🧱 How to Play Tetris
Tetris is the world’s most famous falling-block puzzle game. Seven distinct tetrominoes (T, O, L, J, I, S, Z) drop from the top of the playing field. Use ← → to move sideways, ↑ to rotate clockwise, ↓ to soft-drop one row at a time, and Space to hard-drop instantly to the bottom.
When you fill every cell across a horizontal row, that row disappears and everything above falls down. Clearing multiple rows at once earns bonus score: clearing 2 rows simultaneously gives double points, 4 rows (a “Tetris”) gives the maximum. Difficulty starts from Level 1, 3, or 5 depending on your chosen setting. Every 10 lines cleared bumps you up one level, and pieces fall faster. The game ends when a new piece cannot enter the board.
Tips & Strategies
- Keep your stack as flat and low as possible at all times.
- Save the I-piece (long bar) for a 4-row “Tetris” clear — it scores the most points at higher levels.
- Rotate pieces before they land, not while falling at high speed.
- Never build spiky towers — holes below are almost impossible to clear later.
- Leave one column open on the right side as an I-piece slot.
History & Background
Tetris was created by Soviet software engineer Alexey Pajitnov in 1984 on a Soviet Electronika 60 computer. It has sold over 520 million copies across all platforms and holds multiple Guinness World Records. This version features a level multiplier scoring system, progressive speed, and a shared leaderboard.