Tetris

File:Typical Tetris Game.svg

Tetris is a series of puzzle video games with a consistent general design across its numerous entries.{{sfn|Plank|2022|p=268}} Gameplay consists of a rectangular field in which tetromino pieces,{{efn|The standard spelling in mathematics is tetrominoes, while The Tetris Company's trademarked spelling is tetriminoes.{{sfn|Plank|2022|p=271}} This article uses the standard spelling for consistency.}} geometric shapes consisting of four connected squares, descend from the top-center. During the descent, the player can move the piece horizontally and rotate them until they touch the bottom of the field or another piece.{{cite book |url=https://archive.org/details/rulesofplaygamed0000sale/page/143/mode/2up |last1=Salen |first1=Katie |author-link1=Katie Salen |last2=Zimmerman |first2=Eric |author-link2=Eric Zimmerman |title=Rules of Play: Game Design Fundamentals |publisher=MIT Press |date=2003 |location=Cambridge |isbn=978-0-262-24045-1 |pages=143–144 |via=Internet Archive}} The player's goal is to stack the pieces in the field to create horizontal lines of blocks.{{cite web |url=https://www.polygon.com/guides/2019/2/22/18225349/tetris-strategy-tips-how-to-jonas-neubauer |last=Ramos |first=Jeff |title=Tetris Tips from a Seven-Time World Champion |website=Polygon |date=February 22, 2019 |access-date=February 6, 2025 |archive-date=January 14, 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250114154632/https://www.polygon.com/guides/2019/2/22/18225349/tetris-strategy-tips-how-to-jonas-neubauer |url-status=live }} When a line is completed, it disappears, and the blocks placed above fall one row. As lines are cleared, the speed of the descending pieces increase. The game ends if the accumulated pieces in the field block other pieces from entering the field, a process known as "topping out". Common mechanics among Tetris variants include soft drop (the ability to increase the descent of the piece), hard drop (instantly placing the piece as far down as it can go), and holding (reserving a piece for later use).

The objective of Tetris is to collect as many points as possible during a gameplay session by clearing lines. Tetris{{'s}} scoring system has remained mostly consistent since Tetris DS (2006) with some exceptions. Points gained during gameplay increase with the descent speed. The more lines cleared at once, the higher the score for a line clear; clearing four lines at once using an I-piece is referred to as a "Tetris". The player can also gain points by using hard drops or soft drops. There are advanced techniques that can gain more points than a Tetris, including T-spins (spinning a T-piece into a blocked gap), perfect clears (emptying the field following a line clear), and combos (clearing lines with multiple pieces in a row).{{cite web |url=https://www.polygon.com/guides/2019/3/6/18244590/tetris-t-spin-perfect-clear-combo-guide |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190306212036/https://www.polygon.com/guides/2019/3/6/18244590/tetris-t-spin-perfect-clear-combo-guide |last=Ramos |first=Jeff |title=Tetris Advanced Guide: T-spins, Perfect Clears, and Combos |website=Polygon |date=March 6, 2019 |archive-date=March 6, 2019 |access-date=November 12, 2024}}

{{multiple image

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| image1 = Tetris-VeryFirstVersion.png

| caption1 = The first version of Tetris, completed in 1985, run on an emulator of the Elektronika 60

| image2 = Tetris DOS 1986.png

| caption2 = A screenshot of the 1986 IBM PC version developed by Dmitry Pavlovsky and Vadim Gerasimov

| image3 = Tetris screenshot (Amiga, Infogrames).png

| caption3 = The version designed by Spectrum Holobyte contained Soviet-related images (Amiga version screenshot, 1988)

}}

File:Alexey Pajitnov GDC 2024 (cropped).jpg

Alexey Pajitnov was a speech recognition and artificial intelligence researcher for the Dorodnitsyn Computing Center of the Academy of Sciences.{{sfn|Ackerman|2016|pp=30–31}} Pajitnov developed several puzzle games on the institute's Elektronika 60,{{sfn|Sheff|Eddy|1999|p=298}} an archaic Russian clone of the PDP-11 computer.{{sfn|Kent|2001|p=377}} In June 1984, he became inspired to convert pentomino tiling puzzles to the computer{{Cite interview |url=https://archive.org/details/oh-x-1989-08-hires-scans/Oh%21X%201989%208/page/90/mode/1up |magazine=Oh!X |last=Pajitnov |first=Alexey |author-link=Alexey Pajitnov |title=The Softouch: Software Information |volume=8 |issue=8 |date=August 1989 |page=90 |language=Japanese |access-date=February 1, 2025 |via=Internet Archive}} after he bought a pentomino puzzle set from a store and played with it in his office.{{sfn|Ackerman|2016|p=32}}

Pajitnov wrote Tetris using Pascal for the RT-11 operating system on the Elektronika 60{{sfn|Pajitnov|Rogers|2023|loc=1:50}} and experimented with different versions.{{sfn|Sheff|Eddy|1999|p=299}} Because the Elektronika 60 had no graphical interface, Pajitnov modeled the field and pieces using spaces and brackets.{{sfn|Sheff|Eddy|1999|page=299}} He felt that the game would be needlessly complicated with the twelve different shape variations of pentominoes, so he scaled the concept down to tetrominoes, of which there are seven variants.{{cite news |last=Hoad |first=Phil |date=June 2, 2014 |title=Tetris: How We Made the Addictive Computer Game |newspaper=The Guardian |url=https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2014/jun/02/how-we-made-tetris |access-date=July 5, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170621140034/https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2014/jun/02/how-we-made-tetris |archive-date=June 21, 2017 |url-status=live}} Afterward, he programmed the basic mechanics, including the ability to flip tetrominoes as they fell in a vertical screen and the clearing of lines.{{sfn|Ackerman|2016|pp=33–34}} The name Tetris was a combination of "tetra" (meaning "four") and Pajitnov's favorite sport, tennis.{{sfn|Loguidice|2009|p=293}}{{sfn|Pajitnov|Rogers|2023|loc=1:20}} Pajitnov completed the first version of Tetris {{Circa}} 1985.{{efn|The Tetris Company celebrates Tetris{{'s}} anniversary based on its apparent creation date on June 6, 1984, though various sources, including copyright records, indicate that the original version was completed in 1985.{{cite web|url=https://www.timeextension.com/news/2024/06/anniversary-is-tetris-really-40-this-year|work=Time Extension|title=Anniversary: Is Tetris Really 40 This Year?|last1=McFerran|first1=Damien|last2=Yarwood|first2=Jack|date=June 24, 2024|accessdate=November 18, 2024|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20240717140506/https://www.timeextension.com/news/2024/06/anniversary-is-tetris-really-40-this-year|archivedate=July 17, 2024}}}} This version had no scoring system and no levels{{cite web |last=Johnson |first=Bobbie |website=The Guardian |date=June 1, 2009 |url=https://www.theguardian.com/technology/gamesblog/2009/jun/02/tetris-25anniversary-alexey-pajitnov |title=How Tetris Conquered the World, Block by Block |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150329135242/http://www.theguardian.com/technology/gamesblog/2009/jun/02/tetris-25anniversary-alexey-pajitnov |archive-date=March 29, 2015 |url-status=live |access-date=February 7, 2025}} but Pajitnov's peers were captivated.{{sfn|Temple|2004|loc=6:32–7:02}}{{sfn|Ackerman|2016|pp=35–36}}

Pajitnov sought to port Tetris to the IBM Personal Computer (IBM PC), which had a higher-quality display than the Elektronika 60. He recruited his colleague Dmitry Pavlovsky and the 16-year-old computer prodigy Vadim Gerasimov.{{sfn|Sheff|Eddy|1999|page=300}}{{sfn|Ackerman|2016|pp=54–56}} Using Turbo Pascal,{{sfn|Pajitnov|Rogers|2023|loc=1:50}} the three adapted Tetris to the IBM PC over two months, with Gerasimov incorporating color and Pavlovsky incorporating a scoreboard.{{sfn|Sheff|Eddy|1999|page=300}}{{sfn|Ackerman|2016|pp=63–65}} Floppy disk copies of this version were distributed freely throughout the Dorodnitsyn Computing Center, before spreading quickly among Moscow computer circles.{{sfn|Sheff|Eddy|1999|page=300–301}} Pajitnov kept note of second-hand accounts of Tetris{{'s}} spread during this time.{{sfn|Ackerman|2016|p=70}} Tetris reportedly won second place in a Zelenodolsk computer game competition in November 1985,{{sfn|Sheff|Eddy|1999|page=300}} and by 1986, nearly everyone with an IBM computer in Moscow and similar cities had played Tetris.{{sfn|Ackerman|2016|p=89}}

Under Soviet law, intellectual rights were not protected, and the state-run organization Elektronorgtechnica (Elorg) had a monopoly on the import and export of software.{{cite web |url=https://www.kommersant.ru/doc/11471 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140304100515/https://www.kommersant.ru/doc/11471 |title=Интеллектуальная собственность / Тетрис |trans-title=Intellectual Property / Tetris |website=Kommersant |language=Russian |date=September 12, 1995 |archive-date=March 4, 2014 |access-date=November 30, 2024}} Pajitnov lacked knowledge of the business world so he asked his supervisor, Victor Brjabrin, who had knowledge of the world outside the Soviet Union, to help him publish Tetris. Pajitnov offered to transfer the rights to the Academy and was delighted to receive a non-compulsory remuneration from Brjabrin through this deal.{{sfn|Ichibian|2009|page=87–88}} In 1986, Brjabrin sent a copy of Tetris to the Hungarian game publisher Novotrade,{{sfn|Ichibian|2009|page=88}} and copies began circulating via floppy disks throughout Hungary.{{sfn|Ichibian|2009|page=89}} Robert Stein, an international software salesman for the London-based firm Andromeda Software, saw the commercial potential during a visit to Hungary in June 1986.{{sfn|Sheff|Eddy|1999|page=302}}{{sfn|Temple|2004|loc=11 min}} After an indifferent response from the Academy,{{sfn|Temple|2004|loc=12 min}} Stein contacted Pajitnov and Brjabrin by fax to obtain the license rights.{{sfn|Temple|2004|loc=11 min}} The Soviet researchers expressed interest in forming an agreement with Stein via fax, but were unaware that this fax communication could be considered a legal contract in the Western world;{{sfn|Temple|2004|loc=12 min.}} Stein began to approach other companies to produce the game.{{sfn|Ichibian|2009|pages=89–90}}

Stein approached publishers at the 1987 Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, and signed two agreements: he sold the European rights to the publisher Mirrorsoft{{sfn|Ichibian|2009|page=90}}{{sfn|Kent|2001|p=479}} and the American rights to its sister company, Spectrum HoloByte.{{sfn|Kent|2001|p=294,479}} Spectrum HoloByte obtained the rights after a visit to Mirrorsoft by the Spectrum HoloByte president, Phil Adam, when he played Tetris for two hours.{{sfn|Ichibian|2009|page=90}}{{sfn|Temple|2004|loc=15 min}} At that time, Stein had not yet signed a contract with the Soviet Union.{{sfn|Kent|2001|p=479}} Nevertheless, he sold the rights to the two companies for £3,000 and royalties of 7.5–15% of sales.{{sfn|Sheff|Eddy|1999|page=304}} Before releasing Tetris in the United States, the Spectrum HoloByte CEO, Gilman Louie, asked for an overhaul of the graphics and music.{{sfn|Ichibian|2009|page=90}} The Soviet spirit was preserved, with fields illustrating Russian parks and buildings as well as melodies anchored in Russian folklore of the time. The company's goal was to make people want to buy a Russian product. The game came complete with a red package and Cyrillic text, an unusual approach on the other side of the Berlin Wall.{{sfn|Temple|2004|loc=16 min}}

