# Tetris

22 Hacker News commenters recommended Tetris and 10 criticized it, November 2025 to November 2026. It was recommended in 11 of 13 months. It meets the Hacker Approved badge rule.

**Verdict:** Simple, addictive falling-block puzzle game people still replay for its strong core design; main caveat is ads and clunky older versions.

## Why people recommend it

- Enduring classic still widely played (3 comments): "There’s a reason the original Mario Bros and Tetris are still revered and played to this day." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48158566)) "the concept behind Tetris itself is good, so I wouldn't call it a fluke" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50146431)) "tetris, doom, minecraft will be remembered for centuries/millenia" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46763104))
- Active community and global leaderboards (2 comments): "there's a thriving community around NES Tetris for instance" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46822754)) "still have active global leaderboards" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48258123))
- Relaxing and fun to play (2 comments): "It's pretty nice to zone out with." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48297939)) "Tetris is a fun one to try!" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47723056))

## What people warn about

- Ads and gambling in versions (2 comments): "I'd gladly pay for an ad-free version, but they don't have it." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49262992)) "loaded up Tetris with gambling and ads" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45873999))
- Film adds nonsense and was awful (3 comments): "adds all sorts of nonsense about the KGB being involved in everything from the start" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49861433)) "It was definitely a bit much in places, but it was a fun dramatization" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49860114)) "the Tetris film was awful" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49859797))
- Older versions feel clunky and dated (3 comments): "I bought every single official Tetris version and they all suck in conparison." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49267937)) "It's not an old version of Tetris, so many of the niceties of modern Tetris are absents." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49372364)) "the old versions feel so clunky and awkward" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48806271))

## Alternatives hackers recommend

- [Outer Wilds](https://hackerapproved.com/p/outer-wilds.md): 65 recommend
- [enclose.horse](https://hackerapproved.com/p/enclose-horse.md): 64 recommend
- [The Witness](https://hackerapproved.com/p/witness.md): 60 recommend
- [Braid](https://hackerapproved.com/p/braid.md): 36 recommend
- [Blue Prince](https://hackerapproved.com/p/blue-prince.md): 30 recommend

## Cite as

Hacker Approved, "Tetris", https://hackerapproved.com/p/tetris/ (counts from 1,795,640 Hacker News comments, November 2025 to November 2026).