Max Park is a machine.
Actually, that’s a bit of an understatement. If you’ve ever picked up a Professor’s Cube—that’s the 5x5 for the uninitiated—and felt the sheer weight of its 150 colored stickers, you know it's a nightmare of parity errors and center-alignment headaches. Most people take ten minutes just to get one side. Some never finish. But on a random Saturday in 2024, at the Southeast Championship in Spartanburg, Max Park decided to redefine what humans can do with plastic and springs.
He solved the whole thing in 32.52 seconds.
That is the current 5x5 Rubik's Cube world record for a single solve. Let that sink in. In the time it takes you to tie your shoes or microwave a lukewarm burrito, Max processed thousands of possible permutations, aligned sixty centers, solved thirty edges, and finished the 3x3 stage without breaking a sweat. It’s a feat of mental gymnastics that feels almost illegal to watch.
How we got to sub-33
The journey to the sub-33 mark wasn't a sudden jump. It was a grind. For years, the cubing community watched the records tumble in chunks. We went from the era of Feliks Zemdegs—the legendary Australian who basically owned every record for a decade—to the specialized dominance of Max Park.
Max didn't just break the record; he's been competing against his own ghost for years. Before the 32.52, he held the 32.60. Before that, the 33.02. He is currently so far ahead of the pack that the gap between him and the world number two is wider than the gap between second place and tenth. It’s total, undisputed dominance.
Speedcubing at this level isn't just about moving your fingers fast. It's about look-ahead. While Max is solving the white center, his eyes are already tracking a green-red edge piece that he’ll need three seconds later. It’s like playing chess while sprinting. If your eyes stop moving, your hands stop moving. If your hands stop moving, the record is gone.
The hardware matters (A lot)
You can't do this on a store-bought Rubik’s brand cube. You just can’t. Those things are clunky, they lock up, and the plastic feels like it was molded in 1984.
The top solvers use magnetic cubes. Specifically, models like the Valk 5 M or the Gan 562 M have changed the game. Inside these cubes are tiny neodymium magnets that snap the layers into place. This prevents "overshooting." When you’re turning at ten moves per second, you need the cube to help you stay aligned. If a layer is off by even a few degrees, the cube catches, pops, or explodes in your hands.
Max famously uses a setup that feels "crunchy" to some but gives him the tactile feedback he needs to feel the layers. Every speedcuber has a preference—some like their cubes "gummy" and slow, others want them so fast they feel like they’re coated in ice.
The Average vs. The Single
In the World Cube Association (WCA) world, the "Single" is the glory shot. It’s the 100m sprint. But the "Average of 5" is the true test of a cuber's soul.
To get an average, you solve the cube five times. The fastest and slowest times are thrown out, and the middle three are averaged. This removes the "luck" factor. Maybe you got an easy "skip" on your last layer during a single solve—that’s great, but it won't save your average if you mess up the other four.
Max Park also holds the 5x5 Rubik's Cube world record average at 34.76 seconds.
To maintain that level of consistency is bordering on the supernatural. Most elite cubers might have a "counting 40" (a solve that takes 40 seconds) which ruins their average. Max’s "bad" solves are still faster than almost anyone else's "dream" solves. It’s a level of stability that comes from tens of thousands of hours of practice. We're talking about a guy who brings a cube to restaurants, movies, and probably solves it in his sleep.
The "Yau" Method: Why it won
If you want to go fast on a 5x5, you don't use the same method you use for a 3x3. Most pros use Yau5 or a variation of the Yau method.
- First two centers: You solve two opposite centers (usually white and yellow).
- Cross edges: You solve three cross edges on the left side. This is the "Yau" secret sauce because it allows you to see the remaining centers much more easily.
- Last four centers: You finish the remaining center blocks.
- Edge pairing: This is where the 5x5 gets tedious. You have to pair up the three pieces that make up each edge.
