Compared to other browser-based games, TETR.IO tries to give you a full-fledged desktop experience. Lower-class devices might have trouble playing the game on default settings. But don't worry, there's a lot of tips on this page that may help you! They're sorted by how much you have to compromise to get good performance.
1. Use TETR.IO Desktop
The shiny desktop client for TETR.IO applies a bunch of performance patches for you, and tends to give far, FAR better performance. Download it here.
2. Try a different browser
Chrome and Chromium-based browsers are generally the fastest browsers for games. If you're not using Chrome, try using it over Firefox, as the speed increase will be noticable. (Or, use the desktop client instead!)
3. Check your power savings settings
Many laptops are by default set to battery savings modes, especially when not charging. Check to ensure your PC is set to high performance mode, and not some battery saving mode, to ensure you're not missing out on performance.
4. Ensure your browser/TETR.IO Desktop is using your GPU
If you're on a machine with multiple GPUs (like a laptop with both an Intel integrated GPU and an NVIDIA GPU), ensure your browser/TETR.IO Desktop is using the high-performance dedicated GPU. Instructions for this differ from machine to machine, but generally you want to take a look in either the NVIDIA Control Panel or the AMD Catalyst. In Windows 10, it might also be in the PC Settings app.
5. Change your graphics settings in the Config
This may seem obvious, but check anyway. The important options in Config are:
GRAPHICS — how good the graphics look. Set to MINIMAL for best performance. Doing so locks some of the settings that are listed below to their optimal position - those are marked with an asterisk (*).
RENDER AT A LOW RESOLUTION* — this causes the game to render at a lower resolution, which makes it look more blurry, but also saves a lot of processing power. ENABLE for best performance.
WEBGL MODE — the version of WebGL that will be used. If you are seeing unexplainable artifacts or flickering, try a lower WebGL version. Set to WEBGL 2 for best performance.
ACTION TEXT* — what types of on-screen text will be displayed for special moves. Text is expensive performance-wise, but also very functional... so make sure you don't need these before disabling them. Set to OFF for best performance.
PARTICLE COUNT* — how many particles appear on screen. Set to 10% for best performance.
LESS PRECISION ON COUNTERS* — if checked, ingame counters will have less decimal places. ENABLE for best performance.
NO BACKGROUND IN MENUS* — if checked, the background will not show up in menus. ENABLE for best performance.
ALWAYS SIMPLIFY MULTIPLAYER THUMBNAILS* — if checked, other players' boards will be less detailed. ENABLE for best performance.
SHOW DUELS SIDE-BY-SIDE* — if checked, duels will be shown in a side-by-side view. DISABLE for best performance.
HIDE CHAT WHEN INGAME* — if checked, chat will not be shown ingame. ENABLE for best performance.
WARN ME WHEN I'M IN DANGER* — if checked, the board will turn red when your stack is very high. DISABLE for best performance.
STEREO* — this slider decides how much things to the sides of your board will be panned to either side. SET TO 0% (OFF) for best performance.
DISABLE SOUND ENTIRELY — if checked, no sounds or music will ever play. This increases performance, but the drawback is obvious. ENABLE for best performance.
6. Close other programs and tabs
Make sure you don't have 4 other games open. TETR.IO should be classified as a full desktop game, not a random browser tab. Hence, please give it the breathing room it deserves to be able to utilize your processing power.
7. Make the window smaller or lower your screen resolution
If you make the window smaller or lower your screen resolution, the game has to render less. This will increase your performance greatly.
I tried all this!!!
If you've tried all these steps, and still cannot get TETR.IO playable, your PC may not be able to play TETR.IO. If you need extra help, open DXDiag (hit Windows+R, then type "dxdiag") and save all its data to file. Then, contact me with the DxDiag.txt it creates.
Hope this helped you!
Configuration
Sometimes you're just trying to squeeze some more optimization out of TETR.IO, or you're trying to use specialized control settings and you're not sure how it all works. This section here aims to help you!
