Halloween may be over, but the candy is still flowing. From Nov. 3 to Dec. 7, the hit mobile puzzle game Candy Crush Saga enters its next major event with the annual Music Season, which overhauls the game’s aesthetic and challenges with a musical slant. Last year, the seasonal event debuted collaborative tracks with artists like Kimbra, Tokimonsta, and Łaszewo — but this time around, it’s going even bigger.
The 2025 edition of Candy Crush Saga’s Music Season will be headlined by musician and producer Thundercat (real name Stephen Lee Bruner) who, in collaboration with the game’s developer, King, is debuting a fresh cover of Diana Ross’s 1980 song, “Upside Down.”
Today, as part of the launch of the new season and song, Candy Crush Saga has released a psychedelic music video for the cover of “Upside Side” with a gamified twist. The video will be made available as a fully interactive experience inspired by the “match-3” mechanics of the puzzle game, letting users play through the track with rhythmic inputs.
Rolling Stone has an exclusive look at the linear (i.e. non-playable) version of the music video, viewable below.
The video depicts a surreal world where a young man begins seeing the colorful patterns and iconography, like Swedish fish and other candies, that dedicated Candy Crush players will no doubt recognize. In the interactive version, available on the official Music Season website, users will need to swipe through matches of three to progress the video (it’s not easy!).
In a statement provided to Rolling Stone, Thundercat emphasizes the fun of blending music and gameplay, saying, “Music has always been about freedom and play for me. Working with Candy Crush to rework ‘Upside Down’ let me push that idea even further, turning sound into something people can interact with.”
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Behind the scenes of the “Upside Down” music video, with a dancer wearing a Thundercat mask.
Courtesy of Candy Crush Saga
On top of the new video, Candy Crush Saga’s new season is coming to life through a limited edition run of music-themed lollipops that are available on the playable experience’s landing page.
Since launching in 2012, Candy Crush Saga has remained one of the most popular games on mobile devices, accruing millions of daily players. The app is free to download on iOS, Android, and PC. Thundercat’s cover of “Upside Down” will also be available to stream on platforms like Spotify, Apple Music, and more, starting today.
