Cube Fold is a free online cube folding puzzle. A net is a flat shape of six squares that folds up into a cube — every level asks you to do that folding in your head. Pick which of the cubes a marked net makes, work backwards from a cube picture to the one net that folds into it, or find the shapes that fold into a cube at all (there are exactly eleven). The faces start as plain colours, then shapes, then arrows and letters that can be turned, so you have to follow how each face turns as it folds as well as where it goes. Every puzzle has exactly one right answer, every wrong answer is a near miss, and a wrong pick tells you why it is wrong. Twelve levels of four puzzles, hints, and new puzzles each time you play again. Runs in the browser on a phone, tablet or computer, no download.
How to play Cube Fold
- Each level has four puzzles. Read the question on the card, then tap the answer you think is right — or press its number key, 1 to 4.
- Fold rounds show a net: six squares that fold up into a cube. Picture the squares folding away from you, edge by edge, and choose the cube that net makes. Each cube shows three faces that meet at one corner — the top, the front-left and the front-right.
- Unfold rounds work the other way: the card shows a cube, and you choose the net that folds into it. The three faces you cannot see can be anything, but the three you can see must all fit.
- Shape rounds ask which shape of six squares folds into a closed cube — or, on the Odd One Out level, which one will not.
- A wrong pick is crossed out and the message says why: two faces that sit opposite each other on the cube, three faces that go round their corner the wrong way, or a symbol turned the wrong way. Keep going until you find the right one.
- After a right answer the faces the cube shows light up on the net. Press Next Puzzle (or Enter) to go on.
- Stars: three for no wrong picks in the level, two for a few, one for finishing. A hint crosses out one wrong answer and counts like a wrong pick. Play Again deals four new puzzles.
Tips
- Two squares in a straight line with one square between them on a net are always opposite faces of the cube — and opposite faces can never be seen at the same time. That rules out many wrong cubes at a glance.
- No net has a block of four squares or a row of five. If a shape has either, it will not fold into a cube.
- Pick one square of the net to be the bottom and fold the others up around it, one edge at a time. Squares that touch along an edge on the net also touch along an edge on the cube.
- Three faces meet at each corner of a cube, always in the same order going round. If a cube shows the right three faces but in mirror order, it is wrong.
- For arrows and letters, follow the edge a symbol points at. If an arrow on the net points at the square next door, on the cube it points at that face too.
- On unfold rounds, start with the two faces of the cube that share an edge and check the net puts them side by side, then check the third.
- Stuck? A hint crosses out one wrong answer and explains why it cannot be right.
FAQ
Is Cube Fold free to play?
Yes. It runs in the browser with no download, no sign-up and nothing to buy. All twelve levels are included and unlock one after another as you finish them.
What is a net of a cube?
A net is the flat shape you get when you cut a cardboard cube along some of its edges and lay it out: six squares joined edge to edge. A cube has exactly eleven different nets, not counting turned or flipped copies. Out of the 35 possible shapes made of six squares, only those eleven fold into a closed cube — the game checks every one.
How do I know which way the net folds?
Picture the net with its pictures facing you, then fold every flap away from you, so the pictures end up on the outside of the cube. Squares joined along an edge stay joined along that edge, so a symbol pointing at a neighbouring square still points at that face once the cube is closed.
Is there always exactly one right answer?
Yes. Every puzzle is checked by folding every answer in all 24 ways a cube can be turned: exactly one of them fits. The wrong answers are near misses — two faces swapped, a face from the far side of the cube, or one symbol turned — and no two answers are the same corner of the same cube drawn with a different face on top.
How are the stars worked out?
Three stars for finishing a level with no wrong picks. Two stars go to anything up to a line measured for each level from a test player who knows one rule of thumb — opposite faces are never seen together, or a net never has a block of four or a row of five — and guesses the rest. A hint counts as one wrong pick. Any finish earns one star.
What age is Cube Fold for?
The first levels, with plain colours and three answers to choose from, suit children who are starting to picture shapes in their head. The levels with turned arrows and letters are a real spatial-reasoning challenge for teenagers and adults. It is a puzzle for practice and fun, not a test, so it gives no score beyond its stars.
Does Cube Fold work on a phone or tablet?
Yes. Tap an answer to pick it; on a phone held upright the question sits above the answers, and on a wider screen beside them. It also plays fully from a keyboard: number keys pick, arrow keys move between answers, H asks for a hint and Enter goes on.