Google Play's best games of 2020 -- Genshin Impact is the big winner

Become a member of GB MAX to gain exclusive access to the industry and to the most influential global B2B leadership community in the business of gaming, entertainment, and tech. Join now and also get a VIP ticket to GamesBeat Next (Nov 2-3, SF).

As part of its annual awards, Google Play announced that MiHoYo’s Genshin Impact walked away with the title of Best Game of 2020.

The games honored this year brought people together during an unprecedented pandemic. And since Android has more users around the world than iOS, these are also the mobile games that were likely played by the biggest audiences around the world.

Google Play’s pick for the Best App of 2020 was Loóna: Bedtime Calm & Relax. This app and many of the games and other popular pastimes are based on the notion that good entertainment distracts us from reality — and 2020 certainly offered us an awful reality. Google Play’s editorial team looked at considerations such as quality, user ratings, and unique use cases. In this case, the team said Genshin Impact’s cultural contribution had to be celebrated.

The mobile games listed are accessible, as they should be something everyone can enjoy, the team said. Players gravitated toward casual subjects, perhaps because they wanted upbeat or funny content.

Here’s the list of winners in games.