Cube Escape Collection is a nine-game puzzle anthology, so a good walkthrough has to do two jobs at once: keep the rooms moving, and protect the cross-game secrets that become achievements later. This guide is written as a practical route for the Steam collection, with puzzle codes, chapter order, missable-style achievement checks, and the places where the old Flash-era logic can still trip up new players.
The recommended route starts with Seasons and The Lake, then moves through Arles, Harvey’s Box, Case 23, The Mill, Birthday, and Theatre before ending in The Cave. You can open individual games separately, but playing in that order makes the shared codes and references much easier to understand.
Spoiler warning: this walkthrough names puzzle answers, secret codes, hidden achievement triggers, late-game locations, and the final submarine coordinates in The Cave.
Before You Start
- Click after every transformation. Many Cube Escape puzzles do not finish when the object changes; they finish after you keep clicking the changed object.
- Keep cross-game codes in one note. The Collection uses old secrets such as 1487, 1853, 1894, 25641, and 18 12 30 as achievement or alternate-ending triggers.
- Do optional achievements before finishing a chapter. Story achievements are safe, but window figures, secret drinks, hidden songs, and alternate codes are easy to miss if you rush to the cube.
- For randomized or dexterity puzzles, restart early. The Cave’s spider achievement and Case 23 chapter 4 are the two places where a bad attempt can waste time.
- Do not over-trust item names. A Rusty Lake “fish”, “bird”, or “flower” may become a key, a code, a clue, or a trap after one more click.
Full Chapter Order
| Order | Game | Main Goal | Cleanup Warning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Seasons | Move through four seasons, gather cubes, and rebuild the machine. | Do the woman, Harvey, Young Laura, and Find me in the past checks before leaving. |
| 2 | The Lake | Fish key items from the cabin lake and complete the tree. | Use 1487 with the second safe for the green gem ending. |
| 3 | Arles | Escape Van Gogh’s room with the white and black cubes. | Use 1853 after the ear-door section for the Rusty Lake Hotel secret. |
| 4 | Harvey’s Box | Assemble the box clues, play the comb, and survive the rope escape. | Let the creature catch you once for You died!, then redo the escape correctly. |
| 5 | Case 23 | Investigate Laura’s case across four chapters. | Chapter 4 is timed; know the elevator route before starting it. |
| 6 | The Mill | Prepare the mill, process memories, and free the bird. | Use 3:25 for The Old Crow before you advance too far. |
| 7 | Birthday | Change the birthday attack and send the blue cube into the clock. | Check Grandpa’s pocket and the snow globe secret before the finale. |
| 8 | Theatre | Serve drinks, finish the plays, and retrieve the black cube. | Play BADEGG and make the optional gin and tonic before leaving. |
| 9 | The Cave | Solve the cave chapters, pilot the submarine, and obtain the golden cube. | Do Arachnophobe first; save the hidden coordinate route for The Story Continues. |
Master Puzzle Code Sheet
| Game | Code or Setting | Use |
|---|---|---|
| Seasons | 1487 | Summer safe, later seed safe, and The Lake’s green-gem safe. |
| Seasons | 25641 | Fall TV for Young Laura. |
| Seasons | Clock 1:10 | Winter clock, blue cube route. |
| Seasons | Clock 9:05 | Return route for the hanger, key, and trowel. |
| The Lake | 1422 | Mirror-number safe from 6 x 237. |
| Arles | 1853 | Hotel secret after entering the ear. |
| Harvey’s Box | 0 / 2 / 2 / 1 | Fruit shape puzzle. |
| Harvey’s Box | B B D D B B #G A B D B A #G A | Main comb tune for the key. |
| Harvey’s Box | C C D #D G E D #D C #A #G #G #G #G | A familiar melody achievement tune. |
| Case 23 | 024355 | Chapter 1 phone call. |
| Case 23 | 1421 | Chapter 1 safe. |
