Our favorite apps, games, and entertainment from 2021 for all of your new tech

It’s been a difficult year, and with the appearance of the COVID-19 omicron variant, it looks like 2022 may have a rocky start. But whether you’re spending the holidays sheltering at home or hanging with friends or family, you can make things more cheerful and fun by using your brand-new hardware — or your current tech — to watch some great streaming movies or TV, play games, and refresh your computer or mobile device with some cool new apps.

We’ve asked the staff of The Verge to tell us about their favorite streaming videos, games, and apps. These have not gone through scientific testing or public polls — they are what we have used and enjoyed and think that you will like (or love) as well. We’ve compiled our favorite streaming shows from HBO Max, Hulu, and Netflix; our best-loved games for iOS, Android, and Windows devices; and our top choices for the OLED Switch, PS5, Xbox, and for your VR headset. We’ve even got a list of some great TikTok creators. And when it’s time to do some serious stuff, we’ve recommended our favorite apps for Android, iOS, Windows, and macOS.

We’ll be putting these up over the course of the holiday season. So check out our best of the year picks, and enjoy!