Bejeweled® 3

The Bejeweled series are a classic of PC gaming, and this third entry in the series is probably the best of them all.

Also: No ads, and no macro-transactions - just buy-once-play-forever match-3 fun throughout different game modes. Zen mode is good to unwind for a while as you listen to some music or a podcast.

If you like casual puzzle games, definitely get Bejeweled 3 whenever it's on sale.

Fun relaxing game with many options.

absolute classic with great music, nice visuals, fun sounds, boosin narrator, and good variety with the different modes! Considering what you're paying this is what we call a "deal and a half", maybe a deal and not half but maybe closer to two thirds, since it's also part of the party pack bundle and it goes on super sweet sales every so often (yep, just graduated from english class!)

It's so funny how seriously this game takes its self with its presentation and how much i happily buy into it, because it really is that good to the point where im sold on its crazy mythical aesthetic, its the type of style i usually hate but it elevates it a good bit for me, eight out of ten shining gems !

its aight ion really recommend unless you aint got a smartphone

Runs perfectly. This game franchise laid the groundwork for what is now (sadly) Candy Crush.
Play this instead of Candy Crush, it's better in every way.

Better than Candy Crush in every inconceivable way possible. No ads, no micro transactions, no bloat. This is the quintessential match three game. Zen mode is SUPER fun and I can literally play it for hours. I will forever appreciate the middle aged mother that recommended this game to me. <3

fuck the timed minigames
who the fuck thought that it would be a good idea to add a time limit to a tochscreen-based game played with a FUCKING MOUSE?

Love this game, just wish that it had a little more story or something to it. Or maybe a goal besides completing the levels.

I love this game <3
Peaceful, enjoyable, a pleasant thing to just vibe with for a while. Except diamond minor. That gets SERIOUS.

I can't explain how good this game is. It builds on Bejeweled 2's foundations and delivers a better experience (not that 2 was terrible, I have more lifetime hours outside of Steam). I have a ton of hours on the Nintendo DS version as well. If you have ever played Candy Crush, this is a BILLION times BETTER. None of that "recharging lives" stuff. No EA App. Its literally the best match 3 to exist to this very day. Get it.

A true gem of a game, Bejeweled 3 stands as a timeless classic in the Match-3 genre—one that often outshines even modern AAA titles with its intricate design and diverse game modes.
The various modes ensure that every type of gamer finds their niche. If you're someone who thrives on the pressure of a ticking clock, Lightning Mode will have you scrambling to match time gems and keep the seconds at bay. For those who enjoy a slower, more strategic pace, Diamond Mine offers an enchanting diversion. I personally spent most of my time digging in the mine—it is a golden experience, as every match uncovers hidden treasures and fuels a sense of discovery. And if you're in the mood for a serious adrenaline rush, Ice Storm challenges you to fend off climbing columns of ice, demanding both quick reflexes and sharp pattern recognition.
Before Candy Crush became a household name, Bejeweled 3 laid the groundwork for what we now celebrate in casual puzzle gaming. Its basic mechanic of swapping adjacent jewels to form lines of three or more might seem simple, but the game’s myriad mini-games and variations transform a straightforward idea into an endlessly engaging experience.
Overall, Bejeweled 3 is not just a game—it’s a brilliant blend of nostalgia, strategy, and pure fun. Whether you’re looking to test your puzzle skills or simply unwind with an engaging challenge, this game continues to shine brightly on Steam.

now i understand why the elderly love this game

BECAUSE AT 87 YEARS OLD IT IS ONE OF THE FEW GAMES THAT i am fast enough for thank you for making it

A game that stands out for its wide variety of minigames around the match-3 concept.

The game features a softlock protection (if you pop the last possible match on the board, the falling gems are guaranteed make a new match possible)

Classic mode

The endless mode. No time limit/bonus of any sort.
Breaking enough gems eventually triggers a "level up", which is simply an event that shuffles gems on screen.
Most importantly, softlock protection is disabled, and the run ends if you can't match anything.

Strategy

Since the only thing that matters in this mode is to avoid running out of matches, it's more rewarding to focus on the gems closest to the top, and only match lower gems when there's nothing else to do above.
The bottom of the screen is also harder to shuffle, which encourages such approach.

It's also unrewarding to use special gems, as they're better for desperate situations, but using them too early might make the player miss on a good amount of potential matches.

