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How To Solve A Rubik's Cube: Pyraminx
Are you looking at the pyraminx and feeling lost?
Though the pyraminx gets less love than its 3×3 Rubik’s cube cousin, it’s still a fun and clever puzzle to solve. Most people struggle to figure this one out, too, so you may need a little help, and you’ve come to the right place! We love to help people, and our successful YouTube tutorials on the pyraminx puzzle have received plenty of attention.
Note: Though we love the Rubik’s cube here are Cool Cube Merch, we aren’t officially affiliated with the brand name. Check out their website for more cool stuff too!
How To Solve A Pyraminx: Layer By Layer
In this section, we’ll go over the steps to solving this tricky puzzle. By the end, you’ll find that becoming a Pyraminx solver is not nearly as difficult as you thought. You don’t need to learn complicated pyraminx algorithms.
This step is quite simple.
Your pyraminx has four tips.
Rotate each tip until it matches with the color right below it.
Essentially, you’re creating diamonds with the tips and the piece right below it.
This step will only take you seconds, especially after you get used to it.
For the next step, we’ll be solving one of the sides until it all matches.
It’s fine to do this with any color first, but for now, we’ll be starting this with the yellow color. The big manufacturers usually have yellow as part of their pyraminx color scheme, but if yours doesn’t have yellow, just pick a different color to use these same instructions.
Find the three tips that have yellow on them and put your fingers on them.
Our goal is to turn the side that is surrounded by all three tips with yellow on them into the all yellow side.
The rest of the pieces on that side might have some yellows or they might not. It’s fine either way.
These steps will make the side all yellow.
First, turn a whole yellow diamond so it’s on the side we want to turn yellow.
Then, do this with the second and third yellow tips/diamonds.
Now, we need to solve the three edge pieces to make them yellow.
Hold your pyraminx so the yellow side is on the bottom.
Look from the top to find one of the yellow edge pieces on the middle layer.
For example, you may find one that’s yellow and green.
Turn the top, so the green matches the green side.
The green side is the one with the green diamonds on the two bottom points.
Now, we make an elevator move.
- Turn the side up from the bottom that doesn’t have that green piece.
- Move the top over, so the green-yellow gets on the elevator.
- Turn the side down with the yellow-green on the elevator.
It should now be in place.
You’ll know it’s in the right spot if the yellow matches the yellow and the green matches the green.
Repeat these steps with the other colors on the other sides of the pyraminx.
At this point, all the yellows are completed, and the middle pieces in the bottom layer attached to the yellow side are also matching their respective colors.
If there are no yellow edge pieces in the middle layer, pretend you want to move one of the pieces from the middle layer into the bottom.
You’ll perform an elevator move to replace the wrong piece on the bottom and move it to the middle layer.
Then, you make the moves as per normal.
We’ll do the same kinds of moves to solve another layer.
It doesn’t matter which you solve, but the green layer is the one I like to solve next.
With the yellow side still on the bottom of the pyraminx, rotate the pyraminx so that the two green diamonds around the bottom layer are facing you.
If all three green diamonds are facing you, awesome! Move on.
If not, rotate the top two layers (the point) so you can see all three green diamonds on one side.
Once all three green diamonds are on the same side, turn the cube down, so green is now on the bottom.
The next steps are just like the previous section.
First, from above, look for greens in the middle layer.
Make sure the opposite color on the green edge matches the corners it’s in.
Now, perform an elevator move to get the green piece to the bottom.
- Move the side (not touching the green) up.
- Move the green edge over onto the elevator.
- Now, move the elevator down into place.
Repeat with the other colors until the green side is solved.
Your yellow is probably out of place now.
DON’T PANIC and start over. This is normal.
Once the green is done, take a look at your pyraminx.
You may only have to twist the top one way to finish solving the pyramid.
If not, go below.
If the yellow is messed up and unsolvable in one twist, you need to solve one final layer. You are very close to the pyraminx solution!
Pick a color you haven’t solved yet.
If you did yellow and green, pick blue or red.
Solve this side just like you’ve done for the others.
Make sure all three diamonds on that side are the same color.
Turn the pyraminx so that color is now on the bottom.
Look for the right matching colors on the middle layer.
Perform elevator moves to get the side solved.
Once blue is solved, the pyraminx WILL be one move from being solved, and all you need to do is twist it.
Congrats! Now you know how to solve a pyraminx!
Speed Solving A Pyraminx with the 5 Best Pyraminx Algorithms
If you’re wondering how to get fast at pyraminx, you’ll need to learn the 5 different cases of what it looks like after the first side is solved, and then you need to memorize the steps to solve each of those 5 cases.
To get to these 5 cases, you still need to solve the tips and first layer, which in this example I’ve used yellow as the first solved layer.
This is from the overhead view, with the solved yellow side down, and you can easily identify the pyraminx patterns.
Headlights that need to move to the right
When you see this, keep yellow on the bottom and face one side toward you. Do these steps:
- Right side up
- Top to the left
- Right side down
- Top to the left
- Right side up
- Top to the left
- Right side down
It’s solved!
Headlights that need to move to the left
This is similar to the above, but now we need to move the pieces to the left.
- Right side up
- Top to the right
- Right side down
- Top to the right
- Right side up
- Top to the right
- Right side down
It’s solved!
It may help you with the headlights to imagine you need to rotate the top opposite of where it needs to go.
Only 2 unsolved edges
When one edge piece is in place, and 2 are unsolved, here are the steps for your pyraminx solution:
Put yellow on the bottom and face the unsolved ones toward you.
- Right side down
- Left side down
- Right side up
- Left side up
- Top to the left
- Left side up
- Top to the right
- Left side down
It’s solved!
2 edges half-matching and 1 not at all. The unmatched piece on the front is right
Now, we look at the top of the pyraminx (yellow on bottom) and see one side doesn’t match at all.
Stare at the side opposite of this unmatching one (it will be in the back).
One edge piece will look as if it matches, and one won’t.
If it’s on the right, do these steps:
- Right side down
- Top to the right
- Left side up
- Top to the left
- Left side down
- Right side up
2 edges half-matching and 1 not at all. The unmatched piece on the front is left.
Now, we look at the top of the pyraminx (yellow on bottom) and see one side doesn’t match at all.
Stare at the side opposite of this unmatching one (it will be in the back).
One edge piece will look as if it matches, and one won’t.
If it’s on the right, do these steps:
- Left side down
- Top to the left
- Right side up
- Top to the right
- Right side down
- Left side up
It’s solved!
Final Thoughts
Memorizing these steps and the ideas behind them will help you with how to solve the pyraminx.
Whether you do it the safe and easy way or want to master pyraminx algorithms to speedsolve it, these instructions will make the pyraminx fun to solve.
There’s something soothing about taking a seemingly chaotic scramble and completing it.
There’s also a great community to join around speed solving colored puzzles like this one.
Happy solving!
