Players tap their way to victory in 11% of Match3 games in the top grossing 500. When tapped, blocks disappear and the remaining blocks “collapse” to fill the hole. In this variation, players tap blocks of the same color that are next to each other. Though even as the second most popular matching mechanic, only 16% of top grossing 500 Match3 games consist of shooting games.Ĭollapse is a mechanic popularized in Match3 by games like Pet Rescue Saga and Toy Blast. Games like Panda Pop, Bubble Witch 3 Saga are the big hitters in this matching type. This matching type is still by far the most common matching type with 63% of Match3 games in the top grossing 500 (iOS US) sticking with this rather traditional mechanic.īubble shooters are one archetype of Match3 games and, as the name suggests, the matching of board pieces in these games works by shooting bubbles. Original Candy Crush’s matching works by swapping two board pieces to get 3 or more pieces of the same color lined up.

Let’s start by taking a look at the most common ones. There are several different ways how those board pieces can be matched and destroyed in a Match3 game. Second, we’re discussing the recent rise and growing importance of meta-game aspects in Match3 games. First, we’re taking a high-level look at the various matching types and their popularity (e.g., swapping vs. In this blog post, we’re focusing on two main aspects of Match3 games. But during the last couple of years, there has (fortunately) been quite a bit of innovation in the Match3 space, as designers have tried to create even more compelling experiences for their audiences. On the surface Candy Crush Saga is a straightforward game: just grinding those candies level after level and advancing in the “Saga Map” with no material meta-elements in sight. It remains the number one game of the Match3 genre today with a stunning 27% share of the whole genre’s revenues! Consequently, many designers and (players for that matter) view Candy Crush Saga as the “basic template” of a Match3 game. King’s Candy Crush Saga was originally launched all the way back in 2012, but it’s still generating super-high revenues and lingering in the very top of the grossing charts. For instance, when looking at IAP revenues generated during the past quarters, the Match3 genre beats its competitors quite clearly in the US: How gaming studios use DataSuite to find hit gamesīeing “in the top” can, of course, be defined in various ways, but when it comes to Match3 games, they tick all the boxes.

Gardenscapes match 3 world