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Updated July 2026 · real, multi-region App Store reviews
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The verdict on

Candy Crush Saga

45
User verdict / 100 High confidence Divided

Recent user reviews for Candy Crush Saga indicate a significant decline in satisfaction due to an increase in aggressive monetization tactics, excessive ads, frequent technical issues like crashes and freezes, and a perceived increase in level difficulty, despite the game's long-standing appeal as a fun and challenging time-killer.

4.7★ lifetime (3,955,492) Free + in-app purchases since 2012 by King.com Limited updated 0.3 mo ago recent negative 53% 120 reviews across 4 regions
Ads & Pop-ups Monetization & Difficulty Technical Issues Gameplay Changes User Experience Clutter
5★295
4★53
3★121
2★111
1★420
recent reviews across 4 regions, vs the 4.7★ lifetime average

Candy Crush Saga, a popular match-3 game, is currently facing a wave of negative feedback from recent users. While some still find it fun and addictive, many are frustrated by an overwhelming number of pop-ups and ads, frequent app crashes, and a growing sentiment that the game is forcing players to make in-app purchases to progress.

What users like

  • Still considered fun, challenging, and addictive by many playersR2R9R11R20
  • Good for passing time and mental engagementR8R32R44R52

What users complain about

  • Excessive and intrusive advertisements and pop-ups disrupt gameplayR5R8R10R12
  • Frequent app crashes and freezes lead to loss of progress, lives, and power-upsR6R19R28R39
  • Game is perceived as 'pay-to-win' with increasingly difficult levels that push for purchasesR1R4R8R17
  • Recent updates have removed or changed beneficial features like extra moves for ads and daily rewards, making progression harderR17R36R42R55
  • Ads often glitch or cannot be closed, forcing users to restart the app and lose rewardsR13R16R24R41
  • Too many side games, animations, and collection junk make it cumbersome to get to actual gameplayR15R21R49R56
  • Some users report losing progress, gold bars, or lives unexpectedlyR19R25R38R54

Latest update · v1.331.0.1

What the developer says changed (the verdict above weighs this against what reviewers report):

We hope you’re having fun playing Candy Crush Saga! We update the game every week with sweet new features, exciting levels, and important bug fixes to keep everything running smoothly. Don't forget to download the latest version for the best experience! New to the game? Don’t be shy, join the fun!

Recurring themes

Monetization & Difficulty negative
Many users feel the game has become overly aggressive in pushing in-app purchases, with levels designed to be impossible without buying boosters or lives. They report a removal of options to earn extra moves via ads and an increase in the cost of in-game items, making the game feel like a 'pay-to-win' racket.R1R4R8R17
Ads & Pop-ups negative
A pervasive complaint is the sheer volume and intrusiveness of advertisements and pop-ups. Users describe constant interruptions, long ads, and pop-ups that require multiple clicks to dismiss, significantly detracting from the gameplay experience. Some ads also glitch, preventing closure and leading to lost rewards.R5R8R10R12
Technical Issues negative
Many recent reviews report frequent app crashes, freezing, and bugs, often leading to the loss of lives, boosters, or progress on a level. This directly contradicts the developer's claim of 'important bug fixes to keep everything running smoothly' in the latest update.R6R19R28R39
Gameplay Changes negative
Users are unhappy with recent changes to core gameplay mechanics, such as the removal of bonus plays after watching ads and the introduction of a 'spin for bonus' wheel that often yields fewer moves. These changes are seen as making the game less enjoyable and more frustrating.R17R36R42R55
User Experience Clutter negative
The game is criticized for having too many side games, collection junk, and animations that create a cluttered and overwhelming experience. It takes a long time to navigate through these interruptions just to get to a level.R15R21R49R56

Who it's for

Candy Crush Saga is for players who enjoy challenging match-3 puzzles and don't mind frequent interruptions for ads or in-app purchase prompts R2R20R45. It is not for those who seek a seamless, ad-free gaming experience or are easily frustrated by 'pay-to-win' mechanics and technical glitches R5R6R18.

