Guide
How to play
Everything you need in a few minutes. The game also has a short interactive tutorial, which you can replay any time from Settings → Help.
The game's lane symbols put a shape on every color, so color is never the only clue.
01
Place a tile
Drag a tile from your tray onto a cell, or tap the tile and then the cell. Each cell has 3 lane spots: left, middle and right. A tile's lanes keep their spots, so it only fits a cell where those exact spots are free.
02
Work through your tray
You get 3 tiles at a time. Once you've placed all three, a new set arrives, and that's one round. Your run ends when none of the tiles you have left fit anywhere on the board.
03
Clear lanes
Get one color into all 3 cells of a row, column or diagonal and those lanes clear. Fill a cell with 3 lanes of one color and it clears on its own: a solid cell. Any cell left empty, solid or not, is a cell clear, worth extra points.
04
Every cell counts
Each of the 3 cells needs its own lane of that color. Three lanes squeezed into two cells won't clear. Once the line is complete, any extra lanes of that color in it clear too.
05
Streaks and combos
Clearing lanes scores points, and cell clears score extra. Complete more than one match with a single tile, like a row and a column at once, for a combo. Clear at least one line every round to build a streak. Combos and streaks both boost your score.
Boosts
A little help when you need it
Tap a boost to get it ready. It lights up and shows what it does. Then tap the cell, lane or tile you want to use it on. Changed your mind? Tap it again to cancel. You earn boosts by finishing all 3 daily missions, logging in each day and reaching milestones during a run. Out of one? You can top it up by choosing to watch a short ad.
Reroll Missions replaces one of today's missions with a fresh one. You use it from the Daily screen rather than during a run (see Daily missions).
Daily missions
Three missions a day
You get 3 new missions every day at 9 AM, your local time. Finish all 3 to earn a boost. Don't like one? Tap its reroll icon to swap it for another. Each swap uses one of your rerolls. Coming back each day also builds a login streak with its own daily reward.
Themes and tile colors
Unlock new looks as you play
Themes and tile colors unlock with pieces. Some pieces come from specific achievements, and the rest arrive each time you finish all 3 of a day's missions. Those usually go to an item that's nearly done. Want to pick one yourself? Tap the circle next to a locked item in Progress.
You start with two themes, Night Studio and its light twin Day Studio, and they share their tile colors. There are more themes to unlock, from Neon and Frost to Denim, Seventies and Golden Hour, and every tile color set is checked against the common types of colorblindness.
Questions
Good to know
What kind of game is Matchlane?
Matchlane is a calm, single-player puzzle game made by Lanework Studio. You place tiles on a 3×3 board and line up lanes of one color across a row, column or diagonal to clear them, keeping the board open for as long as you can.
Which devices can I play Matchlane on?
Matchlane is for Android phones and tablets. You can get it on Google Play.
Is Matchlane free?
Yes. There are no in-app purchases. Matchlane shows rewarded ads only: you can choose to watch one to top up a boost, continue a run or double a daily reward, and the button always tells you it starts an ad. There are no banners and no pop-up ads.
Do I need an internet connection?
No. Everything except ads works offline, including full runs, missions, achievements and settings.
Where is my progress saved?
On your device, and never sent to us. If backup is on in your Android settings, your stats, unlocks and missions are also in your phone's backup in your Google account, so they come back when you reinstall the game or set up a new phone.
How do I change my privacy choices?
Open Settings → Privacy. You can switch analytics, game improvement data, crash reports and personalized ads on or off, or tap Reset Consent to turn everything off. In the EEA, the UK and Switzerland, Ad privacy choices reopens Google's consent form. The privacy policy explains exactly what each switch does.
Can I make the game easier to see?
Yes. In Settings → Accessibility you'll find Lane Symbols (a shape on every lane, so colors are never the only clue), High Contrast, Large UI and Reduced Motion. Every tile color set is checked against the common types of colorblindness, and one is made especially for it. Prefer a bright screen? Day Studio, a light theme, is there from the start in Settings → Appearance.
When do daily missions reset?
Every day at 9 AM in your device's local time.
Something isn't working. Who do I contact?
Email [email protected]. It helps to mention your device model and what you were doing when it happened.