Tetris (Game Boy)

Released 14 June 1989 Developer Nintendo R&D1 Publisher Nintendo

Blocks made of four squares fall down a narrow well, and you slide and rotate them so they fill complete rows, which then disappear. A-Type never ends and gets faster as you go, B-Type finishes after 25 lines, and two players can battle by linking two Game Boys. It suits every age.

Money health FairPay clearly, know the ceiling

Addictive design None0 of 5 — counts the hooks designed in

Average price —no price listed yet

Spending ceiling Has a ceilingYou can buy it all

How it makes money

Fair: pay clearly, know the ceiling

Tetris was bundled with the Game Boy console in North America and Europe, and sold as a cartridge elsewhere; Nintendo no longer sells it new. Today the official way to play this version in Australia is the Game Boy library in Nintendo Switch Online: A$29.95 for 12 months, or A$5.95 per 30 days, for an individual membership, which also allows online two-player games. It is not sold separately and you lose access when the membership ends. The game has no ads, timers or in-game purchases.

How you pay

Our verdict

Fair · Pay clearly, know the ceiling

You know what you are paying for before you pay, and there is a limit to what the game can take.

Set by the worst badge central to how it makes money (minor extras count only if rated Caution or worse). How we rate

Addictive design

None

Little: A-Type is endless high-score chasing, so "one more game" is the pull, but nothing in the game tries to sell you anything.

Not a medical measure. It counts the engagement hooks deliberately built into the game — timers, streaks, limited-time pressure, paid randomness. How it's scored

Spending ceiling

There is a ceiling: you can buy everything the game sells.

What it costs

Price: —

What	Where	Price	Checked
Individual membership, 12 months (Game Boy library) Standard Nintendo Switch Online tier; the game is not sold separately and is only playable while the membership is active.	Nintendo Switch Online (AU) ↗	A$29.95/year	Oct 2026
Individual membership, 30 days Renewal price shown on the Nintendo membership page after the free 7-day trial.	Nintendo Switch Online (AU) ↗	A$5.95/30 days	Oct 2026

Store prices change often and sales are common; we record the regular price on the date shown.

Reviews from across the web

What the critics said

8/ 10

Nintendo Life ↗

Corbs · 23 December 2011 · 3DS eShop (Game Boy)

Called the Game Boy version arguably the most loved Tetris and worth another look, while finding the 3DS download pricey for the content and lacking multiplayer.

Scores belong to the outlets that published them; follow the links to read the full reviews. Summaries are ours.

Age ratings

Classification

No classification recorded yet.

Safety & parental controls

Who can talk to your child, and what can they buy?

No chat
No contact with strangers
No user-made content
Needs an online account

No violence or text. On Switch Online the Game Boy library supports two-player play locally or online with friends ("join with friends via local wireless or online" on Nintendo's page), and on Switch 2 the separate GameChat feature adds voice and screen sharing with friends. A Nintendo Account and a paid membership are needed. I could not find an individual Australian classification for this game.

Platforms & release

Where you can play it

Platform	Released	Store
Nintendo Switch 2 Game Boy - Nintendo Classics also runs on Switch 2.	—	Store page ↗
Nintendo Switch Game Boy - Nintendo Classics, included with Nintendo Switch Online.	8 February 2023	Store page ↗
Game Boy Japan 14 June 1989; North America 31 July 1989 (bundled with the Game Boy); Europe September 1990.	14 June 1989	—