What business model does Candy Crush Saga use?

Candy Crush Saga uses a freemium business model.

The game is free to download and play, but it makes money by offering optional purchases. Players can buy boosters, extra moves, lives, or other advantages that help with difficult levels. The basic game remains accessible without spending money, which is what distinguishes freemium from a required subscription or a pay-per-play arcade model.

Candy Crush Saga was developed by King and first released for Facebook in 2012, before expanding to mobile platforms. Its design combined familiar match-three gameplay with a lives system, timed recovery, social features, and in-app purchases. Those mechanics encouraged players to return frequently while leaving payment optional.

A common mix-up is calling the game simply “free-to-play.” That describes how users access it, while “freemium” more specifically describes the commercial structure: a free core product alongside paid extras. Candy Crush’s revenue comes primarily from these optional in-app purchases, not from selling a boxed copy or charging every time a level is played.