168,699 total apps in the Windows Store and the top Windows 8.1 apps and games as of July 5th

Ron

168,699 total apps in the Windows Store and the top Windows 8.1 apps and games as of July 5th

It’s Saturday, July 5th, and its time to take a look at the Windows Store, which is home to both Windows 8.1 and Windows RT apps. Let’s take a look at the total app count, which apps are at the top of the charts, and highlight some new apps for our readers. Lets begin!

As of July 5th, there are now 168,699 apps in the Windows Store (worldwide). We are seeing a somewhat slow process of new apps being added to the Windows Store. To put things in perspective, the Windows Store was at the 146,000 app mark back in February of this year and has managed to move up by 20,000 apps in five months.

The top-five free apps in the United States are Facebook, Netflix, Skype, Google Search, and Tube Free. The top five paid apps are Plex, Essential Anatomy 3, KVADPhoto+ Pro, Hurricane Tracker, and MyRadar Weather Radar. 

The top five free games are GT Racing 2 The Real Car Experience, Asphalt 8 Airborne, FIFA 14, Microsoft Solitaire Collection, and Despicable Me Minion Rush. The top five paid games are Halo Spartan Assault, Fruit Ninja, GTA San Andreas, Wheel of Fortune, and Rayman Jungle Run.

These are the Red Stripe Deals for the week, offering discounts of 50% or more on popular apps: Bejeweled Live ($2.49), Cribbage ($1.49), Tennis in the Face ($0.99), GRIDD 2 ($0.99), Where Angels Cry ($2.99), and Gleek ($4.99).

Let’s recap some of the new apps that were made available this week to the Windows Store.

168,699 total apps in the Windows Store and the top Windows 8.1 apps and games as of July 5th

Disney Bola Soccer (free) – Originally launched on Facebook, Disney Bola Soccer is a very addictive game, and it is totally worth checking out if you are not familiar with it. In the game, you can create your dream team and guide it to win the global championship. And if that seems a bit unrealistic, you can play against your friends as well.

As with most games, the points you earn can be used to improve player’s performance, etc. There are enough stats and figures to help you keep tab over your performance. The app utilizes simple tap gestures to control the game.

While the game is absolutely free, there are several features and points that are available for in-app purchase. Take it out for a whirl – its free!

168,699 total apps in the Windows Store and the top Windows 8.1 apps and games as of July 5th

Euronews (free) – If you reside in Europe, you must grab the official Euronews app for Windows 8.1 and Windows Phone 8. You can stay updated on current affairs, business, culture, and science news — all from an European perspective. 

“Euronews, the most watched news channel in Europe, covers international news in 13 languages. With 400 journalists from more than 30 nationalities, Euronews offers a unique, independent and totally impartial perspective on world events,” the app description reads.

The app allows you to express your opinion with comments and share stories via social networks. The app is available in 13 different languages, with more to come soon. The app supports touchscreen gestures, Live tiles, and has Snap support.

168,699 total apps in the Windows Store and the top Windows 8.1 apps and games as of July 5th

Gameloft’s Blitz Brigade (free) – “You ready for the gun show? Axis or Allies, victory or defeat, mayo or mustard… All will be decided in the ultimate FPS showdown: Blitz Brigade! Become one of five highly skilled and totally badass classes and team up with other players to pound your enemies into the dirt and call them mean names,” the app description reads.

I’m a fan of first-person shooter games, and if you are too, it’s time for you to take a look at Blitz Brigade. It’s a Gameloft title which is already available on iOS and Android, and has received its fair share of success. Blitz Brigade is a multiplayer game where you team up with players from across the globe, and select the class you want to fight with, which includes Soldier, Gunner, Medic, Sniper, and Stealth.

The game allows up to 12 players to battle at the same time, and even supports voice chat so you can plan your strategy during the game. The game has over 100 deadly weapons to choose from, and each one of them is designed for a specific class so make sure you choose the one most suitable for you. The game also has over 120 training missions, which can help you master the specialized skills of different classes in the game.

168,699 total apps in the Windows Store and the top Windows 8.1 apps and games as of July 5th

Comedy Central (free) – The official Comedy Central app for Windows 8.1 arrived earlier this week. If you want to see the latest episodes of your favorite shows, such as South Park and The Daily Show, this app is a must-have. Best of all, the app is free. Comedy Central, for those that did not know, is an American based cable channel that carries various comedy programming.

“Get the latest episodes of The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, The Colbert Report, South Park and @midnight, plus other shows. Seriously, there’s hours and hours of stuff to watch: sign in with your TV provider to access everything, including Tosh.0, Key & Peele, Workaholics and more. You can also kick back with great stand-up specials, archive shows (including Chappelle’s Show) and full seasons of returning series,” the app description reads.

168,699 total apps in the Windows Store and the top Windows 8.1 apps and games as of July 5th

Shuttersong (free) – For those that did not know, Shuttersong is a popular service that lets you take photos and tag them with a snippet of sound. You can then share your creation to friends and family members. 

“Windows 8 makes for a perfect landscape for Shuttersong – beautifully meshing imagery, sound and touch, and putting creativity into the hands of millions of new users,” said Shuttersong founder and CEO, William Agush, in a press release to WinBeta. “This is a major step forward for Shuttersong as we expand our user base. We’re excited to see what Windows 8 users can create with their photos and music libraries.”

With Shuttersong, you can add 15 seconds of voice, music, or sound into any digital photo. The app features a complete redesign and builds upon the Windows 8 platform. The app allows you to access your photo library on your device or in the cloud, and even create Shuttersongs from archived images.

168,699 total apps in the Windows Store and the top Windows 8.1 apps and games as of July 5th

Autodesk AutoCAD 360 (free) – Autodesk has released an app called AutoCAD 360 for Windows 8.1 devices, allowing users to view DWG, DWF, and DXF files. The app is a free CAD viewer for Windows 8.1 devices and is currently available as a free preview.

“Autodesk AutoCAD 360 is the official AutoCAD mobile app. This is a free Tech Preview for Windows Store. It allows you to view DWG, DWF, and DXF files in both the offline and online mode. We would love to hear your feedback and ideas at: [email protected],” the app description reads.

Currently, the preview has limited features but is expected to receive more features in future updates. You can switch between model space and paper space within the app, and there is support for both offline and online modes. The app is fully synced with your AutoCAD 360 account and allows you to open drawings stored on your device or upload drawings though the AutoCAD 360 webapp.