Running out of lives mid-session is one of the most common frustrations in Candy Crush Saga. Here's every way to get more — free and paid — so you can make an informed decision each time it happens.
How Lives Work in Candy Crush
You start with 5 lives. Each failed level attempt costs one life. Once you're at zero, you have to wait, buy, or beg. The key numbers:
- Refill rate: 1 life every 30 minutes
- Maximum storage: 5 lives (automatic refill stops here)
- Full refill from zero: 2 hours 30 minutes
- Over-cap lives: Friends and events can push you past 5, but those decay before the cap kicks in again
Method 1: Wait for the Automatic Refill
The simplest option. One life regenerates every 30 minutes regardless of whether the app is open. If you're at 2 lives and want to come back with 5, you need to wait 90 minutes. The in-game timer shows you exactly when the next life arrives.
Method 2: Request Lives from Facebook Friends
If your Candy Crush account is connected to Facebook, you can tap the heart icon to send life requests to your Facebook friends who also play. They can send a life back. Each friend can send you one life per day, and you can hold requests from multiple friends.
- Open the map screen and tap your lives counter
- Tap "Ask for lives" and select friends to request from
- Lives they send appear in your in-game inbox
Method 3: Check Your Inbox
Lives sent to you by friends arrive in your in-game inbox, not automatically in your lives count. Open the inbox from the mailbox icon on the map screen and collect them. If you have active Facebook friends who play, check this regularly — uncollected lives expire.
Method 4: Spin the Daily Booster Wheel
Once per day you can spin the Daily Booster Wheel from the map screen. The prizes are randomized, but a full-lives booster is one of the possible outcomes. It takes about 10 seconds and costs nothing — there's no reason to skip it.
Method 5: Collect from Active Events
Limited-time events sometimes include lives or an "Unlimited Lives for 30 minutes" booster as rewards. These appear periodically and are worth paying attention to, especially during King's seasonal events. Watch the event progress bar — lives rewards are usually mid-tier prizes.
Method 6: Buy Lives with Gold Bars
Tapping your lives counter gives the option to buy a full refill for 1 gold bar. This is the fastest option, but gold bars are the game's premium currency and better saved for buying extra moves on genuinely hard levels you're close to beating.
Method 7: Use a Stored Life Booster
Life boosters you've earned from events or the booster wheel can be activated from your booster inventory. These instantly restore lives. Find them by tapping the booster bag icon on the map screen.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long does it take for lives to refill in Candy Crush Saga?
One life every 30 minutes, automatically. Zero to five lives takes 2 hours and 30 minutes. The timer runs whether or not you have the app open.
How many lives can you have at once?
The cap is 5. Automatic refills stop at 5, though you can exceed it temporarily through friends or event rewards. Extra lives over 5 are used first before the counter starts refilling.
Can you get unlimited lives in Candy Crush for free?
Only temporarily. Some events reward an "Unlimited Lives" booster lasting 20–30 minutes. There is no permanent free unlimited-lives option.
Do I need Facebook to receive lives from friends?
Yes. Lives sharing is tied entirely to the Facebook connection. Without it, the request and send system is unavailable.
What happens to lives sent by friends if I don't collect them?
They sit in your inbox until you collect them, but they do expire after a period of time. Check your inbox after any session break to make sure you're not losing free lives.
Last updated: June 2026 · All Candy Crush guides