Best Apps and Mobile Games of 2016

The year 2016 has come and gone, bringing several amazing apps and games with it. Some of these were released for the first time in 2016, while others got significant updates that brought them to our list. From WhatsApp to Super Mario Run, here are our favourite apps and games released in 2016.

Check out our other year in review coverage:

• The Best Mobiles of 2016
• Best Mobiles Under Rs. 10,000
• Our Favourite Tech Purchases of 2016

Best Apps of 2016
These are our favourite apps released in 2016.

Pocket Casts 6.0
Pocket Casts is an awesome podcast player for Android and iOS. The app got a major update in 2016 and this was made available for free for existing customers. It got an excellent new dark theme and allows you to boost vocals and trim silence while podcasts. The latter saves a lot of time if you listen to many podcasts.

Download: Pocket Casts on iOS or Android

Prisma
It appeared out of nowhere and became a viral sensation in no time. Prisma adds filters to make your photo look like a painting. No one could’ve predicted how popular it’d become. It became a huge hit perhaps because it often has a positive effect on selfies and quite a few people continue to use this app for that.

Download: Prisma on iOS or Android

Gboard
Apple’s default keyboard works for most people but it could do with features such as better prediction. There are several third-party alternatives available and the best is probably Gboard. Comes with built-in Google search, gif search, and is perhaps the best keyboard app for iPhone.

Download: Gboard for iOS or Android

Walnut
This expense tracking app has been around for some time, but the demonetisation chaos brought it into the spotlight. Walnut makes it easy to find ATMs that have cash. Extremely useful when most people have almost no cash and most ATMs have long snake-like queues.

Download: Walnut for iOS or Android

Pigment
Pigment brings colouring books for adults to your smartphone. Adult colouring books are quite expensive if you buy the print editions, but if you’ve never tried it and aren’t sure what the fuss is all about, Pigment is the app you need. The app has wonderful illustrations which are a lot of fun to colour. You get up to 250 drawings for free, after which you can pay for more. It's wonderfully restful, and the drawing engine is one of the best we've seen. Currently iOS only, but it’s coming soon to Android.

Download: Pigment for iOS

Adobe Acrobat Reader
Another app that has been around for a while but still made it to this list. Acrobat Reader for Android and iOS got a new scan feature that lets you quickly scan documents. We’ve been using it to scan receipts, letters, and other printed documents. It lets you quickly add these to a PDF document and makes things very convenient.

Download: Adobe Acrobat Reader for iOS and Android

Best Mobile Games of 2016
These are the best games for smartphones and tablets released in 2016.

Reigns
One of the best mobile games to emerge in 2016, Reigns puts you in throne of a king. You rule over your subjects via Tinder-like cards. Swiping either side offers different choices and these decide how long your reign lasts. Addictive, and a lot of fun to play.

Download: Reigns for iOS or Android

Pokemon Go
Remember Pokemon Go? The game that everyone and their entire social circle was playing in July and August? And yes, it has officially launched in India. There was a time when you could step out in any Indian city and find hordes of people staring into their phones to catch Pokemon. The craze may be gone but the game still has a large number of players.

Download: Pokemon Go for iOS or Android

Deus Ex Go
Square Enix’s series of mobile games is turning out to be something really special. If you thought Lara Croft Go and Hitman Go were fluke hits, then Deus Ex Go will rid you of that assumption. The story may not be memorable, but the puzzles are just too good.

Download: Deus Ex Go for iOS or Android

Mini Metro
Mini Metro was available on other platforms before it arrived on mobile and we loved playing it on those. With mobile ports we’re usually concerned about quality because not every game plays just as well on mobile devices. Mini Metro, fortunately, lived up to its own high standards on mobile. It’s an amazing metro train simulator that starts simple but becomes quite complex and challenging very soon.

Download: Mini Metro for iOS or Android

Severed
A weird and violent game where you gain upgrades by severing enemies’ body parts, Severed is among the best mobile games to be released in 2016. Its art is very good and the gameplay is excellent. You’ll love solving its puzzles while listening to the great soundtrack.

Download: Severed for iOS

Super Mario Run
Everyone has been asking for a Mario game for smartphones for ages now and Nintendo has finally delivered. While it requires an Internet connection to play, the game is good enough for most people to play it in spite of that, as we mentioned in our review.

Download: Super Mario Run for iOS

Which are your favourite apps and games released in 2016? Let us know via the comments.