Why are we still playing Candy Crush and Subway Surfers in 2026?

While at South by South West in London, I got the chance to host a panel with Todd Green, the President of King and Mathias Norvig, the CEO of SYBO, who shed light on why we are still playing games that were created in 2012 despite the huge number of games being released every year.

King is well known for Candy Crush Saga and SYBO for Subway Surfers, which are games that became household names a number of years ago, yet are still both being played and downloaded by the current generation. They are able to hold their attention to this day, despite the large number of mobile games being created and published every single year. 

Creating something that lasts over the years isn't just about hitting publish and then letting it live on the App Store.

Todd Green explained: "The version of our games that you can play today, the version of Candy Crush Saga that's out today, is the best version it's ever been. It's also gonna be better next week, and better next month, and better next year because we keep investing in it." 

The idea that games are constantly updated, with more content and improved gameplay, isn't new. The continuous improvements have driven higher quality alongside more content, which keeps players coming back for more. 

Mathias Norvig explained: "Over the last 14 years, we've seen each genre of games being perfected. As a gamer, in any of the genres, you can find a good experience that is now getting to a point where this is a perfect experience."

When it comes to updating games and keeping them interesting for players, there has been a big change to general balancing, so that they aren't too challenging or too easy - players can then hit a peak flow of gameplay, without bouncing off due to frustrations. 

"I think that's also changed over time, maybe a kind of cumulative change. So if you have an increasing competitive industry and there are more games launched this year than ever before, and there is a high premium on retaining your players, then that's going to probably push down the average difficulty of games," Green explained. 

The games themselves are not staying in 2012 but being updated and improved beyond the first version published when they were released. These updates do keep things interesting, new and refreshing, but it's more than just having more levels and improvements pumped out each month.

Another way they are keeping players coming back is through community and social media. Subway Surfers has their world tour, which gives different levels throughout parts of the world. This inspires communities to see areas they've been to or band together to talk about these new areas. It's more meaningful.

"The world tour is definitely a thing that has kept us relevant and kept us alive," Norvig said. "Of course, we are where the players are. So we are still one of the most used hashtags on TikTok and Instagram and YouTube Shorts."

Knowing your audience and community is just as important as game updates.

Another big reason that we are playing games from years past is also through the way they are being marketed to us. IP collaboration and usage do put these games back on our radar. Humans are more likely to play something they've previously seen, downloaded and played, so returning to Candy Crush Saga or Subway Surfers feels like a natural thing when you have already seen some aspects of the game either in other entertainment or in other mobile games you might currently be playing.

Norvig spoke about Subway Surfers partnering with Brawl Stars, a fighting game, in a meaningful way where there were characters from Subway Surfers in Brawl Stars and vice versa. 

"We normally have September being our lowest month, but last year it was the best month, because we could see that the players on both sides were saying 'Hey, check it out, it's also in the other game that we are playing'" 

Green also spoke about the importance of showcasing your game to new audiences, not just the same ones that might be previously playing your game. "In the last 6 months, we've done a partnership with the LA Clippers, which is an NBA basketball team. In the stadium, it's a very technologically advanced sports arena; there is a halo screen, this massive kind of oval screen above the court. At halftime, if you're in the stadium, you get to play a kind of interactive version of Candy Crush Saga with everybody else in the stadium, and that's a huge impact on the number of people that come back to their seats, because it gives you something kind of fun to do." 

With so many new games being created each year, it's easy to find the next new thing to play. But humans often do go back to old comforts, especially when they are being updated, seen in collaborations, and are being advertised in new, fun ways.