Tetris was first commercially released in the West on the IBM PC, with other computer systems planned for release in the following weeks. The Mirrorsoft version was released in Europe on January 27, 1988,{{cite news |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1988-01-28-fi-39274-story.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241217174932/https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1988-01-28-fi-39274-story.html |title=Soviets Play Capitalist Game With New Computer Puzzle |work=The Los Angeles Times |agency=Reuters |date=January 28, 1988 |archive-date=December 17, 2024 |access-date=November 17, 2024 |url-status=live |url-access=subscription}} and the Spectrum HoloByte version on January 29, 1988.{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1988/01/29/business/new-software-game-it-comes-from-soviet.html |last=Lewis |first=Peter H. |title=New Software Game: It Comes From Soviet |work=The New York Times |date=January 29, 1988 |access-date=November 17, 2024 |url-access=subscription |archive-date=October 23, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211023171204/https://www.nytimes.com/1988/01/29/business/new-software-game-it-comes-from-soviet.html |url-status=live}} Mirrorsoft versions for systems such as the Amiga, Atari ST, and Commodore 64 rewrote the code of the original IBM version.{{sfn|Ackerman|2016|p=126}} Boosted by word of mouth and positive reviews,{{sfn|Ackerman|2016|p=124}}{{sfn|Sheff|Eddy|1999|page=307–308}} Mirrorsoft sold tens of thousands of copies in two months,{{sfn|Ichibian|2009|page=91}} and Spectrum HoloByte sold over 100,000 units in the space of a year.{{sfn|Temple|2004|loc=18 min}} According to Spectrum HoloByte, the average Tetris player was between 25 and 45 years old and was a manager or engineer. At the Software Publishers Association's Excellence in Software Awards ceremony in March 1988, Tetris won Best Entertainment Software, Best Original Game, Best Strategy Program, and Best Consumer Software.{{sfn|Ichibian|2009|page=91}}

The only document certifying a license fee was the fax from Pajitnov and Brjabrin, meaning that Stein had sold the license for a game he did not yet own. He contacted Pajitnov and asked for a contract for the rights. Stein began negotiations via fax, offering 75% of the revenue generated by Stein from the license.{{sfn|Sheff|Eddy|1999|page=304}} Elorg was unconvinced and requested 80%. Stein made several trips to Moscow and held long discussions with Elorg representatives.{{sfn|Sheff|Eddy|1999|page=305}} He came to an agreement with Elorg on February 24, 1988.{{sfn|Sheff|Eddy|1999|page=308}} On May 10,{{sfn|Temple|2004|loc=22 min}} he signed a contract for a ten-year worldwide Tetris license for all current and future computer systems.{{sfn|Ichibian|2009|page=92}} Pajitnov and Brjabrin were unaware that the game was already on sale and that Stein had claimed to own the rights prior to the agreement.{{sfn|Kent|2001|p=479}} Although Pajitnov did not receive a percentage of these sales,{{sfn|Ichibian|2009|page=92}} he said that "the fact that so many people enjoy my game is enough for me".{{sfn|Ichibian|2009|page=96}}

File:Henk Rogers face crop.png

Following the commercial release of Tetris, Spectrum HoloByte and Mirrorsoft started licensing it to other companies. In 1988, Spectrum HoloByte sold the Japanese rights to its computer games to Bullet-Proof Software's Henk Rogers, who was searching for games for the Japanese market.{{sfn|Temple|2004|loc=22 min}} Mirrorsoft sold arcade rights to the Atari Games subsidiary Tengen, which sold the Japanese arcade rights to Sega and the console rights to BPS. BPS published versions for Japanese computers, including the MSX2, PC-88 and X68000, along with a console port for the Nintendo Family Computer (Famicom).{{sfn|Loguidice|Barton|2009|page=480}} Tetris was commercially successful worldwide;{{sfn|Temple|2004|loc=22 min}} the Famicon version sold two million copies in Japan.{{sfn|Sheff|Eddy|1999|p=312}} Elorg was unaware of the deals Stein had negotiated and received no royalties.{{sfn|Temple|2004|loc=22 min}}

Nintendo was attracted to Tetris for its simplicity and its established success on the Famicom, and considered porting it to their first handheld console, the Game Boy.{{sfn|Ichibian|2009|page=92}}{{sfn|Loguidice|Barton|2009|page=480}} Rogers, who was close to the Nintendo president, Hiroshi Yamauchi, sought the handheld rights.{{sfn|Ichibian|2009|page=92}} After a failed negotiation with Atari,{{sfn|Ichibian|2009|page=93}} Rogers contacted Stein in November 1988. Stein agreed to sign a contract, but explained that he had to consult Elorg before returning to negotiations with Rogers.{{sfn|Temple|2004|loc=24 min}}{{sfn|Sheff|Eddy|1999|page=313}} After contacting Stein several times, Rogers began to suspect a breach of contract on Stein's part.{{sfn|Ichibian|2009|page=93}}{{sfn|Sheff|Eddy|1999|page=313}}

In February 1989, Rogers traveled to the Soviet Union and arrived at the Elorg offices uninvited to negotiate the rights. Discussions resulted the next day, when Stein and the Mirrorsoft manager Kevin Maxwell made an appointment with Elorg without consulting each other.{{sfn|Temple|2004|loc=29 min}} Rogers befriended Pajitnov over a game of Go, and Pajitnov in turn supported Rogers throughout the discussions.{{sfn|Ichibian|2009|page=93}} Rogers explained that he wanted to obtain the rights to Tetris for the Game Boy.{{sfn|Ichibian|2009|page=95}} After quickly obtaining an agreement with the Elorg president, Nikolai Belikov,{{sfn|Sheff|Eddy|1999|page=316}} Rogers showed Belikov a Famicom Tetris cartridge.{{sfn|Ichibian|2009|page=94}} Belikov believed that the rights to Tetris had only been signed for computer systems{{sfn|Temple|2004|loc=31 min}} so the Soviets accused Rogers of illegal publication. He explained that he had obtained the rights via Atari Games, which had itself signed an agreement with Stein.{{sfn|Ichibian|2009|page=94}}

Sympathetic to Rogers' plight, Belikov constructed a strategy to regain possession of the rights and obtain better commercial agreements. At that point, Elorg was faced with three different companies seeking to buy the rights.{{sfn|Temple|2004|loc=35 min}} Belikov proposed canceling Stein's rights and granting them instead to Nintendo for both home and handheld consoles.{{sfn|Ichibian|2009|page=94}} Rogers flew to the US to convince Nintendo's American branch to sign up for the rights. The contract with Elorg was signed by Minoru Arakawa of Nintendo for $500,000, plus 50 cents per cartridge sold.{{sfn|Ichibian|2009|page=95}}{{sfn|Temple|2004|loc=42 min}} Elorg then sent an updated contract to Stein which he signed without carefully reading it.{{sfn|Ichibian|2009|page=95}} One of the clauses defined a computer as a machine with a screen and keyboard, and thus Stein's rights to console versions were withdrawn.{{sfn|Temple|2004|loc=37 min}} Stein later realized that all the contract's other clauses, notably on payments, were a "smokescreen" to deceive him.{{sfn|Temple|2004|loc=37 min}}{{sfn|Sheff|Eddy|1999|page=319}}

In March 1989, Nintendo sent a cease and desist to Atari Games concerning their production of Tetris for the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES), the North American version of the Famicom.{{sfn|Temple|2004|loc=47 min}} In response, the Mirrorsoft owner, Robert Maxwell, pressured the Soviet Union leader, Mikhail Gorbachev, to cancel the contract between Elorg and Nintendo.{{sfn|Sheff|Eddy|1999|pp=332–334}} Despite the threats to Belikov, Elorg refused to concede, highlighting the financial advantages of their contract compared to those signed with Stein and Mirrorsoft.{{sfn|Ichibian|2009|page=95}}{{sfn|Temple|2004|loc=45 min}} On June 15, 1989, Nintendo and Atari Games began a legal battle in the courts of San Francisco. Atari Games sought to prove that the NES was a computer, which would make Atari Games's port authorized by their license. They argued that the NES's Japanese counterpart, the Famicom, could be converted into a computer with a Family BASIC peripheral.{{sfn|Ichibian|2009|page=96}} Judge Fern M. Smith rejected this argument and declared that Mirrorsoft and Spectrum HoloByte had never received explicit authorization for marketing on consoles. On June 21, 1989, he ruled in Nintendo's favor, granting them a preliminary injunction against Atari Games.{{sfn|Ichibian|2009|page=96}} The next day, Atari Games withdrew its NES version from sale, and thousands of cartridges remained unsold in its warehouses. Preference for this version over Nintendo's led to Atari Games cartridges selling for up to $300 on the secondary market.{{cite magazine |url=https://archive.org/details/nextgen-issue-26/page/n43/mode/2up |title=From Russia with Litigation |magazine=Next Generation |issue=26 |date=February 1997 |page=42 |via=Internet Archive}}

File:Tetris on Game Boy.jpg]]

The Game Boy version of Tetris was released in Japan on June 14, 1989{{cite web|script-title=ja:ゲームボーイ |trans-title=Game Boy |language=ja |url=https://www.nintendo.co.jp/n02/dmg/index.html |website=Nintendo |access-date=March 29, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150317065341/http://www.nintendo.co.jp/n02/dmg/index.html |archive-date=March 17, 2015 |url-status=live}} and as a pack-in game in the United States on July 31, 1989.{{cite web |url=https://www.ign.com/articles/2009/07/27/ign-presents-the-history-of-game-boy |last=Fahs |first=Travis |title=IGN Presents the History of Game Boy |website=IGN |date=July 27, 2009 |access-date=November 19, 2024 |archive-date=May 28, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100528083411/http://retro.ign.com/articles/100/1007864p3.html |url-status=live }}{{sfn|Ackerman|2016|p=226}} The NES version was released the same year. Both versions achieved commercial success.{{sfn|Kent|2001|p=379–380}} The Game Boy version was the primary game promoted for the Game Boy, becoming its killer app, generating $80 million in revenue,{{sfn|Sheff|Eddy|1999|p=343}} and popularizing both the Game Boy and Tetris.{{sfn|Ackerman|2016|p=226}}{{sfn|Linneman|2018|loc=10:58–11:06}} The Game Boy version is the most commercially successful and considered by many to be the best version of Tetris.{{cite news |url=https://www.cnn.com/style/article/tetris-video-game-history/index.html |last=Prisco |first=Jacopo |title=Tetris: The Soviet 'Mind Game' that Took Over the World |work=CNN |date=October 31, 2019 |access-date=February 6, 2025 |archive-date=November 1, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191101023959/https://www.cnn.com/style/article/tetris-video-game-history/index.html |url-status=live }} The NES version appeared on Ninendo's most popular games list for over a year.{{sfn|Sheff|Eddy|1999|p=339}} To date, the Game Boy version has sold 35 million copies, and the NES version has sold 8 million copies.{{sfn|Temple|2004|loc=51:23}}

Through the legal history of the license, Pajitnov gained a reputation in the West. He was regularly invited by journalists and publishers, through which he discovered that Tetris had sold millions of copies, from which he had not made any money. He took pride in the game, which he considered "an electronic ambassador of benevolence".{{sfn|Ichibian|2009|page=96}} In January 1990, Pajitnov was invited by Spectrum HoloByte to the Consumer Electronics Show, and he was immersed in American life for the first time.{{sfn|Ichibian|2009|page=97}} After a period of adaptation, he explored American culture in several cities, including Las Vegas, San Francisco, New York City and Boston. He engaged in interviews with several hosts, including the directors of Nintendo of America.{{sfn|Sheff|Eddy|1999|page=347}} He marveled at the freedom and the advantages of Western society, and, upon returning to the Soviet Union, he spoke often of his travels to his colleagues. He realized that there was no market in Russia for their programs.{{sfn|Ichibian|2009|page=97}}

In 1991, with Rogers' help, Pajitnov and his family emigrated to Seattle, United States, where he worked as a freelance game designer.{{sfn|Ackerman|2016|p=241}}{{cite magazine |url=https://archive.org/details/sim_entertainment-weekly_1991-05-03_64/page/12/mode/2up |last=Givens |first=Ron |title=Soviet Blocks Invade America |magazine=Entertainment Weekly |date=May 3, 1991 |issue=64 |via=Internet Archive |url-access=registration}} During this time, Pajitnov worked on several sequels to Tetris. Welltris (1990) involved adjusting geometrical pieces descending down one of four walls of a three-dimensional well, and Hatris (1990) and Faces...tris III (1991) replaced descending tetrominoes with hats and faces respectively. Though they generally received positive reviews and commercial success, with Faces...Tris III winning "Best Action/Arcade Program" in the 1991 Excellence in Software Awards,{{cite magazine |url=https://archive.org/details/Computer_Gaming_World_Issue_83/page/n65/ |title=Celebrating Software |magazine=Computer Gaming World |date=June 1991 |issue=83 |page=66 |via=Internet Archive}} none replicated Tetris{{'s}} success.{{cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/usa-today-tetris-inventor-gets-a-turn-at/164431581/ |last=Wlsosoczyn |first=Susan |title=Tetris inventor gets a turn at the profit game |work=USA Today |date=May 9, 1996 |via=Newspapers.com}}{{cite web |url=https://www.denofgeek.com/games/why-tetris-creator-never-made-tetris-2/ |last=Byrd |first=Matthew |title=Why Tetris{{'}} Creator Never Made Tetris 2 |website=Den of Geek |date=March 31, 2023 |access-date=February 4, 2025}} Other early variants of Tetris developed without Pajitnov's involvement included Spectrum Holobyte's Super Tetris (1991), Bullet-Proof Software's Tetris 2 + BomBliss (1991) and Tetris Battle Gaiden (1993), and Nintendo's Tetris 2 (1993).{{cite magazine |last=Crookes |first=David |title=The History of Tetris |magazine=Retro Gamer |date=September 2018 |issue=183 |pages=20–29}}

