If you've ever searched for the best iPhone apps, you've probably been a little overwhelmed by the sheer number of choices. With millions of apps out there and more being added all the time, it seems like something of an impossible task. Thankfully, Apple's App Store Awards can help us sort the gold from the river of shovelware.

Apple just announced the finalists for this year's awards, and Apple has nominated 45 “outstanding apps and games.” Apparently, these apps represent “the best user experience, design, and innovation of the year in the App Store” across 12 different categories covering Apple's entire product portfolio. In addition, apps for Vision Pro, a spatial computing headset launched in the spring, will be introduced for the first time.

Apple has not revealed exactly when the winners will be announced, only that they will be revealed at some point “in the coming weeks.” Until then, you can check out the nominees below.

Finalists in this category include Kino, a Pro video app packed with all sorts of tools and presets to help users shoot the best video possible. There is also Runna, which offers tailor-made training plans for runners of all levels, and Tripsy, a travel itinerary organization app. [Best iPhone game finalists include “AFK Journey,” a strategy role-playing game set in a fantasy world of magic and monsters, and “The WereCleaner,” which puts you in the shoes of a cleaner who must complete his shift without anyone noticing that he is a werewolf. The game was selected. Finally, there is “Zenless Zone Zero. Last but not least is Zenless Zone Zero, a 3D action game set in a disaster-ridden world plagued by something called “Hollows.”

Candidates for Best iPad apps include Bluey: Let's Play, an interactive game for children set in Bluey's world, and ProCreate Dreams, which provides all the tools necessary to create 2D animations. Also nominated is “Moises,” a music app that uses AI to edit and remix songs.

Best iPad Game nominees include the acclaimed “Assassin's Creed Mirage,” the arcade racing game “Disney Speedstorm,” the fight game featuring characters and monsters from games like “Clash of Clans” and ” Squad Busters,” among others.

Apple Arcade subscribers looking for something new to play may find these three finalists worth considering. First, “Balatro Plus” mixes a variety of card games and messes up the rules to create something unique. On the other hand, “Sonic Dream Team” takes you on a whole new 3D Sonic adventure. Finally, there is “Outlanders 2,” a town-building simulator where you build your own civilization.

The first contender for Mac App of the Year is Adobe Lightroom, which Apple highlights for its new AI-powered editing capabilities. Next is Shapr3D, designed to improve the development of 3D designs, covering all steps from initial sketches to actual production. Finally, there is OmniFocus 4, a task management application.

Macs may not be known for their games, but there are three candidates for the next Mac game. First is Frostpunk 2, a survival game about saving a city in a frozen apocalypse. Next is Stray, a viral hit that puts you in the shoes of a stray cat, and Thank Goodness You're Here, an absurd and cartoonish game set in the fictional and all too stereotypical northern English town of Barnsworth.

The Apple Vision Pro may not have as many apps as other Apple products, but there are still plenty of great apps for the headset. Apple's top three include JigSpace, which is designed for viewing 3D and augmented reality models on the headset, and the official NBA app, which allows you to stream NBA games and keep up to date with the league through spatial computing. There is also Marvel's immersive What If. into the episodes of the game and fly around the multiverse.

If you want to use your Apple headset for gaming, there are categories for that too. First, there's Loóna, a spatial puzzle game where you build a diorama. Then there's THRASHER, a first-person survival game where you fight wild bosses using only your hands. Finally, Apple nominated “Vacation Simulator” by the creators of “Job Simulator.

Wearables enthusiasts will want to check out the nominees for the Apple Watch app. First, LookUp is an app that helps you expand your vocabulary with new words and definitions every day. Then there's Lumy, which lets you know the rhythms of the sun and moon, and Watch to 5K, which lets you start running from nothing and run 5km/3.1 miles non-stop.

For Apple TV, the best apps nominated include Dropout (a streaming service for what used to be College Humor), F1 TV for Formula 1 fans, and Zoom (for video calls on your TV instead of your computer or phone).

Finally, the Cultural Impact category is nominated for “creating a lasting impact by bringing powerful stories to users and helping them bring out their best selves.” Nominees include:

Arco: Tactical RPG in which decisions made during the game affect future storylines

The Bear: Interactive bedtime story that takes the main character, a bear, on a “friendship-building adventure.”

Better Sleep: a white noise app that plays a variety of sounds for better sleep.

Brawl Stars: also nominated for brawl games, featuring characters from various mobile games made by Supercell.

DailyArt: Learn new facts about art history every day and join a community of art lovers in the process.

Do You Really Want to Know 2: An interactive story to educate and clear up misconceptions about HIV

EF Hello: An AI-powered tool to help people learn English and have anxiety-free conversations

NYT Games: The New York Times' portal to various puzzle games: Wordle.

Oko: AI-powered navigation app to help pedestrians navigate, with detailed directions and information on when and where to cross the street.

Partiful: creates digital party invitations in seconds and shares them across platforms so people can actually get together.

Pinterest: a digital pinboard service that allows people to search for new ideas, shop for them, and save them for later reference.

The Wreck: a 3D visual novel in which a failed screenwriter faces the most important day of his life.