What Is Suika Game? The Watermelon Game Explained

Suika Game is a physics puzzle made by the Japanese company Aladdin X. You drop fruit into a box, and when two identical fruits touch they merge into the next bigger fruit, all the way up to a watermelon. The run ends when the pile crosses the line at the top of the box. It launched worldwide on Nintendo Switch on October 20, 2023, for $2.99, and has since spread to phones, Apple Arcade and a sequel.

“Suika” (スイカ) is the Japanese word for watermelon. That’s why so many English-speaking players just call it “the watermelon game.”

Where did Suika Game come from? #

The idea started in China. A browser game called Merge Big Watermelon (合成大西瓜) came out in January 2021 and spread quickly on Chinese social media. A few months later, in April 2021, Aladdin X released its own take for popIn Aladdin, a ceiling-mounted projector the company makes. The Nintendo Switch version followed in Japan that December.

For almost two years it was a modest Japanese release. Then the worldwide Switch launch in October 2023 turned it into one of the most talked-about games of the year. According to the milestones collected on Wikipedia’s Suika Game page, downloads went from 1 million in early October 2023 to 5 million by mid-December, then passed 10 million by June 2024.

How does Suika Game work? #

The rules fit on an index card:

1. A fruit waits at the top of the box. You slide it left or right and drop it.
2. The fruit falls, rolls and settles. Real-feeling physics means it can bump and shove the fruit already inside.
3. When two fruits of the same kind touch, they merge into the next fruit in the chain, right where they met.
4. The new fruit can touch another match and merge again, which is how chain reactions happen.
5. You only ever drop the five smallest fruits. Anything bigger has to be built.
6. You can see the next fruit one turn ahead, but the order is random.
7. When two watermelons merge, they disappear from the box.
8. The game ends when the fruit crosses the line at the top.

There’s no timer. Points only come from merging, never from dropping, and bigger merges are worth more. That one rule shapes the whole game: you score by building up, not by filling up. Our step-by-step guide to playing Suika Game goes through controls and your first few runs in more detail.

The 11 fruits #

From smallest to largest: cherry, strawberry, grapes, dekopon, persimmon, apple, pear, peach, pineapple, melon and watermelon. The first five can drop from the top. The rest you have to earn. There’s a full breakdown, including how many cherries a watermelon is “worth,” in our Suika Game fruit order guide.

Why did Suika Game get so popular? #

A few things line up in its favor.

It’s cheap. Japanese coverage of the game points to its low price (the iPhone version launched at ¥240 in Japan) as one reason it spread. On Switch it’s $2.99.

You understand it in five seconds. Nobody needs a tutorial for “same fruits merge.” That makes it easy to pick up and easy to watch someone else play.

Physics makes every run different. Fruit doesn’t snap to a grid. A careless drop can knock a grape into a gap you were saving, and a lucky one can set off four merges in a row. That mix of planning and chaos is what keeps people pressing “retry.”

There’s always a clear next goal. First you want a melon. Then a watermelon. Then two. The online leaderboards (daily, monthly and all-time) give competitive players a number to chase.

Where can you play Suika Game? #

One warning if you shop on your phone: app stores are full of “watermelon game” clones from other developers. If you want the original, check that the developer listed is Aladdin X. We cover what’s official and what isn’t in is Suika Game on iPhone and Android.

Is Suika Game the same as other merge games? #

It belongs to a bigger family. Threes! and 2048 (both 2014) had you slide numbered tiles together on a grid. Triple Town (2010) merged three matching tiles into a better one. Suika’s twist is gravity: pieces fall, roll and stack, so where something lands matters as much as what it is.

Since 2023 a whole wave of drop-and-merge games has followed. Merge Panda is one of them. You drop snacks into a bamboo crate instead of fruit into a box, and its 11-step ladder climbs from a bamboo sprout to an Emperor Panda instead of ending at a watermelon. It adds a combo multiplier for merges chained within about two seconds, plus three daily missions. It’s free on iPhone and Android with optional ads. It’s an independent game with no connection to Aladdin X. If you want more options, see our list of games like Suika Game.

Frequently asked questions #

Is Suika Game free? #

No. The Switch version costs $2.99 on the Nintendo eShop, and the sequel Suika Game Planet is also $2.99. The iPhone version launched in Japan at ¥240. Apple Arcade subscribers get Suika Game+ as part of the subscription.

Who made Suika Game? #

Aladdin X, a Japanese company best known for its popIn Aladdin ceiling projector, developed and published it. The core idea came from the Chinese browser game Merge Big Watermelon, released in January 2021.

What happens when you merge two watermelons? #

They vanish from the box instead of turning into something bigger. That clears a large chunk of space, which is why experienced players treat a double watermelon as both a score boost and a lifeline.

Can you play Suika Game with friends? #

Yes. A two-player mode arrived in February 2024, and online versus was added in May 2024. On Switch, online play requires a Nintendo Switch Online membership.

Is there a Suika Game 2? #

The closest thing is Suika Game Planet, a space-themed sequel released in Japan on December 18, 2025, and in the US on January 5, 2026, for Switch and Switch 2. Instead of dropping fruit straight down, you fly around a planet and drop fruit from any direction.