Classic Tetris Game

The classic block-stacking puzzle game. Arrange falling tetrominoes to complete lines and earn points!

How to Play: Use arrow keys to move and rotate falling tetrominoes. Complete horizontal lines to clear them and earn points. The game speeds up as you level up!

Score
0
Level
1
Lines
0
High Score
0
Next Piece
Speed Control
New High Score!

You achieved a new high score of 0 points!

Game Over!

Your final score: 0 points

Lines cleared: 0

Game Controls

Left Arrow
Move piece left
Right Arrow
Move piece right
Down Arrow
Move piece down faster
Up Arrow
Rotate piece
Spacebar
Hard drop (instant drop)
P Key
Pause/Resume game

About Tetris

Tetris is a tile-matching puzzle video game created by Russian software engineer Alexey Pajitnov in 1984. It has become one of the most popular and recognizable video games of all time, with versions available for nearly every gaming platform.

Gameplay: Random tetrominoes (geometric shapes composed of four square blocks) fall from the top of the playing field. The player must rotate and move the falling pieces to form complete horizontal lines without gaps. When a line is completed, it disappears, and the player earns points. The game speeds up as the player progresses through levels, and ends when the stack of pieces reaches the top of the playing field.

Tetromino Pieces

I-Piece
O-Piece
T-Piece
S-Piece
Z-Piece
J-Piece
L-Piece

Scoring System

Action Points Bonus
Single Line 100 × Level -
Double Lines 300 × Level +50 bonus
Triple Lines 500 × Level +100 bonus
Tetris (4 Lines) 800 × Level +200 bonus
Soft Drop (per cell) 1 point -
Hard Drop (per cell) 2 points -

Pro Tip: Try to complete multiple lines at once (especially Tetrises - 4 lines) for maximum points. Leave a well on the right or left side to drop I-pieces vertically for Tetrises.

Game Strategies

Flat Stacking

Keep your stack as flat as possible to maximize opportunities for line clears. Avoid creating peaks that limit where you can place pieces.

Well Management

Create a single-column well on one side of the board to drop I-pieces for Tetris clears. This strategy yields the highest scores.

T-Spin Technique

Learn to perform T-spins, which involve rotating a T-piece into a tight space. T-spins award bonus points and can clear lines in difficult situations.

Next Piece Planning

Always check the "Next Piece" display to plan your moves ahead. This allows you to set up for future pieces and maintain control.

Frequently Asked Questions

Tetris was created by Alexey Pajitnov, a Russian software engineer, in June 1984 while working at the Dorodnitsyn Computing Centre of the Soviet Academy of Sciences in Moscow. The name "Tetris" is derived from the Greek numerical prefix "tetra-" (meaning "four") and Pajitnov's favorite sport, tennis.

The maximum possible score depends on the scoring system used. In the classic Nintendo version, the maximum score is 999,999 points. However, some modern versions have removed the score cap. In theory, with perfect play, a player could continue indefinitely and achieve an unlimited score, though in practice, the game speeds up to a point where human reaction time becomes a limiting factor.

A "Tetris" is when you clear four lines simultaneously using an I-piece (the long, straight tetromino). This is the maximum number of lines you can clear at once in standard Tetris and awards the highest points. The term has become synonymous with the game itself.

The "Kill Screen" refers to level 29 in the original Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) version of Tetris. At this level, the game speed reaches its maximum, and due to a programming oversight, the pieces fall so fast that they essentially teleport to the bottom, making the game virtually unplayable. This effectively creates a "soft lock" where continued play becomes impossible.

A T-spin is an advanced technique where a T-shaped tetromino is rotated into a tight space that appears to be already occupied. In modern Tetris games, T-spins award bonus points and can clear lines in situations where normal placements wouldn't work. They're essential for high-level competitive play and can be used to set up powerful combos and back-to-back bonuses.