Tetris Block Puzzle Game (Tetris Game)

Tetris is the puzzle game that defined the genre. Created in 1984 by Russian software engineer Alexey Pajitnov, it spread first across Soviet research computers, then around the world via the Nintendo Game Boy, and ended up the best-selling video game of all time. Forty years on, the rules have not changed and they still work: seven shaped pieces (the Tetriminos) fall one at a time, and your only job is to fit them together into complete horizontal lines that vanish from the board.

What makes Tetris endure is the way it punishes greed and rewards patience. You can clear single lines all day for safe points, but four lines cleared in one shot (a "Tetris") quadruples your score – and the only way to set one up is to leave a deliberate gap. The whole game is a quiet negotiation between filling space now and saving room for a bigger payoff later.

How to Play Tetris

Use the left and right arrow keys to slide the falling piece into place. The up arrow (or X) rotates the piece, and the down arrow soft-drops it for faster placement. On touchscreens, swipe left/right to move, tap to rotate, and swipe down to drop. Clear lines to score, and try to keep the stack low – the run ends the moment a new piece can no longer enter the board.

Tips From Tetris Veterans

• Build flat. A pancake-flat stack lets you slot almost any piece in cleanly; a jagged stack creates holes you cannot fill.

• Keep the far-right column open for I-pieces (the long straight ones). A clean four-line Tetris from a single I-piece is worth a fortune in points.

• Memorise the 7-piece rotation. Modern Tetris guarantees you see all seven shapes in any seven-piece window, so you can plan ahead.

• Use the hold function (if available – C key on most browsers) to stash a tricky piece until you have a clean spot for it.

More Puzzle Classics

If Tetris hooks you, try 2048 for another iconic puzzle, Unblock Me for sliding-block solving, or browse our puzzle games collection.

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