Ranking updated
Best match-3 games for iPhone in 2026
For classic candy matching with thousands of levels and offline play, Candy Crush Saga. For match-3 battles inside a fantasy RPG with heroes, a stronghold and 100v100 wars, Empires & Puzzles. For match-3 levels that unlock rooms of a royal castle, Royal Match. For a relaxed puzzle about connecting dots of the same color, Two Dots. Full breakdown below.
How we picked: we read each game’s own App Store description for how the matching works, what surrounds it, and whether it plays offline. We do not quote prices; check them in the store for your country.
Classic candy matching
Candy Crush Saga, from King in St Julians, Malta, is the match-3 puzzle of candies, jelly, toffee and jam across thousands of levels, with modes like Gummy Dragons and Bubblegum Pop. Boosters such as the Lollipop Hammer and Jelly Fish help on tricky boards, daily rewards hand out free boosters and extra lives, and time-limited events, tournaments and leaderboards add competition with friends. It plays offline as well as online, and you can share lives with friends and sync progress through Facebook.
Match-3 as an RPG
Empires & Puzzles, from Small Giant Games in Helsinki, Finland, turns match-3 into a fantasy RPG: you match shields to deal damage and charge each hero’s special skill, playing with a five-element color wheel. Around the battles are themed worlds and quests, hundreds of heroes and troops to collect, a stronghold you rebuild to gather resources and train heroes, and head-to-head fights from 1v1 raids to 100v100 wars.
A castle to restore and dots to connect
Royal Match asks you to help King Robert restore Royal Castle: you break obstacles, combine power-ups, collect coins in bonus levels and open chests, and each level you beat unlocks new rooms, royal chambers and gardens. Two Dots is calmer: you draw lines between dots of the same color, with relaxing music, adventure worlds of castles and lava rivers, and extra modes like Scavenger Hunt, a hidden object game, Flip and Treasure Hunt. For puzzles with blocks instead of matching, see block puzzle games.
| Game | What you match | Around the puzzles | App Store age rating |
|---|---|---|---|
| Candy Crush SagaCensuusApp StoreGoogle Play | candies, jelly and toffee | game modes, events, tournaments, offline play | 12+ |
| Empires & PuzzlesCensuusApp StoreGoogle Play | colored shields that power heroes | fantasy RPG, hero collection, base-building, raids and wars | 12+ |
| Royal MatchApp Store | tiles with power-ups and obstacles | restoring a royal castle room by room | 12+ |
| Two DotsApp Store | dots of the same color, joined by lines | adventure worlds and extra modes like Scavenger Hunt | 4+ |
Frequently asked questions
Which match-3 game can I play offline?
Candy Crush Saga says it plays offline as well as online, so you can keep going without an internet connection.
Is there a match-3 RPG for iPhone?
Empires & Puzzles combines match-3 battles with a fantasy RPG: hero collection, quests, base-building, raids and 100v100 wars.
Which match-3 game has a story or a place to build up?
Royal Match has you restore King Robert’s castle room by room, and Empires & Puzzles has you rebuild a stronghold.
Is there a relaxing matching game?
Two Dots describes itself as a relaxing puzzle game with calm music, where you connect dots of the same color. It is rated 4+ in the App Store.