Candy Crush Saga: How to Win the Weekly Contest Every Time

The weekly contest in Candy Crush Saga is one of the most exciting competitive features in the game. Every week, players compete against friends and other players on leaderboards to earn the highest scores and win valuable prizes. Winning these contests can reward you with boosters, gold bars, and other helpful items that make your gameplay experience significantly better.

But winning the weekly contest consistently is not easy. Most players participate without any real strategy, simply playing their normal levels and hoping their scores are good enough. That approach rarely works. The players who win week after week are the ones who understand how the contest scoring system works and deliberately optimize their gameplay to maximize their scores.

In this detailed guide, we will break down everything you need to know about the weekly contest and share proven strategies that will help you climb the leaderboard and win more often. Whether you are a casual player looking to earn extra rewards or a competitive player aiming for the top spot every week, these strategies will give you a significant advantage.

Understanding the Weekly Contest System

Before you can win the weekly contest, you need to fully understand how it works. Many players participate without knowing the rules, which puts them at an immediate disadvantage.

How the Weekly Contest Works

The weekly contest in Candy Crush Saga operates on a simple leaderboard system:

Each week, a new contest period begins and all scores reset to zero.
As you play levels during the week, your scores from each completed level contribute to your total weekly score.
Your total score is compared against other players on your leaderboard, which typically includes your Facebook friends and other matched players.
At the end of the week, players are ranked based on their total scores.
The top-ranked players receive prizes, which can include boosters, gold bars, unlimited lives periods, and other rewards.
The prize quality usually improves the higher your rank on the leaderboard.

What Counts Toward Your Score

Understanding what counts toward your weekly score is critical:

Completed levels: Your score from each successfully completed level is added to your weekly total.
Stars earned: Earning more stars on a level often means a higher score contribution.
Special candy bonuses: Using special candies and combinations during a level can significantly boost your score.
End-of-level bonuses: Leftover moves at the end of a level are converted into special candy effects that add bonus points.
Sugar Crush bonus: When you complete a level, remaining moves trigger the Sugar Crush sequence, which generates additional points.

The Leaderboard Structure

Your leaderboard is not the same as everyone else's. You are competing against a specific group of players, which usually includes:

Your Facebook friends who play Candy Crush Saga
Other players matched to your skill level or progress point
Players who are active during the same weekly period

This means your competition level varies from week to week. Some weeks you might be matched against very active players, and other weeks your competition might be lighter. Understanding this helps you set realistic expectations for each contest.

Strategy 1: Focus on Completing Levels With Maximum Stars

The foundation of a high weekly score is completing levels with the highest possible star rating. Three-star completions generate significantly more points than one or two-star completions.

How Stars Affect Your Score

Each level in Candy Crush Saga has three score thresholds corresponding to one, two, and three stars. Reaching the three-star threshold means you scored well above the minimum required to complete the level. This higher score directly translates to a larger contribution to your weekly total.

Tips for Getting Three Stars

Create as many special candies as possible. Special candies generate far more points than regular three-candy matches. Prioritize four and five-candy matches whenever available.
Combine special candies for massive point bonuses. A color bomb plus striped candy combination can generate thousands of extra points in a single move.
Finish levels with as many moves remaining as possible. Leftover moves are converted into special candy effects during the Sugar Crush bonus, each generating additional points.
Do not waste moves on unnecessary matches. Every move should either help your objective or set up a special candy. Wasted moves mean fewer leftover moves and a lower Sugar Crush bonus.

Strategy 2: Maximize the Sugar Crush Bonus

The Sugar Crush bonus is one of the biggest score boosters in Candy Crush Saga, and it is the key to winning weekly contests. When you complete a level, all your remaining moves are converted into special candy effects that generate bonus points.

How Sugar Crush Works

After you complete a level's objective, the Sugar Crush sequence begins:

Each remaining move is converted into a special candy that appears on the board.
These special candies activate automatically, clearing additional candies and generating bonus points.
The more moves you have remaining, the more special candies are created, and the higher your Sugar Crush bonus will be.
Special candies that were already on the board when you finished the level also activate during Sugar Crush, adding even more points.

How to Maximize Sugar Crush Points

Beat levels as efficiently as possible. The fewer moves you use to complete the objective, the more remaining moves feed into Sugar Crush.
Leave special candies on the board when you finish. If you are about to complete a level and there are special candies on the board, leave them in place. They will activate during Sugar Crush and generate extra points.
Create special candies in your final moves. If you can see that you are about to complete the level, use your remaining moves to create special candies rather than making simple matches. These special candies will activate during Sugar Crush for bonus points.
Set up combinations before finishing the level. If possible, position two special candies next to each other before completing the objective. They will combine during Sugar Crush and generate massive bonus points.

Strategy 3: Replay Easy Levels for Higher Scores

One strategy that many contest winners use is replaying levels they have already completed to achieve higher scores. This is especially effective with easy levels where three-star completions are relatively simple.

Why Replaying Levels Works

When you replay a level, you already know the layout, the objective, and the blockers. This familiarity allows you to play more efficiently, create more special candies, and finish with more remaining moves. The result is a higher score that improves your weekly total.

