Match-3 games, where you line up three or more identical pieces to clear them, grew out of early-1990s tile-matching puzzles, became a mainstream hit with Bejeweled in the early 2000s, and went global on phones with Candy Crush Saga in 2012. This page traces that history, notes where sources disagree on dates, and shows where a merge puzzle such as Zertyzzle, our crystal-merge puzzle game branches off.
The roots: Shariki
Histories of the genre usually start with Shariki ("the balls"), a Russian computer game from the early 1990s. You swap neighbouring pieces to create lines of matching balls, which then disappear. Sources disagree on the date: one genre history gives 1988, others say 1994. What they agree on is the basic mechanic of swapping pieces to make lines. Some historians even trace the lineage further back to Tetris itself, the "primordial" tile-matching game; see our story of who invented Tetris.
Bejeweled: the game that made it popular
Bejeweled, from PopCap Games, began as a browser game around 2000, and its popularity dates from 2001. Sources disagree on the exact year, so treat 2000 and 2001 as the same era. It was influenced by earlier web games, with only speculative links to Shariki. You swap two neighbouring gems to line up three or more, and chains happen on their own as new gems fall. The game became hugely successful across PCs and consoles and then phones.
Candy Crush Saga: levels and limited moves
Candy Crush Saga, released by King in 2012, built on the same core and changed the structure: instead of one endless board, you play a map of levels, each with a goal to reach within a limited number of moves. That structure made it one of the most successful mobile games. Our page on games like Candy Crush explains what it popularised.
What the genre shares
Across these games, the same ideas recur:
- Lines of three as the basic unit.
- Chains that happen on their own and feel like luck earned.
- Short sessions you can play anywhere.
- Simple rules with room to plan.
Where merge puzzles branch off
Merge puzzles keep the grid and the satisfaction of combos, but make the pieces combine into a bigger one rather than disappear. In Zertyzzle, you slide a whole row or column, and three identical crystals in a line merge into a stronger one, in four tiers, with 120 levels in 12 nebulae, obstacles and a Zen mode. Our page on the match 3 game explains how it relates to the genre, and the page on the merge puzzle game explains the difference.
Zertyzzle is free and funded by advertising, and no ad interrupts a level. It plays offline, and it is available on Android, on Google Play; the iPhone version is coming soon.
Frequently asked questions
What was the first match-3 game?
Histories generally point to Shariki, a Russian game from the early 1990s. The exact date is disputed, between 1988 and 1994.
Who made Bejeweled?
PopCap Games. It started as a browser game around 2000–2001.
What made Candy Crush Saga different?
It organised the match-3 formula into levels with goals and a limited number of moves, on a progress map, and it reached a very large phone audience.
Is a merge puzzle a match-3 game?
It is a cousin: both align identical pieces, but in a merge puzzle the pieces combine into a bigger one instead of disappearing.
Is Zertyzzle available on Android?
Yes, on Google Play, from the Zertyzzle page. The iPhone version is coming soon.