- 3x3 stage: Once the centers are done and edges are paired, you treat it like a big 3x3.
The reason Max is so fast is his transition. Most people pause between these steps. Max flows. There is no "searching" phase. He is always doing.
Why haven't we seen a 30-second solve?
The physics of the 5x5 are starting to fight back. As cubes get faster and solvers get more efficient, we are hitting a point of diminishing returns.
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A 5x5 solve requires a massive amount of "TPS" (Turns Per Second). To hit 32 seconds, you’re looking at an incredibly high move count performed at a blistering pace. Unlike the 3x3, where a lucky "scramble" can lead to a 3-second solve (the current record is 3.13 by Max Park), the 5x5 is too complex for a lucky break to shave off ten seconds.
The centers alone take a significant amount of time. You can’t "skip" sixty center pieces. You have to build them. This creates a "floor" for how fast a human can realistically go.
Many experts in the community think we might see a 31-second solve soon, but a sub-30? That would require a perfect scramble, a perfect cube, and a solver who is having the best day of their life. It's the "four-minute mile" of the cubing world, but much, much harder to reach.
Mental Health and the "Max Effect"
It’s worth mentioning that Max Park is on the autism spectrum. His parents originally used cubing as a way to help him develop fine motor skills and social connections.
It worked.
The cubing community is one of the most inclusive spaces in sports. When Max breaks a record, his competitors are usually the first ones to hug him. There’s a viral clip of him breaking a record where the guy in second place is literally jumping up and down with more excitement than Max himself. That culture is why these records keep falling. People share their "algorithms" (the sequences of moves) instead of hiding them. If someone finds a faster way to solve a specific "parity" case, they post it on YouTube for everyone to learn.
Misconceptions about the record
People often think these guys are "geniuses" in the traditional sense. While they are definitely smart, speedcubing is more about pattern recognition and muscle memory than math.
- "They must be good at math." Honestly, not necessarily. You don't calculate the cube; you recognize a shape and your fingers execute a move they've done 50,000 times.
- "The cube is easy if you know the secret." There is no one secret. There are hundreds of algorithms to memorize for the 5x5.
- "They use a special lubricant." Well, yes, they do. Silicon-based lubes make the cube turn smoother. But a fast cube in slow hands is still a slow solve.
How to start chasing the 5x5 record
If you’re sitting there with a 5x5 and it’s currently in its solved state (or more likely, scrambled in a drawer), and you want to actually get fast, don't look at Max Park yet. You’ll just get discouraged.
First, you need to master the 4x4. The 5x5 is actually "easier" in one specific way: it has fixed centers. On a 4x4, you can accidentally build the white side next to the yellow side, which is impossible on a 5x5 because the center piece never moves.
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Practical steps for the aspiring pro:
- Get a magnetic cube. Don't even bother with non-magnetic for big cubes. The Meilong 5 M is dirt cheap and actually decent. If you have money to burn, get the Gan 562.
- Learn the Yau method. Stop using "Reduction." It’s fine for beginners, but you’ll never hit sub-1 minute with it unless you’re a god.
- Drill your centers. Practice solving just the centers over and over. This is where most people waste five to ten seconds just looking for pieces.
- Slow down to go fast. This sounds like a cliché, but it’s true. If you turn at 100% speed, you can’t see the next piece. If you turn at 80% speed, you can "track" your next move, which eliminates the pauses.
The 5x5 Rubik's Cube world record isn't just a number. It's a testament to what happens when someone finds a passion and grinds until the world can't keep up. Whether Max Park dips into the 31s this year or next, the bar has been set so high that the rest of the world is basically just looking up in awe.
Go grab your cube. Start with one side. Then maybe, in a few years, we'll be writing about you.
Check the official World Cube Association rankings to see how far you are from the top. Currently, the top 100 in the world are all sub-45 seconds. It's a steep hill to climb. But hey, Max started somewhere too. Usually with a cube, a timer, and a lot of patience.