Danielle Klein Red Bull Tetris National Winner | Image by Pregan Pillay / Red Bull Content Pool
From phone to PC to the big stage; South Africa’s best Tetris player secures a spot at the Red Bull Tetris World Final in Dubai.
Red Bull Tetris wrapped its South African National Final in Johannesburg on Saturday, 25 October. When the dust settled or rather, when the last Tetrimino locked into place, Danielle Klein stood alone at the top of the leaderboard. The victory punches their ticket to Dubai this December, where the world’s best will compete beneath a sky lit by over 2,000 synchronised drones in the first-ever live playable Tetris game rendered in the air.
A New Path Emerges: Mobile to PC to the World Stage
Red Bull Tetris introduced something rare to competitive gaming: a level playing field. Between 6 June and 16 October, thousands of South Africans played on mobile, grinding three-minute rounds from their phones on the couch, on the commute, anywhere inspiration struck.
The format was beautifully simple and brutally unforgiving. Mobile qualifiers fed into a national leaderboard. The top scorers earned invitations to an in-person PC National Final. And only one would advance to represent Mzansi on the global stage.
What made Red Bull Tetris different wasn’t just the accessibility; it was the chaos baked into the gameplay. Forget the Tetris you know. This version twisted the classic with gravity shifts, speed boosts, special power-ups, and the mythical Golden Tetrimino. Stacking efficiency still mattered, but now you had to think three moves ahead while the playing field literally shifted beneath you. Traditional competitive Tetris techniques? Obsolete. This demanded versatility, adaptability, and nerves that could withstand a Pusher item dropping four rows of blocks on your carefully constructed stack.
Danielle Klein and Wilhelm Ulwazi Image by Pregan Pillay / Red Bull Content Pool
The National Final transformed weeks of mobile grinding into a live, high-pressure theatre of 1v1 battles. Danielle Klein navigated a single-elimination bracket where one mistake could end the dream. She faced off against Wilhelm Ulwazi in a thrilling final that had spectators on the edge of their seats. The match took an unexpected turn when Wilhelm topped out surprising everyone, as he had been dominating the tournament. Danielle’s victory and crowning as the Red Bull Tetris National Champion was a true testament to her determination and fighting spirit. When the final piece fell and the screen flashed victory, Danielle Klein journey from mobile qualifier to national champion was complete.
“Being part of the tournament was such a great experience, I honestly didn’t expect to do this well. It felt completely different from the qualifiers, so I had to stay really focused to keep my game steady. I’m just really happy that all the effort paid off and I came out on top.”
What’s Next: World Final, Dubai 11–13 December 2025
Danielle Klein joins an elite group of national champions from over 55 countries, all converging on the Dubai Frame for a World Final that redefines what a gaming event can be. The three-day spectacular blends immersive experiences, music performances, and special guest appearances with the most intense competitive Tetris the world has ever seen.
Then, on 13 December, the final game will unfold not on a screen, but in the sky. Over 2,000 drones will synchronise in real-time to the players’ moves, rendering each block, each rotation, each line clear as a living, breathing light show framed by one of Dubai’s most iconic landmarks. A supercomputer will process gameplay data instantaneously, translating player decisions into airborne art visible across the city.
It’s the first official live playable Tetris game ever displayed in the sky; a fusion of 40 years of gaming history with cutting-edge technology, powered by Red Bull’s signature flair for the extraordinary.
