Hextris

Hextris is a fast-paced puzzle game that takes the line-clearing instinct of Tetris and bends it onto a hexagonal playing field. Colored blocks fall toward the center from six directions and you rotate the hexagon to slot them into matching groups. Three or more adjacent same-color blocks vanish, chains cascade, and the speed ramps until the screen fills.

The genius is in the geometry. A square grid asks you to think in rows; a hexagon asks you to think in fans radiating outward, which changes which rotations feel safe and which corner you to a loss. The minimalist neon presentation keeps the board readable at full speed — you are never fighting the UI, only the colors. Originally a student project, Hextris became a small web phenomenon and remains one of the cleanest browser puzzle designs of its era. Free, open-source, no download, and equally good on a phone or a laptop.

On desktop, use the left and right arrow keys to rotate the hexagon clockwise and counter-clockwise. On touch devices, tap the left or right half of the screen. Blocks fall from the six outer edges toward the center; align three or more blocks of the same color so they touch and they clear.

Strategy: rotate early, before the stack reaches the center. Group colors deliberately rather than reacting to each block — a single well-placed rotation can set up a chain. Watch the upcoming color and pre-position. The game ends when any stack reaches the center hexagon, so keep all six lanes balanced rather than clearing one side at a time.