‘Tetris Forever’ Gets The Deluxe Physical Release It Deserves

Upon release, Tetris Forever immediately felt like a love letter to the perfect game. Part interactive documentary, part tribute, part playable history lesson, its a unique time capsule for one of the most enduring video games ever made. But it was obviously missing the one element that would help cement that feeling of nostalgia: a physical release we can put on our shelves. Next month, Digital Eclipse is remedying that with a standard and collector’s version of Tetris Forever, and we definitely need to talk about the latter.

Standard physical releases of Tetris Forever will launch on Nintendo Switch and PlayStation 5 for $34.99 (it seems to be skipping Xbox). But it’s also being treated to a Collector’s Edition that’s absolutely loaded with physical goodies.

It starts with the box, which is itself a customizable Tetrimino that employs magnets to let you design your favorite shape. Inside the box is the game, a set of five patches, a CD soundtrack for Tetris Time Warp, a set of seven Tetrimino magnets, an 18×24 poster of the game’s key art, and a limited-edition handheld Tetris console.

The handheld includes a stand and has playable versions of the Famicom (NES) version of Tetris, as well as Tetris 2 + Bombliss. No word yet on whether the dedicated handheld will use traditional AA/AAA batteries or a rechargeable one.

It’s pretty loaded, and the retail price of $139.99 will reflect that. Still, I haven’t felt this compelled to buy a collector’s edition in quite some time.

While I’m personally the most excited about the Tetris Forever package, it’s worth mentioning that Digital Eclipse is also giving The Making of Karateka and Llamasoft: The Jeff Minter Story the same physical release treatment, with both standard and collector’s editions that look enticing in their own right.

All three games are part of the Digital Eclipse “Gold Master Series” which has drawn comparisons to The Criterion Collection. I love the uncommon approach these releases take, because they feel like equal parts game preservation and interactive documentary. More info about these titles is available on Digital Eclipse’s site.

I’m looking forward to seeing what’s next in this series after Tetris Forever. Pre-orders for the trio of new physical releases start on February 25 at Atari.com (Digital Eclipse is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Atari) and Limited Run Games, and they’re currently planned to launch on March 31, 2025.