For detailed information about this series, see: Tetris Wiki
Tetris is a series of video games originally designed and programmed by Alexey Pajitnov in the Soviet Union in 1984. The original Tetris game is also the first game in the Tris series, of which Tetris is a sub-series.
The gameplay consists in stacking the falling shapes, called "Tetrominos", each composed of four blocks, trying to leave the least gaps as possible, since if a full line of blocks is created, it is cleared and awards points, while if the blocks reach the top of the field it's Game Over.
Since they're all puzzle games, most of them don't have any kind of storyline, so it might seem not appropriate to consider it a fictional series, however some of them do have a storyline with characters interacting with the tetrominos, such as Tetris Plus, and others feature the Tetrominos as living beings such as Kids Tetris, so we can say that at least at some point, the Tetris series told a story, making it a fictional series.
Video games
Many Tetris games have been released in the years, and its difficult to say which is a new game, which is a remake, and which is a port of the same game, as most of them are basically the same game with minor changes or extra modes. Here we listed a total of 97 releases:
- Tetris (June 6, 1984), IBM PC.
- TETЯIS: The Soviet Mind Game (1988), NES by Tengen.
- Vs. Tetris (1988), Arcade version of TETЯIS by Tengen.
- Tetris (1988), Arcade by Sega.
- Tetris (June 14, 1989), Game Boy.
- Tetris (November 1989), NES by Nintendo.
- 3-in-1 Super Mario Bros./Tetris/Nintendo World Cup (November 1989), NES.
- Super Tetris (1991), PC.
- Super Tetris 2 + Bombliss (1991), Famicom.
- Tetris Classic (June 1992), DOS.
- Tetris Flash (September 21, 1993), Famicom/NES. Known outside Japan as Tetris 2.
- Tetris Battle Gaiden (December 24, 1993), Super Famicom.
- Tetris & Dr. Mario (December 1994), SNES.
- Super Tetris 3 (December 16, 1994), Super Famicom/SNES.
- V-Tetris (August 25, 1995), Virtual Boy.
- Tetris Blast (January 1, 1996), Game Boy.
- Tetris Plus (1996), Arcade. Later released on Game Boy, PlayStation and Sega Saturn.
- Tetris S (1996), Sega Saturn.
- Tetris Jr. (1996), LCD game.
- 3D Tetris (March 22, 1996), Virtual Boy.
- Tetris Plus 2 (1997), Arcade.
- Tetrisphere (August 11, 1997), Nintendo 64.
- Tetris: The Grand Master (August 1998), Arcade.
- Tetris DX (October 21, 1998), Game Boy Color.
- Tetris 64 (November 13, 1998), Nintendo 64.
- Magical Tetris Challenge Featuring Mickey (November 20, 1998), Nintendo 64. Known outside Japan as Magical Tetris Challenge. Also released on PlayStation and Game Boy Color.
- Tetris 4D (December 23, 1998), DreamCast.
- The Next Tetris (January 7, 1999), PC.
- Kids Tetris (1999), PC.
- The New Tetris (July 31, 1999), Nintendo 64.
- Tetris The Absolute The Grand Master 2 (2000), Arcade.
- Tetris The Absolute The Grand Master 2 PLUS (2000), Arcade.
- Shockwave Tetris (April 20, 2000), Online.
- SuperLite 1500 Series: The Tetris (July 19, 2000), PlayStation.
- Tetris With Cardcaptor Sakura: Eternal Heart (August 10, 2000), PlayStation.
- Sega Tetris (November 23, 2000), Arcade, DreamCast.
- Nintendo Mini Classics: Tetris (November 30, 2000), Game & Watch Mini Classics. Remake of Tetris for the Game Boy, it's the only Mini Classic game to be based on a Game Boy title instead of a Game & Watch game.
- The Next Tetris: Online Edition (December 15, 2000), DreamCast.
- Tetris Worlds (September 5, 2001), PC, Game Boy Advance. Later released on PlayStation 2, GameCube and Xbox.
- Tetris Kiwamemichi (2002), Arcade. Later released on PlayStation 2.
- Tetris (March 18, 2002), WonderSwan Color.
- Pokémon Shock Tetris (March 21, 200), Pokémon Mini. Known as Pokémon Tetris in Europe.
- Tetris Blue (June 3, 2002), mobile phone.
- Tetris Red (June 3, 2002), mobile phone.
- Star Wars: The Clone Wars & Tetris Worlds (2003), Xbox.
- Minna no Soft Series: Tetris Advance (December 28, 2003), Game Boy Advance.
- Lighted Tetris (2004), LCD game.
