Candy Crush Saga: match three, clear the goal

Candy Crush Saga is a match-3 puzzle game by King. It started on Facebook in April 2012 and came to iPhone and Android in November 2012. You swap candies to make lines of three or more, and each level gives you a goal and a limited number of moves. King adds new levels every week, and there are now many thousands.

Special candies

Matching more than three candies makes a special candy. Combining two specials is where the big clears come from.

Striped candy. Match four in a row. Clears a full row or column.
Wrapped candy. Match in an L or T shape. Explodes twice around itself.
Color bomb. Match five in a row. Swap it with a candy to remove every candy of that color.
Jelly fish. Match four in a square. Swims to a random tile and clears it.

Level goals, lives and boosters

Each level shows its goal and move count before you start. Run out of moves before the goal is met and you fail. You have five lives. Failing a level costs one, and they refill over time. Boosters such as the lollipop hammer remove a single candy or help in other ways. You earn some by playing and can buy more, but every level can be beaten without paying.

Jelly levels. Clear all the jelly under the candies.
Ingredient levels. Bring cherries and hazelnuts down to the bottom.
Order levels. Collect a set number of certain candies.
Score levels. Reach a target score in the moves you have.

Tips

Match from the bottom. Moves low on the board cause cascades that are free extra matches.
Build specials before using them. Two specials together beat two used alone.
Aim at the goal. A big combo that misses the jelly does not win the level.

Where to play, and making your own

Candy Crush Saga is free on iPhone, Android, Windows and Facebook. King, now part of Microsoft through Activision Blizzard, also makes Candy Crush Soda Saga and other spin-offs. Roam has no match-3 game in its catalog right now, but you can describe one with your own theme and play it on your iPhone.

Make your own match-3 with Roam

Roam is a free iPhone app that turns a description into a game. Choose the pieces, the goals and the specials, and use a photo to put your friends on the board. Roam is rated 13+ on the App Store.

Try: "match-3 with my friends' faces from this photo as the pieces, match four for a rocket, 20 levels, clear the pizza tiles to win"

Create it with Roam Pre-register on Android See Roam

Roam ("Roam - Make Games" on the App Store) is an iPhone app where you play games and make your own by describing them or from a photo. It is free to download and play, and making games works without a subscription; optional Spark and Reality plans and credit packs add more creation. Android: pre-register on Google Play.

Questions people ask

Who made Candy Crush Saga?

King, a studio now owned by Microsoft through Activision Blizzard.

How many levels does Candy Crush have?

Many thousands, and King adds new ones every week, so the total keeps changing.

Can you beat Candy Crush without paying?

Yes. Boosters help, but every level is designed to be beatable with the moves you get.