| Case 23 | 171, 247, 746, 392 | TV codes in Chapter 2. |
| Case 23 | 148 | Statue-base code in Chapter 3. |
| The Mill | 1384 | Church-code door. |
| The Mill | 3:25 | The Old Crow achievement clock time. |
| The Mill | 6:10 and 257 | Laura clock route and brain-machine code. |
| Birthday | 1966 | Stamp-code box for the watch. |
| Birthday | 1894 | Snow globe secret. |
| Theatre | 2 gin + 2 tonic | Rusty Lake G&T. |
| Theatre | 7285 | Code inside Bob’s head after placing the white cubes. |
| Theatre | BADEGG | Bad Egg Symphony on the piano. |
| The Cave | Square, hourglass, circle, triangle | Chapter 2 cabinet. |
| The Cave | Left NE, right NW | Door knobs before the submarine. |
| The Cave | 3 5 40, 2 2 30, 4 6 00, 3 4 50 | Submarine cube coordinates. |
| The Cave | 11 5 30 / RAT / 18 12 30 | The Story Continues secret route. |
Achievement Cleanup Plan
Steam appdetails lists 72 achievements. Most are story progress, but each chapter has at least one achievement that is best handled before you complete the cube route. Use the table below as your pre-exit checklist.
| Game | Important Optional Checks | Story Progress You Should See |
|---|---|---|
| Seasons | Click the woman in Spring’s window, repeatedly click Harvey, use 25641 on the Fall TV, and call after repairing the machine. | In bloom, The lake, Pink blossoms, Blueprint. |
| The Lake | Click the random corrupted soul in the window, fill the inventory for Hoarder, and use the green gem for The pentagon. | Apple, Eye, Coin, Shell, Blue gem. |
| Arles | Open the window for the boat, give absinthe to Paul, choose the left door once, and use 1853 for the hotel secret. | My favorite drink!, Ear, White Cube, Black Cube. |
| Harvey’s Box | Play the future melody, cut at the pecking hole, smoke the fish, pull down the feather, and die once before using fireflies. | Dominoes expert, Back in the box, Escape the box. |
| Case 23 | Click the Arles photo, feed three flies to the fish, use TV 171, type crow, and finish the timed elevator escape. | Rusty Lake Archive, Ventilated, Mr. Crow, I made it. |
| The Mill | Feed the old woman the bird dropping, set 3:25 for The Old Crow, click Dale through the telescope, shake Laura, and click the dead cow head. | The attic, The basement, Free bird. |
| Birthday | Pop gum with the knife, click Mr. Rabbit outside, read Grandpa’s drink clue, use 1894, and talk to Grandpa after the plan works. | Unexpected prey, Time-traveller. |
| Theatre | Make the G&T, find Laura inside Bob’s head, talk with the bartender, misuse the egg pipe for Omelette, and play BADEGG. | Screwdriver, Harvey Wallbanger, Bloody Mary. |
| The Cave | Do Arachnophobe before anything else, pet the dog, transform in the mirror several times, and complete the 11 5 30 hidden route. | Genealogy, Fresh air, Submarine, Golden Cube. |
Seasons Walkthrough
Spring 1964: treat the room as a circular inventory puzzle. Collect the matches, spoon, wood, pot, bird food, photo pieces, and the ceiling piece. Feed Harvey, crack the egg after boiling it, and use the fireplace to reveal the black cube. Before inserting it, open the curtains and check the window for the woman; if she does not appear, back out and return. Click Harvey several times for his achievement. Insert the black cube, pull down the frame, rebuild the photo, and move to the next season.
Summer 1971: collect the cassette, telescope, screwdriver, plug, matches, and photo pieces. Use the telescope on the moon and use the moon clue on the safe: 1487. Roast the shrimp, fix the lamp, retrieve the final photo piece, and use the cassette with the fireplace process to finish the season.
Fall 1971: use the knife on Harvey and search the sink and ceiling eye for photo pieces. Turn on the TV and use 25641 for Young Laura before continuing. Follow the TV instructions to produce the black cube, rebuild the photo, and move on.