From that angle, the Classic mode effectively encourages to play as boringly as possible, prioritize smaller matches and avoid power gems.
This can get pretty long thanks to the absence of time constraint. On my first serious run, I reached over 4 millions points (platinum badges requires 500k) for about 2 hours in that single run, which I gave up by myself.

Diamond mine

A mode where the bottom half of the screen is covered in "dirt tiles", with various durability stages. Matching gems next to a dirt tile cheaps its durability, the goal being to dig as far as possible.

Due to the screen often being half-covered in dirt, there are only 5 colors of gems instead of 7, making for a lot of power gems.

I love Bejeweled it's really fun, especially Butterflies mode!

Its Bejweled. I really can't say any higher compliment than this, I love this game. I got it for 99 cents USD on sale.

It's a good game but the hardware recommendations are misleading. For the best experience, you need to play this on your mom's off-white Compaq PC running Windows XP that she keeps on a desk next to the living room TV while she watches the news.

Simple fun and overall addictive.

while my friends were having arguments, i was trying to figure out how to get 2 hypercubes paired up

way too good for a match 3 game

poker is my favorite gamemode in a match 3 game

classic mode: brain go brrrr

ice storm mode: brain go brrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr

nice but need more updates

Match-3 perfection. Lots of game modes. Really fun to compete with friends. If you're going to get any single match-3 game and no other, make it this one!

My personal favorite of the PopCap bundle. Easy to learn, calming to play, a bunch of alternate modes; in short, the perfect casual game.

phone died while playing some bejeweled, misplaced my phone charger, didn't feel like finding it, decided to get it on PC instead, and this is a life saver! for a game that came out in 2010, this feels really well done!

HOURS OF FUN. I LOVE THIS GAME. BUT I WANT MY TIME BACK PLEASE. HELP I AM ADDICTED!!!

One of the most addicting games I've ever played! Well worth $5 with how much there is to do. Lightening mode and Poker mode especially can make 2 hours feel like 15 minutes!

Bought this foo foo bootleg ahh game on sale for $1 it made my computer took a dump and almost got hacked. I should've used the $1 on an arizona bottle like a friend told me to DO NOT BUY OR REFUND IF YOU JUST BOUGHT IT

Timeless classic, better than any modern AAA game released in the last 10 years

The original and best Match 3 game. I remember playing this back on Windows XP/Vista. Good memories.

Recommended.

An absolute classic!
A nice game to play to remember the good old times!!!
Also it runs great!

Works on steam deck in gaming mode as well as in desktop mode, both full screen and windowed! Great game!

For the uninitiated or those who turn their noses up at “casual” games, Bejeweled could be called the flagship of PopCap Games. It’s a simple yet addictive puzzle game where you match different colored gems. Line up at least three of the same colored gems to remove them from the board. If you line up more than three, you create special gems that do a variety of things from blowing up all surrounding gems to removing all gems of a certain color. Bejeweled 3 offers eight game modes:

-Classic: As the name suggests, this is the standard, classic version of Bejeweled. There’s no time limit, but it is possible to run out of moves.

-Zen: This is similar to Classic in that there’s no time limit, but it’s also impossible to run out of moves because the game generates new gems to allow for endless play. The goal of this mode is to relax players. You can turn on various ambient sounds, such as crickets or waterfalls. There’s also a “breath modulation” option, where the screen prompts you when to breathe in & out as you would in meditation.

-Lightning: A time-trial mode, players have 60 seconds to score as many points as possible. You can collect special gems to increase your time, or create several chains quickly to earn a speed bonus.
Quest: Quest is sort of a mini-game mode. In each stage you have to complete four mini-games to move onto the next level. These mini-games are made up of the various other modes listed, but typically have a specific, timed objective. The only one I’ve seen so far that isn’t one of the main modes was a balancing game where you have to keep the amount of colors even (for example, clearing the same number of red & blue gems).

-Butterflies: Unlocked in Zen, Butterflies randomly replaces gems on the bottom of the screen with jeweled butterflies. With each turn that they aren’t removed, they move up a space. The goal is the clear as many as you can before one reaches the top, where a spider waits.
Diamond Mine: Another timed game, players dig through layers of dirt to find gold, silver & treasure by clearing gems near the bottom. This mode is unlocked in Quest.

-Ice Storm: Currently I haven’t unlocked this mode yet, because it requires 100,000 points in Lightning, but it’s similar to Butterflies. The goal is to prevent columns of ice from reaching to top of the board. The game ends when the board freezes.