- Tetris: Tournament for Prizes! (February 4, 2004), mobile phone.
- Tetris Deluxe (March 12, 2004), mobile phone.
- PlayTV Arcade Legends: Tetris (July 30, 2004), Plug-N-Play. Remake of TETЯIS by Tengen.
- Tetris Elements (October 24, 2004), PC.
- Big Screen Tetris (2005), LCD game. A new version of Lighted Tetris.
- Tetris: The Grand Master 3 - Terror-Instinct (March 2005), Arcade.
- Tetris: The Grand Master ACE (December 10, 2005), Xbox 360.
- Tetris Black (2006), Mobile phone.
- Tetris (2006), Blackberry.
- Tetris DS (March 20, 2006), Nintendo DS.
- Tetris Mania (August 24, 2006), mobile phone.
- Tetris (September 12, 2006), iPod.
- Sega Ages 2500 Series Vol.28 Tetris Collection (September 28, 2006), PlayStation 2.
- PlayTV Arcade Legends: Family Tetris (October 2006), Plug-N-Play.
- Tetris Green (2007), Mobile phone.
- Tetris Crystal (2007), Mobile phone.
- Tetris Zone (February 22, 2007), Windows.
- Tetris Evolution (March 19, 2007), Xbox 360.
- Tetris Splash (October 3, 2007), Xbox LIVE Arcade.
- Tetris Friends (2008), Online. Found at tetrisfriends.com
- Tetris Missions 2008 (2008), Mobile phone.
- Tetris Blockout (March 1, 2008), mobile phone.
- Tetris POP (September 8, 2008), mobile phone.
- Tetris Party (October 14, 2008), WiiWare.
- Tetrs Giant (2009), Arcade.
- Tetris 360° (2009), LCD game.
- Tetris (October 1, 2009), PSP Go.
- Tetris Revolution (November 2009), mobile phone.
- Tetris Dekaris (December 2009), Arcade.
- Amagami Tetris (December 2009), Windows. Crossover with the Amagami series.
- Tetris Time (2010), LCD game.
- Tetris Battle (June 2010), Online found at facebook.com.
- Tetris Party Deluxe (September 2010), Wii, Nintendo DS.
- Tetris Party Live (November 22, 2010), Nintendo DSiWare.
- Tetris (January 5, 2011), PS3 PlayStation Network.
- Tetris Axis (October 2, 2011), Nintendo 3DS.
- Tetris (September 1, 2011), iOS, Android. Smartphone version by EA, it was removed from stores on April 21, 2020.
- Tetris Stars (December 9, 2011), Online. Found at facebook.com. Removed on August 31, 2012.
- Tetris Monsters (August 22, 2013), iOS. A puzzle-RPG hybrid.
- Tetris Blitz (August 31, 2013), iOS, Android, Windows Phone.
- Tetris (December 18, 2013), Amazon Fire TV.
- Puyo Puyo Tetris (February 6, 2014), Nintendo 3DS, PlayStation 3, PS Vita, Wii U. Also released on December 4, 2014 for Xbox One and PlayStation 4, on March 3, 2017 for Nintendo Switch, and on January 5, 2018 for Nintendo Switch boundled with Sonic Forces as 2 Hits Pack: Sonic Forces / Puyo Puyo Tetris.
- Tetris Battle: Fusion (June 6, 2014), Amazon Fire TV, Ouya.
- Tetris Ultimate (November 11, 2014), Nintendo 3DS, PlayStation 4, PS Vita, Xbox One, PC.
- Tetris Effect (November 9, 2018), PlayStation 4. Also released for PC in 2019.
- Tetris 99 (February 13, 2019), Nintendo Switch.
- Tetris x Hello Kitty (June 3, 2019), online. Found at tetris.com
- Tetris M1ND BEND3R (November 13, 2019), online. Found at mindgamers.redbull.com
- Tetris Royale (December 20, 2019), iOS, Android.
- Tetris (January 23, 2020), iOS, Android. Smartphone version by N3TWORK Inc.
Additionally the game Tetris Attack, released in August 1996 for SNES/Super Famicom and Game Boy is often considered part of the series, but since it's actually just the western release of Yoshi no Panepon with the name "Tetris" added to it, we don't consider it a proper entry in the Tetris series.
Board Games
Three Tetris board games have been released:
- Tetris Tower 3D (2004).
- Tetris Cube (2009).
- Tetris Link (2011).
Merchandise
Not many official Tetris items have been released. These include:
- Game Center Bank 3 Minute Tetris (2008). A moneybox shaped like an arcade cabinet that plays a Tetris game every time a coin is inserted.
