BLOCK 89

PLAY WITH BLOCKS LIKE IT'S 1989

A handheld brick puzzle, done properly: dot-matrix LCD, 8-bit bleeps, ten shapes falling into a 16 by 16 grid, and a difficulty curve tuned to keep you in flow. Easy to pick up, hard to put down.

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BROWSER ↓APP
STORE ↓GOOGLE
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FREE · NO ADS · NO PURCHASES · OFFLINE

4.5★ APP STORE IN THE STORES SINCE 2012 10 SHAPES 16×16 GRID 0 ADS

Players say

Five stars, in five languages

A hand-picked shelf from the Google Play reviews, quoted as written.

★★★★★
Great game that you could play for hours.
Google Play review
★★★★★
I love this game! Well done!
Google Play review
★★★★★
This one and Snake '97: fantastic!

"Questo e snake 97 fantastici!"

Google Play review · translated from Italian
★★★★★
Simply cult, and old school.

"Einfach nur kultig und old skool"

Google Play review · translated from German
★★★★★
It's wonderful, just like the original.

"E stupendo come l'originale"

Google Play review · translated from Italian
★★★★★
Worth downloading. Just the thing to kill some time!

"Merece la pena descargarlo, es lo justo, para matar el tiempo!!"

Google Play review · translated from Spanish
★★★★★
One of the games I liked most, and I recommend it! It tests your speed and your smarts.

"Foi um dos jogos que eu mais gostei e recomendo! É saudável e testa a sua rapidez e inteligência."

Google Play review · translated from Portuguese
★★★★★
I love their games because they take up almost no space. Thanks!

"Me encantan sus juegos por que no pesan casi nada xD, gracias:)"

Google Play review · translated from Spanish
★★★★★
It felt good to play something like this.

"A sensação de jogar algo assim foi boa."

Google Play review · translated from Portuguese

Download

Pocket size, every pocket

About 8 MB, free, no account. The browser version is the same v2.0 build, so you can try before you tap install.

IPHONE & IPADApp Store ANDROIDGoogle Play BROWSERplay free, no install

Screenshots

One device, two moods

The 2026 rebuild draws every LCD pixel with its own bleed, keeps the inactive matrix faintly visible, and flips to an inverted dark mode with one tap. The 2012 original is included for the family album.

Block 89 in light mode, 2026: grey dot-matrix LCD in a purple-grey bezel, mid-game stack, four colourful round buttons
LIGHT MODE · 2026
Block 89 in dark mode, 2026: inverted monochrome display, mid-game stack on black
DARK MODE · 2026
The 2012 original: green LCD with blocks and photographed keyboard keys as buttons
THE 2012 ORIGINAL

How it works

Blocks come in from the corners

Block 89 plays the classic game with one rule of its own: pieces enter through two tubes in the top corners, alternating left and right. A piece on its way in runs on rails; once it clears the tube, it is yours. Both tubes blocked is game over.

PRESSURE, WITH MERCY

Climb past halfway and the game quietly deals smaller pieces: the lone dot turns up five times as often when you are drowning. Recover, then it trusts you with the big ones again.

GREED IS SCORED IN CUBES

A clear pays 50 + level × lines³. Four lines at once do not pay four times one line; they pay sixty-four times the cube. Dig wells, take risks, bank quads.

FLOW, BY DESIGN

Speed rises in small steps across 20 levels and each level asks a little more than the last. The game keeps the challenge glued to your skill: that is the "one more game" feeling.

The piece set

Ten shapes, each wearing its own dither pattern so the settled stack stays readable, exactly like the 1989 handhelds did it.

Guides

Short answers to real questions

Seven guides, one per question people actually search for. Each one ends at the game.

Play online
PLAY ONLINEThe full game in your browser, nothing to install
Get the app
GET THE APPiPhone and Android, 8 MB, free without a catch
How to play
HOW TO PLAYRules, controls, and why blocks come in from the corners
High score tips
HIGH SCORE TIPSThe cubic bonus, tube tactics and the mercy system
No ads, offline
NO ADS, OFFLINENo purchases, no tracking, no internet. Just the game
The 1989 look
THE 1989 LOOKDot-matrix rendering, done properly
GIF replays
GIF REPLAYSYour whole game as a timelapse, made on-device

Story

Since 1989, give or take

  • 1989

    Handheld LCD brick games conquer every schoolyard on earth. Grey plastic, green-grey glass, a tinny speaker. The itch is planted.

  • 2011

    W.L. Middelkoop writes Block 89 in Java, for Android. The plastic of the on-screen device is photographed from an old PC keyboard with a Leica X1; the 8-bit sounds are cooked in cfxr.

  • 2012

    Block 89 lands in the App Store, published by dsd 164 B.V. of Amsterdam, joining Snake '97, the retro phone classic with over 40 million downloads.

  • 2026

    The ground-up rebuild: a new rendering engine that draws every LCD pixel with core and bleed, dark mode, GIF89a replays, haptics. And everything that is not the game, removed: no ads, no tracking, no purchases.

More stories from the maker's bench, from game engines to cameras, at willem.com/blog. More games at dsd164.com.

Block 89 version 1 from 2012: green dot-matrix LCD with a mid-game stack and photographed keyboard keys as buttons
VERSION 1, 2012: REAL KEYS, REAL GRAIN

FAQ

Asked and answered

Is Block 89 free?

Yes. Free on iPhone, Android and in the browser, with no ads, no in-app purchases and no subscriptions. Learn more.

Does Block 89 work offline?

Fully. The apps never need a connection: your score, your session and your replays all live on your device. Learn more.

Where can I play Block 89?

On iPhone and iPad via the App Store, on Android via Google Play, and right here in your browser at /play/. Learn more.

What does the 89 stand for?

1989: the year handheld LCD brick games conquered the world, and the year of the GIF89a file format the replays are encoded in. Learn more.

Is this from the maker of Snake '97?

Yes. Block 89 is by W.L. Middelkoop of dsd 164 B.V., Amsterdam: the same maker as Snake '97 and Outburn 87. See the story.

Why do pieces come in from the corners?

The two tubes are Block 89's signature rule: pieces slide in through the top corners, alternating left and right, and only obey you once clear of the tube. Learn more.

How many shapes and levels are there?

Ten shapes, from a lone dot to a bar of four, on a 16 by 16 grid, across 20 levels of gradually increasing speed. Learn more.

How do GIF replays work?

The game records every session and encodes a looping GIF timelapse on your device at game over. Tap Share Replay. Learn more.

Is there a dark mode?

Yes: monochrome inverted, one tap on the moon button. In the browser, press D. Minimal masterpiece, their words.

Can I play with a keyboard?

In the browser version: arrows move, Space rotates, P pauses, M mutes, D flips dark mode. Learn more.

Ready?

It is 1989 somewhere

▶PLAY IN
BROWSER ↓APP
STORE ↓GOOGLE
PLAY