ChatGPT leads Apple app & game downloads in NZ

Apple has released its lists of the most downloaded apps and games in New Zealand for 2025, highlighting local demand for AI tools, social media, streaming services, and mobile games across iPhone, iPad, and Apple Arcade.

The rankings cover free and paid titles on iPhone and iPad. They also include the most popular Apple Arcade games among New Zealand users this year.

The lists sit alongside the 2025 App Store Awards, which recognise apps and games selected by Apple's editorial team.

Two New Zealand-made titles featured among those global winners. Explore POV, by James Hustler, won Apple Vision Pro App of the Year. DREDGE, by Black Salt Games, took iPad Game of the Year.

The year-end charts show how rapidly generative AI and short-form social platforms have moved into mainstream use in New Zealand.

ChatGPT tops lists

On iPhone, ChatGPT was the most downloaded free app in New Zealand. The AI chatbot app sat ahead of local telco 2degrees NZ and Meta's Threads social app.

Chinese online marketplace Temu also ranked near the top of the free iPhone list. The Z Energy App, WhatsApp Messenger, Google, TikTok, New World NZ, and Instagram rounded out the top 10 free iPhone apps.

ChatGPT also led the free app rankings on iPad. It came ahead of YouTube and Netflix, which remain key video streaming services for tablet users.

Amazon Prime Video, Disney+, Google Chrome, TikTok, Simply Draw, Canva, and Spotify also featured in the top free iPad apps.

Local focus in paid apps

The paid iPhone app rankings showed strong local demand for navigation, testing, and language tools.

NZ Driving Theory Test took the top spot among paid iPhone apps. NZ Topo50 South Island and NZ Topo50 North Island followed, reflecting interest in digital topographic maps.

Te Aka Māori Dictionary also featured among the leading paid iPhone apps. It sat alongside Shadowrocket, Monash FODMAP Diet, NZ Learners Driving Test, The Great White App, Squeezy, and Procreate Pocket.

On iPad, paid downloads were dominated by creative and education tools. Procreate led the paid iPad app list, ahead of Procreate Dreams and forScore.

ToonSquid, Nomad Sculpt, AnkiMobile Flashcards, Feather: Draw in 3D, Book Creator for iPad, Shadowrocket, and NZ Driving Theory Test completed the top paid iPad apps.

Games drive engagement

Mobile games continued to anchor engagement across Apple platforms in New Zealand.

On iPhone, Block Blast! was the top free game. Roblox, Clash Royale, Township, Offline Games - No Wifi Games, Colour Block Jam, Subway Surfers, Kingshot, Perfect Tidy, and Last War:Survival made up the rest of the leading free iPhone games.

Minecraft: Dream it, Build it! topped the paid iPhone games. It was followed by Balatro, Plague Inc., Stardew Valley, Heads Up!, Geometry Dash, Bloons TD 6, Papa's Freezeria To Go!, Purple Place - Classic Games, and After Inc.

On iPad, the free games list again showed the reach of casual puzzle and arcade titles. Block Blast! and Roblox led, followed by Magic Tiles 3: Piano Game and Perfect Tidy.

Offline Games - No Wifi Games, Mini Games: Calm & Chill, Subway Surfers, Goods Puzzle: Sort Challenge, Paper.io 2, and Among Us! also ranked highly on iPad.

Minecraft: Dream it, Build it! again topped the paid iPad games chart, ahead of Stardew Valley and Geometry Dash.

Balatro, Bloons TD 6, Plague Inc., Purple Place - Classic Games, MONOPOLY, Papa's Freezeria HD, and Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp C rounded out the list.

Apple Arcade preferences

Apple also released the most-played titles in its subscription gaming service Apple Arcade for New Zealand in 2025.

NBA 2K25 Arcade Edition led the Apple Arcade chart. It sat ahead of Balatro+, Hello Kitty Island Adventure, Snake.io+, and Sneaky Sasquatch.

Bloons TD 6+, Fruit Ninja Classic+, PGA TOUR Pro Golf, Stardew Valley+, and Solitaire by MobilityWare+ completed the top Apple Arcade games.

The charts underline the blend of global brands and local products on New Zealand devices at the end of 2025. They also show how users in the country continue to split their time between communication, streaming, learning, and gaming across Apple platforms.