- Tetris 25th Anniversary (2009). T-shirts, caps and other items celebrating the game's 25th anniversary.
- Tetris Gems (2010). Actual valuable pendants, earrings and rings shaped like Tetrominos.
- Tetris x Hello Kitty (2019). A series of items themed after
Links to other series
Despite Tetris being a sub-series of the Tris series, all link pages on this wiki refer to Tetris instead of Tris, because of Tetris being much more popular than Tris in general, because there only are four Tris games that are not "Tetris" and because many people actually consider the other Tris games part of the Tetris series.
Note: aside from direct crossovers, we count type 1 links when Tetrominos appear as real elements in other series, or when characters from other series directly interact with the tetrominos within a Tetris game; if a Tetris game simply has a theme from another series, it is counted as a type 2 link, considering those themes just images of a fictional series within the Tetris game.
Mascot link: Miis appear in Tetris Party and Tetris: Axis.
| Direction | Series | Date | Description | Type
|
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
|
Flash Point (Sega) | 1989 | Flash Point is a clone of Tetris; they were released together in Sega Tetris Arcade in Sega Ages 2500 Series Vol.28 Tetris Collection. |
3 |
|
|
Bloxeed | 1989 | Bloxeed is a clone of Tetris; they were released together in Sega Tetris Arcade in Sega Ages 2500 Series Vol.28 Tetris Collection. |
3 |
|
Mario | June 14, 1989 | Mario and Luigi make an appearance in Tetris for Game Boy and, with Peach and Bowser in Tetris for NES. Mario also fights Tetrominos in Tetris DS. |
1 |
|
|
Donkey Kong | November 1989 | Donkey Kong makes an appearance in Tetris for NES and in Tetris DS. |
1 |
|
|
Zelda | November 1989 | Link makes an appearance in Tetris for NES and in Tetris DS. |
1 |
|
|
Metroid | November 1989 | Samus makes an appearance in Tetris for NES; Metroids appear as obstacles in Tetris DS. |
1 |
|
|
Kid Icarus | November 1989 | Pit makes an appearance in Tetris for NES. |
1 |
|
|
Nintendo World Cup | November 1989 | Nintendo World Cup and Tetris have been released in the same cartdrige in 3-in-1 Super Mario Bros./Tetris/Nintendo World Cup |
3 |
|
Nintendo World Championships | 1990 | A version of Tetris for the NES is included in Nintendo World Championships. |
3 |
|
|
Qix | April 13, 1990 | Multiplayer mode in the Game Boy version of Qix is based on Multiplayer mode from the Game Boy version of Tetris. |
3 |
|
|
Captain N | October 13, 1990 | The Captain N episodes "The Trouble With Tetris" and "Totally Tetrisized" feature elements from Tetris. |
1 |
|
|
Lemmings | 1993 | The level "Lemtris" in Lemmings 2: The Tribes features blocks shaped like tetrominos. | 2 |
|
|
StarTropics | March 1994 | StarTropics II features a reference to Tetris. | 3 |
|
|
Panel de Pon | August 1996 | The Western release of Yoshi no Panepon uses the name "Tetris Attack". |
3 |
|
|
Dragonseeds | September 30, 1998 | Having a saved data of Tetris Plus unlocks the special "Professor" dragon in Dragonseeds. | 3 |
|
|
Mickey Mouse | November 20, 1998 | Magical Tetris Challenge Featuring Mickey is part of both series. | 1 |
|
|
Cardcaptor Sakura | August 10, 2000 | Tetris With Cardcaptor Sakura: Eternal Heart is part of both series. | 1 |
|
|
Pokémon | March 21, 2002 | Pokémon Shock Tetris is part of both series. |
1 |
|
|
Star Wars | 2003 | The game Star Wars: The Clone Wars has been released in compilation with Tetris Worlds. | 3 |
|
|
Asterix | October 16, 2005 | In Asterix & Obelix XXL 2: Mission: Las Vegum there are some references to Tetris. |
3 |
|
|
The Simpsons | December 11, 2005 | The Simpsons episode "The Italian Bob" and some other episodes feature references to Tetris. |
2 |
|
|
Famicom Robot | March 20, 2006 | Professor Hector from Stack-Up and Gyromite appears in Tetris DS to give instructions to the player. |
1 |
|
|
Balloon Fight | March 20, 2006 | Touch Mode of Tetris DS has a Balloon Fight theme. |