File:Tetris on an iPod.jpg iPod running Tetris (2006)]]

The Academy of Sciences' rights to Tetris expired at the end of 1995, reverting back to Pajitnov. Worried that Elorg, which had become a private company under Belikov following the 1991 collapse of the Soviet Union,{{sfn|Ackerman|2016|p=241}} would try to claim the rights, Pajitnov recruited Rogers to secure them. Rogers formed The Tetris Company as an equal partnership between Elorg and Rogers' new company, Blue Planet Software. Rogers acquired Elorg and renamed it Tetris Holding in 2005.{{cite interview |url=https://time.com/2837390/tetris-at-30-pajitnov-interview/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140606141137/https://time.com/2837390/tetris-at-30-pajitnov-interview/ |last=Rogers |first=Henk |author-link=Henk Rogers |interviewer=Matt Peckham |title=Tetris at 30: An Interview with the Historic Puzzle Game's Creator |magazine=Time |date=June 6, 2014 |archive-date=June 6, 2014 |access-date=February 7, 2025}}{{cite interview |url=https://www.gamedeveloper.com/business/the-man-who-won-tetris |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210830150307/https://www.gamedeveloper.com/business/the-man-who-won-tetris |last=Rogers |first=Henk |author-link=Henk Rogers |title=The Man Who Won Tetris |website=Game Developer |date=September 9, 2009 |archive-date=August 30, 2021 |access-date=February 7, 2025}} Since formation, The Tetris Company has maintained guidelines for authorized versions of Tetris, and Blue Planet Software has served as an agent for the Tetris brand. The Tetris Company has also enforced its copyright of Tetris against unauthorized clones,{{cite web |url=https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2008/10/tetris-co-strikes-again-another-iphone-app-clone-is-pulled/ |title=Tetris Co. Strikes Again: Another iPhone App Clone is Pulled |website=Ars Technica |last=Chartier |first=David |date=October 8, 2008 |access-date=April 9, 2020 |archive-date=August 8, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200808232640/https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2008/10/tetris-co-strikes-again-another-iphone-app-clone-is-pulled/ |url-status=live }}{{cite web |url=https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2010/06/google-blocks-tetris-clones-from-android-market/ |title=Google Blocks Tetris Clones from Android Market |website=Ars Technica |last=Ryan |first=Paul |date=June 2, 2010 |access-date=June 23, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121202210616/http://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2010/06/google-blocks-tetris-clones-from-android-market/ |archive-date=December 2, 2012 |url-status=live }} such as the 2012 case, Tetris Holding, LLC v. Xio Interactive, Inc., where a judge ruled that Mino violated Tetris{{'s}} copyright based on look and feel.{{Cite magazine |last=Brown |first=Mark |author-link=Game Maker's Toolkit |date=June 21, 2012 |title=Judge Declares iOS Tetris Clone 'Infringing' |magazine=Wired |url=https://www.wired.com/2012/06/wireduk-tetris-clone/ |access-date=January 19, 2021 |archive-date=October 19, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171019163633/https://www.wired.com/2012/06/wireduk-tetris-clone/ |url-status=live }}

Pajitnov and Rogers sought to keep Tetris fresh and innovated in new directions. Tetrisphere, developed by H2O Entertainment and released on August 11, 1997 was an example of this innovation.{{cite web |last=Lee |first=Helen |date=July 2, 1997 |title=Tetrisphere Gets Rolling |url=http://headline.gamespot.com/news/97_07/02_tetris/index.html |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/19990504104718/http://headline.gamespot.com/news/97_07/02_tetris/index.html |archivedate=May 4, 1999 |accessdate=February 8, 2025 |website=GameSpot}} Gameplay involved rotating a three-dimensional sphere to place pieces on its surface. It was the first puzzle video game on the Nintendo 64 and garnered a cult following.{{cite web |url=https://www.ign.com/articles/2010/09/22/the-3dss-n64-encores |last=Thomas |first=Lucas M. |title=The 3DS's N64 Encores |website=IGN |date=September 21, 2010 |access-date=February 10, 2025}}{{cite web |url=https://www.redbull.com/gb-en/tetris-game-spin-offs |last=Scullion |first=Chris |title=The Tetris Games No One Remembers |website=Red Bull Games |date=October 12, 2016 |access-date=February 10, 2025}} David Crookes of Retro Gamer called Tetrisphere "proof that the concept could be modernised and tweaked, while still being faithful to the original". Another game on the Nintendo 64, the Japan-exclusive Tetris 64 (1998), allowed for four players and was the only game to utilize the Nintendo 64's Bio Sensor, which detected a player's pulse.{{cite magazine |url=https://www.wired.com/2009/06/nintendo-vitality-sensor/ |last=Kohler |first=Chris |title=Nintendo 'Vitality Sensor' Already Appeared on N64 |magazine=Wired |date=June 8, 2009 |access-date=February 10, 2025 |archive-date=March 24, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240324012445/https://www.wired.com/2009/06/nintendo-vitality-sensor/ |url-status=live }} On other platforms around this time, Tetris Plus (1996), Tetris DX (1998), and The Next Tetris added new game modes, and Tetris: The Grand Master (1998) was an arcade game targeted toward experienced players.

According to Rogers, in order to appeal to beginner players, The Tetris Company started to standardize features that were not in the original game. These features included the hold feature in The New Tetris in 1999, the easy spin and the super rotation system in Tetris Worlds in 2001, and the scoring system introduced in Tetris DS in 2006. Critics panned Tetris Worlds for the easy spin mechanic, which allowed players to delay a piece's descent by continually rotating it. Despite the controversy and Pajitnov's reluctance, the mechanic was implemented into the Tetris guidelines.{{cite magazine |last=Grannel |first=Craig |date=2021 |title=Queasy Spin |url=https://archive.org/details/retro-gamer-100-playstation-games-to-play-before-you-die-3nd-edition/page/78/mode/2up |magazine=Retro Gamer |via=Internet Archive |page=78}} Alongside the easy spin, Tetris Worlds introduced the super rotation system which defines how pieces rotate,{{sfn|Linneman|2018|loc=37:42–38:07}} which most versions have used since.

Tetris was first ported to mobile devices in 2001 by G-Mode.{{cite news |url=https://www.theguardian.com/technology/gamesblog/2010/jan/21/games-casual-gaming |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250110013147/https://www.theguardian.com/technology/gamesblog/2010/jan/21/games-casual-gaming |last=Stuart |first=Keith |title=Tetris and Snake - The Biggest Games in the World |work=The Guardian |date=January 21, 2010 |archive-date=January 10, 2025 |access-date=February 7, 2025}} In 2002, Rogers formed Blue Lava Wireless to develop Tetris games for mobile platforms. JAMDAT acquired Blue Lava Wireless in April 2005, granting them a 15-year license of Tetris for mobile platforms.{{cite news |url=https://www.gamesindustry.biz/jamdat-acquires-blue-lava-wirelesshttps://web.archive.org/web/20240525145218/https://www.gamesindustry.biz/jamdat-acquires-blue-lava-wireless |archive-url=https://www.gamesindustry.biz/jamdat-acquires-blue-lava-wirelesshttps://web.archive.org/web/20240525145218/https://www.gamesindustry.biz/jamdat-acquires-blue-lava-wireless |last=Gibson |first=Ellie |title=Jamdat Acquires Blue Lava Wireless |website=GamesIndustry.biz |date=April 22, 2005 |archive-date=May 25, 2024 |access-date=February 7, 2025 |url-status=dead}} By December 2005 when Electronic Arts (EA) started its acquisition of JAMDAT, Tetris had been consistently selling well on American carrier phones.{{cite news |url=https://www.ign.com/articles/2005/12/08/ea-buys-jamdat |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161201043628/http://www.ign.com/articles/2005/12/08/ea-buys-jamdat |last=Buchanan |first=Levi |title=EA Buys JAMDAT |website=IGN |date=December 8, 2005 |archive-date=December 1, 2016 |access-date=February 7, 2025 |url-status=live}} EA completed its acquisition in February 2006, granting it the mobile license for Tetris.{{cite news |url=https://www.gamedeveloper.com/game-platforms/ea-officially-completes-jamdat-acquisition |last=Carless |first=Simon |title=EA Officially Completes Jamdat Acquisition |website=Game Developer |date=February 14, 2006 |access-date=September 25, 2024 |archive-date=September 26, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240926062612/https://www.gamedeveloper.com/game-platforms/ea-officially-completes-jamdat-acquisition |url-status=live }} EA Mobile released their first Tetris game as a launch title for the iTunes store on iPod 5G on September 11, 2006,{{cite news |url=https://www.ign.com/articles/2006/09/16/ipod-game-review-central |last=Buchanan |first=Levi |title=iPod Game Review Central |website=IGN |date=September 15, 2006 |access-date=September 23, 2024 |archive-date=September 23, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240923064816/https://www.ign.com/articles/2006/09/16/ipod-game-review-central |url-status=live }}{{cite magazine |url=https://www.macworld.com/article/185577/ea-2.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230610075859/https://www.macworld.com/article/185577/ea-2.html |last=Cohen |first=Peter |title=EA Has Four New iPod Games in the Pipeline |magazine=MacWorld |date=May 8, 2007 |archive-date=June 10, 2023 |access-date=February 7, 2025 |url-status=live}} and then their version of Tetris on the Apple App Store on iOS on July 10, 2008.{{cite magazine |url=https://www.macworld.com/article/191429/eagames-2.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230205233221/https://www.macworld.com/article/191429/eagames-2.html |last=Cohen |first=Peter |title=EA announces iPhone game lineup |website=MacWorld |date=July 10, 2008 |archive-date=February 5, 2023 |access-date=February 7, 2025 |url-status=live}} By January 2010, EA's mobile versions reached 100 million paid downloads, making Tetris the most popular mobile game of all time. EA's license expired on April 21, 2020, and the game became inoperable.{{cite web |url=https://www.engadget.com/2020-01-22-ea-tetris-mobile-game.html |title=EA is Shutting Down its Mobile Tetris Games |last=Fisher |first=Christine |website=Engadget |date=January 22, 2020 |access-date=April 29, 2020 |archive-date=January 23, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200123144654/https://www.engadget.com/2020-01-22-ea-tetris-mobile-game.html |url-status=live }}

