Season Swap: match 3 game online free
Season Swap is a free match 3 puzzle game in the style of Candy Crush that you can play online in any browser. Swap neighbouring pieces to line up three or more, make line pieces, burst pieces and rainbow orbs, and set off cascades and giant combos. The game changes with the seasons: Thanksgiving pies and turkeys in November, Christmas ornaments and gingerbread in December, Halloween pumpkins and ghosts in October, plus Spring, Summer, Autumn, Winter and Classic sweets, each with its own scenery and an original piano piece in the style of Chopin. Play a 40-level journey with stars, or the Easy, Hard and Daily modes with free leaderboards.
How to play Season Swap
- Pick a mode: the 40-level Journey, Easy, Hard or the Daily puzzle.
- Swipe a piece toward a neighbour, or tap two neighbouring pieces, to swap them.
- Line up three or more pieces of the same kind to pop them.
- Match four, five or an L or T shape to make line pieces, rainbow orbs and burst pieces.
- Swap two special pieces together for a giant combo.
- Reach the level goals before your moves run out to earn up to three stars.
On a computer you can also play with the keyboard: move the cursor with the arrow keys, press Space or Enter to pick up a piece and an arrow key to swap it. Press H for a hint and Esc for the menu. A swap that makes no line slides back and costs no move. When there is no move left, the board shuffles itself.
Special pieces
| Match | You get | What it does |
|---|---|---|
| 4 in a row | 〰️ Line piece (striped) | Clears its whole row or column when it pops. |
| L or T shape | 💥 Burst piece (wrapped) | Explodes the 3 × 3 square around it, then explodes again after the pieces fall. |
| 5 in a row | 🌈 Rainbow orb | Swap it with any piece to clear every piece of that kind on the board. |
Combos: swap two specials together
| Swap | Effect |
|---|---|
| Line + line | Clears a row and a column at the same time. |
| Line + burst | Clears three rows and three columns. |
| Burst + burst | A giant blast that clears a 7 × 7 square. |
| Rainbow orb + line or burst | Every piece of that kind becomes a line or burst piece, and they all go off. |
| Rainbow orb + rainbow orb | Supernova: the whole board is cleared. |
Every cascade in one move raises the chain, and each piece in a chain is worth more points. Long chains earn cheers like Bravo!, Encore!, Magnifique!, Fortissimo! and Virtuoso!
Level goals, frost and stones
The 40 levels lie along a journey map that winds through four musical lands: the Overture meadow, the Waltz gardens, the Nocturne lake by moonlight and the Grand Finale concert hall. Every land ends with a landmark that lights up when you finish its chapter, and a bronze, silver or gold trophy for the stars you earned there. Each level has a goal and a number of moves. Some ask you to score a number of points, some to collect pieces of one or two kinds, some to melt all the frost on the tiles, and some to break all the stone blocks. Frost melts when you make a match on top of it (thick frost needs two), and stones crack when you match right next to them or hit them with a special piece. Boards come in many shapes: diamonds, hearts, rings, hourglasses and more.
When you reach the goal, every move you have left turns into a line piece in the Grand Finale for bonus points. The star meter above the board shows the targets for two and three stars.
Seasons and themes
Season Swap picks its theme from today's date, so there is always something new. You can choose any season in the settings.
| Theme | When | Pieces |
|---|---|---|
| 🍬 Classic Sweets | any time (choose it in the settings) | jelly beans, lozenges, lemon drops, gummies, gumballs and sugar flowers |
| 🌷 Spring Garden | March to May | tulips, carrots, chicks, four-leaf clovers, painted eggs and butterflies |
| 🏖️ Summer Beach | June to August | watermelons, starfish, suns, limes, fish and seashells |
| 🍂 Autumn Harvest | September to mid-October | maple leaves, pumpkins, sunflowers, apples, umbrellas and grapes |
| 🎃 Halloween Night | mid-October to Halloween | candy apples, jack-o’-lanterns, candy corn, potions, ghosts and bats |
| 🦃 Thanksgiving Feast | November | cranberries, pumpkin pies, corn, pears, turkeys and grapes |
| 🎄 Christmas Eve | December 1 to January 6 | ornaments, gingerbread men, stars, Christmas trees, snowflakes and presents |
| ⛄ Winter Wonderland | January 7 to February | mittens, hot cocoa, beanies, snowy pines, snowflakes and snowmen |
Piano music in the style of Chopin
Each season has its own original piano piece, written in the forms Frédéric Chopin loved and played live in your browser: lively waltzes for the Classic, Spring, Halloween and Winter themes, a dancing mazurka for summer, dreamy nocturnes for autumn and Thanksgiving, and a gentle berceuse (lullaby) for Christmas Eve. The sound effects are tuned to the key of the music, so every match rings in harmony.
Easy, Hard, Daily and leaderboards
Easy gives you 30 moves with five kinds of pieces, and big cascades are common. Hard has 25 moves, six kinds and stone blocks. The Daily puzzle gives everyone the same board shape, pieces and refills each day. All three have free leaderboards for today, this week and all time; you only choose a nickname if you want to join.
