Tetris was bundled with the original Game Boy in North America.
Nintendo launched the Game Boy in North America in July 1989, packaging the handheld with Tetris. The choice helped demonstrate the system’s appeal beyond traditional character-based platform games: Tetris was immediately understandable, highly replayable, and well suited to short sessions on a portable device.
The Game Boy version was developed by Nintendo’s Research & Development 1 team, with design work associated with Gunpei Yokoi’s group. Its multiplayer mode also showcased the Game Boy Link Cable, allowing two players to connect compatible systems for competitive matches.
Super Mario Land was an important Game Boy launch game, but it was not the North American pack-in title. Alleyway was another early Game Boy game, while Dr. Mario arrived later in 1990. Tetris became closely associated with the handheld and is widely credited with broadening the Game Boy’s audience among children and adults.