File:Maya Rogers.jpg

In January 2014, after eight years of involvement, Henk Rogers' daughter Maya succeeded him as the CEO of Blue Planet Software.{{efn|An October 2020 press release announced that Blue Planet Software was renamed to Tetris.{{cite press release |url=https://tetris.com/article/241/call-us-tetris-blue-planet-software-the-sole-agent-for-the-tetris-brand-gets-new-name |title=Call Us Tetris! Blue Planet Software, the Sole Agent for the Tetris Brand Gets New Name |website=The Tetris Company |date=October 21, 2020 |access-date=February 4, 2025 |archive-date=August 26, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230826205845/https://tetris.com/article/241/call-us-tetris-blue-planet-software-the-sole-agent-for-the-tetris-brand-gets-new-name |url-status=live }} To date, Henk is officially the president of the Tetris Company, while Maya is the president and CEO of Tetris, Inc.{{cite web |url=https://tetris.com/bios |title=Corporate Bios |website=The Tetris Company |access-date=February 4, 2025 |archive-date=March 14, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210314123813/https://tetris.com/bios |url-status=live }}}} She began by planning activities for Tetris{{'s}} 30th anniversary. In an interview with VentureBeat in June 2014, Maya spoke of her desire to expand Tetris{{'s}} brand, such as through merchandising, and keeping the game fresh.{{cite interview |url=https://venturebeat.com/games/after-three-decades-tetris-becomes-a-multigenerational-game/view-all/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230928064546/https://venturebeat.com/games/after-three-decades-tetris-becomes-a-multigenerational-game/view-all/ |last=Rogers |first=Maya |author-link=Maya Rogers |title=After Three Decades, Tetris Becomes a Multigenerational Game |website=VentureBeat |date=June 20, 2014 |archive-date=September 28, 2023 |access-date=January 31, 2025 |url-status=live}} Her theme for the 30th anniversary was "We All Fit Together".{{cite news |url=https://www.gamespot.com/articles/tetris-turns-30-creator-says-he-still-plays-every-week/1100-6420154/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241217234941/https://www.gamespot.com/articles/tetris-turns-30-creator-says-he-still-plays-every-week/1100-6420154/ |last=Makuch |first=Eddie |title=Tetris Turns 30, Creator Says He Still Plays Every Week |website=GameSpot |date=June 6, 2014 |archive-date=December 17, 2024 |access-date=January 31, 2025 |url-status=live}} Sega released Puyo Puyo Tetris, a crossover between Tetris and Puyo Puyo, in Japan on February 6, 2014, for multiple platforms.{{cite web |url=https://puyo.sega.jp/topics/2014/0206_02/index.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140214180013/https://puyo.sega.jp/topics/2014/0206_02/index.html |title=『ぷよぷよテトリス』ダウンロードコンテンツ配信開始！ |trans-title=Puyo Puyo Tetris Downloadable Content Now Available! |website=Sega |date=February 6, 2014 |archive-date=February 14, 2014 |access-date=January 31, 2025 |language=Japanese}} Puyo Puyo Tetris sold over 60,000 copies within a week, with the Nintendo 3DS version being the second-highest-selling game of the week according to 4Gamer.net.{{cite web |url=https://www.4gamer.net/games/117/G011794/20140212058/ |title=「ドラゴンクエストモンスターズ2 イルとルカの不思議なふしぎな鍵」が初登場44万3000本の「ゲームソフト週間販売ランキング＋」 |trans-title=Dragon Quest Monsters 2: Iru and Luka's Mysterious Key Debuts in the "Game Software Weekly Sales Ranking+" with 443,000 Copies Sold |website=4Gamer.net |date=February 12, 2014 |access-date=January 31, 2025 |archive-date=December 6, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241206040547/https://www.4gamer.net/games/117/G011794/20140212058/ |url-status=live }} Ubisoft's Tetris Ultimate was released on the Nintendo 3DS in November 2014 and the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One in December 2014.{{cite news |url=https://www.shacknews.com/article/87463/tetris-ultimate-stacks-onto-playstation-4-and-xbox-one-next-week |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141225044044/http://www.shacknews.com/article/87463/tetris-ultimate-stacks-onto-playstation-4-and-xbox-one-next-week |last=Perez |first=Daniel |title=Tetris Ultimate Stacks onto PlayStation 4 and Xbox One Next Week |website=Shacknews |date=December 12, 2014 |archive-date=December 25, 2014 |access-date=January 31, 2025 |url-status=live}} A PC port was released on December 2015, although initial user reviews reported frequent crashes.{{cite news |url=https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/tetris-ultimate-pc |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240529080716/https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/tetris-ultimate-pc |last=O'Conner |first=Alice |title=Tetrominos To The Max! Tetris Ultimate Spins Onto PC |website=Rock Paper Shotgun |date=December 11, 2015 |archive-date=May 29, 2024 |access-date=January 31, 2025 |url-status=live}} Tetris Ultimate received mixed reviews but the online multiplayer was generally seen favorably.{{Cite Metacritic|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241216030828/https://www.metacritic.com/game/tetris-ultimate/|id=tetris-ultimate|type=game|vgtype=3ds|title=Tetris Ultimate|archive-date=December 16, 2024|access-date=January 31, 2025|publisher_hide=y}}

In the late 2010s, Tetris had a resurgence in popularity with the release of Tetris Effect and Tetris 99.{{cite news |url=https://www.gamesindustry.biz/the-rise-of-tetris |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241006130012/https://www.gamesindustry.biz/the-rise-of-tetris |last=Dring |first=Christopher |title=How Everything has Fallen into Place for Tetris |website=GamesIndustry.biz |date=May 29, 2019 |archive-date=October 6, 2024 |access-date=February 3, 2025|url-status=live}}{{cite magazine |url=https://www.pcmag.com/opinions/the-tetris-renaissance-this-console-generations-most-unexpected-blessing |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250121121400/https://www.pcmag.com/opinions/the-tetris-renaissance-this-console-generations-most-unexpected-blessing |last=Wilson |first=Jeffrey L. |title=The Tetris Renaissance: This Console Generation's Most Unexpected Blessing |magazine=PCMag |date=February 25, 2019 |archive-date=January 21, 2025 |access-date=February 3, 2025|url-status=live}}{{cite web |url=https://www.shacknews.com/article/110392/ctwc-pros-offer-tips-for-getting-better-at-tetris-99 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220818112735/https://www.shacknews.com/article/110392/ctwc-pros-offer-tips-for-getting-better-at-tetris-99 |last=Singletary |first=Charles |title=CTWC Pros Offer Tips for Getting Better at Tetris 99 |website=Shacknews |date=March 8, 2019 |archive-date=August 18, 2022 |access-date=February 3, 2025 |url-status=live}} PCMag credited the resurgence to the 2017 release of Puyo Puyo Tetris in the Western world where it received positive reviews and sold 1.4 copies worldwide by November 2020.{{Cite Metacritic |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241208032731/https://www.metacritic.com/game/puyo-puyo-tetris/ |id=puyo-puyo-tetris |type=game |vgtype=nintendo-switch |title=Puyo Puyo Tetris |archive-date=December 8, 2024 |access-date=January 31, 2025 |publisher_hide=y |url-status=live}} Tetris Effect was developed by Monstars and Resonair and published by Enhance Games.{{cite news |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/arts-entertainment/2018/11/28/tetris-becomes-even-more-addictive-tetris-effect/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181128203707/https://www.washingtonpost.com/arts-entertainment/2018/11/28/tetris-becomes-even-more-addictive-tetris-effect/ |last=Byrd |first=Christopher |title=Tetris Becomes Even More Addictive in Tetris Effect |newspaper=Washington Post |date=November 28, 2018 |archive-date=November 28, 2018 |access-date=February 2, 2025 |url-status=live}} Development began around 2012 following a discussion between Henk and Enhance CEO Tetsuya Mizuguchi about creating a Tetris game set to music using virtual reality to reflect the feeling of being "in the zone" while playing Tetris.{{cite web |url=https://www.polygon.com/e3/2018/6/15/17465364/tetris-effect-preview-enhance-games-e3 |last=Stark |first=Chelsea |title=Tetris Effect Has Been in Development for 6 Years |website=Polygon |date=June 15, 2018 |access-date=February 2, 2025 |archive-date=June 15, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180615214308/https://www.polygon.com/e3/2018/6/15/17465364/tetris-effect-preview-enhance-games-e3 |url-status=live }}{{cite magazine |url=https://variety.com/2019/gaming/features/tetris-effects-development-was-anything-but-zen-like-1203169014/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240724215337/https://variety.com/2019/gaming/features/tetris-effects-development-was-anything-but-zen-like-1203169014/ |last=Valdes |first=Giancarlo |title=Tetris Effect{{'s}} Development Was Anything but Zen-Like |magazine=Variety |date=March 21, 2019 |archive-date=July 24, 2024 |access-date=February 2, 2025 |url-status=live}} Tetris Effect was released on the PlayStation 4 on November 9, 2018,{{cite web |url=https://www.engadget.com/2018-09-17-tetris-effect-release-date.html |last=Holt |first=Kris |title=Tetris Effect Drops a Color Bomb on Your PS4 November 9th |website=Engadget |date=September 17, 2018 |access-date=February 2, 2025 |archive-date=November 9, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201109013555/https://www.engadget.com/2018-09-17-tetris-effect-release-date.html |url-status=live }} and on Windows on July 23, 2019,{{cite web |url=https://www.polygon.com/ps4/2019/7/23/20707102/tetris-effect-ps4-discount-price-sale |last=Hall |first=Charlie |title=Tetris Effect for PS4 Discounted, Out Now on PC |website=Polygon |date=July 23, 2019 |access-date=February 2, 2025 |archive-date=July 23, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190723160441/https://www.polygon.com/ps4/2019/7/23/20707102/tetris-effect-ps4-discount-price-sale |url-status=live }} receiving widespread critical acclaim for its visuals and emotional impact.{{cite web |url=https://www.gamespot.com/articles/tetris-effect-connected-coming-to-nintendo-switch-on-october-8/1100-6495048/ |last=Knezevic |first=Kevin |title=Tetris Effect: Connected Coming To Nintendo Switch On October 8 |website=GameSpot |date=August 11, 2021 |access-date=November 20, 2024 |archive-date=September 27, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230927010039/https://www.gamespot.com/articles/tetris-effect-connected-coming-to-nintendo-switch-on-october-8/1100-6495048/ |url-status=live }}{{cite web |url=https://hardcoregamer.com/news/tetris-effect-connected-comes-to-ps5-with-psvr2-compatibility/436098/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250126014128/https://hardcoregamer.com/news/tetris-effect-connected-comes-to-ps5-with-psvr2-compatibility/436098/ |last=Soto |first=Fran |title=Tetris Effect: Connected Comes to PS5 with PSVR2 Compatibility |website=Hardcore Gamer |date=January 20, 2023 |archive-date=January 26, 2025 |access-date=November 20, 2024 |url-status=live}} Tetris 99 is a battle royale variant of Tetris made available to subscribers of Nintendo Switch Online on February 13, 2019, upon its surprise announcement during Nintendo Direct.{{cite news |url=https://www.theverge.com/2019/2/13/18224020/tetris-99-battle-royale-nintendo-switch-fortnite |last=Alexander |first=Julia |title=Tetris is Now a Battle Royale Game with Tetris 99 |website=The Verge |date=February 13, 2019 |access-date=February 3, 2025 |archive-date=February 14, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190214123830/https://www.theverge.com/2019/2/13/18224020/tetris-99-battle-royale-nintendo-switch-fortnite |url-status=live }} It received positive reviews and became Nintendo Switch Online's killer app;{{cite news |url=https://www.nintendolife.com/news/2019/06/tetris_99_will_soon_have_a_tetris_battle_royale_rival |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240603100705/https://www.nintendolife.com/news/2019/06/tetris_99_will_soon_have_a_tetris_battle_royale_rival |last=Craddock |first=Ryan |title=Tetris 99 Will Soon Have A Tetris Battle Royale Rival |website=Nintendo Life |date=June 28, 2019 |archive-date=June 3, 2024 |access-date=February 3, 2025 |url-status=live}} according to President of Nintendo Shuntaro Furukawa, 2.8 million Nintendo Switch Online users played Tetris 99 within a few months of release.{{cite web |url=https://www.nintendolife.com/news/2019/04/9_8_million_switch_owners_have_signed_up_to_the_online_service_and_2_8_million_have_played_tetris_99 |last=Doolan |first=Liam |title=9.8 Million Switch Owners Have Signed Up To The Online Service And 2.8 Million Have Played Tetris 99 |website=Nintendo Life |date=April 25, 2019 |access-date=December 7, 2024 |archive-date=December 17, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241217213015/https://www.nintendolife.com/news/2019/04/9_8_million_switch_owners_have_signed_up_to_the_online_service_and_2_8_million_have_played_tetris_99 |url-status=live }}

{{main|List of Tetris variants|l1=List of Tetris variants}}

Tetris has been released on a multitude of platforms since the creation of the original version on the Elektronika 60. It is available on most game consoles and is playable on personal computers, smartphones and iPods. Guinness World Records recognized Tetris as the most ported video game in history, with over 200 variants having appeared on over 65 different platforms as of October 2010.{{cite web |date=October 1, 2010 |title=Most Ported Computer Game |url=http://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/records-3000/most-ported-computer-game/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131202223258/http://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/records-3000/most-ported-computer-game/ |archive-date=December 2, 2013 |access-date=June 7, 2013 |website=Guinness World Records}} By 2017, this number had increased to 220 official variants.{{cite web|title=Most Variants of a Videogame|url=https://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/world-records/86503-most-official-and-unofficial-variants-in-a-videogame|website=Guinness World Records|access-date=January 15, 2024|archive-date=January 15, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240115121829/https://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/world-records/86503-most-official-and-unofficial-variants-in-a-videogame|url-status=live}}

