We are delighted to announce the winners of the 2025 Mobile AppDev Awards. These awards celebrate creativity and excellence in mobile game design, spotlighting last year's most impactful innovations.
Now in its fourth year, the awards have expanded to include non-gaming apps, honoring their inventive use of engagement, social, and AI-powered features.
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The winners of the 2025 Mobile AppDev Awards have been crowned!
This year's winners were selected for their innovation and excellence—from standout live events in gaming to next-level engagement, social, and AI-powered features in non-gaming apps. Explore what set each winner apart below.
Liftoff is proud to honor the exceptional work of the mobile game studios shaping the future of gaming through user-centric innovation and monetization success.
Now in its fourth year, the awards are also recognizing standout achievements in non-gaming apps, celebrating their innovative approaches to user engagement, social interaction, and AI integration. This expansion marks the debut of AppRefinery, Liftoff's new insights platform built to empower smarter app development and growth.
From captivating collaboration events to immersive narrative experiences, the nominees represent the forefront of innovation in mobile app development.
The five midcore & casual award categories are:
The four non-gaming app award categories are:
For deeper insights into this live event update, log in to your GameRefinery account.
MIDCORE WINNER:
Diablo Immortal x World of Warcraft: Eternal War, Publisher: Blizzard Entertainment
To commemorate World of Warcraft's 20th anniversary, Diablo Immortal launched the Eternal War event—a faithful and ambitious crossover of two of Blizzard's most iconic franchises. The event featured classic Warcraft content, including the Fallen Citadel PvE mode, a multi-phase boss battle against the Lich King that authentically captured the essence of Wrath of the Lich King, and Cutthroat Basin PvP mode, a Diablo Immortal adaptation of Arathi Basin, complete with faction-based objectives. Players could also earn iconic Warcraft cosmetics like Frostmourne, Thunderfury, and items inspired by Illidan Stormrage and Murlocs, enriching the experience for long-time fans.
Diablo Immortal x World of Warcraft: Eternal War
MIDCORE FINALISTS:
CASUAL WINNER:
Stumble Guys x My Hero Academia, Publisher: Scopely
The Stumble Guys' collaboration with My Hero Academia stood out for its thoughtful integration of the anime's core themes and mechanics. Central to the event was the introduction of Quirks, signature superpowers from the series cleverly adapted as special abilities within various gameplay modes. The update also debuted the Hero Exam race map, an MHA-themed obstacle course that captured the high-stakes energy of the anime's Hero Exams. Alongside this, a wide range of exclusive skins and cosmetics—available via the collaboration Battle Pass and other in-game events—brought beloved characters to life in the Stumble Guys universe. The collaboration struck a strong balance between fan service and gameplay innovation, making it feel both authentic and highly engaging.
Stumble Guys x My Hero Academia
CASUAL FINALISTS:
MIDCORE WINNER:
League of Legends: Wild Rift - Arcane: Battle of Twin Cities, Publisher: Riot Games
Created to support the launch of Arcane Season 2 on Netflix, Battle of Twin Cities was a dynamic social competition within Wild Rift. Players aligned with either the Piltover or Zaun faction, competing for territorial dominance on an interactive battle map. Progress was driven by completing missions—ranging from Arcane-themed trivia challenges to traditional MOBA matches—with each contribution pushing their faction closer to victory. The event was part of the broader Cheers to Arcane campaign, offering a seamless integration of entertainment IP and live game content.
League of Legends: Wild Rift - Arcane: Battle of Twin Cities
MIDCORE FINALISTS:
CASUAL WINNER:
Monopoly GO! - Tycoon Racers, Publisher: Scopely
Tycoon Racers is a competitive evolution of Monopoly GO's popular cooperative "Partners" event format, which helped set a trend across the casual games market. In this version, players form teams of four and compete against other teams by accumulating points individually through core gameplay. The team with the highest collective score emerges victorious. Scopely has regularly reused this format with fresh themes—such as a Marvel-inspired edition—making it a cornerstone of Monopoly GO's live events strategy.
Monopoly GO! - Tycoon Racers
CASUAL FINALISTS:
MIDCORE WINNER:
Goddess of Victory: NIKKE x Dave the Diver: Aegis the Diver, Publisher: Level Infinite
The Aegis the Diver event was a standout collaboration in Goddess of Victory: NIKKE, faithfully recreating the acclaimed PC/console title Dave the Diver using NIKKE characters. Players explored underwater environments, gathered ingredients, and managed a pixel-art-style restaurant—mirroring the gameplay and aesthetic of the original. With missions and a purchasable battle pass, the event offered deep engagement while also serving as the first playable mobile version of Dave the Diver. A special crossover boat skin was also made available via a redeemable code, enhancing the cross-IP integration.