2 |
|
|
Yoshi | March 20, 2006 | Puzzle Mode of Tetris DS has a Yoshi's Cookie theme. Additionally the Western release of Yoshi no Panepon uses the name "Tetris Attack". |
2 |
|
|
Ice Climber | March 20, 2006 | One of the themes in Standard Mode of Tetris DS is based on Ice Climber. |
2 |
|
|
Excite | March 20, 2006 | One of the themes in Standard Mode of Tetris DS is based on Excitebike. |
2 |
|
|
Devil World | March 20, 2006 | One of the themes in Standard Mode of Tetris DS is based on Devil World. |
2 |
|
|
Urban Champion | March 20, 2006 | One of the themes in Standard Mode of Tetris DS is based on Urban Champion. |
2 |
|
|
Duck Hunt | March 20, 2006 | One of the themes in Standard Mode of Tetris DS is based on Duck Hunt. |
2 |
|
|
Wario | December 02, 2006 | The "Opening Night" microgame in WarioWare: Smooth Moves may be based on the ending for the NES version of Tetris. |
3 |
|
|
Aoi Sekai no Chushin de | July 30, 2007 | Tejirof in Aoi Sekai no Chushin de is based on Tetris. | 3 |
|
|
Sim | January 15, 2008 | The Sims Carnival: SnapCity includes gameplay elements from Tetris. | 3 |
|
|
Angry Video Game Nerd | February 19, 2008 | The Angry Video Game Nerd reviews 3D Tetris in the episode "Virtual Boy". | 2 |
|
|
Blockout | March 01, 2008 | Tetris Blockout is a crossover beteen the two series. | 1 |
|
|
The Big Bang Theory | May 12, 2008 | In The Big Bang Theory episode "The Peanut Reaction" Sheldon and Raj are seen playing Tetris. | 2 |
|
|
3D Dot Game Heroes | November 05, 2009 | 3D Dot Game Heroes features a loading screen based on Tetris. | 3 |
|
|
Amagami | December 2009 | Amagami Tetris is part of both series. | 1 |
|
|
Scott Pilgrim | August 13, 2010 | The movie Scott Pilgrim vs. The World features a reference to Tetris. | 2 |
|
|
Bomberman | October 2, 2011 | Bomberman appears as the computer opponent in Tetris Axis; a Bomberman sprite is also featured in the Shadow Mode of Tetris Party. | 1 |
|
|
Video Game High School | May 11, 2012 | The VGHS logo features tetronimos from Tetris. | 2 |
|
|
Angry Birds | July 26, 2012 | Angry Birds Space features a level based on Tetris | 3 |
|
|
Brickleberry | October 9, 2012 | Tetris is referenced in the Brickleberry episode "Saved by the Balls". | 3 |
|
|
Puyo Puyo | February 6, 2014 | Puyo Puyo Tetris is a crossover between the two series. | 1 |
|
|
Sonic | February 6, 2014 | Puyo Puyo Tetris features a special mode with Puyo shaped like Sonic characters. | 2 |
|
|
Star vs. the Forces of Evil | January 18, 2015 | In the Star vs. the Forces of Evil episode "Party with a Pony", the square-heads made a reference to Tetris after being tackled by guards. | 3 |
|
|
Pixels | July 24, 2015 | The Tetrominos appear among the many videogame characters in the movie, Pixels. | 1 |
|
|
Board James | September 5, 2015 | Board James reviews the Tetris board game in the episode "Video Games!!" | 2 |
|
|
Chuchel | March 7, 2018 | Tetris is referenced in Chuchel. | 3 |
|
|
Hello Kitty | June 3, 2019 | Tetris x Hello Kitty is a crossover between the two series. | 1 |
|
|
Splatoon | July 12, 2019 | Tetris 99 featured a Splatoon 2 theme during a limited event. | 2 |
|
|
Fire Emblem | August 23, 2019 | Tetris 99 featured a Fire Emblem: Three Houses theme during a limited event. | 2 |
|
|
Kirby | September 20, 2019 | Tetris 99 featured a Super Kirby Clash theme during a limited event. | 2 |
|
|
Super Smash Bros. | October 25, 2019 | Tetris 99 spirits are featured in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. |
1 |
|
|
Luigi | October 25, 2019 | Tetris 99 featured a Luigi's Mansion 3 theme during a limited event. | 2 |
|
|
Simple Samosa | 2020 | Tetris is referenced in the Simple Samosa episode "Khelo Samosa". | 2.5 |
|
|
Ring Fit Adventure | April 24, 2020 | Tetris 99 featured a Ring Fit Adventure theme during a limited event. | 2 |
|
|
Animal Crossing | May 15, 2020 | Tetris 99 featured an Animal Crossing: New Horizons theme during a limited event. | 2 |
