Puzzles
Play Tetris online
Seven shapes fall, you rotate and slide them, full rows disappear. The deeper the stack, the faster it gets. With a preview of the next piece, a hold slot and a soft drop for the last moment.
Play Tetris nowFree · no download · no ads
Where Tetris comes from
Alexey Pajitnov programmed Tetris in 1984 at the Academy of Sciences in Moscow; the name joins the Greek tetra with his favourite sport, tennis. It reached the West via Hungary, followed by years of legal battles over the rights. Bundling it with the Game Boy in 1989 made it the best-selling game of its era – and turned the seven shapes into one of the most recognisable symbols in gaming.
How it works
Left/Right to move, ↑ rotates, ↓ drops faster, Space hard-drops, C holds a piece.
A full line disappears. Four at once scores best. Every ten lines it speeds up.
Three tips for better results
- 1Keep the stack flat and leave at most one column open – for the long piece.
- 2Four rows at once score far more than four single rows.
- 3Use the hold slot as an emergency exit, not as storage: a stuck piece costs you two turns.
Frequently asked questions
Is Tetris free to play?
Yes. Tetris runs straight in your browser, costs nothing and needs no installation. There are no ads and no paywall – the chips in the game are play money and cannot be bought.
Do I need an account to play Tetris?
You create a profile with a name and a PIN, but no account is created on anybody else's server. Scores, chips, achievements and unlocked motifs live only in your own browser.
How do you play Tetris?
Left/Right to move, ↑ rotates, ↓ drops faster, Space hard-drops, C holds a piece.
Where does Tetris come from?
Alexey Pajitnov programmed Tetris in 1984 at the Academy of Sciences in Moscow; the name joins the Greek tetra with his favourite sport, tennis. It reached the West via Hungary, followed by years of legal battles over the rights. Bundling it with the Game Boy in 1989 made it the best-selling game of its era – and turned the seven shapes into one of the most recognisable symbols in gaming.
Does Tetris work on a phone?
The site adapts to the screen size, and anything you can click can also be tapped. Games controlled with arrow keys do need a keyboard, though.
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