Lock delay

Lock delay refers to how many frames a tetromino waits while on the ground before locking. Classic games lock tetrominoes immediately once it has fallen to the ground, while newer games give the tetromino some time before locking. The TGM series, well known for its 20G gameplay, decreases lock delay as the game progresses, thus raising the difficulty. TGM2's T.A. Death mode infamously sets its lock delays as low as fifteen frames.

Some games such as the Puyo series use a fixed amount of lock delay for each piece, pausing the timer while the piece falls, resetting it only when a new piece enters (entry reset). Some games, especially those using Sega rotation or its successors, reset the timer every time the piece "steps" downward (step reset). Games following the Tetris Guideline generally reset the timer on any successful shifting or rotation (Infinity or move reset).

Some games allow "lock delay cancel" or "manual lock", which causes the lock delay to end if the player re-presses the drop button during lock delay. The New Tetris, one of the first popular Western games to have lock delay, is notorious for having no manual lock.