Tetris (Tetorisu): Every Version & Where to Play

Tetris was created by Alexey Pajitnov, who wrote the first version on an Elektronika 60 computer while working at the Computing Centre of the USSR Academy of Sciences in Moscow. The name joins "tetra" (four, after the four-square pieces) with tennis, Pajitnov's favorite sport. Sixteen-year-old Vadim Gerasimov helped port the game to the IBM PC and added color, and by 1986 nearly everyone in Moscow with an IBM computer had played it.

The first commercial Western releases came from Mirrorsoft in the UK on 27 January 1988 and Spectrum HoloByte in the US on 29 January 1988. Tengen's NES Tetris went on sale in May 1989 but was pulled after a court injunction in June, and about 268,000 cartridges were recalled and destroyed. Nintendo's own NES version has been used in the Classic Tetris World Championship since 2010.

Game Boy Tetris, bundled with the console in North America and Europe, has sold about 35 million copies, more than any other version. It was the first Game Boy game to use the Game Link Cable for two-player battles, and its A-Type music, the Russian folk song "Korobeiniki", became the theme of the whole series. Guinness lists Tetris as the most ported video game, on at least 70 platforms.¹²³⁴⁵

Names and releases

Region	Title on the box	Platform	Date	Publisher	Src
NA	Tetris	MS-DOS	Jan 29, 1988	Spectrum HoloByte	²
NA	Tetris	Arcade	February 1989	Atari Games	³
NA	TetrisUnlicensed Tengen version; withdrawn after a June 1989 court injunction, about 268,000 cartridges recalled	NES	May 17, 1989	Tengen	²
NA	TetrisPack-in with the Game Boy	Game Boy	Jul 31, 1989	Nintendo	⁴
NA	TetrisNintendo's licensed NES version	NES	November 1989	Nintendo	⁵
NA	TetrisGame Boy version on Virtual Console, same day in Europe; delisted in NA/EU after 31 Dec 2014	Nintendo 3DS	Dec 22, 2011	Nintendo	⁴
SU	ТетрисOriginal Elektronika 60 version by Alexey Pajitnov at the Computing Centre of the USSR Academy of Sciences; not sold commercially. 6 June 1984 is the commonly cited date; sources vary (1984-1985)	Other	June 1984	—	¹
SU	TetrisIBM PC port by Vadim Gerasimov and Alexey Pajitnov; spread quickly through Moscow	MS-DOS	1986	AcademySoft	⁶
EU	TetrisFirst commercial Western release, UK (home computers)	Other	Jan 27, 1988	Mirrorsoft	²
JP	テトリスTetorisuFamicom; first home console port	NES	Dec 22, 1988	Bullet-Proof Software	⁷
JP	テトリスTetorisu	Game Boy	Jun 14, 1989	Nintendo	⁴
EU	Tetris	NES	Feb 23, 1990	Nintendo	⁵
EU	Tetris	Game Boy	Sep 28, 1990	Nintendo	⁴
JP	テトリスGame Boy version on Virtual Console	Nintendo 3DS	Dec 28, 2011	Nintendo	⁴
WW	TetrisGame Boy version in Nintendo Switch Online (Nintendo Classics), with online multiplayer	Switch	Feb 8, 2023	Nintendo	⁴
WW	Tetris ForeverCompilation with a recreation of the Elektronika 60 original, the AcademySoft and Spectrum HoloByte DOS versions and the BPS Famicom version; also on Switch, PS4/PS5, Xbox One/Series	Windows	Nov 12, 2024	Digital Eclipse	⁸

Also known as: Тетрис RU¹テトリス JP⁹Tetorisu JP⁹

Box art by region

NA Tetris
JP テトリス

Box art © its publishers, shown to identify each release. Scans: libretro-thumbnails.

Version differences

GraphicsElektronika 60 original

The first version ran on a text-only Soviet computer: the pieces were drawn with characters (later square brackets) in monochrome, and the three-digit score display wraps around after 999.¹⁰
GameplayDOS v1.0 (1986)DOS v3.12

Version 1.0 of the AcademySoft PC game ran at a speed that depended on the machine and only let players choose a level; v3.12 fixed the speed and added a pause key, a garbage-start option and a "phantom" mode.¹¹
GameplayFamicom (BPS, 1988)

Bullet-Proof Software's Famicom version maps Down to rotate and A to hard drop, has no soft drop, and is built around rounds and stages with three lives.¹²

All differences (8)

Translations

Spanish Official

Digital Eclipse2024Windows · Tetris Forever compilationReleased

Tetris Forever, the 2024 compilation that includes the early Soviet and DOS versions, has a Spanish (Spain) interface and subtitles.¹³

Where to play legally today

Nintendo Switch Online Subscription

Tetris (NES)

Nintendo's 1989 NES version

Checked: 2026-10-13¹⁴nintendo.com
Nintendo Switch Online Subscription

Tetris (Game Boy)

1989 Game Boy version

Checked: 2026-10-13¹⁵nintendo.com
GOG Purchase

Tetris Forever

Same compilation as on Steam

Checked: 2026-10-13¹⁶gog.com
Steam Purchase

Tetris Forever

Compilation: Elektronika 60 recreation, AcademySoft and Spectrum HoloByte DOS versions, BPS Famicom version and more

Checked: 2026-10-13⁸store.steampowered.com

How to run it today

The easiest legal way to play the earliest Soviet and PC versions is the Tetris Forever compilation on Steam, GOG and consoles, which includes a recreation of the Elektronika 60 original and the 1986 AcademySoft DOS version. The NES and Game Boy versions are available on Nintendo Switch Online.

Tetris Forever on Steam store.steampowered.com
Tetris Forever on GOG gog.com

⁸

Reception

The Game Boy version alone has sold about 35 million copies, more than any other version, and Nintendo's NES version sold around 8 million by 2004. The Tetris Company reports 520 million copies across all versions as of December 2024.²

In lists

Games made in Russia and the USSR

Sources

Checked: 2026-10-13Text reviewed: 2026-10-13

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