Which Levels to Replay

Levels you previously completed with one or two stars. Improving these to three stars gives you the biggest score improvement.
Levels with generous move limits. Levels that give you many moves relative to the difficulty are ideal because you can finish with many remaining moves, generating a huge Sugar Crush bonus.
Levels with open board layouts. Levels without heavy blockers allow you to create more special candies and combinations, resulting in higher scores.
Score-based levels. Some levels simply require you to reach a score target. On these levels, you can focus entirely on maximizing your score without worrying about other objectives.

Time Management

Replaying levels takes time and uses lives. Be strategic about which levels you replay and how many times. Focus on levels where the score improvement will be largest, and do not spend too many lives replaying a level that you cannot significantly improve.

Strategy 4: Play During Special Events for Bonus Points

Candy Crush Saga frequently runs special events that offer bonus points, enhanced rewards, or score multipliers. Playing during these events can significantly boost your weekly contest score.

Types of Events That Boost Contest Scores

Double points events: Some events temporarily double the points you earn from each level. Playing as much as possible during these events is one of the fastest ways to climb the leaderboard.
Booster events: Events that give you free boosters allow you to complete levels more efficiently, leaving more remaining moves for the Sugar Crush bonus.
Special candy events: Some events increase the frequency of special candy creation or enhance their effects. These events naturally lead to higher scores.
Challenge events: Completing event challenges often rewards you with points or items that can contribute to your weekly total.

How to Take Advantage of Events

Check the game daily for active events and promotions.
Plan your heaviest playing sessions during events that offer score bonuses.
Save your boosters for event periods when they will have the maximum impact on your score.
Enable push notifications so you never miss the start of a beneficial event.

Strategy 5: Use Special Candies and Combinations Aggressively

In normal gameplay, you might use special candies conservatively, saving them for critical moments. But during the weekly contest, you should use them as aggressively as possible to maximize your score.

Why Aggressive Special Candy Use Matters

Every special candy you create and activate generates significantly more points than a regular match. A striped candy that clears a row might generate ten times more points than a basic three-candy match. A color bomb combination can generate hundreds of times more points. The more special candies you use during a level, the higher your score will be.

Priority Order for Special Candies

When playing for the weekly contest, prioritize special candy creation and activation in this order:

Color bomb combinations: These generate the highest point totals in the game. Color bomb plus color bomb clears the entire board for massive points. Color bomb plus striped candy or wrapped candy are also incredibly high-scoring.
Striped plus wrapped combinations: The three-row and three-column cross blast clears a huge area and generates excellent points.
Wrapped plus wrapped combinations: The large area explosion produces strong point contributions.
Individual color bombs: Even without a combination, activating a color bomb by swapping it with a common color generates a lot of points.
Striped plus striped combinations: Good points from the cross-shaped row and column clear.
Individual wrapped and striped candies: Good for points and for setting up future combinations.

Creating Chain Reactions

When special candies activate, they often trigger chain reactions where the resulting cascades create additional matches and sometimes even additional special candies. These chain reactions generate bonus points that add up quickly. Positioning special candies where they will create the biggest chain reactions is a key skill for contest scoring.

Strategy 6: Manage Your Lives and Play Time Strategically

Winning the weekly contest requires a combination of high-quality play and sufficient playing volume. You need to play enough levels at high enough scores to accumulate a winning total.

Planning Your Weekly Play Schedule

Spread your playing sessions throughout the week. Instead of playing all your games on one day, distribute them across the week. This ensures your lives are used efficiently and you do not burn out.
Play multiple sessions per day if possible. Since lives regenerate over time, playing two or three shorter sessions per day lets you use more total lives than one long session.
Save your best playing sessions for the end of the week. If you are close to winning the contest, a strong push in the final days can make the difference.

Maximizing Life Usage

Never let your lives sit at the maximum of five for long periods. If your lives are full, play a few levels to start the regeneration timer.
Use free life sources like friend requests, team lives, and ad-based lives to play more levels each day.
If you receive an unlimited lives reward from an event or daily wheel, use it immediately and play as many levels as possible during that window.

Quality Over Quantity

While playing more levels helps, playing them well is even more important. Ten levels completed with three-star scores and high Sugar Crush bonuses will usually outperform twenty levels completed with minimal scores. Focus on quality first, then increase your volume as much as practically possible.

Strategy 7: Study Your Competition

The weekly contest is a competition, and understanding your competition gives you a strategic advantage.

Monitoring the Leaderboard

Check the leaderboard regularly throughout the week to see how you compare against other players. This information helps you make smart decisions about your playing strategy:

If you are far ahead: You can relax slightly and play at a normal pace without worrying about losing your lead.
If you are close to the leader: Increase your playing intensity and focus on maximizing scores to overtake them.
If you are far behind: Consider whether it is realistic to catch up. If the gap is too large, save your energy and boosters for next week's contest instead.
If the competition seems light: These are the weeks to push for the win because they require less total effort.

