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Learn how to play the viral game (& tips to achieve a sweet high score)
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This wikiHow teaches you how to play Candy Crush Saga on a computer or a smartphone.

Playing Candy Crush

Swap the colored pieces of candy to make a match of 3 or more pieces of the same color. Once you make a match, those candies will be crushed and replaced by new ones and points will be added to your score. Earn a certain number of points within the amount of moves at the top of the screen to pass the level.

Part 1
Part 1 of 3:

Getting Started

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  1. If you're playing Candy Crush Saga on an iPhone or Android, you can download the app for free:
    • iPhone - Open the App Store , tap Search , search for "candy crush saga", tap GET next to the "Candy Crush Saga" heading, and enter your password or Touch ID when prompted.
    • Android - Open the Google Play Store , search for "candy crush saga", select Candy Crush Saga , tap INSTALL , and tap ACCEPT when prompted.
    • If you're playing Candy Crush Saga on desktop, skip this step.
  2. Tap the Candy Crush Saga app icon, which resembles a cluster of candy, to do so.
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  3. If you want to mute the game or its sound track, you can click or tap the Settings gear in the lower-left corner of the screen and then click or tap your preferred options.
    • When playing a level, opening the Settings menu and then selecting the door-shaped icon will exit your game.
  4. It's at the bottom of the screen. Doing so opens the Candy Crush Saga level view, at which point you're free to play.
    • On desktop, select a level (e.g., the circle below 1 ) and then click Play! at the bottom of the pop-up window.
    • You may be prompted to allow notifications if you're playing on mobile.
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Part 2
Part 2 of 3:

How to Play Candy Crush

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  1. Usually, your goal in Candy Crush Saga is to clear as many rows and columns as possible in as few moves as possible. You can clear candy pieces from the board by lining up three (or more) in a row, which is accomplished by swapping pieces of candy in order to create three of a kind.
    • The initial objective of Candy Crush Saga is to earn a certain number of points within a certain number of moves.
    • As you proceed through Candy Crush Saga, other objectives (such as reaching a certain score within a time limit or clearing all of a type of candy from the board) will become more common.
  2. There are a few key components that you'll want to pay attention to here:
    • The number at the top of the screen is the number of moves remaining.
    • The progress bar in the upper-left corner of the screen displays your current score.
    • The "Target" number in the upper-right corner of the screen determines your current level's objective.
  3. Like any game, both winning a level and losing a level have repercussions:
    • Winning a game in Candy Crush Saga unlocks the next level. It can also make available some perks and boosters for your completed levels.
    • Losing a Candy Crush Saga game causes the level to reset, and you'll also lose a life. While lives automatically regenerate once every ~30 minutes or so, you can only have 5 lives at a time without paying for extra.
  4. The game is played by swiping candies, in any direction (so long as it is not blocked), to create sets of 3 or more matching candies. When matched, the candies will crush and shift the candies above them, allowing you to accomplish a series of different goals.
  5. While matching 3 candies in a row will clear them from the board, matching more will both clear the candies from the board and create a special candy that can be used to clear additional candies:
    • If you match 4 candies, a special candy will be created which will burst an entire row if matched as part of another set of 3 or more.
    • If you match 5 or more candies in a T or L shape, you will create a wrapped candy. These explode the square of candies surrounding that tile (when matched) and then explode a subsequent 3x3 block wherever they settle.
    • If you match 5 candies in a single row, you’ll a color bomb which resembles a chocolate with sprinkles. When swapped with another candy, color bombs remove all instances of the swapped candy from the board.
  6. You can earn a few of the boosters in the beginning of the game. You can also purchase most boosters within the game using actual money. These can help you win a level when you’re too frustrated or unable to continue. Be careful how you use them, however, as you never know when you’ll need one.
    • There are boosters which add moves—such as the lollipop hammer (which crushes the desired candy on the board) and the shuffle candy (which will rearrange the board)—among a number of other boosters. They should be explained as you earn them, though almost all you will have to buy.
  7. Each level will have a "target" score or objective in the upper-right corner of the game board. This can be reaching a specific number of points, destroying a specific set of tiles, or other goals like forcing items to fall to the bottom.
  8. When Candy Crush Saga levels introduce new concepts, they will provide walkthroughs to explain how the new concepts or conventions work. If you don't know how a level works, the tutorial will most likely explain it.
    • You can always skip the tutorials by clicking or tapping Skip when they appear.
  9. You will play a series of games, each with a different game board and many with different goals, which will progress you across the levels. Beating a level will result in the next level becoming unlocked.
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Part 3
Part 3 of 3:

Winning Strategies for Candy Crush Saga

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  1. There are some tiles, like bombs or chocolate, which should always be eliminated first if they exist on the board. These will inhibit your progress or cause you to lose.
    • Bombs end the game if not eliminated in the move limit specified on their face, while chocolate will multiply if not destroyed. [1]
  2. Like chess, you'll need to think several moves ahead in Candy Crush Saga. Unless the level is timed, spend a few minutes looking for potential combinations and considering the results of making certain matches.
    • This may take a while at first, but the more you play, the quicker you'll recognize patterns and opportunities.
  3. You will have many levels where the game board is not a perfect rectangle, or includes a number of gaps in the board. You will need to plan around these gaps, and they can make it incredibly difficult to make paired sets.
  4. Once you become better acquainted with the game, you will be able to tell when a game board will be too difficult to complete. You can reshuffle the board using boosters or by exiting the game before you perform any moves.
  5. The game will make move suggestions if you idle for too long. These suggestions are random and it will usually be in your best interest to ignore them. If you don’t have a time limit, take the time to find out if there is a better move available. If you are only trying to increase points before a time limit runs out, take the game’s suggestion.
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Community Q&A

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Add New Question
  • Question
    What does a bomb look like?
    Community Answer
    A bomb looks like a chocolate ball with sprinkles on it. It can be created by joining 5 candies in a row.
  • Question
    How do I bring all the ingredients to the bottom?
    Community Answer
    Pay attention to which columns the ingredients are in and try to pick combinations that clear those columns. Also, more ingredients will appear as you clear the board, so go for combinations that clear more rather than fewer spaces, a set of 4 rather than 3, a bomb, etc.
  • Question
    What do the bonuses do on the board?
    Community Answer
    Freckles destroy every candy of that colour, striped candies destroy all in a horizontal or vertical line, depending on how they're swiped, flashing candies destroy all candies around them in a one lolly radius, fish eat the colour candies.
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      Tips

      • Here is a list of the candies you will find in each level:
        • An orange lozenge
        • A red jellybean
        • A purple cluster
        • A blue lollipop
        • A yellow lemon drop
        • A green square
      • Some levels will have different goals that you must reach, including the following:
        • Reaching the target score in the limited moves you are allotted (Target Score).
        • Reaching the target score within the time limit (Timed).
        • Clearing all the jelly.
        • Reaching the ingredients by clearing a path through the candy (Ingredient Drop).
        • Collecting orders (Candy Order).
      • If you are really struggling with a level, try not playing for a couple of days. This is not guaranteed to get you through a really tricky level, but it may help you see the solution to the level once you return.
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      Warnings

      • Avoid playing the Flash version of Candy Crush Saga. The Facebook and mobile versions of Candy Crush Saga are routinely updated and subject to newer conventions (e.g., free progression through episodes) while the Flash version is not.
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