Across its multiple versions, Tetris{{'s}} core gameplay has remained consistent.{{sfn|Plank|2022|p=268}} Since 1996, the Tetris Company maintains standard specifications for authorized versions of Tetris known as the Tetris Guidelines. The guidelines are updated annually,{{cite web |url=http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/interview/11267/tetris-from-the-top-an-interview-with-henk-rogers |last=Rogers |first=Henk |author-link=Henk Rogers |title=Tetris from the Top: An Interview with Henk Rogers |interviewer=Jonathan Mett |website=Nintendo World Report |date=April 6, 2006 |access-date=April 28, 2007 |archive-date=March 11, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140311043518/http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/interview/11267/tetris-from-the-top-an-interview-with-henk-rogers |url-status=live }} and Pajitnov considers the guidelines a baseline for different versions and not "set in stone".{{cite web |url=https://www.polygon.com/a/e3-2014/tetris-ultimate |last=Leone |first=Matt |title=Tetris Ultimate: Making Tetris into a Virtual Sport |website=Polygon |date=2014 |access-date=December 29, 2024 |archive-date=December 29, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241229231003/https://www.polygon.com/a/e3-2014/tetris-ultimate |url-status=live }} Several game mechanics of Tetris have been changed over time. For example, the distribution of tetrominoes was completely randomized in early versions, while modern versions opt for a "bag system", in which each tetromino is guaranteed to appear in a set of seven.{{sfn|Plank|2022|pp=271–272}}{{sfn|Pajitnov|Rogers|2023|loc=6:19–6:48}} Other mechanics that have become standardized in modern versions include the ability to hold tetrominoes to swap with later pieces, introduced in The New Tetris (1999),{{sfn|Linneman|2018|loc=31:24–31:34}} and the super rotation system and infinite spin, introduced in Tetris Worlds (2001).{{sfn|Linneman|2018|loc=37:42–38:07}}

The earliest versions of Tetris had no music.{{sfn|Pajitnov|Rogers|2023|loc=3:10}} Spectrum Holobyte's version of Tetris in the United States exoticized the Soviet origins through elements such as Russian music, including Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky's "Trepak" from The Nutcracker and Reinhold Glière's "Russian Sailor Dance" from The Red Poppy. This approached differed from other versions of Tetris from other countries at the time: Mirrorsoft's Commodore 64 version in Europe used an atmospheric soundtrack, and Sega's arcade version in Japan used a synthesized pop-influenced soundtrack.{{cite journal |url=https://intellectdiscover.com/content/journals/10.1386/st.8.1-2.7_1 |last=Plank-Blasko |first=Dana |title='From Russia with Fun!': Tetris, Korobeiniki and the Ludic Soviet |journal=The Soundtrack |volume=8 |issue=1–2 |date=October 2015 |pages=7–24 |doi=10.1386/st.8.1-2.7_1 |access-date=November 15, 2024 |archive-date=July 10, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240710081002/https://intellectdiscover.com/content/journals/10.1386/st.8.1-2.7_1 |url-status=live }} Nintendo's versions for NES and Game Boy continued the pattern of using Russian music. The NES version uses Tchaikovsky's "Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy" from The Nutcracker as Music A, with the Russian-influenced Music B and the mellow Music C having unclear origins.{{cite journal |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/10.5406/musimoviimag.2.1.0040 |last=Gibbons |first=William |title=Blip, Bloop, Bach? Some Uses of Classical Music on the Nintendo Entertainment System |journal=Music and the Moving Image |date=Spring 2009 |volume=2 |issue=1 |pages=40–52 |doi=10.5406/musimoviimag.2.1.0040 |jstor=10.5406/musimoviimag.2.1.0040 |access-date=November 15, 2024 |archive-date=January 7, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240107053446/https://www.jstor.org/stable/10.5406/musimoviimag.2.1.0040 |url-status=live }} The Game Boy version has the 1860s Russian folk tune "Korobeiniki" for Music A, an original composition by Hirokazu Tanaka for Music B, and the Menuet of Johann Sebastian Bach's French Suite no. 3 for Music C.{{sfn|Plank|2022|p=269}} "Korobeiniki" has become primarily associated with Tetris as its main theme and would be used in most significant versions,{{sfn|Ackerman|2016|p=97}} as mandated by the Tetris Company guidelines.

In January 2010, EA Mobile and Blue Planet Software announced that mobile versions of Tetris since 2005 had reached 100 million paid downloads, making it most-downloaded mobile game at the time.{{cite news |url=https://www.pocketgamer.biz/tetris-is-the-most-popular-mobile-game-ever-100-million-paid-downloads-since-2005/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250121002046/https://www.pocketgamer.biz/tetris-is-the-most-popular-mobile-game-ever-100-million-paid-downloads-since-2005/ |last=Spencer |first=Spanner |title=Tetris is the Most Popular Mobile Game Ever: 100 million Paid Downloads since 2005 |work=PocketGamer.biz |date=January 21, 2010 |archive-date=January 21, 2025 |access-date=December 14, 2024 |url-status=live}}{{cite magazine |url=https://www.wired.com/2010/01/tetris-100-million-sold/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250121003903/https://www.wired.com/2010/01/tetris-100-million-sold/ |last=Meyer |first=John |title=With 100M Downloads, Tetris is World's Hottest Mobile Game |magazine=Wired |date=January 22, 2010 |archive-date=January 21, 2025 |access-date=December 14, 2024 |url-status=live}} In April 2014, Rogers announced in an interview with VentureBeat that Tetris totaled 425 million paid mobile downloads and 70 million physical copies.{{cite interview |url=https://venturebeat.com/games/mr-tetris-explains-why-the-puzzle-game-is-still-popular-after-three-decades-interview/ |last=Rogers |first=Henk |author-link=Henk Rogers |title='Mr. Tetris' Explains Why the Puzzle Game is Still Popular after Three Decades |interviewer=Dean Takahashi |website=VentureBeat |date=April 7, 2014 |access-date=August 25, 2024 |archive-date=October 26, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231026020856/https://venturebeat.com/games/mr-tetris-explains-why-the-puzzle-game-is-still-popular-after-three-decades-interview/ |url-status=live }} To date, the Tetris franchise is the second-best-selling video game franchise of all time, totaling 520 million sales according to the Tetris Company.{{cite news |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-67105983 |last=Gerken |first=Tom |title=Minecraft Becomes First Video Game to Hit 300m Sales |work=BBC |date=October 16, 2023 |access-date=August 25, 2024 |archive-date=August 23, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240823203213/https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-67105983 |url-status=live }}{{cite magazine |url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/britneynguyen/2023/10/16/minecraft-just-surpassed-300-million-sales-heres-the-only-video-game-still-beating-it/ |last=Nguyen |first=Britney |title=Minecraft Just Surpassed 300 Million Sales—Here's the Only Video Game Still Beating it |magazine=Forbes |date=October 16, 2023 |access-date=August 25, 2024 |archive-date=August 26, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240826003655/https://www.forbes.com/sites/britneynguyen/2023/10/16/minecraft-just-surpassed-300-million-sales-heres-the-only-video-game-still-beating-it/ |url-status=live }} The majority originate from paid mobile downloads, based on Rogers' figure from the 2014 interview.{{cite news |url=https://www.polygon.com/2014/4/8/5594314/tetris-has-passed-425-million-downloads-on-mobile-not-including-free |last=Corriea |first=Alexa Ray |title=Tetris has Passed 425 Million Downloads on Mobile, Not Including Free-to-Play |website=Polygon |date=April 8, 2014 |access-date=August 25, 2024 |archive-date=March 8, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210308145726/https://www.polygon.com/2014/4/8/5594314/tetris-has-passed-425-million-downloads-on-mobile-not-including-free |url-status=live }}{{cite news |url=https://gizmodo.com/minecraft-highest-selling-game-all-time-behind-tetris-1850929214 |last=Barr |first=Kyle |title=Minecraft is the Highest-Selling Game of All Time, Behind Tetris |website=Gizmondo |date=October 16, 2023 |access-date=August 25, 2024 |archive-date=October 7, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241007222403/https://gizmodo.com/minecraft-highest-selling-game-all-time-behind-tetris-1850929214 |url-status=live }} As a result, some publications consider Tetris the best-selling video game of all time, despite variations among the different versions. The most successful version is the Game Boy version,{{sfn|Linneman|2018|loc=11:10–11:13}} which at 35 million copies is one of the best-selling video games of all time.{{cite web |url=https://www.timeextension.com/news/2024/06/anniversary-the-most-famous-version-of-tetris-is-35-today |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241218204612/https://www.timeextension.com/news/2024/06/anniversary-the-most-famous-version-of-tetris-is-35-today |last=McFerran |first=Damien |title=The Most Famous Version of Tetris Is 35 Today |website=TimeExtension |date=June 14, 2024 |archive-date=December 18, 2024 |access-date=December 5, 2024}}

Tetris quickly began winning awards once it was released in the West. The Spectrum HoloByte version won three Software Publishers Association Excellence in Software Awards in 1989, including Best Entertainment Program and the Critic's Choice Award for consumers.{{cite news | url=https://archive.org/stream/1989-08-compute-magazine/Compute_Issue_111_1989_Aug#page/n7/mode/2up | title=the Envelope, Please | work=Compute! | date=August 1989 | access-date=November 11, 2013 | author=Scisco, Peter | page=6 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140316211940/https://archive.org/stream/1989-08-compute-magazine/Compute_Issue_111_1989_Aug#page/n7/mode/2up | archive-date=March 16, 2014 | url-status=live }} Macworld inducted Tetris into the 1988 Macworld Game Hall of Fame in the Best Strategy Game category. Macworld praised "the addictive quality" and said its "simplicity is bewitching."{{cite magazine| last = Levy| first = Steven | date = December 1988 | title = The Game Hall of Fame | url = https://archive.org/details/MacWorld_8812_December_1988/page/n127/mode/2up | magazine = Macworld| location = San Francisco, CA | volume = 5 | number = 12 | page = 124 |via=Internet Archive}} and Computer Gaming World gave Tetris the 1989 Compute! Choice Award for Arcade Game, describing it as "by far, the most addictive game ever".{{cite news | url=https://archive.org/stream/1989-01-compute-magazine/Compute_Issue_104_1989_Jan#page/n25/mode/2up | title=The 189 Compute! Choice Awards | work=Compute! | date=January 1989 | access-date=November 10, 2013 | page=24 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140316200847/https://archive.org/stream/1989-01-compute-magazine/Compute_Issue_104_1989_Jan#page/n25/mode/2up | archive-date=March 16, 2014 | url-status=live }} Entertainment Weekly named it the eighth-greatest game available in 1991, saying: "Thanks to Nintendo's endless promotion, Tetris has become one of the most popular video games."{{Cite magazine | url=https://ew.com/article/1991/11/22/video-games-guide/ | title=Video Games Guide | magazine=Entertainment Weekly | access-date=September 9, 2018 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170219184932/http://ew.com/article/1991/11/22/video-games-guide/ | archive-date=February 19, 2017 | url-status=live }}

