Become a Puzzle Pro With Our Guide To Solving a Rubik’s Cube

Solving a Rubik's Cube is not as impossible as it may seem thanks to these tips.

Let's take a page out of a 1980s toy catalog and revisit the Rubik's Cube! First, it's the perfect solution to boredom: It'll keep you busy and entertained, while also challenging you mentally.

And while it's certainly intimidating, it doesn't have to be. With these helpful hints, you'll find yourself solving the good ol' puzzle that is the Rubik's Cube in no time. Maybe even as fast as teenage Justin Bieber...

Ready to start solving? Here's what you need to know about how to solve a Rubik's Cube.

What is a Rubik's Cube?

If you missed the craze when it first came around or if your kids are new to the Cube, then you might need a recap. The Rubik's Cube is a multi-colored toy invented back in 1974. According to Business Insider, Erno Rubik, a Hungarian architect and design professor, invented the Cube, then named it after himself. It took him a month to solve it.

The Cube itself is one big cube made up of 27 smaller ones, all in a 3x3x3 grid. Each of the smaller cubes is painted red, yellow, green, blue, orange or white. The whole point of the Rubik's Cube is to mix up the colors by rotating the cube, then try to solve the puzzle by aligning each of the colored sides back so that one side is all red, one side is all green, etc.

When the Rubik's Cube is solved, every side will be a single color.

Are Rubik's Cubes good for your brain?

While there is no specific data on whether or not Rubik's Cubes are good for training your brain (or say, making you smarter), there is evidence that puzzles and brain games, in general, are beneficial. According to a 2019 study in Science Daily, regularly solving crosswords and number puzzles is linked to a "sharper brain later in life."

Is there a Rubik's Cube algorithm?

According to the Rubik's Cube website, there are a few different ways to solve a Cube. But as far as there being one specific algorithm, it's more complex than that. While there are several different algorithms that can help you understand and ultimately solve a Cube, it's hard to break it down to just one specific one.

Here's the main thing you need to understand: To solve a Rubik's Cube, you have to break the "bigger" puzzle down into "smaller" ones. When you compartmentalize each algorithm, it's easier to solve.

According to the official Rubik's Cube guide, you can learn how to solve a Cube in just 45 minutes. To do this, the website recommends solving the white cross on one side first. Get all the white cubes to one side in a "t." Next, solve the white corners. For the middle layer of the puzzle, get all the yellow squares on the opposite side of the white side. Once the yellow squares are all together on the opposite side of the white side, you can finish off the puzzle by rotating the other colored cubes into the right spaces.

This is one of the algorithms, but there are others. Many of them are more complex and are quicker. In fact, one algorithm that helps you solve the Rubik's Cube can be done in less than 20 moves.

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How to solve a Rubik's Cube

Enough chit-chat. Let's learn how to solve a Rubik's Cube.

There are corner pieces, edge pieces and centerpieces. It's important that you know the difference because this how-to will call each piece by these distinctions. Corner pieces are pieces of the Rubik's cube that are on the corner of the Cube—featuring three colors total. Edge pieces are pieces with only two colors. And finally, centerpieces are pieces with only one color.

Now that you know the names of the pieces, you also need to know that each "side" of the Rubik's Cube has a specific name. There's right, left, up face, down face, front face and back face. Then there's the "i," which stands for an inverted or counterclockwise move.

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Step 1: Solve the white cross

Solving the white cross is the first step. While a lot of this is trial and error, be sure to solve the sections of the cross in this order: blue, orange, green and then red. Once completed, two red and two blue should extend from the white cross on each side. Like this:

Does your cube look like this? Perfect—you can move on to the next phase. If not, try troubleshooting on Rubiks.com.

Step 2: Solve the white corners

Now you need to solve the white corners without losing the white cross. Corner pieces have one white side as well as two other colors. If the corner piece is on the bottom face, rotate the bottom one until the corner is below where it's supposed to go on the white face. Repeat the following sequence either once, twice or three times until the white square is in the position you need it to be in.

You'll have to repeat this process for all four corners. If a corner somehow ends up on the top face, do the following sequence to move it to the bottom:

Your cube should now look like the picture below, with the white side completely done and the red and blue facing this way. If it does, you're good to move on to the next phase. If it doesn't, go back to Rubiks.com for troubleshooting sequences and tips.

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Step 3: Solve the middle layer

The complete white layer should be on the bottom now. If it's not, change how you're holding the Cube. Now, it's time to solve the middle layer by getting those edge pieces in the right place. Don't remember what an edge piece is? Scroll back up for a reminder.

The vertical row of your Rubik's Cube could be any color. In the below picture, it's blue. No matter what color it is, you'll need to create the vertical line by rotating the top face. The front color of the edge piece on the top face needs to match a side centerpiece. This is how you know which direction to move.

Once you get the edge pieces in the right places, you're ready to move on to the next layer. Your cube should look like this:

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Step 4: Solve the top face

You'll need to make a yellow cross now. Do that by following the below sequence:

Once you have the yellow cross, it's time to make that whole side yellow. If no corner cubes are yellow on the top face, yellow must be in the left corner or left face. You'll have to do one, two or three sequences to match the front face with a yellow left corner.

Step 5: Solve the bottom face

To solve the bottom face, look at the top face corners

If corners A and B are good, then move to C and D and complete the following sequence:

You may have just solved a Rubik's Cube! If not, troubleshoot with these tips on Rubiks.com.

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