Play Free Tetris Online - No Download Required

Play Free Tetris Online


A Free Tetris Online Tribute & History

Tetris online® is the most famous classic puzzle video game and has inspired countless thousands of clones and variations. This website provides a free no download Tetris tribute to the original game, and is inspired by the classic design from over 30 years ago. The version was developed by fans and is closer to the original vision of Russian scientist Alexey Pajitnov, the game's creator.


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Pajitnov had a vision to create an electronic game where players arranged puzzle pieces in real time by having them “fall” faster and faster from the top of the screen. Pajitnov designed the game using seven distinctive playing pieces made from four squares. He called it Tetris, after tetra, the Greek word for four, and tennis, his favorite sport. After giving the game to his colleagues, it became an instant, hugely addictive hit, and shortly thereafter spread like wildfire throughout the Soviet Bloc computer literate. His subsequent friendship with game designer, Henk Rogers, now Blue Planet Software Chairman and Managing Director, brought it out of the Soviet Union to become one of the most widely played electronic games of all time.


Since its release, it has inspired countless thousands of clones (and quite a few lawsuits to boot). But none come close to the original game that has won numerous game industry awards over the decades. To wit, here are the 14 essential rules of the game as defined by the organization that has monopolized the brand:


1. Seven Tetrimino playing pieces made up of four equally-sized square joined at their sides.
2. The visual delineation of individual blocks that comprise each Tetrimino piece and the display of their borders.
3. The bright, distinct colors used for each of the Tetrimino pieces.
4. A tall, rectangular playfield (or matrix), 10 blocks wide and 20 blocks tall.
5. The appearance of Tetriminos moving from the top of the playfield to its bottom.
6. The way the Tetrimino pieces appear to move and rotate in the playfield.
7. The small display near the playfield that shows the next playing piece to appear in the playfield.
8. The particular starting orientation of the Tetriminos, both at the top of the screen and as shown in the next piece display.
9. The display of a shadow piece beneath the Tetriminos as they fall.
10. The color change when the Tetriminos enter lock-down mode.
11. When a horizontal line fills across the playfield with blocks, the line disappears, and the remaining pieces appear to consolidate downward.
12. The appearance of individual blocks automatically filling in the playfield from the bottom to the top when the game is over.
13. The display of garbage lines with at least one missing block in random order.
14. The screen layout in multiplayer versions with the player's matrix appearing most prominently on the screen and the opponent's matrixes appearing smaller than the player's matrix and to the side of the player's matrix.


Debate over the purest form of the rules have persisted for years. From vociferous online communities such as HardDrop (comprised of "hardcore" fans), to the brand overseers (some would say "overlords") itself, the rules have been argued as to which version of the game is closest to the original vision of Alexey. Our stance at this website is simple: Go with the original, canonical version of the classic. And that is what we present here, as Alexey would have wanted it.


This ubiquitous title has been called "perfect" by many designers for its simplicity, approachability, and addictive nature without relying on graphical performance or the most sophisticated processors. In fact, it can be played on the most basic calculators, mobile phones, and monochrome devices, yet it is as comfortably at home on the latest high tech mobile devices, and computers, than it is on legacy platforms.


Its technology roots go back to the Soviet era where the game was developed on computers being utilized for cold war operations. Alexey was a computer scientist who had access to computers, something completely unavailable to nearly every soviet citizen. With very little reference to how the western world operated, and the mentality of the burgeoning game industry market, it's amazing that such a captivating game would come out of one of the most closed countries in a world that was defined by the 1980s. But Alexey drew from his experience as a board and card gaming enthusiast, and instinctively knew the characteristics of what makes a remarkable game. It was looking for a home outside the shackles of the Soviet Union, and westerners were looking for a new pasttime to feed their growing hunger for all things videogames. The perfect marriage was complete when Henk Rogers courted it out of the hands of the KGB, and the rest of history leads up to this day, and this moment. This is our ode to the classic entertainment title of yore, and we are proud to offer it for everyone to enjoy. Thank you Alexey, thank you Henk, and thank you 1980s geopolitical climate for being the backdrop for the creation of this classic title.


You can start playing by pressing the "Play" button right in the middle of the screen.


The goal is to collect as much points as possible by bringing the blocks into the right alignment. Every fully filed row gets removed and the player receives points. The more points you collect, the faster the action gets. And the faster the action is, the harder it gets - thats the thrill of this remarkable puzzler!


Our belief is that everyone should enjoy a no download experience any time! Alexey is proud to offer this version to everyone, and hopes his little creation brings you immense pleasure!


What gamers are saying


Entertaining players young and old for more than 30 years, it can be found on virtually any platform. And yet this iteration holds a special place in the hearts and minds of many, and remains a personal favorite of creator Alexey Pajitnov. Released with Game Boy in 1989, it challenged public perceptions of gaming by challenging everyone to arrange falling blocks into horizontal lines that disappear. One could say that this was our first casual videogame.
- J Sherman


It's a brilliant concept. Nintendo made one of the best moves in the history of the gaming industry by pairing the new portable with this spectacular puzzler, as it was a perfect fit for play on the go – tons of people got hooked on this title 20 years ago. Seriously, it was a phenomenon. You think Angry Birds is huge today? That was this this title back at the dawn of the '90s. A megaton hit.
- IGN


The most addictive thing ever created
- Aganar


The true inspiration of puzzlers around the world.
- Antseezee


It is rare for simple gameplay to achieve so much, but this one makes the exception.
- Garbol

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A true classic never dies out!
- Joe


Controls

  • Press Z : Rotates block counter-clockwise
  • Press X : Rotates block clockwise
  • Arrow-Key "Left" / "Right" : Position the falling block left or right
  • Arrow-Key "Down" : Increase the fall speed of the block