Tetris has been widely ranked as among the greatest video games of all time by Flux (1995),{{Cite magazine |date=April 1995 |title=Top 100 Video Games |url=https://archive.org/details/flux-issue-4/page/n27/mode/2up |magazine=Flux |issue=4 |pages=28 |via=Internet Archive}} Next Generation (1996 and 1999),{{cite magazine|title=Top 100 Games of All Time |magazine=Next Generation|issue=21 |publisher=Imagine Media |date=September 1996|page=71}}{{cite magazine|title=Top 50 Games of All Time |magazine=Next Generation|issue=50 |publisher=Imagine Media |date=February 1999|page=81}} Electronic Gaming Monthly (1997),{{cite magazine |title=100 Best Games of All Time |magazine=Electronic Gaming Monthly|issue=100 |publisher=Ziff Davis |date=November 1997|page=160}} Note: Contrary to the title, the intro to the article (on page 100) explicitly states that the list covers console video games only, meaning PC games and arcade games were not eligible. GameSpot (2000),{{cite web |url=http://www.gamespot.co.uk/pc.gamespot/features/gotm_uk/39.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20000612005703/http://www.gamespot.co.uk/pc.gamespot/features/gotm_uk/39.html |title=The 100 Games of the Millennium - 39. Tetris |website=GameSpot |date=January 2, 2000 |archive-date=June 12, 2000 |access-date=November 12, 2024}} Game Informer (2001 and 2009),{{cite magazine |title=Game Informer's Top 100 Games of All Time (Circa Issue 100) |url=https://www.gameinformer.com/b/features/archive/2009/11/16/game-informer-s-top-100-games-of-all-time-circa-issue-100.aspx |magazine=Game Informer |last=Cork |first=Jeff |date=November 16, 2009 |access-date=December 10, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100408113757/http://gameinformer.com/b/features/archive/2009/11/16/game-informer-s-top-100-games-of-all-time-circa-issue-100.aspx |archive-date=April 8, 2010 |url-status=live }}{{cite magazine|author=The Game Informer staff|title=The Top 200 Games of All Time|pages=44–79|issue= 200|date=December 2009|magazine=Game Informer|issn=1067-6392|oclc=27315596}} IGN (2007 and 2021),{{cite web|url=http://top100.ign.com/2007/ign_top_game_2.html |title=IGN Top 100 Games of All Time – 2007 |publisher=Top100.ign.com |access-date=November 22, 2012|url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131107133844/http://top100.ign.com/2007/ign_top_game_2.html|archive-date=November 7, 2013}}{{cite web |url=https://www.ign.com/articles/the-best-100-video-games-of-all-time |last=Sullivan |first=Meghan |title=The Top 100 Video Games of All Time - 28. Tetris |website=IGN |date=December 31, 2021 |access-date=November 12, 2024 |archive-date=December 31, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211231162533/https://www.ign.com/articles/the-best-100-video-games-of-all-time |url-status=live }} Time (2012 and 2016),{{cite magazine |url=http://techland.time.com/2012/11/15/all-time-100-video-games/slide/tetris-1984/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160313221840/http://techland.time.com/2012/11/15/all-time-100-video-games/slide/tetris-1984/ |title=All-TIME 100 Video Games - Tetris |magazine=Time |date=November 15, 2012 |archive-date=March 13, 2016 |access-date=November 12, 2024}}{{cite magazine |url=https://time.com/4458554/best-video-games-all-time/ |title=The 50 Best Video Games of All Time |magazine=Time |date=August 23, 2016 |access-date=November 12, 2024 |archive-date=September 24, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180924045255/http://time.com/4458554/best-video-games-all-time/ |url-status=live }} GamesRadar+ (2015 and 2021),{{cite web |url=http://www.gamesradar.com/best-games-ever/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150319223433/http://www.gamesradar.com/best-games-ever/ |title=The 100 best games ever |website=GamesRadar+ |date=February 25, 2015 |archive-date=March 19, 2015 |access-date=November 12, 2024}}{{cite web |url=https://www.gamesradar.com/best-games-of-all-time/ |title=The 50 best games of all time |website=GamesRadar+ |date=November 23, 2021 |access-date=November 12, 2024 |archive-date=November 24, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211124001852/https://www.gamesradar.com/best-games-of-all-time/ |url-status=live }} Polygon (2017),{{cite web |url=https://www.polygon.com/features/2017/12/1/16707720/the-500-best-games-of-all-time-100-1 |title=The 500 best games of all time: 100-1 |website=Polygon |date=December 1, 2017 |access-date=November 12, 2024 |archive-date=December 1, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171201191206/https://www.polygon.com/features/2017/12/1/16707720/the-500-best-games-of-all-time-100-1 |url-status=live }} USA Today (2022 and 2024),{{cite news |url=https://ftw.usatoday.com/lists/best-video-games |title=The 100 best video games of all time, ranked |work=USA Today |date=September 10, 2022 |access-date=November 12, 2024 |archive-date=September 10, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220910130936/https://ftw.usatoday.com/lists/best-video-games |url-status=live }}{{cite news |url=https://ftw.usatoday.com/lists/best-video-games-all-time-list-zelda-mario |title=A definitive ranking of the top 30 video games of all time |work=USA Today |date=January 26, 2024 |access-date=November 12, 2024 |archive-date=January 28, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240128103906/https://ftw.usatoday.com/lists/best-video-games-all-time-list-zelda-mario |url-status=live }} The Times (2023),{{cite news |url=https://www.thetimes.com/article/20-best-video-games-of-all-time-ranked-by-an-expert-jury-l5zgrxmw8 |last=Pebble |first=Lucy |title=20 best video games of all time — 4. Tetris |work=The Times |date=February 26, 2023 |access-date=November 12, 2024 |archive-date=October 9, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241009184503/https://www.thetimes.com/article/20-best-video-games-of-all-time-ranked-by-an-expert-jury-l5zgrxmw8 |url-status=live }} and GQ (2023).{{Cite web |date=2023-05-10 |title=The 100 greatest video games of all time, ranked by experts |url=https://www.gq-magazine.co.uk/article/best-video-games-all-time |access-date=2023-05-10 |website=British GQ |language=en-GB |archive-date=May 10, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230510142624/https://www.gq-magazine.co.uk/article/best-video-games-all-time |url-status=live }} Tetris has also been ranked as among the best computer games by PC Format (1991){{cite journal | author=Staff | journal=PC Format | title=The 50 best games EVER! |date=October 1991 | issue=1 | pages=109–111 }} and Computer Gaming World (1996),{{cite magazine | url=http://www.cgwmuseum.org/galleries/index.php?year=1996&pub=2&id=148 | title=The 15 Most Innovative Computer Games | magazine=Computer Gaming World | date=November 1996 | access-date=March 25, 2016 | pages=102 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160408023915/http://cgwmuseum.org/galleries/index.php?year=1996&pub=2&id=148 | archive-date=April 8, 2016 | url-status=live }} among the best video game franchises by IGN (2006){{cite web |url=https://www.ign.com/articles/2006/12/05/the-top-25-videogame-franchises |title=The Top 25 Videogame Franchises |website=IGN |date=December 4, 2006 |access-date=January 2, 2024 |archive-date=February 26, 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080226223358/http://ps3.ign.com/articles/749/749069p4.html |url-status=live }} and Den of Geek (2024),{{cite web |url=https://www.denofgeek.com/games/35-best-video-game-franchises-ever/ |last=Jasper |first=Gavin |title=35 Best Video Game Franchises Ever: 22. Tetris |website=Den of Geek |date=May 27, 2024 |access-date=January 2, 2024}} and among the most influential games of all time by GamePro (2007),{{cite magazine |url=http://www.gamepro.com/article/features/110068/the-52-most-important-video-games-of-all-time-page-4-of-8/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080913085022/http://www.gamepro.com/article/features/110068/the-52-most-important-video-games-of-all-time-page-4-of-8/ |last=Fatt |first=Boba |title=The 52 Most Important Video Games of All Time (page 4 of 8) |magazine=GamePro |date=April 25, 2007 |archive-date=September 13, 2008 |access-date=December 3, 2024}} IGN (2007),{{cite web |url=https://www.ign.com/articles/2007/12/11/igns-top-10-most-influential-games |last1=Geddes |first1=Ryan |last2=Hatfield |first2=Daemon |title=IGN's Top 10 Most Influential Games |website=IGN |date=December 10, 2007 |access-date=December 3, 2024}} 1Up.com (2010),{{cite web |url=http://www.1up.com/features/essential-50-tetris |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121104160239/http://www.1up.com/features/essential-50-tetris |last=Parish |first=Jeremy |title=Essential 50: Tetris |website=1Up.com |date=2010 |archive-date=November 4, 2012 |access-date=December 3, 2024}} GamesRadar+ (2013),{{cite web |url=https://www.gamesradar.com/50-most-important-games-all-time/3/ |last=Loveridge |first=Sam |title=The 50 most important games of all time |website=GamesRadar+ |date=April 12, 2013 |access-date=December 3, 2024 |archive-date=December 4, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241204102214/https://www.gamesradar.com/50-most-important-games-all-time/3/ |url-status=live }} and The Guardian (2017).{{cite news |url=https://www.theguardian.com/technology/gallery/2017/may/16/the-10-most-influential-video-games-of-all-time |last=Stuart |first=Keith |title=The 10 most influential video games of all time – in pictures |work=The Guardian |date=May 16, 2017 |access-date=December 3, 2024}}

Tetris has been inducted into the "Hall of Fame" of the following publications: Computer Gaming World (1999),{{cite magazine |url=https://archive.org/details/Computer_Gaming_World_Issue_177/ |title=Hall of Fame — New Inductees - Tetris (Spectrum Holobyte 1988) |magazine=Computer Gaming World |date=April 1999 |issue=177 |page=237 |via=Internet Archive}} GameSpy (2000),{{cite web |url=http://archive.gamespy.com/legacy/halloffame/tetris_a.shtm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040706010318/http://archive.gamespy.com/legacy/halloffame/tetris_a.shtm |title=The Gamespy Hall of Fame - Tetris |website=Gamespy |date=July 2000 |archive-date=July 6, 2004 |access-date=November 12, 2024}} GameSpot (2003),{{cite web |url=http://www.gamespot.com/gamespot/features/all/greatestgames/p-8.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081209081517/http://www.gamespot.com/gamespot/features/all/greatestgames/p-8.html |title=They'll Keep Playing It Long After All of Us Are Dead |website=GameSpot |date=July 2, 2003 |archive-date=December 9, 2008 |access-date=November 12, 2024}} and IGN (2007).{{cite web |url=http://games.ign.com/halloffame/tetris.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110506042038/http://games.ign.com/halloffame/tetris.html |title=IGN Hall of Fame - Tetris |date=2007 |archive-date=May 6, 2011 |access-date=November 12, 2024}} Tetris was listed as part of the game canon, announced at the 2007 Game Developers Conference by Henry Lowood of Stanford University as a list of ten games to be considered for preservation by the Library of Congress, modeled after the National Film Preservation Board .{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2007/03/12/arts/design/12vide.html?ex=1331352000&en=380fc9bb18694da5&ei=5124&partner=permalink&exprod=permalink|title=Is That Just Some Game? No, It's a Cultural Artifact|newspaper=nytimes.com|first=HEATHER|last=CHAPLIN|date=March 12, 2007|access-date=November 1, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151204212137/http://www.nytimes.com/2007/03/12/arts/design/12vide.html?ex=1331352000&en=380fc9bb18694da5&ei=5124&partner=permalink&exprod=permalink|archive-date=December 4, 2015|url-status=live}}{{cite web|url=http://www.joystiq.com/2007/03/12/10-most-important-video-games-of-all-time-as-judged-by-2-design/ |title=10 most important video games of all time, as judged by 2 designers, 2 academics, and 1 lowly blogger |last=Ransom-Wiley |first=James |publisher=Joystiq |url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140422035847/http://www.joystiq.com/2007/03/12/10-most-important-video-games-of-all-time-as-judged-by-2-design/ |archive-date=April 22, 2014 }}{{cite web|url=http://blogs.loc.gov/digitalpreservation/2012/09/yes-the-library-of-congress-has-video-games-an-interview-with-david-gibson/ |title=Yes, The Library of Congress Has Video Games: An Interview with David Gibson |date=September 26, 2012 |access-date=January 18, 2013 |publisher=blogs.loc.gov |first=Trevor |last=Owens |url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131205100245/http://blogs.loc.gov/digitalpreservation/2012/09/yes-the-library-of-congress-has-video-games-an-interview-with-david-gibson/ |archive-date=December 5, 2013 }} In November 2012, the Museum of Modern Art acquired Tetris, along with thirteen other video games, to display.{{cite magazine |url=https://www.wired.com/2013/05/moma-video-games/ |last=Moore |first=Bo |title='All Hell Broke Loose': Why MoMA Is Exhibiting Tetris and Pac-Man |magazine=Wired |date=May 30, 2013 |access-date=December 3, 2024 |archive-date=September 8, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150908160501/http://www.theguardian.com/technology/gamesblog/2013/mar/01/video-games-art-moma-exhibition |url-status=live }} As part of the 2015 inaugural class, The Strong National Museum of Play inducted Tetris into the World Video Game Hall of Fame for its iconic nature.{{cite news |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-33005297 |title=Pong and Doom enter first video game Hall of Fame |work=BBC |date=June 4, 2015 |access-date=December 2, 2024 |archive-date=July 3, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180703135721/https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-33005297 |url-status=live }}

Due to Rogers and Nintendo's belief in its potential for mass appeal, Tetris was the pack-in title and the primary game promoted for the Game Boy in the United States. The resulting public anticipation led Tetris to become the Game Boy's main draw,{{cite web |url=https://www.polygon.com/2019/4/19/18295061/game-boy-history-timeline-tetris-pokemon-nintendo |last=Moss |first=Richard |title=How Nintendo introduced the Game Boy, Tetris, and Pokémon to the West |website=Polygon |date=April 19, 2019 |access-date=December 3, 2024 |archive-date=April 19, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190419200933/https://www.polygon.com/2019/4/19/18295061/game-boy-history-timeline-tetris-pokemon-nintendo |url-status=live }}{{cite web |url=https://www.smithsonianmag.com/innovation/thirty-years-ago-game-boy-changed-way-america-played-video-games-180972743/ |last=Kindy |first=David |title=Thirty Years Ago, Game Boy Changed the Way America Played Video Games |website=Smithsonian Magazine |date=July 29, 2019 |access-date=December 3, 2024 |archive-date=December 3, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241203235816/https://www.smithsonianmag.com/innovation/thirty-years-ago-game-boy-changed-way-america-played-video-games-180972743/ |url-status=live }} with many, including non-gamers, buying the Game Boy specifically to play Tetris. This release simultaneously contributed to both the popularity of Tetris and the Game Boy,{{sfn|Ackerman|2016|pp=226–228}}{{sfn|Linneman|2018|loc=10:58–11:06}} with the bundle selling out in its initial run of a million copies shortly after release. This success established Nintendo's dominant position in the handheld gaming market, setting a standard that competitors struggled to replicate.{{cite book |url=https://archive.org/details/goldenageofvideo0000dill/ |last=Dillon |first=Roberto |title=The Golden Age of Video Games: The Birth of a Multi-Billion Dollar Industry |publisher=CRC Press |date=2011 |pages=164–165|isbn=978-1-4398-7323-6 |via=Internet Archive |url-access=registration}}{{cite web |url=https://venturebeat.com/entrepreneur/after-25-years-tetris-has-sold-125-million-copies/ |last=Takahashi |first=Dean |author-link=Dean Takahashi |title=After 25 years, Tetris has sold 125 million copies |website=Venture Beat |date=June 1, 2009 |access-date=December 3, 2024 |archive-date=June 21, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230621144138/https://venturebeat.com/entrepreneur/after-25-years-tetris-has-sold-125-million-copies/ |url-status=live }}

