Naavik Gaming Podcast Naavik Digest: What Leading Match-3 & Merge Games Do Differently
Jan 18, 2026
Dive into the booming Match-3 and Merge genres of 2025, exploring top titles like Royal Match and Candy Crush. Discover what sets leading publishers apart, including rising challengers and new subgenres like Match Pair and Block. Learn about key strategies driving success, from understanding player demographics to leveraging LiveOps for engagement. Hybrid monetization methods, blending ads and in-app purchases, show how games cater to diverse audiences. Finally, insights on the competitive landscape suggest that innovation will shape the future of puzzle gaming.
AI Snips
Chapters
Transcript
Episode notes
Puzzle Genre Scale And Market Leaders
- Puzzle games generated over $10 billion in IAP revenue in 2025, making it the second highest grossing genre.
- Dream Games' Royal Match and other titles drove outsized revenue within the category.
Subgenre Innovation Grew The Market
- New subgenres like Match Pair, Sort, and Block drove substantial download and growth share in 2025.
- Innovation in these subgenres expanded the overall puzzle market beyond Match 3 and Merge.
Revenue Beats Scale When Monetization Is Strong
- Market leadership in Match 3 and Merge is not just scale; newer titles can out-earn incumbents with fewer users.
- Higher IAP ARPDAL and targeted paid UA let games like Royal Match beat Candy Crush revenue with fewer MAUs.