How do you play Cube Puzzle 3D?
27 small cubes (8 on the 2×2) make up the big cube. Drag any sticker with a finger or mouse and its row turns by 90 degrees. When each of the six faces shows a single colour, the cube is solved.
Press Start and the cube scrambles with 20 to 25 random moves. The timer at the top starts on your first move. Drag the empty background to spin the whole cube and look at the back and bottom; let go while moving and it keeps turning for a moment before settling. Undo takes back one move at a time, and if you are completely stuck, Solve replays every move in reverse so you can watch the cube return to its starting state.
What do letters like R U F mean?
They are the standard cube notation used by every solving guide. Each face has a letter, and a single letter means turn that face 90 degrees clockwise as seen from outside. An apostrophe (') means counter clockwise and a 2 means a half turn.
| Letter | Face | Key | Inverse |
|---|---|---|---|
| R | Right | R | R' (Shift+R) |
| L | Left | L | L' (Shift+L) |
| U | Up | U | U' (Shift+U) |
| D | Down | D | D' (Shift+D) |
| F | Front | F | F' (Shift+F) |
| B | Back | B | B' (Shift+B) |
At the start white is on top, green in front and red on the right. The keys always turn those original faces even after you spin the cube around, so when following an algorithm press H to return to the home angle first. The move you just made is shown briefly next to the cube.
In what order should a beginner solve it?
The most common beginner method is the layer by layer method, solving the bottom layer first and working up. On a 3×3 it takes seven steps, each using a few short algorithms that leave the earlier steps intact.
- White cross: put the white centre on the bottom and bring the four white edges in so each one also matches the side centre colour.
- White corners: move a white corner above its slot and repeat R U R' U' until it drops in.
- Second layer edges: line up a top edge with no yellow against its front centre, then insert it with U R U' R' U' F' U F or the mirror algorithm.
- Yellow cross: use F R U R' U' F' one to three times depending on whether you see a dot, a line or an L shape.
- Yellow face: R U R' U R U2 R' twists the yellow corners until the whole top is yellow.
- Corner positions: put a pair of matching corners at the back and use U R U' L' U R' U' L.
- Edge positions: finish by cycling the last three top edges with R U' R U R U R U' R' U' R2.
The 2×2 has no edges or centres, so you only need steps 2, 5 and 6. At first, use Undo and Solve freely to watch where each algorithm sends the pieces. Seeing it is the fastest way to learn.
What is the difference between 2×2 and 3×3?
The 2×2 has only 8 corner pieces and about 3.7 million positions; the 3×3 has 26 pieces and about 43 quintillion. Pick either from the title screen, and best times are saved separately.
| 2×2 | 3×3 | |
|---|---|---|
| Pieces | 8 (all corners) | 26 (8 corners, 12 edges, 6 centres) |
| Positions | 3,674,160 | about 4.3×10^19 |
| Max moves to solve any state | 11 | 20 |
| Scramble length | 20 moves | 25 moves |
| Good for | First timers, practising algorithms | Anyone who knows the layer method, timed solves |
How is the time measured and saved?
The timer starts on your first move after the scramble finishes and stops the instant all six faces match. It counts hundredths of a second, and a solve finished with the Solve button is never recorded.
The result screen shows your time, move count and moves per second, and if you beat the best time for that size you get fireworks and a new record. Scrambles never turn the same face twice in a row or the same axis three times running, so the moves cannot cancel out into an easy cube. The timer pauses while you are on another tab.
Tips for faster solves
- Let your hands learn the algorithms. R U R' U' repeated six times returns the cube to where it started. Practise until you can do those four moves without looking, and the others follow quickly.
- Centres never move. On a 3×3 the centre piece decides the colour of each face. If white is on the bottom, yellow must be on top.
- Look ahead. While your hands run an algorithm, your eyes should be finding the next piece.
- Use keys instead of spinning the cube. Turning the whole cube to see the back makes you lose your bearings. Turn the back with B and press H to reset the angle.
- Undo is for learning. When timing yourself, leave your mistakes in and solve through them; that is what builds real skill.
Controls
- Phone or tablet: press a sticker and push in the direction you want it to go; that row turns. Drag the empty background to spin the whole cube, and a quick flick keeps it spinning.
- Mouse: the same as touch. Drag on a sticker to turn a row, drag on the background to spin.
- Keyboard: R L U D F B turn faces clockwise, with Shift for counter clockwise. Z or Backspace undoes, Space scrambles, the arrow keys spin the cube and H returns to the home angle.
- Buttons: Scramble starts a new cube, Undo takes back one move, and Solve plays your moves backwards until the cube is back to the start.
Records stay in this browser and are never sent to a server. This game implements the rules of the twisty cube puzzle in code and is not affiliated with any trademarked product.