Falling blocks
Pieces fall one at a time: move them, rotate them, and fit them together to complete lines. Every ten lines the game speeds up, and your best score is saved in your browser.
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It only travels inside the link: it is not stored on any server.
Arrow keys move and lower the piece. Up or X rotates, Z rotates the other way, Space drops it, C holds, and P pauses. On a phone, swipe sideways, tap to rotate, and swipe down.
How to play
- Each piece is made of four squares. Move it, rotate it, and fit it in to complete rows with no gaps.
- Complete rows disappear and score points; every ten lines you move up a level and the pieces fall faster.
- You can hold a piece once per fall. The next three pieces are shown on the right.
- The game ends when the pieces reach the top and there is no room for the next one.
Your stats
How to use it
- Press Space, tap the board, or select Start to begin.
- Move the piece with the left and right arrow keys, or swipe sideways. Rotate it with the up arrow, X and Z, or by tapping the board.
- Drop faster with the down arrow or by swiping down. With Space, or a quick swipe down, the piece drops all the way at once.
- Complete rows with no gaps to clear them and score points. Press C or Shift to hold the piece for later.
Frequently asked questions
How do you play falling blocks?
One piece of four squares falls at a time. You move and rotate it to fit it at the bottom. When a row is complete, with no gaps, it disappears and everything above it moves down. The game ends when the pieces stack all the way to the top and there is no room for the next one.
How does scoring work?
Clearing one line gives 100 points, two at once 300, three 500, and four 800, all multiplied by your level. You also get one point for every row you move down with a soft drop and two for every row of a hard drop.
What is the hold piece for?
Press C or Shift to store the current piece and bring out the one you had stored, or the next piece if there was none. You can use it once per falling piece, so it works best for the piece that does not fit right now.
Can I play on my phone?
Yes. Swipe sideways to move, tap the board to rotate, swipe down to lower the piece, and swipe down quickly to drop it all the way. You can also turn on the on-screen buttons, which are at least 44 pixels wide.
What is the ghost piece?
It is the outline that shows where the piece would land if you dropped it now. It helps you aim without waiting for the piece to fall, and you can turn it off in the options if you want more of a challenge.
Where is my best score saved?
Only in your own browser. Nothing is sent to a server, and if you clear the site data your record is cleared too.
Game rules
- There are seven different pieces, each made of four squares. They come in bags of seven: every bag has all of them once, in random order, so you never go long without the piece you need.
- On the right you can see the next three pieces, and on the left the one you are holding.
- When a piece rests on the floor or on another piece, you have half a second to move or rotate it before it locks in place.
- If a piece hits a wall or another piece when it rotates, the game tries small shifts so the rotation can still happen.
How scoring works
One line is worth 100 points, two lines at once 300, three 500, and four 800. Those values are multiplied by your level. Every ten lines you move up a level and the pieces fall faster. A soft drop adds one point per row and a hard drop adds two.
Strategy tips
- Keep the surface as flat as you can: deep wells and covered holes are what end most games.
- Leave one column open at an edge and save the long pieces to clear four lines at once, which is the highest-scoring move.
- Always look at the next piece before deciding where to place the current one.
- Use hold to keep a long piece until you need it, not to get out of trouble every turn.
- Use the ghost piece to check the exact spot before you drop a piece all the way.
Controls
Left and right arrow keys to move, down arrow to lower the piece, up arrow or X to rotate clockwise, Z to rotate counterclockwise, Space for a hard drop, C or Shift to hold, and P or Esc to pause. On a phone, swipe sideways, tap to rotate, and swipe down, or use the on-screen buttons. The game pauses on its own if you switch tabs.
Updated on October 12, 2026