--- 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 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 --- # Tetris inventory id: game-mechanics--gm-tetris-inventory type: mechanic key: mechanic/game-mechanics--gm-tetris-inventory lang: en status: active url: https://gamemechanics.pro/en/knowledge/mechanic/game-mechanics--gm-tetris-inventory/ Items occupy different amounts of space in a limited grid. The player moves and rotates them to make room for what matters. ## At a glance ![Weapons and supplies fill a gridded case in Resident Evil 4; a rifle occupies a long row with empty cells below.](https://gamemechanics.pro/images/mechanics/combat-tetris-inventory.webp) [Resident Evil 4 (2023)](https://gamemechanics.org/patterns/tetris-inventory) · 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. 1. A long weapon occupies a row of cells 2. Empty cells for new items - Preview item footprints and valid placement before moving them. - Offer automatic packing when rearrangement becomes routine. - [Resident Evil 4 (2023)](https://gamemechanics.org/patterns/tetris-inventory) ## How it works Differently shaped items must fit inside limited storage space. ## Variants ### How the technique works - Differently shaped items must fit inside limited storage space. ## Context and limits 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. ## Connected materials ## Sources and 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. - [Game Mechanics: Tetris inventory](https://gamemechanics.org/patterns/tetris-inventory) (id: source-6669156765be17e4) - [Diablo (1996)](https://gamemechanics.org/patterns/tetris-inventory/game/diablo) (id: source-637cc2b8a5de4b27) - [System Shock 2 (1999)](https://gamemechanics.org/patterns/tetris-inventory/game/system-shock-2) (id: source-701e15c06576badb) - [Resident Evil 4 (2005)](https://gamemechanics.org/patterns/tetris-inventory/game/resident-evil-4) (id: source-ac966148667f2242) - [System Shock (2023)](https://gamemechanics.org/patterns/tetris-inventory/game/system-shock-2023) (id: source-b1cdc7dc5dd71f7b) CC-BY-4.0 · gamemechanics.pro contributors