Winter 1981: gather the axe, matches, glass, fuel tank, and photo clues. The radio points you to the clock; set it to 1:10 for the blue cube. Break the boards, keep the wood, and complete the fireplace/photo route again.
Machine return: go back through the seasons to prepare the ingredients. Use 9:05 on the clocks to get the hanger, key, and trowel. Open the safe with 1487 for the seed, tune the radio to 100 for the key, plant the seed, free Harvey, and make sure the bird can later bring the flower. When the grown plant and radio route are ready, set the radio to 105. Blend the fruit, flower, pill, and mushroom mixtures into the matching fuel tanks using the cork-board clues, then pull the lever.
The Lake Walkthrough
Start by taking the fishing rod, wire, knife, note, insect, hook, crowbar, and other small tools around the cabin. Build the fishing setup with rod, line, hook, and insect to catch the shrimp. Cut the shrimp for the key, then use the shrimp head and worm as bait for the stranger catches that provide the apple and fish route.
The tree ending needs five objects: apple, coin, shell, gem, and eye. The coin is in the locker, the shell is caught with the mold, the eye is behind the loose wall board, and the first gem comes from the mirrored-number safe. Its clue is 6 x 237, so enter 1422 using the safe’s mirrored style.
For the better ending and The pentagon, do not finish with the normal gem. Fish up the second safe and enter 1487, the code carried over from Seasons, to get the green gem. Put the green gem on the tree, add the eye, and keep clicking the dark figure until the black cube appears.
Cleanup: the corrupted soul in the window can appear when you leave and re-enter the view, so check before finishing. Hoarder asks you to completely fill the inventory; The Lake has enough objects to do this if you delay some placements.
Arles Walkthrough
Arles is built around collecting painting fragments, drink tools, color-symbol clues, and room codes before entering the ear. Check both pillows, the clothes, the table, the mirror, the chair, the cupboards, and the window. Open the window and click the boatman for the secret before you become too focused on the painting.
Make the absinthe setup with spoon, sugar, and absinthe to earn the drink achievement and get another fragment. Complete the paintings for a key and sunflower. Give absinthe to Paul, give him the hat, place the sunflower in the vase, and use the flower puzzle to get another key. The cupboards provide wine and the knife.
Cut off the ear, place it on the plate, and arrange the drinks by their clues: absinthe goes with the glass and right side, wine with the jug and middle, and water on the left. Inside the ear, pick up the gun and note the code. Enter the wrong left door once for Deja vu, then return and continue.
After the door, use 1853 for the Rusty Lake Hotel secret if you are doing achievements. Shoot the mirror figure for the white cube, then solve the final painting. The verified color layout is light blue sky, dark blue moon, black hexagon, yellow circle, white mountain, dark green grass, and green lake. Take the black cube, place both cubes in the exit door, and leave.
Harvey’s Box Walkthrough
The first half is about building the clues inside the box. Pick up the spoon, tape pieces, match, safety pin, and loose papers. Solve the dominoes, repair the pictures with tape, and use the fruit code 0 / 2 / 2 / 1. Open the fruit and keep interacting until the box state changes.
When the box is still, use the comb. The route tune for the key is B B D D B B #G A B D B A #G A. If you are doing A familiar melody, play C C D #D G E D #D C #A #G #G #G #G as the future Theatre clue. Use the key for the locked box, collect the cigar, knife, and note, and cut the pecking hole.
For the animal pose puzzle, make the crow hold both arms up, give the fish the lit cigar and crossed left leg, and set the glass levels to full, half, quarter, empty, full. Pull the rope until the feather drops. Open the jar for the fireflies, attach the safety pin and rope, and then pause before escaping: look up without using the fireflies once if you still need You died!. Redo the moment correctly with fireflies to take the cube and escape.
