About Rubik's Solver

Rubik's Solver is a free, independent set of 3D solvers for the twisty-puzzle family. You paint a model of the puzzle to match the one in your hands, press Solve!, and step through the answer move by move while turning the real thing.

Why it exists

This project brings the Pyramorphix, Skewb, Rubik's Snake and familiar cube puzzles into one place, with instructions tied to the actual moves shown by each tool. You can enter your own starting position instead of depending on a recipe for a different scramble. The site covers six puzzles, and for the smaller ones it returns a provably shortest solution rather than a memorised sequence.

It is also built to be honest about the difference. The Rubik's Cube 3x3x3 uses a two-phase algorithm that finds short, near-optimal solutions rather than guaranteed-shortest ones, and every page that uses it says so.

How the solvers are verified

Each puzzle is modelled from one geometric source of truth: pieces are exact convex polytopes and every move is an integer rotation matrix, so a move sequence is either exactly valid or it fails outright. On top of that, each smaller colour-puzzle solver is checked against independently published mathematics by exhaustively enumerating its state space:

• Position count — the number of reachable states the search finds must equal the number published in the literature.
• God's number — the depth of the hardest position the search finds must equal the published diameter of the puzzle.
• Average solution length — the mean over every reachable state must match the published average.

These checks are repeatable exhaustive test modules in the project. They compare the complete distance distributions with their reference values. Separate tests replay returned solutions. An exhaustive census is a stronger check of the search space than testing only a few random scrambles; neither check means that every browser or physical toy has been tested.

That exhaustive check covers the Pocket Cube, Pyramorphix, Skewb and Pyraminx main layers. The Pyraminx adds tip corrections separately. For the 3×3, we replay the two-phase algorithm’s answers through our piece model and check the solved result; we do not enumerate its whole state space or claim its answers are shortest.

The Snake has a separate shape model. We validate resting folds along the returned path, and distinguish exact-search results from fallback paths. The dog target is a fold confirmed against a physical snake; the ball and ring came from the project’s search tools. A bounded search can fail to find a route, and a valid resting fold does not guarantee physical clearance throughout a joint’s swing.

Lessons you can check for yourself

Added 2 October 2026: the 3×3 move lab draws the results of your own move sequences, compares two routes and shows every intermediate checkpoint without WebGL. Four experiments teach turn direction, move order, inverses and recovery from a wrong turn. Their stated outcomes are verified against the cube model.

Updated 22 September 2026: the five colour-puzzle pages now include repeatable setup moves, illustrated checkpoints and exact undo sequences. The diagrams come from the same piece model used by the interactive solver. Each example is parsed and its inverse replayed in tests; we do not label the lesson's inverse as the shortest possible solution.

The impossible-colours guide illustrates three rejected 3×3 positions and reports their actual validator errors. It distinguishes a bad entry from a claim that the physical toy is broken. Choose a practice lesson or report a correction.

What the site does not do

• It does not require an account to use any solver.
• It does not store the puzzle you painted; solving happens per request and nothing about your puzzle is kept afterwards.
• It does not load analytics or advertising until you have said yes. See the privacy policy for exactly what that means.

Who runs it

Rubik's Solver is an independent, educational project, built and maintained by Ikaro Laborda at AeroLambda. It is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by Spin Master, Rubik's Brand Ltd, or any puzzle manufacturer. “Rubik's” is a trademark of its respective owner and is used here only to describe which physical puzzles these tools solve.

Contact

Questions, a puzzle that solves incorrectly, or a request for another puzzle in the family: contact@aerolambda.tech. Bug reports are welcome — please say which puzzle and, if you can, the colours you painted.

For a useful bug report, see contact and support. To learn how to enter a position and follow its moves, start with the practical solving guide.