📖 Gaming term
Match-3 Game
A puzzle sub-genre where players swap adjacent tiles to line up 3 or more identical pieces to clear them.
The formula
Match-3 games are a dominant puzzle sub-genre made popular by Bejeweled (2001) and later by Candy Crush Saga (2012). The player swaps two adjacent tiles to create a horizontal or vertical line of 3+ identical pieces, which then clear and trigger a cascade.
Variations
- Swap: classic exchange (Candy Crush)
- Shoot: fire a new tile onto the board (Bubble Shooter)
- Chain: click connected same-color tiles
- Merge: combine identicals to create stronger ones
Why they dominate mobile
Short sessions, satisfying chain reactions, and clear progression. Match-3 games generated billions in revenue. Free alternatives exist on PlayFunly — check our puzzle games.
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