Candy Crush Revenue and Usage Statistics (2023)

David Curry

Updated: January 9, 2023

Candy Crush Saga led the way for a new generation of mobile games, as one of the first freemium apps to generate over $1 billion revenue. 

King, which was already the second largest Facebook gaming publisher in 2012, saw mobile as the next step for freemium games and launched Candy Crush, which was already trending well on Facebook, on November 14, 2012 for iOS. 

Candy Crush alone shifted the fortunes of King, with the company reporting a 1084 percent increase in revenue from 2012 to 2013. It competed with Clash of Clans for highest grossing game from 2013 to 2017. 

Off the back of Candy Crush’s success, King filed for IPO in 2013. 

Even though Candy Crush has remained a stable revenue source for King, it Kings monthly active users peaked in 2015. It has launched several spin-offs, including Soda Saga, Jelly Saga and Friends Saga, which have all generated hundreds of millions for the publisher. 

In 2016, King was acquired by Activision Blizzard for $5.9 billion. 

While Candy Crush is not in the same position it was half a decade ago, it is still one of the highest grossing games. It has a loyal fanbase of over 250 million users who play it more than a once a month, and continues to add levels to the game for returning players. 

It has also, for better or worse, been one of the most influential games over the past decade, responsible for many of the decisions of video game publishers since 2015. The freemium model has been exported to every platform.

We have collected data and statistics on Candy Crush Saga. Read on below to find out more.

Candy Crush key statistics

  • Candy Crush generated $1.2 billion in 2021, making it the seventh highest grossing mobile title
  • It generated $857 million in 2020, a 15 percent increase year-on-year
  • Candy Crush is the sixth highest grossing mobile game of all time
  • 273 million people play Candy Crush once a month. MAUs peaked in 2015 with 327 million users
  • Across all platforms, Candy Crush has been downloaded more than 2.7 billion times

Candy Crush overview

Title 1Tiutle 2
Launch date12 April 2012 (iOS: 14 November 2012)
HQSt. Julian's, Malta
PeopleHumam Sakhnini (President), Tjodolf Sommestad (CDO), Sebastian Knutsson (CCO)
Business typeSubsidiary
OwnerActivision Blizzard
IndustryMobile games

Candy Crush revenue

Candy Crush revenue has stayed at near the same level for two years, increasing from $1.19 billion in 2020 to $1.21 billion in 2021.

Candy Crush annual revenue 2012 to 2021 ($mm)

YearRevenue ($mm)
201277
2013230
20141130
20151293
2016784
2017695
2018930
20191117
20201190
20211211

Sources: Company data, Sensor Tower

King operating income

King has maintained a positive operating income for the past four years, reporting an operating income of $1.1 billion in 2021.

King annual operating income 2018 to 2021 ($mm)

YearOperating income ($mm)
2018751
2019740
2020858
20211139

Candy Crush users

Candy Crush had 255 million users in 2021. It is difficult to estimate an exact figure, as King only publishes usage for its entire catalog of apps.

Candy Crush annual users 2013 to 2021 (mm)

YearUsers (mm)
2013287
2014322
2015327
2016303
2017293
2018283
2019272
2020273
2021255

Sources: Company data

Candy Crush downloads

Candy Crush has been downloaded over three billion times since launch, making it one of the most popular mobile games ever.

Candy Crush cumulative downloads 2013 to 2022 (mm)

YearDownloads (bn)
20130.5
20151.4
20172.7
20223.4

Source: Company data

Candy Crush levels

There are over 10,000 levels in Candy Crush. King has progressively added more each year to keep old users coming back.

Candy Crush levels available to play

YearLevels
20195,000
20208,900
202110,100

Source: Company data

Candy Crush FAQ

When did Activision acquire King? 

Activision Blizzard acquired King in 2016 for $5.9 billion 

How many users play Candy Crush Saga more than three hours?

According to senior executive Alex Daly, more than nine million people play the game for more than three hours daily. This statement was later retracted by King as inaccurate (Metro)

How much revenue does Candy Crush Saga generate daily? 

According to Sensor Tower, Candy Crush Saga generated $4.2 million per day in 2018 

How many levels are there on Candy Crush Saga? 

There are 8,900 levels on the HTML5 version 

How many hours have been played on Candy Crush Saga? 

Users have spent 73 billion hours on Candy Crush Saga

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