"Tetris Effect" is already the best version of "Tetris," with its art, music, and thousands of dancing particles that somehow make the experience of combining blocks a powerful and emotional one. With the release of Microsoft's new console later this year, "Tetris Effect" will go even further: "Connected" is an updated version that adds online support for one to three players. Unfortunately, this version of Tetris Effect is exclusive to "Microsoft platforms" - Xbox consoles and, in our case, the Microsoft Store. This is a tricky deal, considering that Microsoft itself releases many of its biggest games, such as [Flight Simulator] and Halo's Master Chief Collection, on Steam. While I would love to play "Tetris Effect" more, I'm not particularly interested in doing business with the Microsoft Store to do so. This is actually the third "exclusive" version of "Tetris Effect," after the PS4 release in 2018 and the Epic Store release in 2019.

Those versions will offer a new multiplayer mode as a free update, but not until summer 2021; Tetris Effect is not yet available on Steam, despite Steam VR support.

The full contents of Tetris Effect: Connected can be found here:

A spokesperson for Enhance Games confirmed that Tetris Effect: Connected will also be available for PC: Connected is available on PC version of the game can be purchased on Game Pass. Game Pass at least offers a better interface than the Microsoft Store (via Xbox's new beta app) and is currently available for the unbeatable price of $5 per month. No word yet on the price for purchasing the game outright, but "Tetris Effect" is currently $40 on the Epic Store and PSN.