CruxJoy · Free puzzle games, reviewed one at a time
Free match-3 and sort puzzles, played before we write a word
CruxJoy is an independent, one-person review site covering free match-3 and sort puzzle games on Google Play — real screenshots, honest verdicts, no scores borrowed from anyone else.
Two genres, played all the way through
Eight games, split evenly across two hubs. Pick the pace you're after.
Match-3 Puzzle Games
Swap, cascade, clear the board
Match-3 Puzzle is the hub for games built around the oldest trick in mobile puzzling: swap two neighbouring pieces, line up three or more of the same …
Browse the hub Puzzle SortPuzzle Sort Games
Arrange, merge, and clear by shape
Puzzle Sort is the calmer half of the catalogue. Three of the four games here are proper sorting puzzles — you're grouping numbered or coloured pieces…
Browse the hubEditorial picks
Our four highest CruxJoy Pick scores in the catalogue right now.
Six games, side by side
A quick overview across both hubs. Each hub also has its own, more specific comparison.
| Game | Hub | Platforms | Session length | Google Play rating | CruxJoy Pick |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bonbons Crush Legend - Match 3 | Match-3 Puzzle | Android phones and tablets | 5-10 minute rounds | 4.4 | |
| Candy Smash Mania: Match 3 Pop | Match-3 Puzzle | Android phones and tablets | 5-8 minute rounds | 4.3 | |
| Candy Fever Smash - Match 3 | Match-3 Puzzle | Android phones and tablets | 5-10 minute rounds | 4.4 | |
| Candy Sort: Merge Puzzle | Puzzle Sort | Android phones and tablets | 3-6 minute rounds | Not yet rated | |
| Candy sort: Color puzzle | Puzzle Sort | Android phones and tablets | 3-5 minute rounds | Not yet rated | |
| Candy Sort Puzzle | Puzzle Sort | Android phones and tablets | 3-6 minute rounds | Not yet rated |
Ratings shown are Google Play's own figures at the time we last checked; the CruxJoy Pick score is our separate editorial call.
Two numbers, two different things
Google Play's star rating, shown on every review where the game has one, is the store's own public figure — we don't adjust or recalculate it. The CruxJoy Pick score next to it is ours: a one-to-five editorial call from actually playing the game, made by one person, not an algorithm or a panel.
We show both because they answer different questions. Google Play's rating reflects everyone who's reviewed the game there; the CruxJoy Pick reflects what we specifically noticed in the hour or two we spent with it. Neither is meant to replace the other.
Questions we get asked
Are the games on CruxJoy actually free?
Yes. Every game we cover is free to download and play on Google Play — that's a requirement for a game to be added to the catalogue in the first place, not a claim we make loosely. We don't track or discuss what happens inside a game beyond that point; our reviews are about the puzzle mechanics and how a session feels.
Do you test every game yourselves before writing about it?
Yes, each review reflects hands-on time with the actual game on an Android device, not a rewrite of the store listing. CruxJoy is written by one person, not a team, so "we" in a review means one editor's honest impression rather than a panel verdict — see our About page for more on how that works.
Where do the ratings on CruxJoy come from?
Two different numbers appear on this site. Google Play's star rating, when a game has one, is shown exactly as it appears on the store listing at the time we last checked it. Our own CruxJoy Pick score is a separate, five-point editorial call based on playing the game — the two are never meant to be read as the same thing.
Why don't some games have a Google Play rating shown?
A handful of games in the catalogue are new enough, or have few enough reviews, that Google Play doesn't display a public star rating for them yet. We show that plainly as "not yet rated" rather than guessing at a number or leaving the field blank without explanation.
Why only two genres?
We'd rather cover two genres properly than stretch thin across five. Match-3 Puzzle and Puzzle Sort are both well represented by free, well-reviewed games right now, and keeping the catalogue this size means every game gets a full playthrough before we write about it.
How do I get in touch about a review?
The fastest way is email — see the Contact page for the address and what kinds of messages we're able to respond to. We read everything, though as a one-person site we can't promise a reply to every message.
Get in touch with the editor
CruxJoy is run by one person, so this isn't a support desk — but genuine notes about a review, a correction, or a question about how an image is used are always welcome by email.
Write in for: a factual correction on a review, a question about how we sourced a screenshot, or a request related to an image's use. We read every message that comes in, though as a one-person site we can't guarantee a reply to all of them.
One thing CruxJoy can't help with directly: technical support for the games themselves — bugs, lost progress, account questions, or anything happening inside a specific game. Those go to the developer listed on that game's Google Play page, not to us; we write about games, we don't build or operate them.
Legal or privacy-related correspondence is welcome at the same address, and is read by Nadia Boyko personally rather than routed anywhere else, since there's no one else here to route it to.