Casual games are arguably the dominant genre in the industry today. The game that led to the rise of the genre also gave birth to an entire category of games known today as match 3 games. That game is Bejeweledand it influenced a countless number of similar games.

The gameplay of the match 3 game is very simple. The player is faced with a grid of various objects and must swap objects to make three or more in a row either horizontally or vertically. In games similar to Bejeweled, players switch two adjacent objects. A sequel called Bejeweled Twist literally turned the gameplay on its head by allowing the player to rotate squares of four objects in order to make matches.

Other variations to the match 3 game include moving whole rows and columns, such as in the game Chuzzle, and tracing lines of three or more objects the same was one would find words in Boggle.

The biggest publisher of match 3 games is Popcap Games, the developer of Bejeweled. It is a popular category of online flash game as well with its simple gameplay. The massively multiplayer online game Puzzle Piratesmakes extensive use of match 3 games.

The match 3 game is also evolving as a category to include hybrids with other game types. Puzzle Quest debuted in 2007 and combines the match 3 gameplay with role playing elements. It has spawned two sequels as well as other match 3/role playing hybrid games from other publishers.