Every year Apple's App Store editorial team chooses the best apps and games of the year, but this year was different. So the company created an award based on the theme of "connection."

While iPhones and other devices can isolate us, they can also create a sense of community among users, whether it's a romance app for controlling women or finding a nearby black-owned eatery.

In addition to this trend, there are other great iPhone, iPad, Mac, and Apple Watch apps on the list, including apps that take video editing to the next level, and iOS games and iPad A number of games are also ranked on the list.

Here are the top 15 apps from the App Store Awards. Stay tuned for Tom's Guide's own list of the year's best apps later this month. If you're interested in hardware, here's everything Apple is expected to release in 2022.

Toca Life World combines all of Toca Boca's Toca Life games into one accessible free app, and the fact that it won Apple's iPhone App of the Year award suggests it does so with style and clarity suggests that Toca Life games are targeted at children ages 6 to 12, and while Toca Life World itself is free, there are plenty of in-app transactions available if you want to purchase more content. However, the places and characters available for free in Toca Life World look appealing enough for any child to enjoy an afternoon of open-ended fun. - Alex Wawro

Luki Labs' Craft is a free note-taking app that aims to be minimalistic, intuitive, and easy to use on all Apple devices The fact that Apple is honoring Craft with an App Store Award this year, delivers on its promise to quickly create, edit, and share documents across Apple devices with useful features such as offline syncing, dark mode, and the option to suggest edits by others via a web browser without having to download Craft (once invited, of course). Suggestions. Power users can purchase a Pro account ($45 per year) to take advantage of additional features such as unlimited cloud storage and in-document search. - Alex Wawro

If you're subscribing to cable TV just to keep up with sports, you're surely missing out; DAZN is a live sports streaming app, and in any of our guides on how to watch major sporting events, you probably You probably know its name. From soccer to fight night, MLS to MLB, this Apple TV app lets you stream the biggest live events all season long. (It even has something for snooker and darts fans.) DAZN makes it easy to access your favorite sports on your TV, phone, or tablet, whether you have a monthly or annual subscription, and you can watch in full 1080p on up to two devices at the same time. - Brian Westover

LumaFusion is the most powerful video editing app we have ever seen on a mobile device, catering to iPad power users who want to do advanced multi-pack editing with the touch of a finger LumaFusion is, Created by the original creators of the Pinnacle Studio app, it allows for up to six video/audio tracks, with the ability to add six more audio tracks. Cutting, copying, and pasting between timelines and projects is easy. You can also isolate audio tracks, fine-tune the audio with graphic EQs, and choose from a wide variety of effects. - Mark Spoonauer

Carrot Weather winning Apple Watch App of the Year is a reminder that we are once again out there doing real things. Carrot Weather always wins points for its customizable "voice" that can be set from apolitical to anarchic, but the Apple Watch complication (which you pay to unlock) is both very elegant and very informative. The Modular clock face can be filled with a variety of clear and colorful weather information, including five-day forecasts, wind, rain, and more. - Henry T. Casey

For years, fans have been waiting for League of Legends to leave the limited realm of the PC and go mobile. Well, what fans got was Wild Rift, a powerful mobile version of the popular multiplayer online battle arena (MOBA). iOS has other MOBAs, but Wild Rift swooped in and took the top spot. Despite being a mobile version, it didn't strike a nerve when compared to the original version. - Imad Khan

Marvel fans who want to escape into a multiverse of power and epic conflict can go to the iPad. In this superhero-themed fighting game and open-world RPG, you don the spandex of your favorite heroes and battle the villains we all love while saving the multiverse from catastrophic collapse. Praised for its graphics that far exceed expectations, engaging storyline, and multiplayer gameplay, this free-to-play base title is a must-have for anyone, not just Marvel fans, who are looking for a great game. - Brian Westover

When Apple announced Apple Arcade, a subscription-based gaming service for Apple devices, some gamers rolled their eyes at Cupertino's attempt to enter the gaming arena. However, one game that caught the attention of many was "Fantasian," created by Final Fantasy creator Hironobu Sakaguchi. It was a true "fantasy" RPG, featuring a soundtrack by Final Fantasy creator Nobuo Uematsu and strong gameplay. For all intents and purposes, "Fantasian" was an Apple Arcade system sales piece. - Imad Khan

For some people, Myst wins Game of the Year every year. This is because this is the year that developer Cyan released a macOS version of this classic adventure game optimized for Apple's silicon. With improved models and textures, new dynamic lighting effects, 4K mode, and other features, this version of Myst runs fine on Intel-based Macs, but is made to shine only on Macs with Apple's M1 chip. - Alex Wawro

If you're tired of games that only reward the fastest draws, spend some time with Space Marshals 3. In this stealth adventure game, you must use tactics to defeat the bad guys, but as you play the game, you will realize that there is more than one way to bring harm to justice. The "space cowboy" theme is interesting and the graphics are colorful, but what makes this game stand out as being for Apple TV is the extensive support for game controllers. - Philip Michaels

Among Us: A curious case of delayed reaction. The game was created by a group of friends in 2018, but didn't catch fire on Twitch until 2020. Mafia-style whodunit was easy to learn and fun to keep up with, attracting attention not only from Twitch's top stars but also from big-name celebrities and politicians. - Imad Khan

Bumble has become a mainstay of the best dating apps by empowering its female members; only women can initiate conversations on Bumble, and they feel more welcome than their casual rivals. Even better, Bumble doesn't necessarily have to be used to find a date; you can make connections in other ways, whether it's in sections aimed at expanding your circle of friends or business contacts. And through the COVID-19 craze, Bumble has added features that allow members to stay connected even when they are at a distance. - Philip Michaels

Canva is an app that specializes in visual communication, helping you produce professional-level results without the professional-level learning curve With Canva, graphics, logos, birthday cards, wedding invitations, presentations, brochures, Zoom backgrounds, and more. Powerful photo and video editing tools are also included. According to the company, 23 designs are created every second on the iPhone and iPad, making it definitely worth the download. - Mark Spoonauer

Whether you are traveling to a new city or looking for more diverse dining options where you live, the EatOkra app helps you find black-owned restaurants. more than 400,000 people have downloaded the app, and it is now available on the iPhone and iPad, In addition to finding restaurants and viewing reviews, you can also purchase products to further support black-owned businesses. eatOkra is working on in-app ordering and has already formed a partnership with Uber Eats, which it hopes to expand. - Mark Spoonauer

During the pandemic, schools were closed, forcing many families to work alongside home education. Finding connections with other women was essential for mothers facing a variety of challenges, including pregnancy and menopause. Peanut is the app for that. Called Tinder for moms, the app helped connect women discussing all aspects of life. - Imad Khan