Sand Blocks is a block puzzle game by Rollic, released in February 2026, and it has scaled to over $80K in daily IAP revenue, according to AppMagic.
This is another game developed by Uncosoft, which was acquired by Rollic back in 2021, and it has already become the 5th highest-grossing block puzzler by monthly IAP revenue.
Let’s take a closer look at the design behind this latest block puzzle hit.
Smart Combination
This is another game iterating on the successful Color Block Jam formula, but its design feels closer to Drop Away, which introduced blocks-shaped holes for sorting different colored people. Here, a similar system is used to sort sand under gravity, just like in Voodoo’s Sand Loop.
The falling sand creates an immediately satisfying visual, but gravity also adds another layer to the puzzle, as players need to consider the direction and placement of each block while sorting. The game also occasionally uses auto-filling to clear small amounts of remaining sand, preventing levels from becoming unnecessarily tedious.
Balanced Progression
The game uses proven a set of progression features: deterministic levels that reward learning through retries, difficulty labels that set expectations, and boosters to help players through tougher situations. Interestingly, since the game uses a time limit as the fail condition, available boosters are highlighted as the timer gets close to running out. The game also keeps introducing new blockers, and when Sand Pipes are introduced at level 50, they add a level of dynamism that isn’t present in the earlier levels. Beyond the core puzzle, leaderboards and LiveOps events are gradually unlocked to keep the experience engaging over time.
Hybrid Monetization
The game combines both IAP and IAA monetization, but keeps ads relatively restrained early on. RV ads are mainly used for refilling lost lives and multiplying level rewards, while interstitial ads are delayed until around level 48. On the IAP side, the game keeps things fairly simple, with a paid pass, bundles, and soft currency packs. Loss aversion techniques are also used around fail states, creating additional opportunities to nudge players toward spending.
What do you think about Sand Blocks and its take on the Block Puzzle formula?
Original Post: Kavindu Priyanath-LinkedIn