-Poker: Unlocked in Classic, each set of gems you remove counts as a card. For example, if you match red gems, you get a red gem card. After five matches, the game gives you a certain number of points based on your hand. Having five different cards gives you the lowest score, while having five of the same kind gives you a Flush, & the most points. Occasionally the game will put a skull on a type of hand, & if you have that hand there’s a 50/50 chance you’ll get a game over.

Bejeweled is easy to understand & pick up. There are plenty of modes to appeal to all types of puzzle gamers, from those who like fast-paced to those (like me) who don’t want to be pressured. I also have to say that I really like the Zen mode. If you turn the music down & turn the ambient sounds up, it’s very relaxing. The regular music is nice, although I don’t think there are many different songs. The graphics are okay as well. Your board takes up most of the screen, but each new level has a different fantasy art landscape in the background, which is nice to look at. But honestly you probably won’t pay much attention to it.

However, puzzle games aren’t for everyone. Gameplay is essentially the same thing, just with different objectives. So if you’re a hardcore action junkie, I doubt games like this will appeal to you. Also, while there is an addictive quality to the game, I find that if I play it too long I have a harder time finding matches because the jewels just start to look the same.

If you’re a fan of puzzle games, you’ll probably like this one. I can’t say that there’s enough difference between this & previous Bejeweled games to say if you should add this one to your collection, however. But if you’ve never played Bejeweled & think you might be interested, Bejeweled 3 is as good a starting point as any. But it’s not for everyone. Personally, I find Bejeweled 3 to be a nice palate cleanser between games or a way to kill time.

Verdict: 8/10

this game saved my life, without it i'd probably have been addicted to several illegal substances and selling my body on the streets for pennies. I love bejeweled.

Good game to play when you've got time to kill. Bejeweled 3 has a plethora of game-modes that suit all kinds of players looking for a casual game.

As a match 3 fan, I enjoy classics like this. Was going for all achievements and got a good chunk of them (72 % to be exact) but some of the platinum ones are just frustratingly annoying to get, since they mostly depend on the luck of getting the right pieces and I don't necessarily like that. Will still go back to it from time to time, as a means to kill time.

This was a purchase that I had made to replace an existing copy of this game when my new computer had no CD ROM. Still fun.

probably the best match 3 on the market possibly ever

I think I've played this enough now that I feel comfortable leaving a review. I rarely play anything other than Diamond Mine mode, which is locked behind the Quest mode. I am aware that there are probably many others with much higher scores than me.

But when life is stressful and work is a word Steam won't let me say, this is what I come to to relax: a fifteen-year-old puzzle game that probably didn't spawn the match-3 category, but certainly popularized it. Reviews are still this positive for a reason. Spend the $5 and get it. Your sanity will thank you.

Garbage. The game always works against you. Often leaving you scrambling for 60 or 90 seconds without being able to make a move or only being able to make a move in the upper corner of the screen.

my whole life is nothing but gems. every day i wake up and all i can do is merge these gems. i open up this game, play the poker mode, and gamble all my life earnings away. i'm living in a cardboard box because of this game. thanks, popcap

I've played this game off and on for many year's. You can play it as a simple game or you can make the game more challenging. Enjoy...

Still a classic and the gameplay is top notch... or would be, but the pc version shows popups every 3 seconds to explain the special gems that you create by matching more than 3 gems. The popup does not go away until clicked and covers about a quarter of the board.

As this is an old game, it will never be fixed.

A classic. Runs amazing on the Steam Deck OLED with the touch screen. Wouldn't recommend on the Steam Deck LCD because the touch screen isn't as responsive.

I mean come on, Bejeweled 3 is an all-time classic "Match 3" game and the game modes are all very fun and enjoyable! Probably the greatest Match 3 to ever be made! The downside is as an achievement enjoyer, a lot of them are incredible luck-based, especially the platinum achievements for the specific game modes like Ice Storm, Poker, and Butterflies...personally in my eyes, super luck based achievements are complete garbage so I wasn't happy to see them there. Otherwise, if you don't care about achievements, then this is a fantastic game!

It's the OG for a reason, 8/10

I really like it! It has some annoying modes but there is always zen mode for healing !!! xd

I am mildly addicted to the poker mode.

It's just a way better and less greedier version of Candy Crush :D

who doesnt love some bejeweled? timed modes get my blood pumping

Challenging high score game! Time sensitive! Beat THE CLOCK. Strategy !