🧊 Pocket Cube 3D
Spin and turn a real 3D twisty cube. Start three turns from solved and build up to a full scramble.
How to play
- Choose a cube and a challenge. Starter is just three turns from solved.
- Drag a coloured square to turn the layer it's part of.
- Drag the empty space around the cube to look at it from any side.
- No mouse? Use the buttons below the cube, or the keys U, D, L, R, F and B (hold Shift to turn the other way).
- Get every face back to one colour to solve it.
- Stuck? Undo a turn, or press Show me to watch it unwind.
A free 3D cube puzzle in your browser
Pocket Cube 3D lets you play with a twisty cube right on your screen, with nothing to download or buy. Drag a coloured square to turn a layer, and drag the background to spin the whole cube around and look at the back. It comes in two sizes, the small 2 x 2 pocket cube and the classic 3 x 3. Best of all, you don't need to know how to solve one yet, because the game starts you off just three turns from finished.
What is a pocket cube?
A pocket cube is a small twisty puzzle with 2 squares along each edge, so it has only eight corner pieces. It's the little sibling of the famous 3 x 3 cube invented by the Hungarian professor Ernő Rubik in the 1970s. Even though it's small, it can be mixed into about 3.7 million different positions. That might sound like a lot, but any of them can be solved in 11 turns or fewer. It's the perfect place to learn how twisty puzzles work, before moving up. The 3 x 3 has more than 43 quintillion positions, and any of those can be solved in 20 turns or fewer, as a team of researchers proved in 2010.
Learning step by step
Most people give up on these cubes because a fully scrambled one looks impossible. So we let you start small. Starter is only 3 turns away from solved, and you can usually work it out just by experimenting. Practice is 7 turns away, which starts to take some real thinking. Full scramble is the true test, and for this you'll want to learn a method. If you get lost, press Undo, or press Show me to see the cube unwind turn by turn. Watching it put itself back together teaches you a lot about how the layers move.
How to solve a 2 x 2 pocket cube
The simplest beginner's method has three stages. First, solve one face and its side colours. Choose a colour, such as white, and bring its four corners together, making sure the colours on the sides of those corners match each other. Second, turn the cube over so that the solved layer is at the bottom, and twist the top corners until the top face is all one colour. This sequence does that: R U R' U R U U R'. Repeat it from different angles until the top is finished. Finally, put the top corners in their right places, using this sequence: R' F R' B B R F' R' B B R R. That's all there is to it, and with practice it takes under a minute.
What do the letters mean?
Cube players have a simple shorthand for turns. U, D, L, R, F and B stand for the Up, Down, Left, Right, Front and Back layers. A letter on its own means a clockwise turn, when you look straight at that face. A letter with an apostrophe, such as R', means turn it anticlockwise. That's why the buttons below the cube are labelled the way they are, so you can follow any guide you find. On a keyboard, press the letter, and hold Shift to turn it the other way.
Stars and scores
Every solve earns a star. Solve the Starter or Practice levels within the target number of turns for 2 stars, and do that with no Undo for 3. On a full scramble there's no target, so a clean solve with no Undo gets 3 stars. Your best number of turns is saved on your own device, so you can try to beat it. If you use Show me, that solve earns 1 star and doesn't count toward your best score.
Tips for learning a twisty cube
Start with the Pocket 2 x 2 on Starter, and don't look anything up yet. Just play. Turn a side, turn it back and watch where the pieces go. Notice that corner pieces always stay corners, and that on a 3 x 3 the middle square of each face never changes its neighbours. That tells you which colour each face will end up. When you try a Practice scramble, think about undoing rather than solving: which turn would bring two matching pieces together? Don't be afraid to press Show me. Watching a cube unwind, turn by turn, is one of the best ways to build a feel for how the layers interact. When you're ready for a full scramble, follow the method above slowly, one stage at a time. Most people need a few tries before it clicks, and it feels wonderful when it does.
More 3D and logic puzzles
For another hands-on puzzle, try 3D Wooden Puzzle Workshop or the classic Number Slide. For logic, try Math Cages or Picture Logic. Every puzzle is on the Brain Games page.
Free and safe
Pocket Cube 3D is free to play, with no download, no sign-up and nothing to buy. There is no chat, and your progress is saved only on your own device. This is an independent game, and it has no connection with any cube brand. See the Parents & Safety page for more.
Frequently asked questions
How do I turn the cube on a touch screen?
Drag a coloured square in the direction you want its layer to go. Drag the empty space around the cube to look at it from another side. You can also use the buttons below the cube.
What is a pocket cube?
It's a 2 x 2 twisty cube with eight corner pieces. It's easier than the 3 x 3, which makes it a great way to learn.
I've never solved a cube. Where do I start?
Start with the Pocket 2 x 2 on Starter, which is just three turns from solved. When that feels easy, move on to Practice, then try the beginner's method on this page.
What does Show me do?
It turns the cube back to solved, one turn at a time, so you can see how it unwinds. That solve earns 1 star.
Is Pocket Cube 3D free?
Yes. It is free to play in the browser with no download, no account and nothing to buy.