Evidence note: The recent reviews skew heavily negative, which contrasts with the high lifetime rating. This suggests a recent decline in user satisfaction, possibly due to recent updates and changes in monetization strategy. The developer's notes mention 'bug fixes' but recent reviews frequently report crashes and freezes, indicating these fixes may not be effective or new bugs have been introduced.

Frequently asked

Is Candy Crush Saga still fun to play?
Yes, many users still find Candy Crush Saga fun, challenging, and addictive, praising its ability to pass time and engage the mind R2R20R32R45.
Does Candy Crush Saga have a lot of ads and pop-ups?
Yes, recent reviews indicate that Candy Crush Saga has an excessive number of intrusive ads and pop-ups that disrupt gameplay, with some ads even glitching and preventing users from closing them R5R10R12R13.
Are there frequent crashes or technical issues in Candy Crush Saga?
Yes, many users report frequent app crashes and freezes, often leading to loss of progress, lives, or power-ups, despite recent developer claims of bug fixes R6R19R28R39.
Is Candy Crush Saga a 'pay-to-win' game?
Many recent reviewers feel that Candy Crush Saga has become a 'pay-to-win' game, with increasingly difficult levels and a strong push for in-app purchases to progress, especially after certain levels R1R4R18R34.

What reviewers actually said

Built only from these 120 real reviews (foreign ones translated). Superscripts jump to the quote here. Apple has no per-review links, so [ref] opens that app's reviews on the App Store.

