10 years of Candy Crush: the most downloaded game in history

Candy Crush may seem like a silly game that everyone has tried to play at least once or twice, but that is precisely why it has become one of the most relevant and successful games in smartphone history.

Launched by KING in April 2012, the game has simple rules: move around colored candies until you make a row of three elements of the same color and that will make them disappear.

It seems like a new version of the classic game Tetris. Countless people played that game in the 1980s. But now there's Candy Crush, with over 3 billion downloads on Android and iOS.

Photo: Beata Dudova / Pexels

This figure makes Candy Crush the most downloaded game in history. Quite an achievement.

On Android and iOS combined, the Candy Crush app has about 38 million reviews and an average score of 4.6 out of 5.

Photo: Candy Crush Saga / Facebook

Ten years after its launch, Candy Crush has remained an enduring game. It was not a short fad, as many people thought. The game is still one of the most downloaded and played in the world.

The constant updates mean that Candy Crush has over 7,000 levels. It can take a player a very long time to finish it.

Photo: Candy Crush Saga / Facebook

The Candy Crush revolution wasn't just about simple and addictive gameplay. The game promoted the 'Freemium' option and was very successful thanks to it.

Photo: Candy Crush Saga / Facebook

In principle, anyone could play Candy Crush for free, with a limited number of lives that are replenished every so often. That may seem commonplace now, but it was something new when Candy Crush started it.

Photo: Candy Crush Saga / Facebook

If you want to make a difficult level a bit easier, you can buy tools, such as extra lives or devices that move or destroy candies. The costs of such aids are generally low: a few euros, pounds, or dollars.

However, all those small amounts - from 0.99 here and 2.99 there - added up to big profits for Candy Crush. In the year 2020, eight years after its launch, the game generated $1.6 billion, according to SuperData.

Photo: Candy Crush Saga / Facebook

According to data provided by the developer itself, Candy Crush is a game that has had a remarkable impact on Generation X. Those are people born between 1965 and 1981.

46% of Candy Crush players belong to this age group. Within that cohort, about 60% of the players are women.

Photo: Candy Crush Saga / Facebook

Currently, Candy Crush is still one of the most downloaded applications. However, it experienced a boom between 2013 and 2018 that it probably won't repeat.

Nevertheless, the makers at KING continue to innovate their game. They have special games during holidays or tied to the seasons, and they are also creating new levels. This means that even the most seasoned Candy Crush player can still pick up where they left off.

Photo: Candy Crush Saga / Facebook

There are also parallel franchises such as Farm Heroes Saga, Candy Crush Jelly Saga, and Candy Crush Friends Saga. They all have great success, but nothing comes close to the original.