How much space these games take, and what works without a connection

Size and offline · published 2026-08-01 · data re-read 2026-08-12 · 6 min read

Puzzle games have quietly become large. The titles in our table range from 314 MB (Royal Match) to 1023 MB (Gems of War: Match 3 Strategy) as listed on the Australian App Store, and the listed number is only the starting point.

Listed size is not installed size

The store shows the download. After the first launch most of these games fetch additional content: level packs, event assets, seasonal art. On a device with little free space the practical figure can be well above the listing, and it grows as you progress. If storage is tight, install one at a time and check the device's own storage screen after a week of play rather than trusting the listing.

Gems of War screenshot — Gems of War by 505 Games — the largest title in our table on the Australian App Store.

Gems of War battle screen — Deeper systems mean more assets, which is where the size goes.

Bubble Witch 3 Saga screenshot — Bubble Witch 3 Saga by King — a different board type in the same size class.

What works without a connection

Behaviour splits into three groups, and the split matters more on a train than any other field in the table:

Levels playable offline, progress synced later. The most forgiving. You can play through a tunnel and the game catches up afterwards.
Levels playable offline, but rewards and events unavailable. Common. You can play, but an event streak may be lost.
Connection required for almost everything. Typical of titles built around teams, live events or player-versus-player features, where the board state is validated server-side.

Any game with team features or a live leaderboard belongs to the third group, whatever its store page implies about offline play.

Both stores can be set to download and update apps on Wi-Fi only. On a metered plan this is the setting that matters most, because these titles update every two to four weeks and an update is frequently a few hundred megabytes.

Update cadence

An active casual title ships an update every two to four weeks: new levels, event configurations and fixes. That is a healthy sign, and it is also a recurring data cost. Every title currently in our table was updated within the month before 2026-08-13.

Practical setup for a small phone

Check free space before installing anything above 400 MB.
Set store updates to Wi-Fi only.
Install one title at a time and give it a week before adding another.
If a game is only played on the commute, prefer one that keeps levels playable offline.

Short version

Listed size understates installed size, sometimes considerably.
Offline behaviour has three distinct patterns; team features force the strictest one.
Updates are frequent and large enough to matter on a metered plan.