Tetris is influential in the genre of puzzle video games.{{cite magazine |last=Crookes |first=David |title=Brain Strain: A Bluffler's Guide to Puzzle Games |magazine=Retro Gamer |issue=119 |date=September 2013 |pages=38–45}} Commentators have considered Tetris an early example of a casual game.{{efn|Attributed to multiple sources:{{cite magazine |url=https://www.ft.com/content/3c6d8cae-d22b-465d-982d-981c6477582f |last=Faber |first=Tom |title=Tetris — how a game of logic took over our minds |magazine=Financial Times |date=September 7, 2021 |access-date=December 4, 2024}}{{cite magazine |url=https://www.wired.com/2009/06/tetris/ |last=Kohler |first=Chris |title=Tetris Turns 25, and It's Still an Addictive Pleasure |magazine=Wired |date=June 4, 2009 |access-date=December 4, 2024 |archive-date=April 30, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240430061158/https://www.wired.com/2009/06/tetris/ |url-status=live }}{{cite book |url=https://archive.org/details/casualrevolution0000juul/ |last=Juul |first=Jesper |title=A Casual Revolution: Reinventing Video Games and Their Players |publisher=MIT Press |date=2010 |isbn=9780262013376 |pages=27 |via=Internet Archive}}{{sfn|Loguidice|Barton|2009|p=291}}}} Wired deemed Tetris unique for its time given its appeal to players regardless of gender and age, and 1Up.com credits Tetris for establishing a market for puzzle video games with universal appeal. Various common elements of puzzle games, such as managing pieces over a fixed screen, originated from Tetris, and multiple clones have been created to replicate Tetris{{'s}} popularity.{{sfn|Loguidice|Barton|2009|p=296}} Video games influenced by Tetris include Nintendo's Dr. Mario (1990), Sega's Columns (1990), Compile's Puyo Puyo (1991), Taito's Puzzle Bobble (1994), and Capcom's Super Puzzle Fighter II Turbo (1996).{{efn|Attributed to multiple sources:{{sfn|Loguidice|Barton|2009|p=296–297}}}}

File:Jonas Neubauer crop 1.jpg

Tetris{{'s}} cultural impact and recognition is widespread with representation in a vast array of media such as architecture, art, and merchandise.{{sfn|Ackerman|2016|p=242–243}} Tetris has earned other Guinness records, such as the record for "largest architectural video game display", granted to a version hosted on the side of the 29-story Cira Center in April 2014.{{cite web |url=https://venturebeat.com/games/tetris-back-in-the-record-books-for-29-story-game/ |last=Minotti |first=Mike |title=Tetris back in the record books for 29-story game |website=VentureBeat |date=June 24, 2014 |access-date=December 2, 2024}} "Korobeiniki", a Russian folk song, has become widely associated with Tetris following its inclusion in the Game Boy version. A 1992 Eurodance cover of "Korobeiniki" by Doctor Spin peaked at number six in the UK single charts.{{cite web |url=https://www.eurogamer.net/revisiting-nintendos-novelty-pop-hit |last=Diver |first=Mike |title=Revisiting Nintendo's novelty pop hit |website=Eurogamer |date=November 12, 2017 |access-date=December 2, 2024 |archive-date=November 11, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201111224706/https://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2017-11-12-revisiting-nintendos-novelty-pop-hit |url-status=live }} Tetris is widely seen as a " simple but addictive" game, and has been the subject of academic research in psychology and mathematics.{{cite news |url=https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/movies/story/2023-03-31/tetris-apple-tv-movie-game-perfect-addictive |last=Brown |first=Tracy |title=What makes Tetris 'the perfect game'? Experts break down an addictive classic |work=The Los Angeles Times |date=March 31, 2023 |access-date=November 12, 2024}}{{cite web |url=https://theconversation.com/tetris-movie-why-the-story-of-the-games-origins-is-legendary-203082 |last=Scarle |first=Simon |title=Tetris movie: why the story of the game's origins is legendary |website=The Conversation |date=April 12, 2023 |access-date=November 12, 2024}}{{cite web |url=https://theconversation.com/anyone-can-play-tetris-but-architects-engineers-and-animators-alike-use-the-math-concepts-underlying-the-game-220915 |last=McCoy |first=Leah |title=Anyone can play Tetris, but architects, engineers and animators alike use the math concepts underlying the game |website=The Conversation |date=February 28, 2024 |access-date=November 12, 2024 |archive-date=November 13, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241113014633/https://theconversation.com/anyone-can-play-tetris-but-architects-engineers-and-animators-alike-use-the-math-concepts-underlying-the-game-220915 |url-status=live }} Writers such as Dan Ackerman have attributed the enduring success of Tetris to its appeal to casual gamers.{{cite news |url=https://www.bbc.com/culture/article/20230329-why-tetris-is-the-perfect-video-game |last=Hobbs |first=Thomas |title=Why Tetris is the 'perfect' video game |work=BBC News |date=March 29, 2023 |access-date=November 12, 2024 |archive-date=November 9, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241109030051/https://www.bbc.com/culture/article/20230329-why-tetris-is-the-perfect-video-game |url-status=live }}

Tetris has a competitive scene, especially around the NES version.{{cite web |url=https://www.polygon.com/news/489871/nes-tetris-nintendo-switch-online-announcement |last=Welsh |first=Oli |title=A missing piece of NES history is finally coming to Switch |website=Polygon |date=December 3, 2024 |access-date=December 4, 2024}} Competitor Jonas Neubauer and his victory in the inaugural Classic Tetris World Championship (CTWC) in 2010 were the subject of the 2011 documentary Ecstasy of Order: The Tetris Masters,{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2021/12/28/sports/tetris-game.html |last=Schonbrun |first=Zach |title=A New Generation Stacks Up Championships in an Old Game: Tetris |work=The New York Times |date=December 28, 2021 |access-date=November 12, 2024 |archive-date=January 17, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240117023131/https://www.nytimes.com/2021/12/28/sports/tetris-game.html |url-status=live }} which helped popularized competitive gameplay of Tetris. Competitors at the CTWC, typically adolescents, have used the CTWC to demonstrate advancements in the gameplay of the NES version. For example, gameplay techniques such as "hypertapping" and "rolling" have been used to help competitors to maximize their scores beyond level 29, which was previously deemed impossible to complete due to its speed.{{cite web |url=https://www.polygon.com/23269073/competitive-classic-tetris-ctwc-jonas-neubauer-andy-michael-artiaga |last=Karnadi |first=Chris |title=Teens are rewriting what is possible in the world of competitive Tetris |website=Polygon |date=June 21, 2022 |access-date=November 12, 2024 |archive-date=January 15, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240115233118/https://www.polygon.com/23269073/competitive-classic-tetris-ctwc-jonas-neubauer-andy-michael-artiaga |url-status=live }}{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2023/03/31/movies/tetris-game-boy-nintendo.html |last=Shaver |first=Morgan |title=Why Tetris Consumed Your Brain |work=The New York Times |date=March 31, 2023 |access-date=November 12, 2024 |archive-date=April 9, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240409075702/https://www.nytimes.com/2023/03/31/movies/tetris-game-boy-nintendo.html |url-status=live }} Willis Gibson "beat" Tetris by playing NES Tetris until it crashed in a 40-minute livestream in January 2024, receiving significant media coverage for his achievement.{{cite news |last=Korn |first=Jennifer |date=January 3, 2024 |title=Oklahoma teenager finally defeats the unbeatable game: Tetris |url=https://www.cnn.com/2024/01/03/tech/oklahoma-teenager-defeats-tetris/index.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240709011234/https://www.cnn.com/2024/01/03/tech/oklahoma-teenager-defeats-tetris/index.html |archive-date=July 9, 2024 |access-date=November 12, 2024 |work=CNN}}{{cite magazine |url=https://www.wired.com/story/why-everyone-is-obsessed-with-the-kid-who-beat-tetris/ |last=Water cutter |first=Angela |title=Why Everyone Is Obsessed With the Kid Who Beat Tetris |magazine=Wired |date=January 5, 2024 |access-date=November 12, 2024 |archive-date=January 11, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240111042426/https://www.wired.com/story/why-everyone-is-obsessed-with-the-kid-who-beat-tetris/ |url-status=live }}

The DIC Entertainment animated series Captain N: The Game Master incorporated elements of Tetris, depicting "planet Tetris" in two different episodes as a distant, square-shaped world composed of angular humanoids.{{cite web |url=https://www.nintendolife.com/news/2019/09/feature_10_strangest_moments_in_captain_n_the_game_master |last=Scullion |first=Chris |title=Feature: 10 Strangest Moments in Captain N: The Game Master |website=Nintendo Life |date=September 21, 2019 |access-date=January 25, 2024 |archive-date=November 8, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201108170220/https://www.nintendolife.com/news/2019/09/feature_10_strangest_moments_in_captain_n_the_game_master |url-status=live }} In 2014, it was announced that Threshold Entertainment had worked with the Tetris Company to develop a film adaptation. Threshold Entertainment CEO Larry Kasanoff called it an epic sci-fi adventure and the first part of a trilogy.{{cite web|url=http://www.movieweb.com/tetris-movie-story|title='Tetris' Movie Planned as an Epic Sci-Fi Adventure|work=Movieweb|date=September 30, 2014|access-date=September 30, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141001011505/http://www.movieweb.com/tetris-movie-story|archive-date=October 1, 2014|url-status=live}}{{cite magazine|url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/tetris-movie-be-80m-us-894779|title='Tetris' Movie to Be $80M U.S.-China Co-Production|magazine=The Hollywood Reporter|last=Brzeski|first=Patrick|date=May 17, 2016|access-date=May 17, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160518095550/http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/tetris-movie-be-80m-us-894779|archive-date=May 18, 2016|url-status=live}} A different film, Tetris, about the Tetris legal battles in the late 1980s, starring Taron Egerton as Henk Rogers, premiered on Apple TV+ on March 31, 2023, to positive reviews according to Metacritic and a viewership of 88,000 people according to Samba TV.{{Cite Metacritic |id=tetris |type=movie |title=Tetris |access-date=December 5, 2024 |publisher_hide=y}}{{cite magazine |url=https://deadline.com/2023/04/chris-evans-ana-de-armas-ghosted-viewership-apple-tv-record-1235338734/ |last=D'Alessandro |first=Anthony |title=Chris Evans & Ana de Armas Skydance Spy Action Pic 'Ghosted' Earns Record Movie Debut For Apple TV+ |magazine=Deadline Hollywood |date=April 26, 2023 |access-date=December 5, 2024 |archive-date=September 21, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230921103522/https://deadline.com/2023/04/chris-evans-ana-de-armas-ghosted-viewership-apple-tv-record-1235338734/ |url-status=live }}

{{See also|Tetris effect}}

The psychological and addictive effects of Tetris were first scientifically recognized by Soviet clinical psychologist Vladimir Pokhilko {{circa}} 1985.{{sfn|Ackerman|2016|p=73}}{{cite book |first=Mark J. P. |last=Wolf | title=Encyclopedia of Video Games: The Culture, Technology, and Art of Gaming |chapter=Tetris |chapter-url=https://archive.org/details/isbn_9780313379369_2/page/640/mode/2up | date=August 31, 2012 |location=Santa Barbara, CA| publisher=Greenwood Press | isbn=978-0-313-37936-9 | pages=640–642 | chapter-url-access=registration |via=Internet Archive }} Pokhilko was a recipient of the IBM version of Tetris in Moscow. Interested in its potential psychological effects based on his experiences playing the game, Pokhilko distributed copies of Tetris to his colleagues at the Moscow Medical Center. Pokhilko regretted his decision after constant gameplay impaired medical research so he proceeded to destroy the distributed copies. After new copies were reintroduced to his facility, Pokhilko used Tetris while testing patients.{{sfn|Ackerman|2016|pp=69–70}}

