How to make a match 3 game

The rules to code

• Swaps. Swap two neighbors. If no match forms, swap them back. That bounce teaches the rule.
• Match check. After each move, scan rows and columns for three or more of the same piece.
• Cascades. Cleared pieces leave gaps. Pieces above fall, new ones drop in, and you check again until nothing matches.
• Special pieces. Match 4 for a line clear, 5 for a color bomb, an L or T shape for an area blast. Candy Crush Saga (King, 2012) made these famous.
• Dead boards. If no move is possible, shuffle. Players should never be stuck.

Level goals turn it into a puzzle

Endless swapping is a toy. Levels add goals: reach a score in 20 moves, clear tiles under the pieces, drop items to the bottom. A goal plus a move limit makes each level a small puzzle. Bejeweled (PopCap, 2001) was score-based; Candy Crush added level goals and a map to travel.

Tools and phone tips

• Unity. The most common choice. You need a 2D array for the board, the match check, and tweened animations for swaps and falls.
• Godot. Free, light on phones and strong in 2D. The same logic, written in GDScript.
• GDevelop. Free, event-based and has phone apps. Workable for simple boards.
• Phone tips. Big pieces (about 8 by 8 fits a phone screen), swipe to swap, a rising sound for each cascade step, and pieces that pop instead of vanishing.
• Roam. A free iPhone app. Describe the board, the pieces and the goal, and it comes back playable. Change it by asking: "add a bomb piece", "15 moves only".

Questions people ask

How do you make a match 3 game in Unity?

Store the board in a 2D array, check rows and columns after each swap, clear matches, drop pieces down, fill from the top and check again.

Why are match-3 games so popular?

They are easy to learn, fit short sessions on a phone, and cascades give surprise rewards the player did not plan.

How many piece colors should a match-3 game have?

Five or six is typical. Fewer makes matches too easy; more makes the board feel random.