Case 23 Walkthrough
Chapter 1
Focus on Laura’s body, the bug, the papers, the photos, the dolls, the fishbowl, and the books. Click the photo window for View of Arles. Before sending the fly through the shell, feed three flies to the fish for Force-feeding. The doll order is first, fourth, third, second.
The book puzzle is color-linked; use the verified order 15, 7, 16, 1, 4, 10, 2, 8, 3, 5, 14, 13, 11, 12, 6, 9. Burn the folder to reveal the four-symbol bookcase answer: circle with dot, upside-down triangle, spiked circle, square. Fill the crossword with the collected names, call 024355, use fate when prompted, and open the safe with 1421.
Chapter 2
Collect the office items, rebuild the torn picture, shave with the razor, and use the typewriter route. For Dark wings, type the crow clue before finishing the TV section. The map/projector puzzle points to the code sequence used on the TV. Use 171 for Mugshot, 247 for the black cube, 746 for the white cube, and 392 to combine them and finish Ventilated.
Chapter 3
Complete the rotating picture and the slider, then take the black cube. Use the eye and gem with the face puzzle until you receive the shell. The simple object-placement room leads to the code 148, then candle, scissors, and oil. Light both candles, place the cube, crack the wall, use oil on the flames according to the arrows, and continue to Mr. Crow.
Chapter 4
This is timed. Before committing, know your route: grab the visible cogs, open the loose boards, connect the pipes, solve the cog puzzle, take matches from Harvey’s box, crowbar the elevator, light the cog, enter, then press the red and grey buttons. If you time out, restart the chapter rather than searching slowly.
The Mill Walkthrough
Unlock the attic by making the key. Burn the spider web for the first key, solve the woman’s tooth puzzle, burn the wood, melt the tooth, and use the liquid in the key mold. In the attic, cut the woman’s hair, use Harvey’s dropping with the plant, cut grass, spin wool from hair, and feed the cow.
The cow udder order is 4, 2, 1, 2, 3, 4. Look through the window with the telescope, then use the warm milk, needles, and wool route to get oven gloves. Enter the church door code 1384 for the basement.
Before the basement route gets too far, set the clock to 3:25 and check the bird for The Old Crow. In the basement, use the valve, catch and cook the duck, feed the woman, collect the net, cook the fish for strong rope, and attach the rope to the cog. Set the clock to 6:10 to move Laura, use the random-button device for Fun time with Laura, and process the white cube.
When the machine shows a number, use 257 on the brain machine for the black cube. Place both cubes in the machine. Before leaving, click the cow head for Undead Cow, then talk to the monster and finish Free bird.
Birthday Walkthrough
Birthday begins as a party-room inventory puzzle. Open the elevator and cube, take the screwdriver, knife, gum, letter, record, flags, gin, stamp, balloon, matches, and water. Pop the gum bubble with the knife for Weapon of choice. Check the window and click Mr. Rabbit. Cut the cake so each slice has one candle, feed Dad, and complete the flag/banner puzzles for the bolt.
After the attack, collect the postcard, stamps, note, key, battery, cable, kettle, fly, fish, and cat route. Check Grandpa’s pocket for the drink clue before moving on. The stamp placement gives 1966 for the watch. If you are doing the hotel-linked secret, use 1894 on the snow globe.
Repair the present, take the blue cube, place it in the clock, and step back. Put the silver coin back on the box to obtain the gun. Give the gun to Grandpa, replay the birthday song, let Mr. Rabbit in, and speak to Grandpa after the plan succeeds for BOOM! Ha ha.
Theatre Walkthrough
Make a 2 gin + 2 tonic gin and tonic first if you want Rusty Lake G&T, then make the screwdriver for Bob and retrieve the screwdriver from him. Solve the sliding puzzle for the plug and plunger, play the dead-face piano clue, repair the bathroom plug, use the plunger, collect the fetus and heart, fix the mirror face, and break the glass for the symbol code. The panel code is square, butterfly, circle with dot, and spiked circle.