Goddess of Victory: NIKKE x Dave the Diver: Aegis the Diver
MIDCORE FINALISTS:
CASUAL WINNER:
Merge Mansion - Secret Supply, Publisher: Metacore
Secret Supply marked Merge Mansion's debut into minigame events, introducing a compelling twist with a casino-style arcade machine. Players pull a lever to generate mergeable items, carefully managing limited energy to maximize the score before the machine overheats. This innovative format brought a new tempo and gameplay dimension to the title, and its launch coincided with significant performance spikes—highlighting its success both as an event and a player engagement driver.
Merge Mansion - Secret Supply
CASUAL FINALISTS:
MIDCORE WINNER:
Pokémon TCG Pocket, Publisher: The Pokémon Company
Pokémon TCG Pocket revolutionized the Card Battler genre with a casual approach that places primary focus on card collecting. Once again, the Pokémon brand proved successful by leveraging its core strengths in a format that resonates with fans. The game's performance was also exceptional—it consistently ranked in the top 10 Grossing games in the US from its launch in October through the end of 2024, and held the #1 spot in Japan for most of that period.
Pokémon TCG Pocket
MIDCORE FINALISTS:
CASUAL WINNER:
Domino Dreams™, Publisher: SuperPlay
Domino Dreams launched at the beginning of 2024 and has scaled impressively since, becoming one of the leading titles in its subgenre. It's been a remarkable year of growth for SuperPlay, with both Domino Dreams and Dice Dreams reaching new heights.
Domino Dreams™
MIDCORE WINNER:
Brawl Stars, Publisher: Supercell
In 2024, Brawl Stars continued to evolve by experimenting with new game modes, embracing high-profile collaboration events, and introducing limited-time power-ups as a recurring feature in its major activations. Beyond events, the game also implemented meaningful changes to its core systems, including a revamp of ranked gameplay and trophy progression. These updates resonated strongly with players, and the game sustained global launch-level performance for more than half the year—underscoring its continued relevance and momentum.
Brawl Stars
MIDCORE FINALISTS:
CASUAL WINNER:
Seaside Escape®: Merge & Story, Publisher: Microfun
Seaside Escape continued to rise in the charts by staying highly responsive to event trends and consistently delivering new, engaging content. With event formats like excavation and social win streaks at its core, the game maintained strong revenue growth and broke into the top 40 grossing titles—proving its staying power in the competitive merge-2 category.
Seaside Escape®: Merge & Story
CASUAL FINALISTS:
AppRefinery is Liftoff's exclusive insights platform for consumer apps, powered by real-time data, expert analysis, and our unique user motivation framework. Schedule a demo today!
WINNER:
DraftKings, Publisher: DraftKings
DraftKings' Stats Hub introduced a suite of analytical tools—including Line Moves, Consistency Sheets, and Systems & Streaks—that give users deeper insights into betting trends and player performance. By integrating this data directly into the app in a clear, actionable format, Stats Hub elevates the in-app experience and helps users make more informed decisions without needing third-party tools.
DraftKings
FINALISTS:
WINNER:
Trip.com, Publisher: Trip.com
TripGenie, Trip.com's AI-powered travel assistant, significantly boosted user engagement in 2024 by delivering personalized travel recommendations and streamlining the booking process. The assistant offers a seamless, conversational experience that makes trip planning more intuitive and tailored to individual preferences.
Trip.com
FINALISTS:
WINNER:
Snapchat, Publisher: Snap
Snapchat introduced a new feature that allows users to design personalized homes within Snap Map, transforming the map into a more immersive and expressive social space. This update adds a unique layer of customization and enhances digital connection through playful self-expression.
Snapchat
FINALISTS:
WINNER:
Pinterest, Publisher: Pinterest
Pinterest enhanced its platform in 2024 through a suite of AI-powered tools that significantly improved user engagement and advertiser performance. Personalized content recommendations and creative tools—such as AI-assisted collages, which have tripled engagement compared to standard Pins—elevated the user experience. On the business side, the Performance+ suite streamlined campaign creation and optimized ad targeting, leading to increased advertiser satisfaction and revenue growth.
FINALISTS: