Get ready to arrange the items on your desk into neat little lines as we delve into the best Tetris games of all time!
If there’s one title that pretty much every human in the world has played, seen, or heard about, it’s Tetris. Cited as the King of the puzzlers and the inspiration behind many other titles, Tetris is simple to play and impossible to put down.
Whether you came to the series back on the NES or Gameboy or just found out about it through an iOS app, Tetris is here to stay and continues to bring elation and frustration to gamers everywhere.
But which are the best Tetris titles on the market. Did you even know that there was more than one variation, let alone 10?
There are so many spin-offs to this classic franchise that we found it hard to choose our favourites, but we’ve picked the 10 best versions of Tetris that we constantly return to below.
Enjoy, and happy blockbusting!
Table of Contents
1. The New Tetris (1999)
The New Tetris is the best Tetris game of all time, hands down, end of story.
The rest of the Tetris games in this list are great, but The New Tetris has it all. An epic multiplayer, cool themed backgrounds, amazing music, and block-slotting sounds; it’s the best!
My mum and I used to play this for hours when I was a kid. Sometimes, and this is no joke, she’d already be playing when I got up in a morning so she could get the practice in.
Why is this game the best of the best when it comes to Tetris? It’s simple; all those lines you make actually count for something in this game.
Amass lines and build different wonders from around the world. You can see your progress at each stage and build your numbers through solo and multiplayer modes.
And it’s not just a couple here or thirty there; we’re talking thousands and thousands.
Essentially, it adds an extra element to the game and a reason to keep playing. Also, the cool silver and gold squares that could be built by using certain shapes were a nice touch.
I won’t have a bad thing said about this game. It’s one of the best N64 games, and I will never get bored of it!
2. Tetris Effect (2018)
Tetris Effect takes the Number 2 spot on this list of the best Tetris games of all time, and what a mind-melter it is!
The term ‘Tetris Effect’ is used to describe people thinking, dreaming, and being plagued by sorting images and thoughts into patterns. Well, in this game, the overall experience is magnified by bright, neon colours, pumping music, and the ability to play in VR.
Try to avoid the Tetris Effect when you’re literally experiencing each block falling in virtual reality!
The game looks unreal on the PS4 and many critics cited it as the best Tetris game since sliced Tetris bread first came out (that’s not a thing).
With thirty stages and new abilities such as dropping multiple pieces at once for maximum line clearage, this Tetris game boldly goes where no Tetris game has ever gone before!
3. Puyo Puyo Tetris (2014)
Puyo Puyo Tetris shows what happens when two incredible forces collide. Combining the might of Tetris and the Puyo Puyo series, this Sega published game is one heck of a title and makes for fresh and exciting gameplay.
Visually, everything about this game is non-threatening. It’s bright, it’s friendly, it’s quirky, and it’s fun. It’s the perfect game to play as a family and looks super crisp on all the modern systems.
But how does Puyo Puyo Tetris work? Well, it’s based on both games so has elements of each. Puyo Puyo works like Columns and Dr Robotnik’s Mean Bean Machine, matching coloured blobs.
Tetris works the same as it always does, so you shouldn’t have any surprises there!
Players can compete against one another, choosing whichever game style they wish. It’s all drop based action in the end!
4. Tetris DS (2006)
Bizarrely, this Tetris DS supports 10 mates playing at once. Can you imagine anything more hectic than a 10-player game of Tetris? Oh wait, there is Tetris 99 I suppose.
Ok, I can imagine a dozen things more hectic, but it’s still gonna be pretty chaotic.
The main USP of this game is the Nintendo-themed character modes. Players can play Tetris next to a pic of their favourite pixelated character on the lower screen while said character loops levels on the top screen.
I know that sounds a bit of a cop out, but it’s actually really cool.
I’m also a big fan of the touch mode where players use the stylus to control the Tetris pieces. It gets you into the arcade action with a modern twist!
Catch Mode, Puzzle Mode, and of course the crazy Multiplayer Mode all make this game a must-have for anyone still rocking a Nintendo DS, which should be 100% of our readers.
5. Tetris (Game Boy) (1989)
If Tetris on the NES is one of the most iconic home console versions of the game, then the Tetris Game Boy port has to be one of the best Tetris title to ever grace handheld consoles.
It’s safe to say that 99.9% of Game Boy users had a copy of this game. It’s usually the case when games come bundled with a console, and anyone who bought the original grey DMG probably bagged Tetris too.
Weirdly, kids thought this game was dull back in the day. WHAT WERE THEY THINKING! Now it’s all the rage again, along with Rubik’s Cubes and other stuff that isn’t cool but is… or something.
Just look at that screen. That sums up my childhood. Yes, I was one of the weird kids that liked Tetris, and my mum and I used to battle it out to see who was the best.
Whether tinged with green or black and white, this game is absolutely epic. That music still gets me and will forever more.
You’re all humming the tune now, aren’t you?
6. Tetris (NES) (1989)
Just look at that cover! Tetris (NES) came out 5 years after the original Tetris dropped in the USSR. Dubbed ‘The Soviet Mind Game’, this little slice of the golden age of gaming on the NES is retro Tetris at its finest.
This NES game is important for a number of reasons, not least for propelling Nintendo’s name in the gaming world. It might not have been the original Tetris, but it certainly helped to boost the game’s popularity.
For me, this is one of the quintessential versions of the game. Don’t get me wrong; I like the ones with the bells and whistles to spruce things up, but there’s something about the raw simplicity of this version that you just can’t help but love.
Those retro tunes, the simple visuals, the addictive multiplayer battles. Yep, everything about this version of Tetris is perfect.
It’s an easy to pick up, hard to put down NES title that everyone needs.
7. Tetris Party (2008)
Tetris Party never released as a Wii game as such; it was a Wii Ware title and spawned the popular Tetris Party Deluxe series. We’re talking about the original in this section though as it’s the best.
Ok, the main core of the game is Tetris. I don’t need to keep telling you how Tetris works. Just go to the top and re-read before coming back if you’re confused.
The different gimmick that makes this game fun is the inclusion of Mii’s and the ability to use the Wii Balance Board.
That’s right; gamers can work out at the same time as blasting lines, working their core to move the Tetris shapes left and right as well as spinning them around.
There are 15 different modes to play through including a Shadow reveal mode where players create an image, and a Block Building level where gamers help a man to reach the top of the screen.
It looks good, it’s got some quirky stages, and it’s a nice title to play with mates.
8. Tetris Axis (2011)
What could be better than playing Tetris? Playing it in 3D, that’s what!
Yes, seeing blocks tumbling towards you and screaming every time you think you’re about to get squashed is as good as life gets, folks. This Nintendo 3DS take on Tetris is a nice interpretation of the classic title and boasts super-crisp visuals.
In a bid to spice up Tetris, this game has 20 different modes for gamers to play through.
For example, one of the Party Modes called Jigsaw has players making a Picross-style puzzle by dropping shapes into the right spaces. There’s also a Tower Climber mode and two Augmented Reality modes for the Tron fans.
Don’t worry; you can still play in 2D mode, but where is the fun in that!
9. Tetrisphere (1997)
You know how some people say ‘If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it?’ Well, Tetrisphere proves that that little nugget of information isn’t always true!
In a Zoocube-style mix up, Tetrisphere takes everything we know about Tetris and switches it up. As the name might suggest, this is all about playing Tetris in a sphere as opposed to the normal line-drop format.
I like games that mix things up a little, and Tetrisphere mixes things up A LOT. Instead of providing gamers with a 2D screen, they have to get rid of blocks as though peeling apart a Terry’s Chocolate Orange in space.
The aim of the game is to get to the centre of the circle by removing the famous Tetris block shapes. It’s innovative, which makes it a little like Marmite for many gamers.
Expect exploding pieces, epic music, and a lot of head scratching. If you’ve played the standard format to death, then give this a go!
10. Tetris Battle Gaiden (1993)
Tetris Battle Gaiden takes the first spot on this list of the best Tetris games of all time. Whoever would have thought that a puzzle/fighting combo could have worked so well!
I should mention at this point that this game only ever came out in Japan, so you’ll need a Japanese machine if you want to test this one out for size.
I should also point out that there isn’t any actual fighting in this game per say. It’s all about battling another opponent in multiplayer madness, sending garbage onto the other persons screen and really messing things up for them.
That’s tantamount to a smack in the face any day of the week!
Like the Puyo Puyo series, different characters appear in the game screen area. Players can use special moves for each character by collecting orbs. It’s like a fatality in Mortal Kombat but in line-block form!
