Advanced tips for Candy Crush Saga players

As you play through Candy Crush Saga's later stages, you'll need to develop dependable strategies to help you through tougher obstacles. Everyone has their own unique style, and we're here to offer a few tips to help develop yours.

No matter how big the board is when you first drop into a stage, aim to make moves within the lower portion to cause maximum candy movement. When you make a match in this way it’s likely to lead to extra matches and big points as the candies fall. This is especially true if a special candy has dropped down, as a quick horizontal zap of the bottom row can be a game-changer.

Each special candy has its own individual properties and, when combined, havoc can break loose. Our favorite special matches include pairing a striped and wrapped candy to clear three horizontal and vertical lines; matching the fish with a wrapped candy to generate explosive fish missiles; and joining two Color Bombs to wipe out every candy on the board.

When you first enter a level, you may think its layout will always be the same for this mission, but that's not the case. Each board is randomly generated when you select the stage, meaning you can change it. If you open to see a board that lacks potential, just quit out of the stage and reenter. Repeat this process until you see a board you're willing to work with.

While breaking as many jellies as you can is satisfying, we have one major piece of advice: Take out the jellies on the fringes of the board first before focusing on any of the others. Having those end lanes open for standard candies will go a long way in making sure you finish the level with a win.

When you run out of lives, Candy Crush Saga allows you to receive lives from your friends – and send them in return – as gifts to continue playing. While it’s a terrific feature, it hides a key quirk: If you redeem a gift of lives after reaching the daily maximum, those lives are gone forever. So be sure to keep an eye on how many lives you've redeemed from your fellow Candy Crushers.