Tetris

Tetris is the timeless falling-block puzzle. Rotate and slide the seven tetromino shapes into place, pack them tight, and clear full rows before the stack reaches the top. Play Tetris online free, with no download and no sign-up, on phone or desktop.

How to play

• Move the falling piece left and right with ← → (or the on-screen pad).
• Press ↑ to rotate the piece; use the ghost outline to see where it will land.
• Press ↓ for a soft drop, or space for an instant hard drop.
• Fill an entire horizontal row with blocks to clear it and score points.
• Clearing several rows at once is worth far more; watch the Next piece to plan.
• The speed rises with each level — the game ends when the stack tops out. Press P to pause.

Keep the surface as flat as possible and avoid burying holes you cannot reach. A common strategy is to leave one column open on the side and feed vertical I-pieces into it to clear four lines at once — a Tetris — for the biggest score. Rotate early and use the ghost piece so you never commit a shape to the wrong slot.

More about Tetris

Tetris was created in 1984 by Soviet engineer Alexey Pajitnov at the Computing Centre of the USSR Academy of Sciences, its name blending the Greek word tetra (four) with tennis. The seven tetromino shapes and the tense race against rising speed made it one of the best-selling games of all time, cemented by the 1989 Game Boy pack-in. Good players keep the stack flat and leave a single column open to clear four lines at once, a move called a Tetris.