$500,000 prize for winning Candy Crush Saga: Meet the 2025 champion
15 million players entered, but one crushed them all, winning $500,000 and a diamond ring in the 2025 Candy Crush All Stars tournament.
Tiago P. from Portugal has officially crushed the competition... literally. After five weeks of intense gameplay and more than 15 million global participants, Tiago emerged as the 2025 Candy Crush All Stars Champion, taking home a jaw-dropping $500,000 and a custom diamond-encrusted championship ring from Icebox.
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From casual play to competitive glory
Tiago’s journey began like many others: playing Candy Crush Saga after work to unwind. But when the All Stars tournament launched on March 20, he turned casual play into a calculated mission. Over ten months, he meticulously planned his strategy: estimating candy collection rates, booster usage, and even printing hourly point goals to stay on track.
The road to victory
To reach the live final in Los Angeles, players had to collect as many All Stars purple candies as possible across multiple in-game rounds. The result? A staggering 11.4 trillion candies collected and 2.2 billion levels played. Tiago was one of 10 finalists flown in for the in-person showdown, hosted by tech personality Katie Linendoll.
The finalists and prize pool
- 🥇 Tiago P. (Portugal) – $500,000
- 🥈 Ingrid R. (California) – $250,000
- 🥉 Aalja B. (Atlanta) – $100,000
The remaining finalists shared the rest of the $1 million prize pool, representing five countries and three decades of age diversity—from a 26-year-old roofer to a 59-year-old father of 10 who donates his winnings to charity.
Now in its fifth year, the Candy Crush All Stars tournament has become a showcase for mobile gaming’s competitive potential. As King’s VP of Marketing put it, the event is “a celebration of the incredible dedication and skill our players bring to the game”.
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