Our online puzzle simulators just got a big update. š The old collection had 18 puzzles and it was made in 2013 with unfolded views. 2013 was the year GTA V came out so it was time for a facelift for us as well. The new collection has countless free online puzzle simulator, with 3D view you can turn with a mouse or a finger. and they have algorithm widgets you can embed into your own website.
They all live at one address now: ruwix.com/simulators.
What's new in the Ruwix cube simulators
Every puzzle page now works in a similar way. Learn the buttons once and you can pick up any puzzle in the menu.
- A real 3D view. Drag a sticker to turn its layer. Drag the empty space around the puzzle to look at it from any side.
- Phone and tablet support. Swipe to turn, and the page stays still while you do it.
- Keyboard controls on every puzzle, using standard notation like U, R and F.
- Scramble, Undo and Reset buttons on every page.
- A built-in solve timer. Press the Space bar to start it and again to stop it. ā±ļø
- An algorithm box. Type a move sequence, press Apply and watch the puzzle turn.
- An algorithm player on most puzzles. It steps through a sequence one move at a time, forward or back.
- Share links. The link box saves your scramble and algorithm in the URL, so a friend sees the same position.
- Embed code, so you can put a simulator on your own blog or club website. The widgets page has all the code in one place.
The algorithm player works similar to our Rubik's Cube solver's solution playback. Use play, pause or go step by step. Each skip is one turn of the puzzle. If a move confuses you, step back and watch it again.
All 48 puzzles, sorted by type
The menu at the top of every simulator sorts the puzzles into eight groups. Hover over a group (or tap it on a phone) to see its puzzles. š§©
| Group | Puzzles | Some of the puzzles in it |
|---|---|---|
| Cubes | 5 | 2x2x2 Pocket Cube, 3x3 Rubik's Cube, 4x4x4, 5x5x5, Big Cube up to 10x10x10 |
| Cuboids | 5 | Floppy Cube, Domino, 2x2x3, 2x2x4, 3x3x4 |
| 3x3 Mods | 14 | Mirror Cube, Ghost Cube, Axis Cube, Void Cube, Picture Cube |
| Special Cubes | 10 | Skewb, Square-1, Dino Cube, Helicopter Cube, Ivy Cube |
| Dodecahedrons | 7 | Megaminx, Kilominx, Starminx, Pyraminx Crystal |
| Pyramids | 2 | Pyraminx, Pyramorphix |
| Other Shapes | 2 | Face-Turning Octahedron, 4D Rubik's Cube |
| Non-Twisty | 3 | Rubik's Clock, Hungarian Rings, Sliding 15 Puzzle |
The cube pages have one more trick. Three size menus above the cube let you build any cuboid from 1x1x1 up to 10x10x10, including odd shapes like a 2x3x5 and cuboids that don't even exist. Many simulators list more than one cube or they are customizable so in theory we have endless new puzzle simulators.
Four new puzzles to try first
These four show what the new simulators can do. They are a good place to start.
- 4D Rubik's Cube: a 3x3x3x3 hypercube with 80 pieces. You see it as eight cubes joined together, and some turns move stickers between them.
- Picture Cube: put your own photos on the faces of a 3x3. The images stay on your device and are never uploaded.
- Ghost Cube: a one-color cube with odd-shaped pieces. You solve it by getting the shape back to a cube.
- Rubik's Clock: both faces are on screen at once, and the dials are geared together just like on the real puzzle.
Check out
Can you solve our custom head shapes?
How to practice the Rubik's Cube online
A standard Rubik's Cube has 43,252,003,274,489,856,000 possible positions. Even so, every one of them can be solved in 20 moves or fewer, which researchers proved in 2010. You don't need to find the shortest solution, though. You just need a method and some practice.
- Pick a method. The beginner's method breaks the solve into seven steps.
- Load the algorithm for one step into the player and watch it move by move.
- Press Undo or Reset and do the same moves yourself.
- Once a step feels easy, press Scramble and solve the whole cube.
- Time your solves with the Space bar and write down your times.
If the letters in an algorithm look strange, the Rubik's Cube notation guide explains them with pictures.
We would like to know your feedback about the new simulators.
Please let us know if there's a feature you'd like to see or if you've encountered any bugs. Please optimize the file if you're sending us video in email and convert mp4 to webm.
What happened to the old simulators?
The old pages under ruwix.com/online-puzzle-simulators/ are being retired. We have already replaced all links on our site to the new pages. Links to the old ones, including bookmarks and links from other websites, will redirect you to the matching new pages automatically soon. The separate 6x6x6 to 10x10x10 pages are now a single Big Cube page with a size menu. The 11x11x11 page did not make the move, because 10x10x10 is the largest size in the new menu.