional storylines. Early on, Peter and Miles can stop to clean up a mess left by Sandman or take up jobs as local photographers. These aren’t just empty checklists to complete; even something as simple as collecting every Spider-bot in town leads to some kind of narrative payoff that’s usually worth seeing through to the end (especially since a 100% completion only takes around 35 hours).

Read more
The best skills in Spider-Man 2
Miles checking his phone in spider-man 2.

Now that Peter and Miles are sharing the spotlight as dual Spider-Men in Marvel's Spider-Man 2, you probably expect each to come with their own skill trees. You wouldn't be wrong for thinking that, but it isn't just two sets of abilities you need to juggle -- it's three. Not only do Peter and Miles each have their own bespoke skill trees to upgrade their specific abilities and powers, such as Miles' Venom abilities and Peter's Symbiote ones, but there is a shared tree that grants both Spider-Men new attacks and moves. This gives you more skills to choose than ever, but not necessarily more skill points to spend on them. Unlike Hero or City Tokens and Tech Parts, you only get new skill points when you level up. Here are the best skills on these new skill webs that you should unlock in Spider-Man 2.
The best shared skills
For the most part, all three skill trees are linear. However, unlike the Suit Tech upgrades, the points where there are branches are not mutually exclusive. If you've got the skill points to spend, you can fill out an entire branch without having to pick and choose between abilities.

Web Whip
We can't really blame enemies for packing ranged weapons when the alternative would be to duke it out face-to-face with a superhero, but it doesn't make them any less annoying when you have to interrupt your combo to dodge a shot from far off. By hitting triangle and R1, you can snag that pesky gun and throw it back at your attacker to even the playing field.
Bounce Up
It isn't super realistic, but you can't deny how fun air combos are in Spider-Man 2. If you want to really juggle your prey for as long as possible, adding the Bounce Up skill lets you slam an enemy down with triangle and bounce them back up into the air to reset your air combo.
KO Recharge
Abilities take a long time to come back, but there are a few skills that can speed things up. The best of the bunch is KO Recharge, which restores some of your abilities for every KO, finisher, or stealth takedown you pull off. There are other ability recharging skills you could invest in, but you will always be KOing enemies, so this is the most reliable.
Web Line Double Takedown
Speaking of stealth takedowns, the only downside to stealth is that it can be a little tedious webbing up criminals one at a time. This is especially true when multiple goons are hanging out near each other and will notice if you try and snag their buddies. This move only works when you're on a web line, but does let you stealth takedown two enemies at once rather than just one.
The best Peter Parker skills

Read more