AppMagic's taxonomy, subdivided further 13 Hybrid Puzzle types, ranked by IAP+Adrev* (Jan+Feb)

In 2026, ranks 1-5 are all different types of Sort.

Screw, Shelves, Stack, Dock and Dock + Conveyor

Everyone is watching Pixel Flow right now.

BUT the largest subcategory is Sort/Screw @ $72M.

Subcategories #2 and #3 (tie with #4 Dock) are older ones: Shelves (Goods Sort), and Stack (Water Sort) with hundreds of games each.

#5 - The subcategory (my definitions, feel free to nitpick ) occupied by Pixel Flow (Sort Dock + Conveyor) is the newest and fastest growing.

If you're a studio evaluating hybrid casual puzzle as a category to enter (I mean, who isn't ), I'd recommend becoming a genuine expert in one or more of these subgenres before considering how to forward-innovate (mechanically or thematically) in that space.

Hint: Screw Puzzle and Dock + Conveyor are both evolutions of Dock Puzzle, where devs figured out how to add faux-physics or new spatial dimensionality to the familiar Color Sort/Dock gameplay (Bus Escape).

And, both genres solved for 'pieces of art' as UA-friendly level design.

Why innovate from one of these categories, and not from blue-sky puzzle game design?

If your goal is a business that can compete in the market, the top 5 subgenres have built-in advantages in accessibility, marketability, scalability, and monetization that should be deeply understood and internalized first.

May the odds be ever in your favor.

IAP Data from AppMagic

*AdRev estimated: Turbine's Model.