Series guide
All Tetris games in order
By Lenn Hodes · founder — every cartridge tested by hand · Updated
Tetris is one game and dozens of cartridges. Alexey Pajitnov wrote it in Moscow in 1984, Nintendo put it in every Game Boy box in 1989, and since then almost every console has had at least one — some of them not Tetris at all, whatever the label says. Below are all forty-five official Tetris releases in order, in four eras, with the Nintendo versions told apart and buying notes for the Game Boy, NES, Nintendo 64 and DS cartridges we stock and test.
The short answer
Elektronika 60 (1984) → Spectrum HoloByte and Mirrorsoft (1988) → Game Boy and NES (1989) → Tetris DX (1998) → The New Tetris (1999) → Tetris Worlds (2001) → Tetris DS (2006) → Tetris Party (2008) → Tetris: Axis (2011) → Puyo Puyo Tetris (2014) → Tetris Effect (2018) → Tetris 99 (2019) → Tetris Forever (2024). On a Game Boy, buy Tetris DX; on a DS, Tetris DS.
Tested Tetris cartridges in stock
Game Boy, NES, Nintendo 64 and DS — every cartridge play-tested on real hardware and listed exactly as it is.
The beginning: Moscow to the Game Boy (1984–1991)
- Tetris (Elektronika 60) · 1984 · Elektronika 60 (Soviet computer) — Alexey Pajitnov’s original, written in Pascal in about three weeks at the Dorodnitsyn Computing Centre in Moscow — no colours, no sound, brackets for blocks
- Tetris (Spectrum HoloByte and Mirrorsoft) · 1988 · PC, Amiga, Atari ST, Commodore 64, ZX Spectrum, Amstrad CPC, Apple II — the first commercial versions in the West: Spectrum HoloByte in the United States, Mirrorsoft in Europe — the computer rights that later turned out not to cover consoles
4 copies in stock: Buy Tetris
— Bullet-Proof Software’s Japanese console version — Henk Rogers’ company, which is how he ended up in Moscow a year later
- Tetris (Atari Games arcade) · 1988 · Arcade — the coin-op with the Russian landmarks and two-player cabinets; its NES port is the one below
4 copies in stock: Buy Tetris
— Atari Games’ NES version, 17 May 1989, with two-player mode — pulled from shelves on 23 June 1989 after a court found Atari’s licence never covered consoles; a collector’s cartridge now, not the Nintendo one
4 copies in stock: Buy Tetris
— the one: bundled with the Game Boy in North America and Europe — 14 June 1989 in Japan, 31 July 1989 in North America, 28 September 1990 in Europe; about 35 million copies, the best-selling single Tetris ever made
4 copies in stock: Buy Tetris
— Nintendo’s own NES version by R&D1, November 1989 in North America and 23 February 1990 in Europe — around eight million copies, and since 2010 the game played at the Classic Tetris World Championship
- Hatris · 1990 · NES, Game Boy — Pajitnov’s follow-up: stack falling hats instead of blocks — a curiosity, published by Bullet-Proof Software
- Tetris 2 + Bombliss · 1991 · Famicom — Japan only; Bombliss, with its exploding blocks, became a recurring mode and is in Tetris Forever today
The Nintendo years (1992–2001)
- Super Tetris 2 + Bombliss · 1992 · Super Famicom — Japan only, Bullet-Proof Software — the Super Famicom Tetris that Europe never got
- Tetris 2 · 1993 · NES, Game Boy (Super Nintendo 1994) — Nintendo’s sequel is a colour-matching game with fixed blocks to clear — related to Tetris in name and shapes, not in rules
- Tetris Battle Gaiden · 1993 · Super Famicom — Japan only: versus Tetris with characters casting spells at each other — Bullet-Proof Software
— both games on one Super Nintendo cartridge, with a mixed-match mode
- Super Tetris 3 · 1994 · Super Famicom — Japan only, Blue Planet Software — the last Super Famicom Tetris
- Tetris Blast · 1995 · Game Boy — Bombliss on the Game Boy under a new name — Japan 17 March 1995, North America 23 January 1996
- V-Tetris · 1995 · Virtual Boy — Japan only, Bullet-Proof Software — Tetris on the red-and-black headset
- Tetris Plus · 1996 · Arcade, PlayStation, Sega Saturn, Game Boy — Jaleco’s version with a Professor to guide down through the stack; the Game Boy cartridge was published by Nintendo
