Protein Fold

Bury the water-fearing residues together and watch the energy drop.

How to play

You're given a chain of residues, some hydrophobic (H) and some not. Fold it on the grid so the hydrophobic residues cluster into a buried core — each non-adjacent H-H pair that ends up touching lowers the structure's energy. Reach the lowest energy to solve it.

• Fold the chain by bending it on the grid
• Pack hydrophobic (H) residues together into a core
• Every buried H-H contact reduces the total energy
• Hit the target low-energy fold to clear the level

Game modes

• Easy, Medium or Hard difficulty for longer chains
• Daily puzzle or Practice for fresh sequences

Controls

• Desktop: click and drag to bend and reshape the chain
• Phone & tablet: drag the chain with a finger to fold it

Tips & strategy

• Aim for a compact blob, not a long strand — contacts only form when residues sit side by side
• Tuck H residues inward and let the others sit on the surface
• Count potential H-H pairs before committing to a fold direction

What you'll learn

Protein Fold is a biochemistry puzzle built on how proteins fold around a hydrophobic core, the principle that gives proteins their shape.

• Skills: protein folding, biochemistry, hydrophobic interactions, structure and function
• Best for: roughly grades 9–12 (ages 14+)
• For parents & teachers: a real biochemistry concept made into a spatial puzzle.

About Protein Fold

Protein Fold is a biochemistry puzzle built around hydrophobic-core protein folding models. It's an original, free browser game made in-house for PlayPendium.

A free, original browser game on PlayPendium — no download, no install. Browse all games →