If you are looking for Rube Goldberg Machine information you are in for a treat. If you have not yet discovered these fascinating machines you are really going to love them.
Watch the design process in action with educational how-to videos of engineering projects and activities kids can try at home. Rube Goldberg Games free download - Rube Works: Rube Goldberg Game, The Games Factory, WildTangent Games, and many more programs.
I just got the game from the App Store because I love Rube Goldberg machines. It’s a great game! I do think there are improvements to be made though. I think it would be cool if you added some sort of online area where people can share levels. I also think it would be cool if you made an xp system where as you play you level up and earn more. Educators friend4059 says. Create your own 'rube goldberg' machine! Sign in to add your own designs to this project!
Either way, we have a great collection of Rube Goldberg machine information including videos, free games, apps, books, toys and information on making your own Rube.
Use these Rube Goldberg Ideas to get you started. I invite you to Play and Learn with Rube Goldberg and his wonderful machines.
This post may contain affiliate links which means we may receive a small commission, at no cost to you, if you make a purchase through a link. All opinions are our own and we share things we think would be of interest to boys.
image credit copyright Jeff Kubina “Rube Goldberg Machine” altered
Rube Goldberg is best known for his drawings of complicated machines designed to complete simple tasks. Many know he was a cartoonist but did you know that he was also an inventor and an engineer? He won a Pulitzer Prize for his political cartoons as well.
Rube Goldberg Games
We searched out the very best games and found the ones that were fun to play and free!
- Goldburger to Go is short game with questions asking what to do next. You can get tips and hints. This is a good game for beginners as you fix (with a tiny wrench) the board to work properly instead of having to put things in place.
- Tom and Jerry! Tom’s Trap-o-Matic is neat but pretty hard. For some reason we had trouble making our contraptions work on occasion, even though it looked like everything was lined up correctly and should go fine. Oh well, it gave us lots of chances to experiment. If you have a cartoon fan on your hands you might want to give this one a go.
- Awesome and one of our favorites! Dynamic Systems is a great game, very challenging as they go on, and a ton of fun. I was really excited to find these. The object is to get the metal ball into the cup. Simple? Hmm. There are neat added parts as you go along like bouncing platforms, crates and dominos. Puzzlingly delightful.
- Wallace and Grommet presents Invention Suspension: Cracking ‘Copter Capers. I am a fan of Wallace and Grommet—there, I admitted it 🙂 This is a lot of fun and very clever. If, by chance, your helicopter– um, goes down the chute because you have never flown a helicopter before and you had no idea what you were doing and were slamming into walls and then it just seemed to fall into the chute, just fly back out! LOL Anyway, lots of fun to be had with the helicopter and even more once you get all of the pieces to the workshop.
Want more games? We have more Rube Goldberg games here.
Rube Goldberg Apps
There are several apps that are Rube Goldberg based.
- Rube Works: The Official Rube Goldberg Invention Game (Amazon) is the official app put out by the folks at the official Rube Goldberg website–very official! (iTunes)
- Pettson’s Inventions, Pettson’s Inventions 2, Pettson’s Inventions 3, and Pettson’s Inventions Deluxe.
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Rube Goldberg Books
We ended up doing a whole article on the wonderful books that feature information about Rube Goldberg and share his cartoons and information about the wacky machines. Click on this link to take you to theRube Goldberg Books list.
Rube Goldberg Style Toys and Games
Mousetrap is likely the best known Rube Goldberg machine game. We have it, and the pieces are used on their own as often as they are within in the game.
Here are three more choices that you can try:
- Keva has a couple of contraptions sets that are very open-ended. Their sets are high quality and made out of wood. KEVA Contraptions 200 piece set and Contraptions 50 Plank Set
- I think Weird and Wacky Contraption Lab from SmartLab Toys looks pretty darn neat. Click through on the picture to see the 2 foot board you can build on. We have other SmartLab toys and have been happy with them–this one looks like a lot of fun.
- Be sure you don’t miss LEGO Chain Reactions. LEGO and Rube Goldberg? What an awesome combination!
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Rube Goldberg Videos:
These machines are so much fun and I can tell you from our experience in making our own, they are packed with so much learning opportunities you simply won’t believe it. We had a blast!
One of the best ways to really see what a Rube Goldberg Machine™ is all about is to watch a video of one.
This video is full of Rube Goldberg ideas. It is a Christmas machine that uses toys!
Rube Goldberg Online Games
Here is a photography Rube Goldberg machine. What a lot to go through to take a photo! Can you imagine how long it took them to set this one up?
Be Amused and Amazed with Rube Goldberg Video is a great collection of videos.
We also gathered together videos on the Rube challenge to Open a Door. Be sure to click through for more video favorites.
The best video of all is this one called The Way Things Go.
Full of fire, air blasts, objects moving and flinging about. It is truely a 30 min chain reaction extravaganza.
We have watched this many times and it is about impossible to take your eyes off it.
I was super excited to see a new version available with both DVD and Blu-ray! Does hozier use auto tune in audacity.
If you are a fan of awesome contraptions this is a must see. Blackmagic design free software.
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Build A Rube Goldberg Machine:
Rube Goldberg machines are fun to build yourself.
If you liked the machines in the videos and games you should totally give it a try.
Using simple household items such as LEGO, dominos, books, marble runs, paper tubes, boxes, sticks and more you can create a machine.
Have fun, experiment, imagine and invent! There is a ton of learning going on when creating one of these awesome chain-reactions.
- Here is a wikiHow giving some steps and ideas for building your own machine.
- If you really get into it and want to start entering competitions here is a great manual that will help you out.