- Tetris Attack · 1996 · Super Nintendo, Game Boy — not Tetris at all: Intelligent Systems’ Panel de Pon with Yoshi’s Island characters, August 1996 in North America and 28 November 1996 in Europe — Wikipedia’s words, “bears no relation to the Tetris video game series”
- 3D Tetris · 1996 · Virtual Boy — North America only; the Virtual Boy’s second Tetris, in a three-dimensional well
- Tetrisphere · 1997 · Nintendo 64 — Nintendo’s N64 Tetris wraps the pieces around a sphere — more puzzle game than Tetris, with a cult following
— the Game Boy Tetris in colour with a battery save, Ultra and 40 Lines modes and a computer opponent — 21 October 1998 in Japan, 18 November 1998 in North America, 1999 in Europe; plays in mono on an original Game Boy too
- Tetris 64 · 1998 · Nintendo 64 — Japan only, by SETA — shipped with a bio-sensor that clipped to your ear and sped the game up with your pulse
- Tetris: The Grand Master · 1998 · Arcade (PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch 2022) — Arika’s arcade Tetris for experts, with the invisible-stack final test; Hamster’s Arcade Archives release brought it to PS4 and Switch on 1 December 2022
— Capcom’s Disney Tetris with Mickey, Minnie, Donald and Goofy, each with a story mode, and “magical” oversized pieces sent to your rival — N64 20 November 1998 in Japan, 14 January 1999 in North America, September 1999 in Europe (published by Activision); Capcom’s first N64 game, and one of the few made entirely in 2D
— four pieces into a 4×4 square make a gold or silver block worth bonus points, three-piece preview and a hold slot — 2 August 1999 in North America, 15 October 1999 in Europe; H2O Entertainment and Blue Planet for Nintendo
- The Next Tetris · 1999 · PlayStation, PC (Nuon 2001) — Hasbro Interactive’s version with multi-coloured pieces that split when they land
- Sega Tetris · 1999 · Arcade, Dreamcast — Sega’s own arcade Tetris, ported to the Dreamcast in 2000 — Japan only on the console
- Tetris Worlds · 2001 · PC, PlayStation 2, Xbox, GameCube (Game Boy Advance 2002) — THQ’s multi-platform Tetris and the first with the modern rules — infinite spin, hold piece, the ghost piece; the GBA version followed in 2002
Handhelds and downloads (2002–2014)
- Pokémon Tetris · 2002 · Pokémon mini — Japan and Europe only, on Nintendo’s tiny Pokémon mini — catch Pokémon by clearing lines
- Tetris Advance · 2003 · Game Boy Advance — Japan only; the GBA’s own Tetris outside the Tetris Worlds port
— six modes dressed as Nintendo classics — Standard is Super Mario Bros., Mission is Zelda, Catch is Metroid — 20 March 2006 in North America, 21 April in Europe, 27 April in Japan; 2.05 million copies, and the best Tetris on any Nintendo handheld
- Tetris Evolution · 2007 · Xbox 360 — THQ’s Xbox 360 Tetris with online play — the only Tetris on that console before the download era
- Tetris Party · 2008 · Wii (WiiWare) — download only: 20 October 2008 in North America, 24 October in Europe — Balance Board control, Miis, six-player online; IGN called it the best console Tetris in years
— the retail version of Tetris Party with more modes, on a Wii disc and a DS cartridge — 25 May 2010 in North America, 3 September 2010 in Europe, where Nintendo handled the boxed copies
- Tetris Party Live · 2010 · Nintendo DSi (DSiWare) — the DSiWare cut of Tetris Party, delisted in March 2012 — download only, so nothing to buy second-hand
- Tetris: Axis · 2011 · Nintendo 3DS — sold simply as “Tetris” in Europe — 2 October 2011 in North America, 21 October in Europe; Hudson Soft, with two augmented-reality modes played by moving the 3DS; removed from the eShop in December 2014, so the cartridge is the way to own it
- Puyo Puyo Tetris · 2014 · Nintendo 3DS, Wii U, PlayStation 3, PlayStation Vita (Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4 2017) — Sega’s crossover, Japan 6 February 2014 on four systems; the West got the Switch and PS4 versions on 25 April 2017 (North America) and 28 April 2017 (Europe) — the Switch’s first Tetris
