Candy Crush Saga
Released 12 April 2012 Developer King
A match-three puzzle game in which you swap candies on a board to hit a target, such as clearing jelly or collecting ingredients, within a limited number of moves. Thousands of levels are grouped into episodes, and new ones are added about every two weeks. It is aimed at a very broad audience and is one of the best-known mobile games.
Money health
CautionBuilt to push spending
Addictive design
Very high5 of 5 — counts the hooks designed in
Average price
Freefree to download
Spending ceiling
No ceilingRepeat purchases, no limit
Australian rating
In-game purchases
How it makes money
Caution: built to push spending
Candy Crush Saga is free to download and makes its money from in-app purchases of Gold Bars (the premium currency), extra lives, extra moves and boosters. On the Australian App Store the most popular items sit between A$1.99 and A$7.99, while Google Play shows single items up to A$229.99. You start with five lives, lose one for each failed level and wait for them to refill unless you pay, and an early review noted that extra moves and boosters can become close to necessary as levels get harder. King has been owned by Microsoft since its 2023 purchase of Activision Blizzard, and says its games carry third-party advertising.
How you pay
- Free-to-play
Free to download. The Australian App Store lists Gold Bars packs from A$1.99 (10 bars) to A$7.99 (50 bars) among its top items, and Google Play (AU) shows single in-app items from A$0.99 to A$229.99.
- Ad-funded
King's privacy policy says its games include advertising for third-party products and services, and the Android listing is labelled 'Contains ads'.
minor part of the game
Techniques it uses to keep you paying or playing
- Wait or pay
You have five lives; each failed level costs one and they refill over time (roughly every half hour per life, according to Wikipedia), or you can buy more (Extra Lives is A$1.99 on the App Store AU).
- Never-ending
Thousands of levels, with more added about every two weeks, so there is never a final level to reach.
- Game currency
Gold Bars are the premium currency and pay for lives, extra moves and boosters. King's terms say players only buy a revocable licence to use them and they can never be exchanged for money.
- FOMO timers
Time-limited challenges and leaderboard events run alongside the main levels and hand out boosters while they last (App Store description).
minor part of the game - Made scarce
Boosters such as the Lollipop Hammer (A$2.99) and Extra Moves (A$1.99 to A$2.99) are sold to get past hard levels; Common Sense Media says players cannot earn credits to buy them and only sometimes win power-ups in play.
minor part of the game - Social nudges
Lives can be requested from Facebook friends and the game pushes Facebook linking to compare scores; Common Sense Media says linking is optional.
minor part of the game - Data harvest
King's privacy policy says device identifiers, the games you play, your interactions, age, country and gender are shared with advertising partners, and targeted ads are on by default where local law allows (it can be changed in the game's Privacy and Security settings).
minor part of the game - Daily pressure
A Daily Booster Wheel gives a free reward each day you open the game (App Store description).
minor part of the game
Fairer alternatives
Similar games with a healthier money model
What it costs
Free to start, then A$1.99–A$229.99 a purchase
| What | Where | Price | Checked |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10x Gold Bars package (smallest listed pack) The App Store shows only a selection of the game's purchases. |
Apple App Store (AU) · iOS | A$1.99 | Oct 2026 |
| 50x Gold Bars package (largest listed pack) Largest Gold Bars pack among the items listed; others (Extra Moves, Lollipop Hammer) are A$1.99 to A$2.99. |
Apple App Store (AU) · iOS | A$7.99 | Oct 2026 |
| Largest single in-app item Top of the 'per item' range shown on the Google Play listing (A$0.99 to A$229.99); the item is not named. |
Google Play (AU) · Android | A$229.99 | Oct 2026 |
Store prices change often and sales are common; we record the regular price on the date shown.
Reviews from across the web
What the critics said
-
3.5/ 5
148Apps
Found it an enjoyable, challenging match-three game that most people can play without spending money, although the in-app purchases are tempting.
-
7.5/ 10
Multiplayer.it
Called it a simple, fun puzzler with a long campaign, but was wary that rising difficulty sits alongside paid extra moves and boosters that can become close to necessary.
Scores belong to the outlets that published them; follow the links to read the full reviews. Summaries are ours.
Age ratings & content
What's in it
The rating boards list no content warnings for this game beyond notices such as in-game purchases or online play.
Classification
Age ratings judge content (violence, language, gambling themes), summed up in the content labels above. They say little about how hard a game pushes spending — that's what the money badges are for. About rating boards
Safety & parental controls
Who can talk to your child, and what can they buy?
- No chat
- No contact with strangers
- No user-made content
- No account needed
- Terms of service minimum age: 13
No in-game chat. King's terms say users must be at least 13 and that a parent or guardian must consent if they are under the age of majority; the Apple App Store (AU) lists the game as 13+. The EU's Better Internet for Kids guide says purchases need an adult (18+). Turn off in-app purchases in the phone's own settings (the store description points to this). Targeted advertising is on by default where the law allows, and can be changed under Privacy and Security in the game's settings.
Who makes it
The company behind it, and its track record
- Large layoffs
Large layoffs
About 200 King staff (around 10% of the company) were laid off in July 2025 as part of Microsoft's job cuts.
Latest on the record
- Investigation
EU consumer regulators opened investigation over Candy Crush Saga virtual currency
European Commission - Labour
Signed a collective agreement after Swedish unions issued strike notice
Kotaku - Labour
Included in Xbox reset job cuts
Xbox Wire (Microsoft)
A company's history doesn't change this game's money verdict, which rates only how the game itself makes money. About company track records
Platforms & release
Where you can play it
| Platform | Released | Store |
|---|---|---|
| Windows PC Windows, via the Microsoft Store. |
29 July 2015 | Store page |
| iPhone and iPad | 14 November 2012 | Store page |
| Android phones and tablets | 14 December 2012 | Store page |
| Web browser Original release on Facebook; current availability not checked. |
12 April 2012 | — |
Further reading
- Official website
- King privacy policy (in-game advertising and data sharing)
- King terms (age, Gold Bars as a licence)
- Common Sense Media review (age 13+)
- Better Internet for Kids guide to Candy Crush Saga
- Wikipedia
Facts last checked 22 October 2026. Sources: apps.apple.com, play.google.com, play.google.com, play.google.com, play.google.com, en.wikipedia.org, king.com, king.com, www.commonsensemedia.org, better-internet-for-kids.europa.eu, www.metacritic.com, www.148apps.com, multiplayer.it, apps.microsoft.com. Spotted something wrong? Send a correction.