Truckful gameplay centers on hauling fragile goods across a semi-open rural valley while driving a customizable pickup truck. Developed by MythicOwl and co-published with Pocketpair Publishing, the single-player adventure blends physics-based cargo management, vehicle exploration, and environmental hazards with an overarching supernatural mystery rooted in the ancient forest.
Core Delivery Loop and Cargo Physics
The foundational loop in Truckful revolves around accepting errands from valley residents and transporting cargo to designated destinations without losing or destroying it along the route. Unlike traditional driving simulators, loading cargo is an active physics puzzle.
Before hitting the road, players manually organize cargo inside the open truck bed. Packages vary significantly in weight, dimensions, and structural fragility:
- Cargo Types: Deliveries range from sturdy wooden crates and building materials to delicate grandma vases, ice-cold fish requiring swift transport, and even local workers.
- Loading Mechanics: Players orient items using keyboard keys (such as Q and E to rotate horizontally and vertically) or gamepad controls to create stable arrangements.
- Physical Feedback: Cargo is not locked to the bed by default. Turning too sharply, bouncing over ledges, or driving up steep inclines causes loose cargo to shift, slide, or tumble out onto the road.
- Retrieval and Restraints: If items fall out, players can stop and reload them. Fragile items can shatter upon heavy impact, potentially failing delivery requirements. Unlocking abilities such as Sticky Cargo helps temporarily secure loads during rough transit.
Truck Upgrades and Progression Systems
Progress in Truckful relies on a dual-currency progression model: cash earned from completing delivery contracts and scrap gathered while scavenging the environment.
| Upgrade Category | Primary Function | Practical Gameplay Benefit |
|---|---|---|
| Cargo Bed | Expands bed volume and side dimensions | Accommodates larger cargo items and higher load volumes |
| Engine & Nitro Booster | Increases horsepower, acceleration, and top speed | Helps tackle steep hills and evade pursuing hazards |
| Off-Road Tires | Enhances wheel traction on uneven terrain | Prevents wheel slipping on dirt paths and mud banks |
| Suspension & Springs | Supports heavier payload weight | Prevents the rear chassis from bottoming out on bumps |
| Braking System | Shortens stopping distance | Prevents skidding past sharp turns or off cliff edges |
| Snorkel | Raises engine intake height | Allows deep water crossings without flooding the engine |
| Winch | Vehicle self-recovery cable | Pulls the truck out of soft-lock ditches and muddy bogs |
| UV Light | Specialized illumination tool | Reveals hidden glowing tracks and supernatural trails |
| Horns / Howler | Auditory signals | Scatters flocks of sheep and scares away aggressive wild boars |
Cash covers direct parts purchases and cosmetic paint options, while discarded machinery and recyclable metal scattered throughout the countryside must be brought to Red's Scrapyard to process specialized vehicle enhancements.
World Layout, Shortcuts, and Traversal Hazards
The Valley in Truckful is structured as an interconnected semi-open map rather than an empty sandbox. Driving routes branch off through cobblestone town squares, pastoral highways, dilapidated landmarks, wetlands, and subterranean passages.
Exploring off the beaten path introduces distinct terrain hazards that challenge vehicle handling:
- Mud and Quicksand: Sinks standard street tires, killing forward momentum and demanding higher engine torque or off-road treads.
- Water Crossings: Driving below the engine line without an installed snorkel floods the engine, risking catastrophic vehicle stalls.
- Minefields and Debris: Concealed landmines and wooden fences react violently with physics collisions, sending vehicles or airborne cargo flying across the map.
- Active Train Tunnels: Subterranean shortcuts offer fast bypasses around blocked roads, but players must time their transit carefully to avoid passing trains inside narrow tunnel walls.
- Livestock Roadblocks: Passive sheep herds regularly block roadway bottlenecks until dispersed with a vehicle horn, while wild boars require the Howler upgrade to drive away safely.
To assist with route planning, the game provides an in-game multi-tool notebook containing an area map, delivery tracking markers, and collectible lore logs. Shrines and automated area transitions serve as persistent save checkpoints.
The Forest Mystery and the Ghost Truck
Venturing into the outskirts of the Western Darkwoods transitions Truckful from a relaxed delivery game into an evasion challenge. The dense woodland houses ancient structures, puzzling underground passages, and supernatural threats.
The most prominent recurring threat is the Ghost Truck (also referred to as the Killer Truck). Rather than engaging in vehicular combat, encounters require players to outrun and outmaneuver the aggressive chaser through narrow woodland roads. The pursuer actively attempts to ram the player off cliffs or overturn the pickup bed. Survival relies on maintaining sufficient speed with engine boosters, executing precise steering, and utilizing abilities like Sticky Cargo so precious mission deliveries are not ejected into the trees during impact.
Official System Requirements and Platform Support
Truckful runs on Windows, macOS, and Linux, with optimization for handhelds such as the Steam Deck. Gamepad support includes full controller integration, including DualShock and DualSense controllers.
Minimum PC Requirements
- Operating System: Windows 10+ (64-bit processor and OS)
- Processor: Requires a 64-bit processor and operating system
- Memory: 4 GB RAM
- Graphics: 2 GB VRAM (GeForce 900 series and above)
- DirectX: Version 10
- Storage: 2 GB available space
Recommended PC Requirements
- Operating System: Windows 10+ (64-bit processor and OS)
- Memory: 8 GB RAM
- Graphics: 3 GB VRAM (GeForce GTX 1060 and above)
- DirectX: Version 12
- Storage: 3 GB available space
Frequently Asked Questions
Can you run over sheep or wild boars in Truckful?
No. Hitting livestock or wildlife does not kill them. Instead, colliding with sheep or piglets can disrupt vehicle physics or cause cargo to bounce out. Players must honk their horn to scatter sheep or equip the Howler upgrade to scare away wild boars.
What happens when cargo falls off the truck?
Dropped cargo remains on the ground where it fell. Players can reverse their pickup, pick up the dropped item, and place it back on the truck bed. However, highly fragile items may break upon hard impacts, which prevents completing that delivery objective.
How do you track delivery targets across the map?
Players access target locations and delivery instructions through the notebook menu. Main mission objectives project route markers onto the navigation system, while side jobs detail pickup zones and destinations throughout the interconnected valley regions.