Understanding Competitor Behavior

Over time, you will notice patterns in how your regular competitors play:

Some players are very active early in the week but slow down later.
Some players save their big push for the final day or two.
Some players are consistently active throughout the entire week.

Understanding these patterns helps you time your own efforts for maximum effectiveness. If your main competitor tends to slow down on weekends, a strong weekend push could secure your win.

Advanced Tips for Consistent Contest Wins

Beyond the core strategies, here are some additional advanced tips that can give you an edge in the weekly contest.

Use Boosters Strategically During Contest Weeks

If you have been saving boosters, contest weeks are the best time to use them. A well-timed booster can turn a two-star completion into a three-star completion, or help you finish a level with many more remaining moves for a bigger Sugar Crush bonus.

The best boosters for contest scoring are:

Color Bomb booster: Starts you with a color bomb on the board, giving you immediate access to the highest-scoring candy in the game.
Striped and Wrapped booster: Starts you with a striped plus wrapped combination, which clears a massive area and generates huge points right from the first move.
Free Switch booster: Allows you to swap any two adjacent candies regardless of whether they form a match. This can help you set up powerful combinations that would otherwise be impossible.

Focus on Levels With High Score Potential

Not all levels contribute equally to your weekly score. Some levels have higher maximum possible scores than others. Generally, levels with the following characteristics tend to produce the highest scores:

Large open boards with few blockers
Generous move limits relative to the objective difficulty
Score-based objectives rather than collection or clearing objectives
Boards that naturally produce many special candy opportunities

Avoid Wasting Lives on Extremely Hard Levels

During contest weeks, failing a level gives you zero points but costs you a life. Lives spent on failed attempts are lives that could have been used on levels you can complete successfully. If you encounter an extremely hard level that you keep failing, consider skipping it temporarily and focusing on levels where you can earn points consistently.

Build a Strong Friend Network

Having many active friends who play Candy Crush Saga provides two benefits for the weekly contest:

More free lives: Friends can send you lives, allowing you to play more levels and earn more contest points.
Competitive motivation: Seeing friends on the leaderboard motivates you to play more strategically and push for higher scores.

Common Mistakes That Cost You Contest Wins

Even experienced players make mistakes that hurt their contest performance. Here are the most common ones to avoid:

Playing carelessly: Every level matters during contest week. Rushing through levels and accepting low scores hurts your weekly total.
Ignoring the Sugar Crush bonus: Many players focus only on completing the objective without thinking about maximizing remaining moves. This leaves significant points on the table.
Using all boosters on non-contest activities: If you waste your boosters on regular gameplay, you will not have them available when they could boost your contest score.
Playing only at the beginning of the week: If you build a lead early and then stop playing, other players can overtake you by the end of the week. Stay consistent throughout the entire contest period.
Not checking the leaderboard: If you do not know where you stand relative to the competition, you cannot make informed decisions about how aggressively to play.
Spending too many lives on one difficult level: Stubbornly retrying a hard level during contest week wastes lives that could be earning points on easier levels.

A Complete Weekly Contest Game Plan

Here is a practical week-long game plan that combines all the strategies into a single actionable schedule:

Monday and Tuesday: Build Your Foundation

Play through available levels focusing on three-star completions.
Replay any previously completed levels where you earned only one or two stars.
Save your best boosters for later in the week.
Check the leaderboard to see who your main competitors are.

Wednesday and Thursday: Increase Intensity

Continue playing levels with a focus on maximizing Sugar Crush bonuses.
Participate in any mid-week events that offer score bonuses.
Start using moderate boosters on levels where they will make the biggest score difference.
Monitor the leaderboard and adjust your strategy based on your position.

Friday and Saturday: Push for Points

Play as many levels as possible using all available life sources.
Use your strongest boosters on levels with the highest score potential.
Focus on special candy combinations for maximum points.
Replay your best scoring levels to try for even higher scores.

Sunday: Final Push

Check the leaderboard to see how close the competition is.
If you are leading, play enough to maintain your lead.
If you are behind, give an all-out effort with remaining lives and boosters.
Focus on high-scoring activities like replaying easy levels with maximum Sugar Crush potential.

Final Thoughts

Winning the weekly contest in Candy Crush Saga is not about luck. It is about understanding the scoring system, playing strategically, managing your resources wisely, and staying consistent throughout the entire week.

The core principles are simple: maximize your score on every level, take advantage of the Sugar Crush bonus, create and combine special candies aggressively, replay easy levels for higher scores, play during bonus events, manage your lives efficiently, and monitor your competition.

You do not need to be the most skilled player on your leaderboard to win. You need to be the smartest and most strategic. A player who completes fewer levels but maximizes their score on each one will often beat a player who rushes through many levels with low scores.

Start implementing these strategies this week and watch your leaderboard position improve. With consistent effort and smart play, winning the weekly contest can become a regular achievement rather than a rare surprise.

Have you won the weekly contest using these strategies? Share your experience in the comments below and help other players learn from your success. And if you know someone who is trying to win their first contest, share this guide with them to give them the strategies they need.