Games Like Cut the Rope: Rope Physics Puzzles to Play Online
Updated
Games like Cut the Rope are physics puzzles: something hangs on ropes, and you cut them in the right order and at the right moment so it swings and falls where it needs to go. Cut the Rope is a 2010 puzzle game by the studio ZeptoLab, in which you feed candy to a little green monster called Om Nom. Below are original rope puzzles by independent studios: some feed candy to a hungry creature, others swap the candy for a bowling ball, a bomb or a basketball.
How Cut the Rope works
Wikipedia's article on Cut the Rope explains the rules. On each stage a candy hangs from one or more ropes. You cut them in a particular order and let physics carry the candy to Om Nom. New pieces join the puzzles as you go, such as bubbles that float the candy away and spiders that try to steal it.
The game is split into levels of 25 stages each. Each stage has three stars, collected when the candy touches them. You can finish a stage without them, but you need stars to open later levels.
| Cut the Rope idea | Games that share it |
|---|---|
| Candy on ropes, fed to a creature | Cut My Candy, Mummy Candy, Candy Cutter Saga Kids |
| Three stars per level | Cut My Candy, Candy Cutter Saga Kids |
| Bubbles that lift the candy | Cut My Candy |
| Hazards to steer around | Cut My Candy, Mummy Candy, Rope Dude Game |
| Cut ropes to drop something else | Rope Bawling, Rope Cut and Boom, Basket Fall |
Closest to Cut the Rope
- Cut My Candy is the nearest match, with a dark fantasy look: the mouth you feed belongs to a hungry demon. Swipe across a rope to cut it, and the candy swings, falls and bounces by physics. There are 25 hand-made levels with spikes, floating bubbles and tricky swings, and 3 stars to collect in each. Tap a bubble to pop it and release the candy.
- Mummy Candy moves the idea to ancient Egypt. Cut the ropes at the right moment so the candies fall into a hungry little mummy's mouth. Steer them past rocks and explosives, collect bonus stars and treasure, and spend rewards on power-ups and upgrades in the shop. Drag across a rope with the mouse or a finger to cut it.
- Candy Cutter Saga Kids is the gentle version: 10 easy levels. Make the candy fall, collect the stars on the way, and let the candy be eaten.
Same cut, different target
These keep the rope cutting and change what falls.
- Rope Bawling cuts ropes to send bowling balls into the skittles. Boxes hang on the ropes too, and platforms move under them.
- Rope Cut and Boom hangs 3D bombs on ropes. Cut the right ropes at the right time to blow up every chest on the level.
- Basket Fall cuts the rope to release a basketball and aims it at the hoop, with springs and magnets to help.
- Rope Dude Game cuts ropes so that props such as lasers, arrows and spinning spiked discs knock out a mannequin.
Draw instead of cut
Two physics puzzles where you add the line rather than remove it.
- Rope Wrapper has you draw a rope that pulls tight once it is drawn, dragging everything inside it closer. The goal is to make all the balls touch.
- Draw the RailBall Physics has you draw rails and pipes and place planks, springs, accelerators and bumpers to guide a rolling ball to the goal. There is no time limit.
How to solve rope puzzles
- Trace the path before the first cut. Ask where the candy goes if each rope goes first.
- Mind the order. Cut the Rope is solved by cutting ropes in a particular order, and one cut too early can drop the candy past the mouth.
- Cut on the swing, not at rest. A candy cut loose mid-swing keeps moving in that direction; one cut loose while hanging still drops straight down.
- Pick up stars on the way. Plan a route that touches the stars first and reaches the mouth last; Cut My Candy asks for all 3 in each level.
- Use bubbles to climb. A bubble carries the candy upward, so pop it when the candy is level with where you want it.
- Restart freely. A hand-made level, like the 25 in Cut My Candy, is the same on every try, so each failed try teaches you something.
Games like Cut the Rope FAQ
What kind of game is Cut the Rope?
A physics puzzle game. You do not move the candy yourself; you cut ropes and let gravity and swinging do the rest.
Do you need all three stars?
In Cut the Rope you can finish a stage without them, but you need stars to open later levels. Cut My Candy asks you to collect all 3 stars in each level, and Candy Cutter Saga Kids has you collect stars on the way. For the other games, check their own instructions.
Can I play rope puzzles on a phone?
Yes. Cut My Candy and Mummy Candy cut with a swipe of your finger, and Rope Bawling plays with touch. The site works in the browser of a phone, a tablet and a computer.
Are these games free?
Yes. They play free in the browser, with no install and no registration.
More physics and logic puzzles are in puzzle games and brain games.