  1. [R2] 5/5 · US The only reason I’m going to get the game is that it is so much fun: The game is so much fun i think you should try it 👄🦷👄🦷👄🦷👄🦷🦷🦷👄👄👄👄🧠👁️👩🏿👩🏿👩🏿👩🏿👩🏿👩👩👩👨🏾‍🦱👨‍🦱👨🏼‍🦱
  2. [R9] 5/5 · US Amazing: I love it ✨❤️ it’s amazing
  3. [R11] 5/5 · US Win streak reason: The reason why I kept winning is all thanks to the very intelligent random candy colored jelly fish, it makes me excited when I win a round.
  4. [R20] 5/5 · US Iced Coffee: Very fun, and challenging game.
  5. [R8] 3/5 · US El stinky but good.: Very nice character design , good to pass time, but I will always hate the constant push for micro transactions and paywalls- “watch an ad to replay!” Its annoying it’s a shame that candy crush has succumbed to this level too
  6. [R32] 5/5 · US Great Game: I enjoy playing candy crush and it really is a great time consumer,
  7. [R44] 5/5 · US Great time savor.: This game is a good mini vacation from moments.
  8. [R52] 5/5 · US Not bad: No ads? My thing! There are completely no ads! I will say… don’t download this game thinking you’re going to conquer the whole entire game because it’s pretty hard. I will say it is a little addicting. It is great for a passenger game in a car.
  9. [R5] 2/5 · US Abusive ads: I have had it with long ads that require multiple x’s to get out of. I’m deleting this game
  10. [R10] 1/5 · US Pop ups: The most pop ups I’ve ever experienced in a game like I’m just trying to play please stop
  11. [R12] 3/5 · US Too many ads: Said it all in the title
  12. [R6] 1/5 · US Awful: Crashes every time I play on every level and waist my power ups and lives. And yes I’m running on the most current version
  13. [R19] 1/5 · US Candy crash: System crashes a lot especially when you make are play for more than 30 minutes or streak is high. You lose everything and have to start with nothing again. No compensation for system crash.
  14. [R28] 1/5 · US Buggy: Crashes all the time. Really crudded up.
  15. [R39] 2/5 · US Crashing/Freezing: Please fix the constant crashing.
  16. [R1] 1/5 · US Level 18587 BORING AND STUPID: IMPOSSIBLE even with full boosts. I have played it dozens of times and can’t pass. THEY ARE FORCING YOU TO PURCHASE TO PLAY. SAD AND PATHETIC GAME. DONT WASTE YOUR TIME. 👎🏻👎🏻👎🏻👎🏻👎🏻👎🏻👎🏻👎🏻👎🏻
  17. [R4] 2/5 · US Ya están difíciles: Ya están muy difíciles los mundos y a fuerzas quiere que compre corazones o bosters para pasarlos ya no te dan anuncios para poder agarrar más corazones
  18. [R17] 2/5 · US Fed up!: After years of playing this game it has become seriously un fun lately, I’ve gone through some times before where it has been bad, but this is the worst! Every level takes days or weeks to get through and they have removed the chance for extra moves by watching ads. I guess the goal is to force me to use up my gold bars to win, but I only use them when there is a chance of winning somethi
  19. [R36] 3/5 · US Horrible update ..who makes these decisions?: 3 updates ago king took away the bonus plays we could have (after watching ads)it was so much fun to be able to try finishing a level with those extra plays.Seriously!!! Why?Some of us play for the joy of it and that gave us the ability to move forward and just keep playing the game.Get it back,Please
  20. [R42] 1/5 · US was enjoying but..: its pay to win. i only paid like once and it was like under $4 and then they took away my ads for extra moves away ever since and they never return. it was confirmed by others that this is common. pfft bye.. iit was two stars then and I moved it to a one star now that I have returned because they took away highscores
  21. [R55] 3/5 · US Candy Royale: This game would be better if... You gave us the option to play this or not to play! We used to have a choice! Or have you forgotten!? Sucks
  22. [R13] 3/5 · US Advertisement: Please, please remove the advertisements that can not be closed off of the screen. I need to constantly get out of the app then get back in. Ridiculous.
  23. [R16] 1/5 · US Bruh: I’m watching an ad and it is over but I can’t get out
  24. [R24] 1/5 · US End: End the commercial. I get stuck with an unending commercial and want you to sign up but why would you when it’s forced on you!!! Stop your damn ads!!!!!! Not relaxing can’t believe it hasn’t been updated in six years !!!!!! Sucks!!!!! -5 I hate your ads.
  25. [R41] 1/5 · US Ads ruined the game for me: So tired of these stupid ads. The worst part is when you try to click it close, it brings you straight to the App Store because you didn’t click on the right spot. Today I took advantage of out to leave this review. I will not play your stupid game, stop sending me to the app store to download your freaking game. I hate your game. Your ads are annoying. This also applie
  26. [R15] 3/5 · US It’s okay but…: I like playing the game but the gyrations you have to go through between the comments keyed level and the next level is ridiculous. Layer after layer of add-ons, potential purchases, etc make playing the simple game a burden. Sometimes it takes twice as long to access the next level as it does to play it. There are other similar games that don’t force players to do nearly as much.
  27. [R21] 2/5 · US Too busy: There are too many side games and collection junk to enjoy just playing the game. It takes forever just to get into a level to play because of all of the forced interruptions. Deleting. There are much better match games out there.
  28. [R49] 1/5 · US Why animations???: So I win boosters. Great. Then, I proceed to be subjected to animations for the ump-teen million contests you have going on and each animation takes as long as an ad. So instead of 20 minutes of boosters, I only end up with 10 minutes. I used to be able to finish a whole episode with animations. Today, I still had 4 or 5 levels to go. And I’m forced to watch EVERYTHING! It’s so
  29. [R56] 1/5 · US What Once Was: This used to be a fun quick and easy game. Now it just sucks. The nonstop animations and the constant attempt to monetize the experience have made it incredibly hard to enjoy. What once was so much fun in a mentally challenging way is now trash.
  30. [R25] 1/5 · US Overcharge: I purchased 500 gold bars, and instead of being charged $54.99, my bank account was charged $79.48. Beware everyone.
  31. [R38] 3/5 · US Where are my lives ?: I had hundreds of lives a week ago. They all disappeared and now I have 22 I realize I can only use 20 a day but it was nice to have that reserve. Please give my hard earned lives back
  32. [R54] 1/5 · US Loss of progress: I was up to over 22,000 levels, and the next time I opened the app I was restarted at level one! Very disappointing.
  33. [R45] 5/5 · US Candy crush: This game is amazing it’s very challenging but also addicting to play
  34. [R18] 1/5 · US Unbalanced pay to win garbage: Waste of time
  35. [R34] 2/5 · US Decent: Total money grab. Algorithms want you to stay on app and take your riches.

Synthesized from 120 recent App Store reviews · updated July 2026 · View on the App Store