{"schemaVersion":1,"record":{"key":"mechanic/game-mechanics--gm-tetris-inventory","type":"mechanic","id":"game-mechanics--gm-tetris-inventory","lang":"en","title":"Tetris inventory","summary":"Items occupy different amounts of space in a limited grid. The player moves and rotates them to make room for what matters.","updatedAt":"2026-10-22","status":"active","url":"https://gamemechanics.pro/en/knowledge/mechanic/game-mechanics--gm-tetris-inventory/","jsonUrl":"https://gamemechanics.pro/api/v1/knowledge/en/mechanic/game-mechanics--gm-tetris-inventory.json","markdownUrl":"https://gamemechanics.pro/content/knowledge/en/mechanic/game-mechanics--gm-tetris-inventory.md","aliases":["Inventory packing"],"tags":["Game design techniques","Resources"],"sourceIds":["source-6669156765be17e4","source-637cc2b8a5de4b27","source-701e15c06576badb","source-ac966148667f2242","source-b1cdc7dc5dd71f7b"],"sources":[{"id":"source-6669156765be17e4","title":"Game Mechanics: Tetris inventory","url":"https://gamemechanics.org/patterns/tetris-inventory","verifiedAt":null},{"id":"source-637cc2b8a5de4b27","title":"Diablo (1996)","url":"https://gamemechanics.org/patterns/tetris-inventory/game/diablo","verifiedAt":null},{"id":"source-701e15c06576badb","title":"System Shock 2 (1999)","url":"https://gamemechanics.org/patterns/tetris-inventory/game/system-shock-2","verifiedAt":null},{"id":"source-ac966148667f2242","title":"Resident Evil 4 (2005)","url":"https://gamemechanics.org/patterns/tetris-inventory/game/resident-evil-4","verifiedAt":null},{"id":"source-b1cdc7dc5dd71f7b","title":"System Shock (2023)","url":"https://gamemechanics.org/patterns/tetris-inventory/game/system-shock-2023","verifiedAt":null}],"sections":[{"id":"principle","title":"How it works","body":"Differently shaped items must fit inside limited storage space."},{"id":"variants","title":"Variants","body":"### How the technique works\n\n<a id=\"gm-tetris-inventory-rule\"></a>\n\n- Differently shaped items must fit inside limited storage space. <a id=\"gm-tetris-inventory-definition\"></a>"},{"id":"context","title":"Context and limits","body":"All 199 Game Mechanics entries at the check date: player actions, systems, presentation techniques and contested patterns. Entries are grouped by their first source-card category; all categories appear in their descriptions. Definitions use original wording. References link to game-specific galleries; images and videos remain at the source."}],"relations":[],"placements":[{"catalogId":"game-mechanics","id":"gm-tetris-inventory","title":"Game design techniques","url":"https://gamemechanics.pro/en/mechanics/game-mechanics/#gm-tetris-inventory","categoryIds":["gm-category-resources"]}],"supersededBy":[],"attributes":{"preview":{"updatedAt":"2026-10-22","title":"Inventory packing","description":"Items occupy different amounts of space in a limited grid. The player moves and rotates them to make room for what matters.","image":{"src":"images/mechanics/combat-tetris-inventory.webp","width":1024,"height":576,"game":"Resident Evil 4 (2023)","sourceUrl":"https://gamemechanics.org/patterns/tetris-inventory","originalUrl":"https://cdn.gamemechanics.org/resident_evil_4_remake_inventory.jpg","credit":"Capcom; image via GameMechanics.org","rights":"Game imagery © its respective rights holders. Source host: GameMechanics.org. All rights reserved; excluded from the portal’s MIT and CC BY 4.0 licenses.","caption":"Different weapon shapes in Leon’s case","alt":"Weapons and supplies fill a gridded case in Resident Evil 4; a rifle occupies a long row with empty cells below.","markers":[{"x":57,"y":31,"label":"A long weapon occupies a row of cells"},{"x":50,"y":54,"label":"Empty cells for new items"}],"crop":{"x":245,"y":68,"width":515,"height":370}},"tips":["Preview item footprints and valid placement before moving them.","Offer automatic packing when rearrangement becomes routine."],"examples":[{"title":"Resident Evil 4 (2023)","url":"https://gamemechanics.org/patterns/tetris-inventory"}]}},"endsAt":null,"provenance":"Editorial reference index based on the 199 public Game Mechanics pattern pages checked on 2026-10-20. Original concise RU/EN definitions by gamemechanics.pro; pattern names, category associations and game-reference URLs retained from gamemechanics.org. The source gallery includes a film analogy. Linked materials retain their original rights; references are upstream attributions, not independent verification.","license":"CC-BY-4.0","codeLicense":"MIT","attribution":"gamemechanics.pro contributors","catalogKey":"catalog/game-mechanics"}}