On stage, level the scale with shell, fetus, heart, hat. The next play gives symbols for the cocktail route. Make the Harvey Wallbanger with 2 orange juice, 1 Galliano, and 1 vodka. Then make the Bloody Mary with 2 blood, 1 vodka, and 1 Tabasco.
Inside Bob’s head, collect four white cubes and find Laura on the left for The Woman. Place the white cubes in the frames, scratch them for codes, return to Bob’s head, and enter 7285 for the black cube. Use the windmill colors yellow, pink, red, orange, blue, white. Before leaving, play BADEGG on the piano and click Harvey for Bad Egg Symphony. During the fish-and-parrot scene, deliberately send the egg to the wrong pipe until you have the Omelette achievement, then finish normally.
The Cave Walkthrough
Do the spider puzzle first if you want Arachnophobe. If a fly is eaten, reset before investing more time. After that, collect the book, melting pot, knife, matches, petri dish, and cave tools.
Chapter 1: repair the family tree, place the card, trace the door symbol, solve the dog puzzle, give the moth to the bat, and collect the next card. Chapter 2: place the card, trace the new door image, then use the bug patterns to open the cabinet with square, hourglass, circle, triangle. Use the pickaxe and the dog route, pet the dog for Good boy!, create the elixir through the microscope puzzle, and use it in the mirror. Keep transforming for the optional achievement before breaking the mirror for the card.
Chapter 3: repeat the card and door routine, collect ore, melt it, cast the silver key, repair the diver’s tube, and give the diver the elixir for Fresh air. Chapter 4: trace the last pattern, set the final door knobs to left NE and right NW, and enter the submarine.
Submarine Cube Route
The submarine loop repeats: set a coordinate, use the compass and depth valve to travel, grab or process the cube, then put that cube in the machine to unlock the next route. The main sequence is:
| Cube | Coordinate Clue | Movement From The Common Route | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| White | 3 5 40 | North 5, west 4, valve 40 from the original position. | Use the claw and pipe puzzle to retrieve it. |
| Black | 2 2 30 | West 1, north 3, valve 30 after placing the white cube. | Smoke six fish, use the letter machine, and finish the pearl/box clue. |
| Blue | 4 6 00 | East 2, south 4, valve 0 after placing the black cube. | Use Morse-code fish logic and collect ink. |
| Gold | 3 4 50 | North 2, west 1, valve 50 after placing the blue cube. | Repair the broken machine, use the cubes, and claim the golden cube. |
For The Story Continues, visit the three map locations and use the periscope clues. Cabin starts at 6 6 00, then points to 3 9 50, revealing X:11. Hotel starts at 6 3 00, then points to 3 4 20, revealing Y:5. Chapel starts at 2 7 00, then points to 8 1 00, revealing D:30. Travel to 11 5 30, read the box code RAT, and open the birthday box with 18 12 30. Set depth before moving near the hotel clue, because it is easy to lock the submarine into the wrong intended position.
Common Stalls and Fixes
- Harvey does not bring the flower in Seasons: in Spring, free Harvey and close the window after the bird moves outside. Later, set the radio correctly and return to the window.
- The Lake good ending gives the wrong result: swap the normal gem for the green gem before adding the eye to the tree.
- Harvey’s Box rope escape fails: let the death happen only for the achievement. On the real attempt, release the fireflies immediately when you look up.
- Case 23 chapter 4 keeps timing out: memorize the cog/pipe/elevator route first; it is not a slow exploration section.
- Theatre Bad Egg does not pop: play BADEGG, let the music finish, then click Harvey; some players report needing to repeat the input and click again.
- The Cave submarine will not move: make sure the current cube has been detected or placed in the machine before trying to navigate to the next coordinate.
Sources and Credits
Official metadata and screenshots were checked against the Steam store page and Rusty Lake’s official website. Puzzle routes and achievement cleanup were cross-checked against readable community walkthroughs and Steam Community guide references. Two Rusty Lake Wiki/Fandom pages were blocked by a 403 challenge during capture, so they were not used for article facts.