Despite the Rubik’s cube being invented in the 1970s, the inflection point for speedcubing, the practice of solving Rubik’s cubes and related puzzles as fast as humanly possible, came in the middle of 2010, with the release of the Dayan Guhong. This cube introduced a revolutionary design featuring corner-cutting, a feature where attempting to turn a face without all the layers aligned will have the misaligned layers slide back into alignment with a click (J8Cubing). Corner cutting allowed speedcubers to use much more aggressive turning styles, trusting their cube to conform to their moves instead of being forced to slow down. The Guhong’s popularity was furthered by the creation of online cube retailers such as TheCubicle.us by professional speedcuber Phil Yu, allowing those in North America and Europe to try speedcubing.

Dayan’s next major release, the Zanchi, was a further improvement on the Guhong’s design, being faster and more stable. Dayan’s cubes dominated the market between 2010 and 2014, leading to a combined 3 seconds of improvement on the world record time (World Cube Association). Dayan wasn’t able to follow up with the Zanchi with another successful puzzle, and other brands, such as Moyu with their Aolong V2, and Qiyi with their Valk3, began to take over. By the mid-2010s, speedcubers were moving at over 10 turns per second during their fastest solves. When turning that fast, it is impossible to always make sure each move is perfect. If a cuber accidentally placed too much pressure on a corner during a move, it could rotate 90 degrees, placing the cube into an unsolvable position, and disqualifying the solve. This led to Feliks Zemdegs’ potential world record of 5.33 seconds being disqualified after Zemdegs accidentally twisted a corner during the last algorithm.

In 2015, the Chinese company GANCube released the GAN 356, with first-of-its-kind squared-off corners. The harsh and tall corner pieces acted as guard rails, requiring much more force to twist, and effectively ending the problem of corner twists during solves (Soo). GAN released the 356S shortly after, rounding the centers for much improved reverse corner cutting (“GAN356S V2”). With the 356 Air, GAN was the first to invent a screwless tensioning system, allowing for instant adjustment of cube elasticity, and in 2017 they partnered with TheCubicle.us to release the Gan 356 Air UM (Yu et al.). The Air UM was a massively influential puzzle, as it was the first mass-produced cube to feature magnets, aligning the layers on each turn with a satisfying magnetic bump. Magnetic cubes were revolutionary, and the increased control they provided led to a one-second improvement in world record time. GAN’s prominence in the speedcubing world led to an official collaboration with the Rubik’s brand, releasing the official Rubik’s Speed Cube. Throughout the late 2010s, GAN continued to sit at the forefront of cube innovation. The GAN 356 X introduced adjustable magnets, and the 356 XS upgraded the elasticity system to allow for independent adjustment of the center travel and spring compression. Each of these features markedly improved the experience for speedcubers, providing not only better performance but also more customization options, allowing someone to tune their cube to their exact preferences. In 2020, Gan released the 11 M Pro, ditching the 356 moniker in an act that symbolized GAN’s ubiquity in the 3x3 space. The 11 M Pro was the first cube to feature magnets not just between pieces, but in the center of the cube, leading to increased stability.

In addition to now being named the same as modern iPhone models, speedcubers began to joke that GAN’s prices were approaching a level similar to that of an Apple product. The 11 M Pro retailed for $65, while the flagship Moyu cube of this stayed under $40. As time went on, GAN seemed to lose its focus on puzzle performance, instead adding even more customizability while raising costs. In the GAN 12’s haste to be the first cube with adjustable core magnets, it introduced a catching problem that made it highly unpopular unless some of its pieces were swapped with those from a GAN 11. The GAN 13 was an even larger commercial failure. Retailing at $85, it didn’t fix the previous cube’s issues and introduced new issues of its own with the addition of even more magnets (SpeedCubeShop). There wasn’t a single professional speedcuber who switched to the GAN 13. Those sponsored by GAN stuck with the 12 or 11, while many cubers began to explore cheaper alternatives from the likes of Moyu or Qiyi. Public opinion was turning on GAN, and when the GAN 14 had an even higher price and the same subpar performance, people universally protested. A 25% off fire sale, unheard of in the world of speedcubes, was unsuccessful in clearing inventory, and the remaining units now sit on shelves.

The current 3x3 world record was set on June 11th, 2023, where Max Park, former GAN-sponsored speedcuber, set a time of 3.13 seconds on a Qiyi-made Tornado V3 cube. Though many people still use the GAN 11 and 12 models (Struyf 7:40), the GAN 13 and 14 have faded into obscurity, and cubers are waiting with bated breath to see what GAN releases next.