🟦 Tetris

About Tetris

Tetris is the world's most recognized puzzle video game, created by Soviet software engineer Alexey Pajitnov in 1984. Inspired by pentomino puzzles he enjoyed as a child, Pajitnov designed the game on an Elektronika 60 computer, and its irresistible "just one more game" quality helped it spread across the globe. From the Game Boy to modern smartphones, Tetris has sold hundreds of millions of copies and remains a cultural icon of gaming.

The genius of Tetris is how it balances accessibility with infinite skill ceiling. Anyone can start stacking blocks within seconds, but mastering T-spins, back-to-back Tetrises, and high-speed downstacking takes years of practice. The game creates a flow state unlike almost anything else — time disappears as you focus on the falling pieces and the rhythm of clearing lines.

This browser version implements modern guideline features including a hold queue, ghost piece, next-piece preview, wall kicks, and the 7-bag randomizer that competitive players expect. It runs at a smooth frame rate with responsive controls, making it suitable for both casual sessions and serious score-chasing.

How to Play

Pieces (tetrominoes) fall from the top of a 10-wide, 20-tall board. Your job is to arrange them to fill complete horizontal lines, which are then cleared for points.

• ← → arrow keys move the piece left and right
• ↑ rotates the piece clockwise
• ↓ soft-drops the piece (faster descent, +1 point per cell)
• Space instantly hard-drops the piece to the ghost position (+2 points per cell)
• C or Shift stores the current piece in the Hold slot (once per piece)
• Clear 1 line (Single), 2 lines (Double), 3 lines (Triple), or 4 lines (Tetris) at once
• The game speeds up every 10 lines cleared, increasing the challenge
• The game ends when new pieces can no longer spawn at the top

Tips & Strategy

• Keep the board flat — uneven terrain creates gaps that are hard to fill later
• Leave one column open (typically the rightmost) for Tetrises. Four lines at once scores far more than four singles
• Use the Hold feature to save I-pieces for Tetris opportunities or swap out awkward placements
• Watch the Next queue to plan 2-3 pieces ahead, not just the current one
• At higher speeds, rely on hard drops and pre-planned placements rather than slow manual positioning
• Back-to-back Tetrises earn a 50% score bonus — try to chain them when possible

Features

• Ghost piece shows exactly where your piece will land
• Hold queue lets you store one piece for later use (once per drop)
• Next-piece preview shows the upcoming 3 pieces
• Wall kicks allow rotation near walls and other pieces
• 7-bag randomizer guarantees all 7 piece types before any repeat
• Back-to-back Tetris bonus rewards consecutive 4-line clears
• Progressive speed increase every 10 lines for escalating challenge
• Hard drop bonus of +2 points per cell for fast, decisive play