TETR.IO ➔ Discord Account Linkinglink
If you're interested in linking your Discord account to your TETR.IO account, navigate to CONFIG > ACCOUNT > CONNECTIONS, as detailed in this .gif file:
If you're having trouble linking your account, and are using TETR.IO Desktop, try linking from the website version instead, as this is less prone to error.
This link is currently displayed publicly if chosen, enabling Discord bots such as Hiyajo Maho#2356 to find your account from Discord; used to grant the "Supporter" role to TETR.IO supporters, and used to provide account verification for the Character System playtester application form. If you have recently purchased or been gifted supporter, you shouldn't have to wait too long before the role is automatically given to you, so long as the @TETR.IO bot is online.
Controllerscontrollers
TETR.IO includes full controller support, even commanding dynamic vibrations for different actions, be it from your modern browser, or from the official TETR.IO Desktop client. Just connect your controller of choice. TETR.IO recognizes and pre-configures Xbox, Switch Pro Controller, and Playstation controllers if your controls are set to Guideline or WASD. If all goes well, you'll see the correct controller displayed in the bottom right once the game is open and you have pressed a button.
If your controller isn't detected or your controls are set to Custom, you can bind it manually in the ingame config:
If your controller isn't working at all, here's a couple of different pointers to direct your attention towards:
First off, ensure any D/XInput redirection isn't active. This includes software like Steam or JoyToKey.
Ensure the controller you're attempting to use is the only controller connected. TETR.IO only accepts input from so-called "port one", though, there are plans to remedy this issue. If you had other controllers plugged in, a restart of the pc may be required.
If neither of these troubleshooting steps work, here's some specialized software for specific controllers:
TETR.IO DESKTOP IS MULTIPLE ORDERS OF MAGNITUDE FASTER THAN THE BROWSER! enjoy uncapped framerates, faster startup, discord integration and more with the official desktop client!
— Ingame banner ad, 2021
Frozen Installerinstallstuck
Is your TETR.IO Desktop installation getting stuck? Here's a workaround:
You can use a good archiving program, such as 7zip, to manually extract the game's contents for a much more manual installation for now. Here's a quick video guide(really, just open the .exe as a compressed folder and drag stuff out!):
Dedicated Graphicsdgpu
Are you using a laptop and getting poor performance with TETR.IO Desktop or browsers? If so, you'll want to ensure Windows is using your "dedicated" graphics card, as opposed to the less performant, yet more power efficient "integrated" graphics card Windows is likely selecting for you. You can override this autoselection by following this lengthy image guide:
If you use TETR.IO Desktop, then you will find the executable in %localappdata%\Programs\tetrio-desktop\resources
If you use Chrome, you may find it in %programfiles%\Google\Chrome\Application\chrome.exe, %programfiles(x86)%\Google\Chrome\Application\chrome.exe, or %localappdata%\Google\Chrome\Application\chrome.exe
And, if you're a Firefox kinda guy, then you will find Firefox's executable in %programfiles(x86)%\Mozilla Firefox\ or %programfiles%\Mozilla Firefox\, depending on which architecture (32 or 64 bits respectively) your computer currently has installed
Unexpected very low, consistent framerate limit with NVIDIAbackgroundcap
NVIDIA detects TETR.IO Desktop, through and through, as a “Background Application”, leading to an artifical framerate limit being imposed on your game. You can make an exception of this behavior through the NVIDIA Control Panel, accessible from your desktop:
Right click on the desktop. The context menu should include a link to the NVIDIA Control Panel. If it does not, you may also find it by querying Windows Search. Hit the Windows key and type "NVIDIA Control Panel" to find it.
Under "3D Settings", click "Manage 3D settings".
Focus on the "Program Settings" tab.
Select TETR.IO Desktop as the program to customize. If it's not included on the dropdown list, click "Add" and supply the following file path: %localappdata%\Programs\tetrio-desktop\TETR.IO.exe.
Scroll to the "Background Application Max Frame Rate" option.
Click on the dropdown, and ensure this option is set to Off.
Unable to launch on macOSmachelp
The extra buttons are only shown when TETR.IO Desktop is right clicked or control clicked.
