Truck Star

Review by eFreeware

If you like the idea of a puzzle game that gives you something to build between rounds, Truck Star is pitched directly at you. It comes from Century Games PTE. LTD. and pairs match-3 boards with truck repair, refitting and repainting. You clear puzzles, then put the results into a growing collection of vehicles.

The appeal is the combination rather than either half on its own. A straight match-3 game asks you to keep clearing boards for their own sake; here the boards feed a garage where you customize lights, bumpers, horns and more. That loop gives each session a destination, and it is the reason the game has drawn over 10 million installs and holds a 4.5 average across more than 509,000 ratings.

It is free to download, carries no ads, and offers in-app purchases. The content rating is Everyone, and the game sits in the Casual category, which fits what it asks of you: short puzzle rounds, then time spent deciding what to change on your trucks.

Simulation and tycoon ideas in a puzzle frame

What separates this from a plain matching game is the second layer underneath. The developer describes a blend of simulation and tycoon gameplay, so the truck side is not just a cosmetic reward screen. You are meant to feel like you are running and improving a fleet, not only collecting pictures of vehicles.

Truck simulator elements are part of the same package, according to the developer, which suggests the game wants to give a taste of that genre without asking you to drive for hours. The match-3 boards are the entry point, and the truck work is what you do with the progress you make there.

That structure suits players who want a puzzle game with a project attached. If you have bounced off match-3 games because the boards felt disconnected from anything, the fleet you assemble here is the counterweight.

How the matching works

The puzzle side is a match-3 game: you line up pieces on a board to clear them, and clearing boards is how you move forward. The developer calls it addictive, which is the usual language for this genre, and the format is well understood by anyone who has played one before.

The recent update added 100 new levels, so the board count keeps growing rather than stopping at a fixed set. New levels are the main way a game like this stays interesting over months, and a hundred at a time is a meaningful addition for players who work through content quickly.

Because the matching feeds everything else, the pace of your progress depends on how much you play. That is normal for the genre, and it means the truck side unfolds gradually rather than all at once.

Repairing, customizing and collecting trucks

The garage is where the game's identity lives. You repair and refit trucks, then repaint and personalize them with parts such as lights, bumpers and horns. The aim is assembling the fleet you have always wanted, and the customization options are the tools for that.

The latest update adds a truck called Bolt Express, which you repair and upgrade like the others. New vehicles give the collection something to aim at, and upgrading one gives a reason to keep clearing boards after the novelty of a new model wears off.

There are also card collections, and the update introduces a Farm Collection built around long-term collecting. Card sets like this tend to run alongside the main progression, giving completionists a second track to work on while they build out their trucks.

Events and what the updates bring

Truck Star teases a limited-time event on top of its regular levels. The update teases a treasure hunt called Treasure Quest, described as coming soon, which adds a time-limited objective for players who want something other than the standard board progression.

Frequent updates and more features are promised, and the recent changes back that up with new levels, a new truck, an event and a card collection arriving together. For a game released in May 2024, that is a steady stream of additions rather than a single launch and silence.

Events and collections are the kind of content that rewards checking in regularly. If you prefer to play in long, occasional sessions, you may find that some of this material passes you by.

Who will get the most from it

This is a game for players who want a casual puzzle loop with a visible project attached. If you enjoy match-3 boards and like the idea of spending the rewards on paint, parts and new trucks, the two halves reinforce each other well.

It also suits anyone drawn to truck customization but not to the commitment of a full driving simulator. The developer's pitch is that you get the flavor of that genre inside a puzzle game, which is a lighter way to engage with it.

The free download with no ads keeps the barrier low, though in-app purchases are part of the package. The Everyone rating means it is broadly appropriate, and the casual framing means it does not demand long sittings.

A puzzle game with a garage worth building

Truck Star is a well-executed idea in theory: match-3 boards that pay into a truck garage where you repair, customize and collect. The combination gives the puzzles a purpose beyond clearing the next level, and the update history suggests the developers intend to keep feeding it.

If you want pure puzzle mechanics with nothing layered on top, the truck side is the whole point here and you will spend time in it. If you want a puzzle game that feeds a garage of trucks you repair and customize, this is built for that.

For players who like casual matching and a collection to grow, it is an easy recommendation. The free download, the absence of ads and the steady flow of new levels, trucks and events make it a low-risk install for anyone curious about the mix.

What's new in version 1.64.0

Ready for an exciting update? - 100 new levels packed with thrilling challenges! - Repair and upgrade the brand-new truck [Bolt Express]! - The new limited-time treasure hunt event [Treasure Quest] is coming soon! - The new card collection [Farm Collection] is about to begin—enjoy months of collecting fun! Even more fun content is now live in the game—log in and check it out!