Tetra is a falling-block puzzle you play with a single button. Each piece slides left and right across the well by itself, bouncing off the walls and the stack while it slowly falls. Press to pin it over the column you want. Let go quickly to rotate it, or keep holding to slam it straight down. Fill a row edge to edge and it clears. Clear four at once for a TETRA. It speeds up as you play, and from about 50 seconds in, garbage rows start pushing up from the bottom. There's a new piece order every day, and friends' ghosts climb the line ladder beside the well.
How to play Tetra
- Watch the piece slide across the well. The arrow shows which way it's heading.
- Tap to rotate it. Pressing pins it in place for a moment, so the column doesn't change while you tap.
- Hold to slam it straight down into the column it's over. The dashed outline shows where it will land.
- Fill a whole row to clear it. Every row is a line. If the stack reaches the top, the run is over.
Tips to get a high score
- Rotate first, then wait for the right column. The piece always comes back the other way.
- Press a beat early. The moment you touch, the piece stops sliding, so you have the whole hold to commit.
- Leave a one-wide gap at the side and save long pieces for it to clear four lines at once.
- Clearing pieces back to back builds a combo, and every fourth combo or TETRA drops a coin.
- Clearing a line while the stack is above the red dashed line counts as a CLOSE save.
How the well speeds up
Two speeds ramp up over the first 80 seconds or so. The slide goes from about a quarter of a second per column to about a ninth. Gravity goes from half a second per row to under a fifth. Late in a run a piece crosses the whole well in about a second, so you get far fewer passes to line it up.
Garbage starts about 50 seconds in. After that, every piece you place counts toward the next grey row. At first one rises every 11 pieces. By about 80 seconds it's every 5, and over the next minute and a half it drops to every 3. Each grey row has a single random gap.
The pieces themselves are fair. They come in sets of seven with one of each shape in every set, so you never wait long for a long bar. The first piece is never an S or Z, and the NEXT box on the right shows what's coming.
What lines are really worth
Your score is simply the number of lines you clear. A TETRA of four rows scores four, the same as four single clears. What it adds is a coin and a big drop in your stack in one go.
The combo counts pieces in a row that each clear at least one line, and every fourth one drops a coin too. Coins are only for hats, so don't hold out for a TETRA when the stack is getting tall. Two quick doubles are worth just as many points and are far safer.
Garbage changes how you build. Every grey row lifts the whole stack, so a flat, low stack is worth more than a tall one with a perfect well. Clearing a garbage row through its gap is one more line on your score.
Pin, spin and slam
Every press pins the piece where it is. Let go within about a sixth of a second and it rotates. Keep holding past that and it slams straight down into that column. Gravity keeps working while you're pinned, so a slow series of taps still lets the piece sink.
Pieces take turns starting out to the right and to the left. Before you rotate, check the arrow, and decide whether the piece will reach your column on this pass or after bouncing back.
When a piece lands without a slam, you have about half a second before it locks. Each rotation resets that time, up to 15 times per piece. A tap or two on a piece that's already resting can still twist it into a tight spot.
Daily levels and ghost races
Today's Tetra level is the same for everyone, and you race the ghosts of other players' runs. How daily levels and challenges work.
FAQ
How do I move the piece left or right?
You don't steer it. It slides back and forth on its own, and you press when it's over the column you want. A tap rotates it, and a hold drops it there.
Why are grey rows appearing at the bottom?
From about 50 seconds in, garbage rows with one gap rise from the bottom every few pieces, and they come faster over time. Clear lines to stay ahead of them.
Is it free?
Yes. Every Tapamine game is free to play in your browser with no download and no account.
Does it work on my phone?
Yes. Tapamine is built for phones first: portrait, one thumb, and it works offline after your first visit. It also works with a mouse or the spacebar on a computer.
How do challenges work?
After a run, tap “Challenge a friend” to send a link. Your friend plays the exact same level and races your ghost — a replay of your run — to see who wins.
Add Tetra to your site
Tetra is free to embed on your blog, class page or website. Paste this code:
<iframe src="https://tapamine.com/embed/tetra/" title="Tetra: free one-tap game" width="360" height="640" style="border:0;border-radius:16px;max-width:100%" allow="autoplay; fullscreen; web-share" loading="lazy"></iframe>