Badges
There are 24 badges for clearing chapters, collecting stars, making special pieces, combos, long chains, big clears, high scores, Daily puzzles and playing in different seasons. Open the medal button in the game to see your progress.
| Badge | How to earn it |
|---|---|
| 🎵 First Note | Clear the first level. |
| 🎼 Overture | Clear the first 10 levels. |
| 💃 Waltz Master | Clear 20 levels. |
| 🌙 Nocturne | Clear 30 levels. |
| 🎹 Grand Finale | Clear all 40 levels. |
| ⭐ Star Pupil | Earn 30 stars on the journey. |
| 🌟 Rising Star | Earn 80 stars on the journey. |
| 🌠 Virtuoso | Earn all 120 stars. |
| 〰️ Line Up | Make a line piece (4 in a row). |
| 💥 Burst! | Make a burst piece (an L or T shape). |
| 🌈 Rainbow | Make a rainbow orb (5 in a row). |
| 🔮 Orb Collector | Make 25 rainbow orbs. |
| ✨ Duet | Swap two special pieces together. |
| ☄️ Supernova | Swap two rainbow orbs together. |
| 🔗 Encore | Make a chain of 5 cascades in one move. |
| 🎆 Standing Ovation | Make a chain of 8 cascades in one move. |
| 🧨 Fortissimo | Clear 30 pieces at once. |
| 🍬 Sweet Tooth | Clear 1,000 pieces. |
| 🏆 Collector | Clear 10,000 pieces. |
| 🎯 Easy 40k | Score 40,000 in Easy. |
| 🔥 Hard 15k | Score 15,000 in Hard. |
| 📅 Daily Player | Play the Daily puzzle. |
| 🗓️ Week of Swaps | Play the Daily puzzle on 7 different days. |
| 🍂 Four Seasons | Play in 4 different themes. |
Season Swap tips
- Look for 4s and 5s. A special piece is worth far more than two plain matches.
- Play low on the board. Matches near the bottom make more pieces fall and start more cascades.
- Save your specials. Two specials next to each other make a combo: swap them together instead of using them one by one.
- Aim for the goal. On frost and stone levels, make matches on the frost and next to the stones, even if they score less.
- Finish early. Every move left becomes a line piece in the Grand Finale, which often earns the third star.
- Use the hint. If you are stuck, wait a few seconds or press H, and a possible swap starts to wiggle.
Frequently asked questions
Is Season Swap free?
Yes. Season Swap is completely free to play online, with no sign-up, no download, no lives to wait for and no in-app purchases. It runs in your browser on computers, tablets and phones, and your levels, stars and badges are saved on your device.
Is Season Swap like Candy Crush?
Yes, Season Swap is a Candy Crush-style match 3 game, the genre of Candy Crush Saga, Bejeweled and Gardenscapes: you swap neighbouring pieces to line up three or more of a kind, and bigger matches make special pieces. It has its own art, seasonal themes, music, levels and goals. Candy Crush is a trademark of King; Season Swap is an independent game and is not affiliated with or endorsed by it.
How do I play Season Swap?
Swap two neighbouring pieces to make a line of three or more of the same kind; they pop and new pieces fall in from above. Swipe a piece toward its neighbour, or tap one piece and then the other. A swap that makes no line slides back and costs no move.
How do I make special pieces?
Line up 4 in a row for a line piece that clears a whole row or column. Match in an L or T shape for a burst piece that explodes twice. Line up 5 in a row for a rainbow orb that clears every piece of the kind you swap it with.
What happens when I swap two specials?
Two line pieces clear a row and a column at once. A line and a burst clear three rows and three columns. Two bursts make a giant blast. A rainbow orb with a line or burst piece turns every piece of that kind into that special, and two rainbow orbs together clear the whole board.
Why do the pieces change?
Season Swap follows the calendar: in November you play with Thanksgiving pies, corn and turkeys, in December with Christmas ornaments, gingerbread and presents, in October with Halloween pumpkins, ghosts and bats, and there are Spring, Summer, Autumn and Winter sets too. You can also pick any season, or the Classic sweets, in the settings.
What is the music?
Every season has its own original piano piece in the style of Frédéric Chopin, played live by the game: waltzes, a mazurka for summer, nocturnes for autumn and Thanksgiving and a berceuse (lullaby) for Christmas. You can turn the music off in the settings.
What are frost and stones?
Frost covers some tiles under the pieces: make a match on top of it to melt it, and thick frost needs two. Stone blocks hold no piece: they crack when you make a match right next to them or hit them with a special piece. Some levels ask you to clear all of them.
How do I get three stars?
Reaching a level's goals earns one star. Reach the score targets shown on the star meter for two and three stars. Special pieces, combos and long chains of cascades score the most, and every move you have left becomes a line piece in the Grand Finale.
What are the Easy, Hard and Daily modes?
They are score games with free leaderboards. Easy gives you 30 moves with five kinds of pieces, Hard 25 moves with six kinds and stone blocks, and the Daily puzzle is the same board for everyone each day.
Can I play on a phone?
Yes. Season Swap works on phones and tablets in portrait and landscape: swipe a piece to swap it. On a computer you can use the mouse or the keyboard: move with the arrow keys, press Space to pick up a piece and an arrow key to swap it.
More puzzle and arcade games: Marble Serpent, Bubble Pop, Block Stack and 2048.