Hextris is a fast color-matching puzzle built around a spinning hexagon. Blocks slide in from all six sides toward a dark center, and you turn the whole shape so each block lands where it helps you. Line up three or more of the same color and they vanish. The catch is that you never move the blocks themselves, only the hexagon, so every turn changes all six stacks at once. It was made in 2014 by a group of high school friends and released as open source.
How to Play Hextris
Press Enter or the play button to begin. Colored blocks drift in from the edges of the screen toward the center. Whichever side of the hexagon faces a block when it arrives is where that block will stack.
When three or more touching blocks share a color, they clear. Blocks touch when they sit next to each other in one stack, or at the same height in the two neighboring stacks, so groups can bend around a corner. Blocks farther out then slide inward to fill the gap.
Your score grows by the square of the blocks you clear, multiplied by your combo. Clear again before the colored timer lines fade and the multiplier rises. Four colors are in play, and the pace steadily increases.
The round ends when any one side stacks past the outer gray hexagon. Your final score and your three best runs then appear, with a button to try again.
Hextris Controls
| Action | Keyboard | Mouse | Touch |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rotate the hexagon | Left and right arrows, or A and D | Click the left or right half of the screen | Tap the left or right side of the screen |
| Speed up incoming blocks | Hold Down arrow or S | — | — |
| Pause and resume | P or Space | Click the pause button | Tap the pause button |
| Start a game | Enter | Click the play button | Tap the play button |
| Restart | Enter | Click the restart button | Tap the restart button |
Tips and Strategies
- Watch the next two or three blocks, not just the closest one. Since every turn moves all sides, plan a rotation that suits several incoming blocks.
- Keep stacks short and even. One tall side ends the game, so feed blocks to the shortest stacks when you have no match ready.
- Build groups across corners. A pair in one stack clears when a matching block lands at the same height as either of them on the side next door.
- Save the speed-up key for calm moments. Holding Down early brings blocks in faster while the board is safe, but avoid it when stacks run high.
- Chain clears to keep the multiplier going. If the timer lines are still showing, look for a quick second match instead of a bigger slow one.
Features
- Six-sided board: blocks arrive from every direction and stack on a rotating center.
- Combo multiplier: fast back-to-back clears raise the payout of each new group.
- Wave patterns: spirals, rings, and mirrored pairs mix with random drops as the speed climbs.
- High score table: your three best scores stay saved in the browser.
- Built-in help: the question mark button explains the rules during a pause.
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