- Last but certainly not least is the Official Rube Goldberg Website. Each year they hold a Rube Goldberg Machine Contest (RGMC) which is a national competition for students in middle school through college for building the “most elaborate and hilarious Rube Goldberg Machine.” You can also view some of Rube’s drawings, watch a few videos and find out more about the contest.
- We put together a comprehensive list of Tasks & Materials to Make Your Own Machine. Be sure to check it out if you decide to make one. It is a great resource for getting started.
I hope you will use this Rube Goldberg Machine information guide to make your own Rube Goldberg Machines™!
There is just so much learning wrapped up in one of these interesting little machines and they are simply a ton of fun to mess around with. Plus, you get to discover the joy of doing things the hard way LOL.
Rube Works: The Official Rube Goldberg Invention Game
Rube Works | Reviews | CCSS Alignments | Press | Support
Make a Rube Goldberg on your Mobile Device or Computer!
“This app is amazing and rich on so many levels. I highly recommend this app…” NSTA Recommends
“Rube Works puts a fun twist on learning… Once kids get started and see their contraptions in action, they will be inspired to keep learning and inventing.” more»
— Debbie Berk, Common Sense Education
Do you have what it takes to turn Rube Goldberg’s humorous comics and cartoons into elaborate and incredible machines?
Developed by Electric Eggplant in partnership with Kalani Games and the Heirs of Rube Goldberg, Rube Works: The Official Rube Goldberg Invention Game is the first officially licensed Rube Goldberg game.
Rube Works 30 Second App Preview (iPhone 6).
Official Rube Works Trailer from Electric Eggplant on Vimeo.
Rube Works features Rube’s cartoons, contraptions, and irreverent humor and animates the iconic invention cartoons in a way never seen before. The game combines the puzzle genre with slapstick humor and creative problem solving. Imagine the goal is to carve a turkey—and you have a penguin, a bucket, a rooster, a box of sand, a sea sponge, a seesaw and an ice cream maker to complete the task. Then imagine connecting these objects together with string and pulleys along with the laws of gravity and cartoon physics to create a Rube Goldberg machine and proceed to the next level.
Rube Works is now available for download on the iTunes App Store for iPad and iPhone, for Android on Google Play or the Amazon Appstore, for Mac on the Mac App Store, and now for Windows, Mac, and Linux on Steam. Educational discounts (50% off) are available when purchasing 20 or more units for iOS or Mac. For Steam educational discounts, please contact us.
(Originally published with Unity Games.)
Here’s what reviewers are saying about Rube Works:
“This app is amazing and rich on so many levels. Evermotion archmodels cars free download. I highly recommend this app…” more»
— Coralee Smith, NSTA Recommends (National Science Teachers Association)
“…there’s hardly a better game on Android than Rube Works right now.” more»
— Stephen Yuen, AndroidSPIN
“If you like building crazy contraptions, you’ll love this app.” more»
— Rick Broida, CNET
“Rube Works puts a fun twist on learning… Once kids get started and see their contraptions in action, they will be inspired to keep learning and inventing.” more»
— Debbie Berk, Common Sense Education
“…the first contraption building game officially sanctioned by the Rube Goldberg estate and it’s done the family name proud. It’s a sharp, slick recreation of Goldberg’s artistic work that offers a unique and accessible puzzle challenge.” more»
— Danny Gallagher, TouchArcade
“Rube Works is a challenging and fun game that can also teach the user about physics and logic, while not appearing to be an educational app. Rube Works makes the iPad a great learning tool and I highly recommend this beautiful and well made app.” more»
— Todd Bernhard, iPhone Life
“You haven’t seen puzzle solving until you try to build one of these intricate machines… This is the first game I have ever seen that incorporates Rube Goldberg’s original ideas. The illustrations are charming and sweet… This game is wonderful and fun and great for puzzle solving enthusiasts. Fans of cause-and-effect puzzles should not miss this.” more»
— Lory, PadGadget
“…an outstanding and amazing 3D puzzle with fun music and animation. It will provide you with hours of brainwork… I highly recommend this app for the budding engineer or those with a knack for making contraptions!” more»
— Jackie Bryla, Teachers With Apps
Read more reviews »
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Rube Goldberg Games Puzzles
Features in Version 2.0 (available on iOS)
- Now includes French and Italian translation, as well as German, Spanish, and English
- Now compatible with iOS 11, this version is built only for 64-bit iOS devices running iOS 10 and later
Features in Version 1.5 (available on Android, Steam for Desktop, and Mac App Store)
Rube Goldberg Games Online
- Now includes French and Italian translation, as well as German, Spanish, and English (iOS update coming soon)
- Available on Google Play and Amazon for Android; Steam for Windows, Mac, Linux; and Mac App Store for Mac
Rube Goldberg Computer Game
Features in Version 1.4 (available on iOS, Android, and Steam for Desktop)
Rube Goldberg Game 2
- Now includes German and Spanish translation (selectable from the Settings button within the game)
- New Educators Tips section (how to use Rube Works in the classroom)
- Now “Made for Kids” with Parental Gate protecting Internet access (COPPA-compliant)
- Can reset game so teachers can let new students start fresh, unlocking their own levels and earning their own achievements
- iOS version now also works on iPod touch 5
- Steam version now includes Steam Achievements
- Amazon Android version is Dolby® Digital Plus™ enabled
- Easier to pick up objects in the game remove hint box from scree
- Tutorial now optional even on the first time playing (but you can still run it after loading Level 1)
- Can turn off phone vibration when picking up objects
- Now published by Electric Eggplant
Rube Goldberg Games Online
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