This study proposes a new method for designing adaptive routing algorithms for three‐dimensional (3D) networks‐on‐chip (NoCs). This method is based on extending the existing 2D turn model adaptive routing to a 3D scenario. A 3D plane‐balanced approach with maximal degree of adaptiveness is achieved by applying a well‐defined set of rules for different strata of the 3D NoC. The proposed method is applicable to any of the turn models. In this study, the authors employ odd–even turn model as a basis for introducing the proposed strategy. Experimental results show that the new 3D odd–even turn model can achieve up to 28.5% improvement in performance over conventional 3D odd–even approach. The improvement is consistent for different traffic types and selection strategies. The proposed method enables a new avenue to explore adaptive approaches for future large‐scale 3D integration.