When trying to install TETR.IO Desktop on macOS, you may run into a message stating that the "developer cannot be verified", preventing you from launching the game entirely. As long as you've downloaded TETR.IO Desktop from a reputable source (i.e. the official download page at https://tetr.io/about/desktop), you can freely disregard this warning - simply right-click or control-click the TETR.IO application, and you will be greeted with a prompt as shown to the right.
Click Open on this prompt. From now on, you will be able to launch TETR.IO Desktop normally without any further issues!
Still running into trouble? Visit System Preferences > Security & Privacy > General (macOS 12 and below) or System Settings > Privacy & Security (macOS 13), then click Open Anyway when prompted.
Installation Locationsinstallpaths
If you use TETR.IO Desktop, then you will find all installed files in the following folders: Use Windows+R and paste the following paths into the run dialog that opens
%localappdata%\Programs\tetrio-desktop
(The .executable and Resources folder is found here)
%localappdata%\tetrio-desktop-updater
(Contains a single .executable, which is a copy of the original TETR.IO Desktop installer you installed your current version of TETR.IO Desktop with. Run this file to clear any modifications you may have on the game)
%appdata%\TETR.IO
(Contains one empty folder: "logs")
%appdata%\tetrio-desktop
(Contains Electron related browser files. Two such examples: Cache and Local Storage)
Replays
Loading replays is super easy, if not slightly obscure. It's asked so often I made this dedicated section to it, so don't fret if you're about to go "that's so simple!"
(also see)
To view a locally saved replay, simply drag and drop the file from your file manager of choice into TETR.IO. If TETR.IO fails to load the replay, please ensure the replay is correctly named, specifically:
for solo replays of any sort, use the .ttr file extension
for multiplayer replays of any sort, use the .ttrm file extension
for solo custom game setting presets, use the .ttp file extension
for TETR.IO config exports, use the .ttc file extension.
If you load a .ttrm file, simply click on the individual rounds to watch that round's replay.
Online Custom Room Replaysttrm
If you speed past the results screen without saving a replay, you can use /savereplay in chat to save a replay of the very last game that occured!
Replays taken in this context rely on some unconventional requirements, so don't blame yourself if that ever-so-required "DOWNLOAD REPLAY" button doesn't show up in here. Here's some requirements off the bat:
The room must be a two player match, one versus one.
Your client, not theirs, should be using LOW graphics or higher.
You must persist from the start of the match, even in a FT5 (example) game, to the end of the match.
Of course, you must download the replay from the results screen. There'll be a small button to the right, under the 2nd player's spot in the list.
Mobile Support
First off, we have to break some news. TETR.IO will never officially support mobile devices.
It's a lot of effort, for a userbase who I am not particularly interested in reaching (.io game players are already very detached from the game, mobile gaming is even more so). I might do it in the future, but for now I do not have particular interest in the mobile gaming sphere
furthermore, for now I am not interested in targeting a mobile demographic. tetr.io is already enough of an "io game", don't need to literally make it a mobile game.
i do not plan on mobile support or an app, period
i don't want to attract that type of audience, and the amount of ui hell needed to make it work is not worth it
That being said, there are still some ways to play TETR.IO on phone! Please be aware, though: under any iOS-based Apple device, compatibility is experimental at best currently. Otherwise, you're welcome to try with any android device, but compatibility is not guaranteed as these are unsupported platforms!
To load TETR.IO on mobile, just visit https://tetr.io/ on your mobile browser of choice. That's it! The real problem arises when you attempt to control the game, so there's a couple of different attacks you can use. The first would be simply connecting any conventional controller through bluetooth or usb, and binding that controller in TETR.IO's config natively.
The second workaround involves using what's known as a "bookmarklet", which is basically JavaScript code you run from a bookmark, to create onscreen touch controls. A specialized site to generate these bookmarklets may be found here. There's included instructions in this site once you've defined your controls.
If you're having trouble linking your account, and are using TETR.IO Desktop, try linking from the website version instead, as this is less prone to error.
