How to Play Tetris
Use the arrow keys or the round buttons on the screen to move and rotate the falling pieces. Fill an entire horizontal row to clear it and make space before the blocks reach the top.
Before you start
On the ready screen, Left and Right cycle through starting speed levels 1 to 6. Up and Down set the number of starting rows from 0 to 10. Press Space, P, or R to start, or tap Drop, Pause, or Reset.
Game controls
- ← / → move the piece left or right. Hold either key to keep moving.
- ↑ rotates the piece counterclockwise when there is room to turn.
- ↓ moves the piece down one row. Hold it to make the piece fall faster.
- Space / Drop sends the piece straight to the bottom and locks it.
- P / Pause pauses or resumes play. Space and the arrow keys also resume play. Up resumes and rotates the piece in one action.
- R / Reset ends the round. After the board fills and clears, you return to the ready screen with your high score and last score saved.
- S / Sound toggles sound effects.
Scoring and speed
Each piece scores 10 points when it locks, plus 2 for each speed level above level 1. Clearing 1, 2, 3, or 4 rows together earns 100, 300, 700, or 1,500 bonus points. A hard drop scores the same as a normal lock. The speed increases every 20 rows cleared, up to level 6.
For example, if one piece clears two rows at speed level 3, you earn 314 points. That is 14 points for locking the piece plus a 300-point bonus.
Tetris tips for beginners
- Start at speed 1 with zero starting rows to practice moving and rotating on an empty board.
- Keep the top of the stack fairly flat. Avoid covering empty squares that will be hard to reach later.
- Check the next piece before committing to a hard drop. If you are setting up a four-row clear, leave one column open for the long I piece.
Touch controls and saved games
Tap or hold the handheld buttons to play on a phone. Pause before leaving if you want to resume later in the same browser. Private browsing, storage restrictions, or clearing site data can remove your saved game.