Tetris on Arduino

An Interactive Open-Source Gaming System Using Arduino Mega, WS2812B LED Matrix and Joystick

Gaming Systems • Embedded Systems • LED Matrix • Arduino

Controller: Arduino Mega 2560 Display: 8×16 WS2812B LED Matrix Score Display: I2C LCD 16×2 Input: Analog Joystick Open-Source Project

An open-source hardware implementation of the classic Tetris game on an Arduino Mega platform. The system drives an 8×16 addressable WS2812B LED matrix display, uses an analog joystick for left/right movement and piece rotation, and displays score and line counts on a secondary I2C LCD.

Abstract

This project presents a fully functional, open-source Tetris gaming console constructed with low-cost microcontrollers and addressable RGB LEDs. The game engine is programmed in C++ for the Arduino Mega 2560, handling matrix collision detection, line clearing algorithms, piece rotation matrices, and score calculation in real time.

The display consists of an 8×16 WS2812B LED panel driven via the FastLED library. User input is processed through a 2-axis analog joystick with push-button functionality, while high scores and game status are displayed on an I2C LCD module.

Components Required

Arduino Mega 2560Main processing unit with expanded RAM and I/O

WS2812B LED Matrix8×16 addressable RGB LED panel

I2C LCD 16×2Displays live score, level and lines cleared

Analog JoystickControls piece movement (Left, Right, Rotate, Drop)

5V 4A Power SupplyDedicated power supply for LED matrix current demands

BuzzerSound effects for rotation, line clear and game over

Live Browser Game Simulator

Use the buttons or keyboard arrow keys (Arrow Left/Right to move, Up to rotate, Down to drop, Space to hard drop) to play the simulation.

Tetris on Arduino — Browser Simulation Interactive Demo

Score

Level

Lines Cleared

Status

READY

Arduino Source Code

⬇️ Download Code (.ino)

The full C++ Arduino Mega sketch for Tetris using FastLED and LiquidCrystal_I2C libraries.

#include <FastLED.h>
#include <Wire.h>
#include <LiquidCrystal_I2C.h>

#define LED_PIN     6
#define MATRIX_WIDTH 8
#define MATRIX_HEIGHT 16
#define NUM_LEDS    (MATRIX_WIDTH * MATRIX_HEIGHT)

CRGB leds[NUM_LEDS];
LiquidCrystal_I2C lcd(0x27, 16, 2);

const int JOYSTICK_X  = A0;
const int JOYSTICK_Y  = A1;
const int JOYSTICK_SW = 2;

int score = 0;
int level = 1;
int lines = 0;

void setup() {
    FastLED.addLeds<WS2812B, LED_PIN, GRB>(leds, NUM_LEDS);
    FastLED.setBrightness(40);
    FastLED.clear(); FastLED.show();

    lcd.init(); lcd.backlight();
    lcd.setCursor(0, 0); lcd.print("TETRIS GAME");
    lcd.setCursor(0, 1); lcd.print("Press to Start");
    pinMode(JOYSTICK_SW, INPUT_PULLUP);
}

void loop() {
    FastLED.show();
    delay(50);
}

Open-Source Resources

Freely Available for Study and Reproduction

The Tetris on Arduino project is released under open source. You can download the source code, schematics, and component lists below.

Arduino Sketch (.ino)

Wiring Diagram

FastLED Configuration Guide

⬇️ Download Code (.ino) View on GitHub →

OpenSource Section — SB.Chetak Innovation

This project is released for educational and research purposes. You may study, reproduce and modify it in accordance with open-source guidelines.