Looking back on 2021, what apps and games dominated the top charts? Which apps were new to the App Store and Google Play last year? And what were the hottest new games users were hooked on? The most popular apps and games reflect the defining moments of 2021, a tumultuous year filled with change and shifting trends.
Most Popular Apps on the App Store and Google Play in 2021
For the purpose of this analysis, we have selected the top 10 apps that ranked in the top 200 of the “All” category for the most days last year. All of these apps ranked in the top charts every day, and are considered as some of the most popular apps ever.
Most of the highest-ranking apps on the App Store in 2021 are the same as in 2020; on Google Play, we see more notable changes to the most popular apps compared to the previous year. For the App Store, 9 of the top 10 apps in 2020 remain on this year’s list. However, Google Maps returns as one of the top App Store apps in 2021 after being removed from the list in 2020, as people began to travel again after the initial pandemic lockdowns.
Read this blog for a review of the App Store Awards: Apple’s Top Apps & Games of 2021
On Google Play, many of the top apps that rose in the rankings mirrored trends seen in the overall market and changes in people’s daily lives. TikTok rose to the top of the list, while increased preferences for contactless payments caused the average rankings for Google Pay and Cash App to increase. Streaming apps, such as HBO Max and Disney+, grew in popularity with the amount of new content released exclusively on their platforms last year. Finally, with the rising interest in cryptocurrency, it is no surprise to see that Crypto.com and Coinbase gained rankings as some of the top apps in 2021.
| App Store | Google Play | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Icon | App Name | Icon | App Name |
|
TikTok |
|
TikTok |
|
YouTube: Watch, Listen, Stream |
|
Google Pay: Save, Pay, Manage |
|
|
Cash App | |
|
|
ZOOM Cloud Meetings | |
|
Snapchat |
|
|
|
Messenger |
|
HBO Max: Stream TV & Movies |
|
Gmail - Email by Google |
|
Crypto.com - Buy BTC SHIB |
|
Google Maps |
|
WhatsApp Messenger |
|
Amazon Shopping |
|
Disney+ |
|
Netflix |
|
Coinbase: Buy Bitcoin & Ether |
Most Popular Games on the App Store and Google Play in 2021
Analyzing the top games separately, we can see some similarities between high-performing games on both the App Store and Google Play, with many notable differences between each store.
On the App Store, larger brand name games such as Roblox, Call of Duty®: Mobile, and Subway Surfers were the only games on this year’s list to have also been one of 2020’s highest-ranking games. Roblox increased in popularity the most over the last year and reached the top of the list. Another game that rose in popularity last year was Among Us, which resulted in a top 5 average ranking for games in 2021.
Discover our recap of all things ASO in 2021
One of the key points to mention is that, on any given day, many of the top 200 games on either the App Store or Google Play are typically hyper-casual games, which have somewhat lower production values and are monetized by ads. As a result, these games do not typically remain in the top 10 of “All” games for very long. That being said, some of these hyper-casual games were the most popular games of 2021, including Count Masters, Bridge Race, Paper Fold, High Heels!, and Arrow Fest, all making the list for both iOS and Google Play after not averaging as highly the previous year.
Overall, we saw larger brand name games, such as Roblox and Call of Duty®: Mobile, remain in the highest ranks of the top charts for the longest amount of time. Hyper-casual game rankings were much more volatile. One possible reason for this could be increased competition between similar games. As more hyper-casual games flood the market, no one specific game has ranked particularly consistently.
| App Store | Google Play | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Icon | App Name | Icon | App Name |
|
Roblox |
|
Count Masters - Stickman Clash |
 |
Project Makeover |  |
Bridge Race |
 |
Call of Duty®: Mobile |  |
High Heels! |
 |
Subway Surfers |  |
My Talking Angela 2 |
 |
Among Us! |  |
Fidget Toys 3D - Fidget Cube, AntiStress & Calm |
|
Count Masters: Crowd Runner 3D |  |
Fidget Toys Trading: Pop It 3D |
|
Bridge Race |  |
Paper Fold |
|
Paper Fold |  |
Hair Challenge |
|
High Heels! |  |
Arrow Fest |
 |
Retro Bowl |  |
Stone Miner |
Top Apps Launched on the App Store and Google Play in 2021
The following table shows the new apps that had the most successful launches of 2021. We determine “new apps” by identifying when apps began to receive their first downloads. If an app began 2021 with zero downloads and made it to the top 200 apps or games by the end of the year, it is considered “new.”
Streaming became more popular than ever last year, with established TV networks launching new streaming apps; CBS and Discovery+ both reached the top charts on the App Store and Google Play. Yet another trend is that some of the most popular app launches for both stores included new photo editing and publishing apps, such as Poparazzi, Voilà, Quick Art, Photo Editor, and Photo Repair.
Another interesting app launch was the return of Yik Yak, the social media app that was originally launched in 2013 before shutting down in April 2017. Yik Yak made a return to the App Store in 2021 for users in the US, with plans for Android and global versions in the future.
| App Store | Google Play | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Icon | App Name | Icon | App Name |
 |
Poparazzi |  |
discovery+ | Stream TV Shows |
 |
Voilà AI Artist Cartoon Photo | |
Voilà AI Artist Cartoon Photo |
 |
Fontmaker - Font Keyboard App |  |
GETTR |
 |
CBS |  |
Quick Art: 1-Tap Photo Editor |
 |
Gauthmath-New Smart Calculator | |
CBS |
 |
Yik Yak |  |
Fidget Games: Pop It & Dimple |
 |
Dhar Mann |  |
PhotoEditor |
 |
FOX Weather: Daily Forecasts | |
FOX Weather: Daily Forecasts |
 |
Dream by WOMBO |  |
Photo Repair |
Top Games Launched on the App Store and Google Play in 2021
Finally, which new games launched in 2021 on the App Store and Google Play quickly rose to the top of the charts and were downloaded the most? In 2019, hyper-casual games won big and filled many of the top positions in the Games category for both stores. This was not particularly the case in 2020, when larger games, such as Project Makeover, Rush Hour 3D, Madden NFL 21 Mobile Football, and Among Us were some of the top games launched.
As previously noted, 2021 saw the return of hyper-casual games as the most successful launches this year. New games, such as Count Masters, Paper Fold, Arrow Fest, and Hair Challenge, made it to the top charts on both the App Store and Google Play. Other new hyper-casual games that made their mark in 2021 include Traffic Cop 3D, Run Rich 3D, and Slice It All! on iOS, as well as Fidget Toys 3D, Yes or No?! - Food Pranks, and Giant Rush! on Google Play.
| App Store | Google Play | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Icon | App Name | Icon | App Name |
|
Count Masters: Crowd Runner 3D | |
Count Masters - Stickman Clash |
|
Paper Fold |  |
Hair Challenge |
 |
Arrow Fest |  |
Bridge Race |
 |
Text or Die |  |
High Heels! |
|
Hair Challenge | |
Arrow Fest |
 |
Traffic Cop 3D | |
Paper Fold |
 |
Run Rich 3D | |
Fidget Toys 3D - Fidget Cube AntiStress & Calm |
 |
Slice It All! |  |
Yes or No?! - Food Pranks |
 |
Deep Clean Inc. 3D |  |
Giant Rush! |
 |
Rocket League Sideswipe | |
My Talking Angela 2 |
While there are many apps and games that performed well on both stores, the App Store and Google Play are quite different in terms of top chart rankings and download trends. As users began to really adjust to life in the pandemic in 2021, their needs and interests began to shift throughout the year. Streaming and finance apps, as well as hyper-casual games all had their moments and were the most popular and downloaded apps of 2021.
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