“Simple to play, impossible to master”: how Tetris is reinventing itself as an esport

Created by Soviet programmer Alexey Pajitnov in 1984, Tetris gained global recognition following its 1989 NES release and has been a cultural icon ever since.

However, despite its over 40-year life span, Tetris continues to evolve to attract modern audiences. Whilst it began as a simple puzzle game, Tetris has developed a high-octane esports ecosystem, blending nostalgia, mechanical mastery, and innovative production.

As Tetris looks to redefine its image as a modern esports title, Esports Insider attended the Red Bull Tetris World Final 2025 to delve into the game’s competitive history, the company’s relationship with Red Bull and its brave ambitions.  

While the concept of Tetris is quite simple, its addictive gameplay helped it spread across multiple platforms. In its early days, players around the world chased high scores and fastest clears to showcase their skill within grassroots communities. However, there was no developer-led esports roadmap for the title.

Over time, this organic growth following its NES port led to the birth of the Classic Tetris World Championship (CTWC) in 2010, where Jonas Neubauer lifted the inaugural trophy. To date, a total of 15 editions of CTWC have taken place, alongside numerous regional and global events outside of the championship circuit, with the most recent being Red Bull Tetris.

Launched in June 2025, in partnership with The Tetris Company, the inaugural Red Bull Tetris series was arguably one of the biggest Tetris tournaments ever held. Featuring players from 60 countries competing for the world title, the scale of the event highlighted the developers’ growing ambition to push Tetris deeper into the esports ecosystem after decades of success among casual players.

“I think we’ve always thought that esports is a potential for us [Tetris],” Maya Rogers, the CEO of The Tetris Company, told Esports Insider. “Tetris has become what it is today because it’s so simple to play, but almost impossible to master, so it has the perfect combination. 

“You have casual players playing just for fun, but when you get to the competitive levels, it’s very competitive. So I think, in the competitive world with more hardcore gamers, it’s always been there, and it’s a natural progression for Tetris as an esport.”

Originally developed on an Electronika 60, Tetris later expanded across multiple platforms such as arcade systems, home consoles, PCs, and smartphones. Over time, playstyles evolved from chasing high scores into fast-paced competitive formats that test players’ mechanical execution and quick decision-making.

Advanced techniques such as hypertapping and rolling further elevated the skill ceiling, pushing the game into a new competitive era. Combined with spectator-focused tools on versions like Tetr.io, Tetris unlocked a previously untapped audience, establishing itself as a spectator esport.

So far, there are over 200 variants of Tetris, many of which have been used in tournaments. However, this dual identity between classic and modern Tetris presents both an opportunity and a challenge. Not only do playstyles differ across regions, but rulesets, platforms, and competitive formats also vary significantly. This disparity makes it difficult to establish a global circuit, unlike esports such as VALORANT, League of Legends, Counter-Strike 2, or Dota 2.

“We’ve done other titles that are more competitive, like Tetris 99 on the Switch, and Puyo Puyo Tetris with SEGA, and there have been a lot of esports competitions around those games,” stated Maya Rogers.

“For us, because Tetris, the company, is a licensing business, we’re not organising tournaments ourselves. Instead, we work with our partners to develop the perfect game.”

She later added: “That’s why the collaboration with Red Bull is perfect. What better partner could we have than Red Bull, which is so good at bringing a global brand like Tetris into the global esports world?”

As Maya Rogers highlighted, Red Bull Tetris marks a pivotal moment for competitive Tetris, pushing it closer to recognition as a modern global esport. Its format was designed to enable participation from players across various countries, breaking away from previous limitations that competitive Tetris has endured. 

Players began their journey through Mobile Qualifiers, with top performers advancing to National Qualifiers played on PC. Winners from each country then earned a place at the offline World Final in Dubai.

The Grand Final itself was a statement of intent, as Red Bull transformed the 150-metre-tall Dubai Frame into a massive screen, where finalists Leo Solórzano and Fehmi Atalar competed live using controllers paired with over 2000 drones. The fusion of technology, architecture, and esports created a visually striking playing environment that culminated with Turkey’s Atalar lifting the trophy.

“For us and for me, it’s been about how we take Tetris to the next generation of new players who have never played,” Maya Rogers explained.

“I think what we’ve managed, with my team over the last few years, is really taking Tetris to a new level, where it’s not just a video game, but a brand.”

Looking ahead, Tetris aims to tap into new markets, with Maya Rogers acknowledging that the company has not focused enough on the MENA regions. Maya Rogers also noted India is another potential market, though profitability remains a challenge.

That said, the potential scale of Tetris is undeniable. The key lies in identifying the right version of the game, the right competitive format for each audience, and making it appealing as a spectator sport. 

“The fact that we’ve got 60 countries represented and all the winners here, it just goes to show that the love for Tetris is global. We just need the right venue and the right game to bring it to the right audience and tap into the right market,” the CEO added.

Despite not fitting the traditional definition of an esport, Tetris offers an undeniable competitive depth. Success at the highest level demands exceptional hand-eye coordination, lightning-fast decision-making and adaptability under pressure.

The game’s accessibility further strengthens its case. Easy to understand, yet brutally difficult to master, Tetris lowers the barrier to entry for viewers while maintaining a steep skill curve for competitors. Its nostalgic appeal draws in older audiences, while modern formats ensure relevance for newer generations.

“You don’t have to know Tetris to watch it and enjoy what’s happening. With some other titles, there’s so much going on that if you don’t know the game, your regular casual audience isn’t going to understand what’s happening,” stated Maya Rogers on Tetris’ ability to engage casual audiences.

“That’s the magical thing about Tetris, as there are universal pieces, only seven different pieces and seven different colours, and you can literally understand what’s happening, even though you’ll never be able to play at that level,” she said.

Perhaps the game’s biggest ambition is that it is aiming to secure approval as an Olympic esport. In hindsight, this might not seem far-fetched as Tetris meets one of the key criteria that has excluded many popular esports titles — the absence of violence. 

According to Maya Rogers, the team hopes to see Tetris recognised as an Olympic esport within the “next one to three years,” with partnerships like Red Bull playing a key role in that journey.

Tetris has already secured a timeless legacy across generations, and transforming that legacy into a globally recognised esports phenomenon feels like the next step. With its focus on national representation rather than franchised teams, combined with universal rules and formats, Tetris already seems to be laying down the foundations to become an Olympic-style esport.

Editor’s Note: Esports Insider was invited to the event on behalf of Red Bull. This included travel and accommodation. Esports Insider has full editorial control of the content.