How to Play Tetris

Last Updated: July 15, 2024

Tetris is a very popular stacker game that originated in the 80's. If you didn't know how to play, now's a good time as any, read on.

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Tetris is available on many mediums, like PC, mobile devices, Nintendo Switch, or even the oldschool GBA. A quick search on your search engine or your local store should be able to find one for you.
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Tetris games provide a Marathon Mode that lets you pick your level, which will determine how fast the tetrominos fall. The game will increase the level every 10 lines that are cleared to give you a challenge.

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You can move them left and right, and you can rotate them in both directions. (up is clockwise, and You can also speed up their fall (known as "Soft Drop" used with the down button or s) or you can immediately set it down (known as "Hard Drop" used with the space bar).
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There are seven different types of tetriminos: the I, O, L, J, S, Z, and T tetriminos.
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When a line of blocks is created, the entire line disappears, points are rewarded and the stack is pushed down. The more lines completed at once, the more points gained. Completing the maximum number of lines at once, four, is known as a 'Tetris' and can only be pulled off with the I-tetrimino.
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This will become easier the more you play, don't rush yourself.

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What is the hold button for?

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In some newer Tetris games, you can use the hold button to store a tetromino in the hold slot. Once there is a tetromino in the hold slot, press the hold button again to switch it with the current tetromino.

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Is there a way to change a tile by turning it over or sideways to fit an opening?

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Sometimes, the up button can be pressed to rotate it. However, this depends on the version of the game.

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Where are the control keys on an iPhone?

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It changes from app to app, but the one made by EA has 2 control modes. However, the tap controls are inconsistent, and most other games use swipe. Swipe controls are: swipe down to push the block straight to the bottom, tap to rotate, swipe up to store or press the store box, drag down to pull down, and swipe left and right to move left and right.

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Warnings

You may easily become addicted and spend all your time playing Tetris, resulting in your to-do-list being neglected.

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Things You'll Need

A computer
A Tetris game
or a game on your phone

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