- Tetris Ultimate · 2014 · Nintendo 3DS, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PlayStation Vita, PC — Ubisoft’s version for the thirtieth anniversary — the 3DS cartridge is the last physical Tetris on that handheld
Battle royale, music and history (2018–2025)
- Tetris Effect · 2018 · PlayStation 4 (PC 2019, Meta Quest 2020) — Tetsuya Mizuguchi’s version: the music and the stages react to every drop, with PlayStation VR support — 9 November 2018; the Tetris that collected Game of the Year nominations
- Tetris 99 · 2019 · Nintendo Switch — a 99-player battle royale, free for Nintendo Switch Online members from 13 February 2019, developed by Arika — 2.8 million accounts had played by April 2019; the physical Big Block edition came to Europe on 20 September 2019
- Tetris Effect: Connected · 2020 · Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, PC (Nintendo Switch 2021, PlayStation 5 2023) — Tetris Effect with co-op and versus modes — 10 November 2020 on Xbox and PC, 8 October 2021 on Switch alongside the OLED model, 22 February 2023 on PS5 with PS VR2 support
- Puyo Puyo Tetris 2 · 2020 · Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S (PC 2021) — the sequel adds Skill Battle, an RPG-style mode with item cards — December 2020
- Tetris: The Absolute – The Grand Master 2 · 2023 · PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch (arcade 2000) — the second Grand Master, arcade 2000, in Hamster’s Arcade Archives on 1 June 2023
- Tetris Forever · 2024 · Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, PC — Digital Eclipse’s interactive documentary with more than fifteen playable versions — the Famicom Tetris, Hatris, Tetris 2 + Bombliss, the Super Famicom games — plus the new four-player Tetris Time Warp; 12 November 2024
- Tetris: The Grand Master 4 – Absolute Eye · 2025 · PC — Arika’s first new Grand Master in twenty years — PC only so far
Do you have to play them in order?
No — there is no story, and the rules only drifted. The 1989 cartridges have no hold piece and no ghost, and pieces lock the moment they land; Tetris Worlds (2001) brought the guideline rules every later version follows, which is why a Game Boy veteran finds Tetris DS forgiving and a Tetris 99 player finds the Game Boy brutal. Release order is a map of those rules, not a sequence to play through.
Which Tetris should you buy now?
- For a Game Boy or Game Boy Color: Tetris DX — colour, a save, a computer opponent, and it plays in mono on the 1989 Game Boy too. The original Tetris if you want the exact cartridge that came in the box.
- For a DS, DS Lite, DSi or 3DS: Tetris DS, then Tetris Party Deluxe for the extra modes; on a 3DS, Tetris: Axis is the cartridge that was delisted.
- For a Nintendo 64: The New Tetris, or Magical Tetris Challenge if the house wants Mickey and Donald in it.
- For a NES: Nintendo’s Tetris — the tournament game, and still the purest version of the rules.
Buying Tetris second-hand
The Game Boy Tetris is the one in the bundle — and it still saves nothing
The 1989 Game Boy cartridge keeps no high scores: there is no battery, so every switch-off is a clean slate — that is normal, not a fault. Tetris DX (1998) is the same game in colour with a battery save that keeps scores and up to three profiles; if the save has drained, our product page says so. Both play on every Game Boy, from the 1989 brick to the Game Boy Advance SP.
Nintendo’s NES Tetris is not Tengen’s
Two different NES cartridges say Tetris on the label. Nintendo’s (1989, grey label) is the official one and the tournament game; Tengen’s (1989, black cartridge) was withdrawn after the court case and is a collector’s item with two-player mode. We list which one you are looking at. Our PAL NES copies play on European NES consoles; an NTSC cartridge needs an adapter or an American NES.