Starting with the research of American psychologist Richard J. Haier in 1992,{{cite journal|vauthors=Haier RJ, Siegel BV, MacLachlan A, Soderling E, Lottenberg S, Buchsbaum MS|title=Regional glucose metabolic changes after learning a complex visuospatial/motor task: a positron emission tomographic study|journal=Brain Res.|volume=570|issue=1–2|pages=134–43|date=January 1992|pmid=1617405|doi=10.1016/0006-8993(92)90573-R|s2cid=21725897}}{{sfn|Ackerman|2016|pp=81–82}}{{cite journal |last1=Latham |first1=Andrew J. |last2=Patson |first2=Lucy L. M. |last3=Tippette |first3=Lynette J. |title=The virtual brain: 30 years of video-game play and cognitive abilities |journal=Frontiers in Psychology |date=September 13, 2013 |volume=4 |page=629 |doi=10.3389/fpsyg.2013.00629|doi-access=free |pmid=24062712 |pmc=3772618 }} Tetris has been frequently used as a form of cognitive assessment and neuroimaging.{{cite journal |last1=Agren |first1=Thomas |last2=Hoppe |first2=Johanna M. |last3=Singh |first3=Laura |last4=Holmes |first4=Emily A. |last5=Rosén |first5=Jörgen |title=The neural basis of Tetris gameplay: implicating the role of visuospatial processing |journal=Current Psychology |date=August 2, 2021 |volume=42 |issue=10 |pages=8156–8163 |doi=10.1007/s12144-021-02081-z |doi-access=free }}{{cite journal |url=https://link.springer.com/article/10.3758/s13428-014-0547-y#Fn3 |last1=Lindstedt |first1=John K. |last2=Gray |first2=Wayne D. |title=Meta-T: TetrisⓇ as an experimental paradigm for cognitive skills research |journal=Behavior Research Methods |date=March 12, 2015 |volume=47 |issue=4 |pages=945–965 |doi=10.3758/s13428-014-0547-y |pmid=25761389 |access-date=November 14, 2024 |archive-date=January 22, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220122090625/https://link.springer.com/article/10.3758%2Fs13428-014-0547-y#Fn3 |url-status=live }} Furthermore, Tetris has been studied as a potential form of psychological intervention such as for PTSD and cravings with promising results.{{sfn|Plank|2022|p=271}} The "Tetris effect" refers to the phenomena of perceiving certain patterns in dreams and mental images following engagement in a repetitive activity such as playing Tetris.{{sfn|Ackerman|2016|p=73}}{{cite magazine |url=https://time.com/6266810/tetris-movie-apple-tv-true-story/ |last=McCluskey |first=Megan |title=The Complicated True Story Behind Apple TV+'s Tetris Movie |magazine=Time |date=March 31, 2023 |access-date=November 12, 2024 |archive-date=February 27, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240227090730/https://time.com/6266810/tetris-movie-apple-tv-true-story/ |url-status=live }} The term was coined by Jeffrey Goldsmith in a 1994 article for Wired,{{cite magazine |last1=Goldsmith |first1=Jeffrey |date=1994-05-01 |title=This Is Your Brain on Tetris |url=https://www.wired.com/1994/05/tetris-2/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221122022558/https://www.wired.com/1994/05/tetris-2/ |archive-date=November 22, 2022 |access-date=22 November 2022 |magazine=Wired}} in which he compared Tetris to an "electronic drug".{{sfn|Ackerman|2016|p=77–78}}

In 1992, John Brzustowski at the University of British Columbia wrote a thesis on the question of whether or not one could theoretically play Tetris forever.{{Cite thesis |last=Brzustowski |first=John |title=Can you win at Tetris? |date=March 1992 |degree=Master of Science |publisher=University of British Columbia |url=https://open.library.ubc.ca/media/stream/pdf/831/1.0079748 |format=PDF |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220318064558/https://open.library.ubc.ca/media/stream/pdf/831/1.0079748 |archive-date=March 18, 2022 |access-date=October 16, 2013 |url-status=live}} [https://archive.org/details/20220318_20220318_0433 Alt URL] He reached the conclusion that Tetris is statistically doomed to end. If a player receives a sufficiently large sequence of alternating S and Z tetrominoes, the naïve gravity used by the standard game eventually forces the player to leave holes on the board. The holes will necessarily stack to the top and end the game. If the pieces are distributed randomly, this sequence will eventually occur. Thus, if a game with, for example, an ideal, uniform, uncorrelated random number generator is played long enough, any player will almost surely top out.{{Cite web |last=Burgiel |first=Heidi |date=January 7, 1996 |title=Discussion of the Tetris Applet |url=http://www.math.uic.edu/~burgiel/Tetris/explanation.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061209110731/http://www.math.uic.edu/~burgiel/Tetris/explanation.html |archive-date=December 9, 2006 |access-date=February 25, 2007 |website=Tetris Research Page}}Heidi Burgiel. [http://www.geom.umn.edu/%7Eburgiel/Tetris/tetris.PS How to Lose at Tetris] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20030513033006/http://www.geom.umn.edu/~burgiel/Tetris/tetris.PS |date=May 13, 2003 }}, Mathematical Gazette, vol. 81, pp. 194–200 1997

In computer science, it is common to analyze the computational complexity of problems, including real-life problems and games. In 2001, a group of MIT researchers proved that for the "offline" version of Tetris (the player knows the complete sequence of pieces that will be dropped, i.e. there is no hidden information) the following objectives are NP-complete:

1. Maximizing the number of rows cleared while playing the given piece sequence.
2. Maximizing the number of pieces placed before a loss occurs.
3. Maximizing the number of simultaneous clearing of four rows.
4. Minimizing the height of the highest filled grid square over the course of the sequence.

Also, it is difficult to even approximately solve the first, second, and fourth problem. It is NP-hard, given an initial field and a sequence of p pieces, to approximate the first two problems to within a factor of {{nowrap|p^{1 − ε}}} for any constant {{nowrap|ε > 0}}. It is NP-hard to approximate the last problem within a factor of {{nowrap|2 − ε}} for any constant {{nowrap|ε > 0}}. To prove NP-completeness, it was shown that there is a polynomial reduction between the 3-partition problem, which is also NP-complete, and the Tetris problem.{{cite conference|url=http://erikdemaine.org/papers/Tetris_COCOON2003/paper.pdf|title=Tetris is Hard, Even to Approximate|last1=Demaine|first1=Erik D.|last2=Hohenberger|first2=Susan|last3=Liben-Nowell|first3=David|date=July 25–28, 2003|conference=Proceedings of the 9th International Computing and Combinatorics Conference (COCOON 2003)|conference-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120105042734/http://www.cs.montana.edu/bhz/cocoon03.html|location=Big Sky, Montana|access-date=December 18, 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100613201613/http://erikdemaine.org/papers/Tetris_COCOON2003/paper.pdf|archive-date=June 13, 2010|url-status=live}}{{cite book |url=https://archive.org/details/powerupunlocking0000lane/ |last=Lane |first=Matthew |title=Power-up: Unlocking the Hidden Mathematics in Video Games |publisher=Princeton University Press |date=2017 |pages=165–166 |isbn=9780691161518 |via=Internet Archive |url-access=registration}}

{{Portal|Video Games|1980s|1990s|Soviet Union|Russia}}

• Brain Wall and Blokken, game shows based on Tetris
• Ecstasy of Order: The Tetris Masters, a 2011 documentary about the 2010 Classic Tetris World Championship, featuring interviews with Pajitnov and Richard Haier as well as Tetris players Thor Aackerlund and future seven-time Classic Tetris World Championship champion Jonas Neubauer
• Game Over (Sheff book), a 1993 book covering Nintendo history, including interviews with Pajitnov and others regarding Tetris licensing

{{notelist}}

{{Reflist}}

{{external media| float = right| video1 = [https://www.c-span.org/video/?414688-1/the-tetris-effect Presentation by Dan Ackerman on The Tetris Effect, September 12, 2016], C-SPAN}}

• {{Cite book |last=Ackerman |first=Dan |author-link=Dan Ackerman |url=https://archive.org/details/tetriseffectgame0000acke |title=The Tetris Effect: The Game that Hypnotized the World |date=2016 |publisher=PublicAffairs |isbn=978-1-61039-611-0 |location=New York |oclc=943694339 |url-access=registration |via=Internet Archive}}
• {{Cite book |last=Ichbiah |first=Daniel |title=La saga des jeux vidéo |publisher=Pix'n love éd |year=2009 |isbn=978-2-918272-02-1 |edition=Nouvelle |location=Triel-sur-Seine |pages=71–85 |language=fr |chapter=IV: Tetris |oclc=1194432922 |chapter-url=https://archive.org/details/lasagadesjeuxvid0000ichb/page/71 |chapter-url-access=registration |via=Internet Archive}}
• {{Cite book |last=Kent |first=Steven L. |author-link=Steven L. Kent |chapter-url=https://archive.org/details/ultimatehistoryo0000kent/page/377 |chapter=Tetris |title=The Ultimate History of Video Games: From Pong to Pokémon and Beyond—The Story Behind the Craze That Touched Our Lives and Changed the World |publisher=Three Rivers Press |year=2001 |isbn=978-0-7615-3643-7 |location=New York |pages=377–381 |oclc=47254175 |chapter-url-access=registration |via=Internet Archive}}
• {{Cite book |last1=Loguidice |first1=Bill |chapter-url=https://archive.org/details/vintagegamesinsi0000logu/page/290 |chapter=Tetris (1985): Casual Gaming Falls Into Place |title=Vintage Games: An Insider Look at the History of Grand Theft Auto, Super Mario, and the Most Influential Games of All Time |last2=Barton |first2=Matt |publisher=Focal Press |year=2009 |isbn=978-0-240-81146-8 |location=Amsterdam |pages=291–301 |chapter-url-access=registration |via=Internet Archive}}
• {{cite book |last=Plank |first=Dana |chapter=Tetris |editor-last1=Perron |editor-first1=Bernard |editor-last2=Boudreau |editor-first2=Kelly |editor-last3=Wolf |editor-first3=Mark J.P. |editor-last4=Arsenault |editor-first4=Dominic |title=Fifty Key Video Games |publisher=Routledge |location=New York |date=July 25, 2022 |pages=268–274 |edition=First |doi=10.4324/9781003199205 |isbn=978-1-003-19920-5}}
• {{Cite book |last1=Sheff |first1=David |author-link1=David Sheff |last2=Eddy |first2=Andy |chapter-url=https://archive.org/details/0966961706/page/295 |chapter=From Russia With Love |title=Game Over: Press Start to Continue |publisher=GamePress |year=1999 |isbn=978-0-966-96170-6 |location=Wilton, CT |pages=295–348 |oclc=1190934258 |via=Internet Archive}}

• {{cite AV media |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cUeaanfiXmo&t=0 |last=Linneman |first=John |title=DF Retro: Tetris! |publisher=Digital Foundry |date=November 14, 2018 |via=YouTube |access-date=December 7, 2024}}
• {{cite AV media |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6YhkkyXydNI&t=0 |last1=Pajitnov |first1=Alexey |author-link1=Alexey Pajitnov |last2=Rogers |first2=Henk |author-link2=Henk Rogers |title=Unsolved Tetris Mysteries With Creator Alexy Pajitnov & Designer Henk Rogers |publisher=Ars Technica |date=April 26, 2023 |via=YouTube |access-date=December 7, 2024}}
• {{cite AV media |title=Tetris: From Russia with Love |last=Temple |first=Magnus |date=2004 |publisher=BBC}}

• {{cite web | url = https://vadim.oversigma.com/Tetris.htm | title = Tetris Story | last = Gerasimov | first = Vadim | website = OverSigma}}
• {{cite web | url = https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/mathematicians-prove-tetr/ | title = Mathematicians Prove Tetris Is Tough | last = Graham | first = Sarah | date = October 29, 2002 | website = Scientific American}}
• {{cite AV media | url = https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p00mdqf8 | title = The creation of Tetris | date = December 29, 2012 | website = BBC World Service | publisher = BBC}}

{{commons}}

• {{Official website}}
• {{IAg|tetris_1987|Tetris|MS-DOS}}

{{Tetris|state=expanded}}

{{Polyforms}}

{{Authority control}}

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