Candy Crush Soda Saga: 11 years, 18,000 levels, and a "turning point for the Candy Crush franchise"

• Candy Crush Soda Saga first released on Facebook in October 2014 and on mobile that November.
• The title has grown from 150 levels to over 18,000, with more than 200 billion level completions to date.

It’s been more than 11 years since Candy Crush Soda Saga first released on Facebook and mobile, and in those years the title has grown from humble beginnings to another of King’s crowning achievements.

When it launched in 2014, Candy Crush Soda Saga featured just 150 levels. Today, it has over 18,000 levels with 2,355 added this year alone. Furthermore, across more than one billion total installs, players have completed levels more than 200bn times.

Soda Saga celebrated its 11th anniversary in late October. Now, we catch up with the game’s general manager Brian Burford to reflect on the history of this long-running title, its evolution over time, industry changes throughout the decade, and more.

"Candy Crush Soda Saga first launched on Facebook back in 2014 before expanding to mobile shortly after, and that was a real turning point for the Candy Crush franchise," Burford shares.

"At the time, seamless cross-platform play was still relatively uncommon, but the game stood out for how effortlessly players could move between mobile, tablet, and PC, with their progress synced across devices.

"Of course, the way people play has evolved enormously since then and Candy Crush Soda Saga has stood the test of time. We still have a version that is playable on PC, but the vast majority of our community plays exclusively on mobile."

Expanding the Candy Crush brand

Candy Crush as it’s known today is a world-renowned brand with multiple titles, genre-exploring spinoffs like Candy Crush Solitaire, and even a cookbook. In 2014, it was one hit game with room to expand.

Candy Crush Soda Saga marks a major step in that expansion - once intended as a replacement to Candy Crush, before the market showed sustaining interest in both games.

A big event at the time, the launch of Soda Saga was backed with a large marketing campaign, King’s first live-action TV ad for the game, and real-world activations including a takeover of Broadway in New York with giant Soda bottles and candy bears. There was also a "magical" Soda fountain display at Tower Bridge in London.

"I didn’t work on the team back then, but it generated a huge buzz both within King and beyond," Burford shares.

"This is why it felt so special to then be part of the 10th anniversary celebrations. It was another incredible milestone moment where we wanted to inject even more fun and surprises into the game to say a big thank you to our players."

Burford believes the reason for Soda Saga’s success and longevity is that "we never stand still". He claims innovation is at the heart of the team’s work: "We’re constantly evolving, iterating and finding new ways to keep the experience fresh, fun, and full of surprises for our players.

"We’re always introducing new levels, features and challenges - and player feedback plays a huge role in shaping all of that. We talk to our players, host live events and test new ideas with them so we can keep improving - giving them more of what they love, and less of what they don’t.

"Player feedback is central to everything we do. It shapes the levels we design, the features we build, and even the feel of the game. Our puzzle setters - the brilliant minds who balance challenge and fun across thousands of levels - continuously test and fine-tune based on real player data."

Soda Saga being a live game has allowed the team to iterate over time, and importantly, it hasn’t just ridden on the coattails of the original Candy Crush. Burford talks of the game’s own identity, like the humour of its gummy bears and the gameplay twist provided by sweets floating upwards due to the soda.

"What sets Candy Crush Soda Saga apart from the rest of the Candy Crush universe is that it has its own unique personality."

Sweet, sweet evolution

"At King, we don’t believe you have to choose between modernisation and player loyalty," Burford says.

"It's about understanding what our loyal players and potential new players value most, including where there are similarities and where there are differences."

In practice, this means the team modernises Soda Saga as industry standards and tech evolve, but also tailors changes to player needs. Burford highlights a revamp to Soda Saga’s presentation as a recent example, bringing a more intuitive layout that makes it easier for veterans and newcomers to navigate the game.

A greyscale background option was also implemented to increase contrast for those with visual disabilities, and there's a Precision Help feature for less dexterous players who accidentally make a wrong move. Burford expresses pride in the team’s efforts to make Soda Saga more inclusive and accessible, and notes that these learnings are being shared with teams across King’s other games.

He goes on to highlight another in-game evolution, an audio overhaul, which gave Candy Crush Soda Saga "a fresh funk-inspired style". This was achieved by recording live with a 32-piece live orchestra, featuring instruments from India, Japan, Latin America and various other countries worldwide; this ultimately earned Soda Saga the award for Best Audio Accomplishment at the Pocket Gamer Mobile Games Awards 2025.

And, a more feature-oriented evolution was the introduction of the Soda Cup, a competitive tournament that allows players to take on skill-based challenges for rewards. It was launched in response to player interest in more competitive experiences, but specifically those which would also build a sense of community.

"Innovation is in our DNA at King, but we always start with one guiding question: will this make the game more fun?" Burford says.

"We also run a number of seasonal events that give players that extra bit of entertainment and we’re always looking at ways to capitalise on emerging trends."

Past and future

We ask whether Microsoft’s layoffs this summer - said to have impacted around 200 jobs at King - have had any effect on Soda Saga. Burford doesn’t answer, but does say that the team continues to explore new ways to surprise players and "is constantly curating new experiences".

We also ask whether reaching double-digit anniversaries has had any impact on design philosophy within Candy Crush Soda Saga.

Burford answers: "Anniversaries are a wonderful moment to pause and reflect - to look back on how far we’ve come, and to think about what’s next. For us, the 10 and now 11-year milestone is a chance to celebrate the incredible journey we’ve had with our players, while also reinforcing our focus on quality, player feedback, and long-term planning."

The 11th anniversary itself took a different approach to the 10th, which was one big celebration of the major milestone. This time around, the team focused on "what makes the game so special every week of the year".

Looking to 2026, Burford expresses excitement at the prospect of creating more fun moments.

"Candy Crush Soda Saga has always been about bringing a little burst of joy into people’s day, and that’s something we’ll continue to build on in the year ahead. We can’t give too much away but we’re always dreaming up new features and experiences that we can’t wait to put into players’ hands."