Which Tetris is actually Tetris
Tetris Attack (1996) is Panel de Pon with Yoshi characters; Tetris 2 (1993) is a colour-matching game; Hatris stacks hats; Tetrisphere wraps pieces around a globe. They are all good, and none of them plays like Tetris. For the real thing on a cartridge: Game Boy Tetris, Tetris DX, NES Tetris, The New Tetris, Tetris DS, Tetris Party Deluxe or Tetris: Axis.
Second-hand cartridges: what we check
Every cartridge is booted on the real console and played through a few levels; on Tetris DX and Tetris DS we check that the save still holds. The contacts and the label are inspected and the condition on the product page describes that exact copy. Tetris DS and Tetris Party Deluxe cartridges have no region lock and play on any DS, DS Lite, DSi or 3DS.
Every copy tested before it is listed
Booting, gameplay, saving, cartridge and label condition — checked on real hardware. We have been doing this since 2019, with 1400+ verified reviews at 4.8★, and we ship tracked worldwide — to all 27 EU countries and to the US, Switzerland, Liechtenstein, Australia, New Zealand, Hong Kong, Singapore, Israel, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait, Canada, Puerto Rico and almost every other country. Originals only; if something ever turns out not to be genuine, you get your money back.
Browse tested Game Boy gamesQuestions we get asked
Do you need to play the Tetris games in order?
No. Every Tetris is the same game at heart — seven pieces, clear lines — and the order only shows the rules changing: the Game Boy and NES versions have no hold piece or ghost, Tetris Worlds (2001) introduced the modern guideline rules, Tetris DS (2006) and Tetris: Axis (2011) added modes, and Tetris 99 and Tetris Effect turned it into a battle royale and a music game. Start with whichever system you own.
How many Tetris games are there?
This list has forty-five official console, handheld, arcade and PC releases from 1984 to 2025, and that leaves out most computer ports, mobile versions and the unlicensed clones. The Tetris Company counts over 520 million copies sold across all versions by 2022, most of them mobile; the Game Boy cartridge alone sold about 35 million.
Which Tetris is the best?
For a Game Boy: Tetris DX, which is the 1989 game plus colour and a save. For a DS or 3DS: Tetris DS, six modes in Nintendo costumes. For an N64: The New Tetris. For a Switch: Tetris 99 if you have Nintendo Switch Online, Tetris Effect: Connected or Puyo Puyo Tetris if you want a cartridge, and Tetris Forever if you want the history too.
Which Tetris games are on Nintendo consoles?
Game Boy: Tetris, Tetris 2, Tetris Blast, Tetris Plus, Tetris Attack, Tetris DX. NES: Tetris, Tetris 2, Hatris. Super Nintendo: Tetris 2, Tetris & Dr. Mario, Tetris Attack. Nintendo 64: Tetrisphere, Magical Tetris Challenge, The New Tetris. GameCube and Game Boy Advance: Tetris Worlds. DS: Tetris DS, Tetris Party Deluxe. 3DS: Tetris: Axis, Puyo Puyo Tetris (Japan), Tetris Ultimate. Wii: Tetris Party (WiiWare) and Tetris Party Deluxe. Switch: Puyo Puyo Tetris and its sequel, Tetris 99, Tetris Effect: Connected, the Grand Master Arcade Archives, Tetris Forever.
What is the newest Tetris game?
Tetris Forever (12 November 2024) on Switch, PlayStation, Xbox and PC is the newest on consoles; Tetris: The Grand Master 4 – Absolute Eye (2025) is the newest on PC. A mobile Tetris Block Party soft-launched in 2025 and listed for 2026.
Do you ship outside the Netherlands?
We ship worldwide — to all 27 EU countries with track & trace, and beyond the EU to the US, Switzerland, Liechtenstein, Australia, New Zealand, Hong Kong, Singapore, Israel, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait, Canada, Puerto Rico and almost every other country. Parcels leave from the Netherlands, there are no customs charges within the EU — US and Puerto Rico orders include the import duty up front — and your country’s exact rate appears at checkout before you pay.
Years given are the first release; European dates were sometimes later, and are in the notes where they differ. Mobile versions and most computer ports are left out.
