How to play Sixfold
Sixfold is a gem puzzle on a board that moves on its own: every third placement, the outer ring turns one step. Here are the rules, how to plan for the turn, the four powers, the Daily and what Pro adds.
The rules
The board
A hexagon of 37 cells. An Endless run opens with five gems already on the board; the Daily and Sprint open denser, with seven.
One piece at a time
You hold one piece: usually a pair of gems, which you can rotate 60 degrees at a time, and sometimes a single gem. Drag it onto the board.
Join three
Three or more connected gems of the same cut join into one gem a tier higher, on the cell you just placed. Bigger groups climb further: three or four gems gain one tier, five or six gain two, seven or more gain three.
Cascades
If the new gem now touches two more of its own cut, it joins again, and so on. Each step deeper in a chain is worth more points, and higher tiers score far more than low ones.
Cuts, not numbers
Each tier is drawn as a gem cut — round, marquise, trillion, princess, pentagon, star — repeating up the ladder, each with its own colour. Me → Accessibility → Tile numbers swaps the cuts for numerals.
Old tiers retire
Only six consecutive tiers stay in play. Each time you make a new highest gem, anything more than five tiers below it retires and leaves the board, so the ladder has no ceiling.
Game over
A run ends when your next piece can't fit anywhere in any rotation. Sprint also ends after 60 placements.
The turning ring
This is the rule that makes Sixfold its own game.
Every third placement
After every third placement, the 18 cells of the outer ring advance one step clockwise, carrying their gems past the ones inside. The inner 19 cells stay put.
The countdown
The Ring turns row above the board counts placements down to the next turn and says NEXT when the ring will turn after your next placement. Gold arrows round the board point the way it turns.
Ring catches
A join the turn sets off, and the cascade it starts, is a ring catch and scores triple points.
Counter-turns
Every fourth ring catch earns a Counter-turn, which turns the ring one step back. You can carry up to three.
Strategy tips
- 01Place for where the gem will be.When the countdown says NEXT, a gem you drop on the rim will move one step clockwise straight away. Put it one step before the pair it should join, and let the turn finish the move for triple points.
- 02Watch what the turn takes away.The ring carries rim gems away from inner gems as well as towards them. Before the turn, check which inner groups depend on a rim gem staying where it is.
- 03Think in six neighbours.An inner cell touches six others, an edge cell four and a corner three. Groups form in lines, triangles and bends, and one well-placed pair can finish two groups at once.
- 04Build staircases for cascades.The joined gem appears where you placed, so plan the landing: two of the next tier beside the spot, two of the tier after beside those, and one placement runs up the ladder.
- 05Leave room for pairs.Most pieces need two empty cells side by side. Keep open space in connected patches, and watch the label above the board: it moves from ROOM to TIGHT at 20 filled cells and CRITICAL at 28.
- 06Climbing is also defence.A new highest gem retires every gem more than five tiers below it. On a crowded board, a new high can open more space than any placement — and every third retirement earns a Rewind.
The four powers
All four are earned in play, and none is ever for sale. Endless also starts with a small stock.
| Power | What it does | How you earn it | Endless start |
|---|---|---|---|
| Surge | Raises every lowest-tier gem by one, then resolves any joins that creates | Its meter fills from joins, fastest from cascades | Empty meter |
| Counter-turn | Turns the outer ring one step back | Every fourth ring catch (carry up to 3) | 1 |
| Pluck | Swaps a board gem in as your current piece | Each new highest gem of tier 5 or above | 2 |
| Rewind | Undoes your last placement, including any joins it caused | Every third retirement (carry up to 3) | 2 |
The Surge meter fills to 100. Every join adds 2, plus 5 for each step of chain depth, so cascades charge it fastest. The best Surge lifts scattered low gems into groups that already exist; it is also your rescue on a crowded board, so don't spend it the second it's ready.
The Daily and the weekly league
The Daily is one board a day, dealt from the same seed for every player. You get one ranked attempt per day, and a new board arrives at 00:00 UTC. Your moves are replayed and validated on our server before your rank is confirmed; offline results submit later. The Daily and Sprint open once you finish the short guided lesson.
From 11 October 2026 the ranked Daily uses the turning ring too. It starts with no powers in stock and earns them the same way as every other run. Until then the Daily keeps its earlier fixed-board rules. Update to the current version on iPhone or Android to play the turning-ring Daily.
Validated Daily results also feed the weekly league: divisions of up to 30 players, running on the UTC week. When a week closes you move up a tier, hold, or move down one. Tiers run Copper, Cobalt, Violet, Aurora and Sixfold, each in three steps from III to I.
Pro adds two unranked ways to replay closed Daily boards under the same rules: archive practice, and ghost duels against runs other players chose to publish.
Sixfold Free vs Pro
Pro buys more sessions and extras, not a stronger board. Pieces, scoring, powers and the ranked Daily are identical on both tiers. There are no ads.
| Feature | Free | Pro |
|---|---|---|
| Ranked Daily | 1 a day | 1 a day |
| Weekly league | Included | Included |
| Endless or Sprint starts | 1 a day, shared | Unlimited |
| Personal records | Included | Included |
| Run history | Not included | Included |
| Daily archive practice | Not included | Included |
| Ghost duels | Not included | Included |
| Gem colour sets | Not included | Included |
Continuing a saved Endless run doesn't use a start. Sixfold Pro comes with the one-time Sixfold Full Game Unlock, or with the StackForge Play Pass, monthly or annual, which includes Pro in every StackForge game.
FAQ
How often does the ring turn?
After every third placement, one step clockwise. The countdown above the board always shows how many placements are left.
What is a ring catch?
A join that the ring's turn sets off. It and the cascade it starts score triple, and every fourth one earns a Counter-turn.
Can I see numbers instead of gem cuts?
Yes. Me → Accessibility → Tile numbers swaps the cuts for numerals on every surface.
Can you buy powers?
No. Every power is earned in play, and Endless's small starting stock is the same for everyone.
Why did my low gems disappear?
Only six consecutive tiers stay in play. A new highest gem retires every gem more than five tiers below it.
Why does Sixfold play differently now?
Sixfold was rebuilt around the turning ring: the outer ring now turns every third placement, ring catches score triple, gems show cuts instead of numbers, Counter-turn and Rewind are earned in play, and there is a new icon and opening lesson.