Gameplay Guide

How to Play ZooBlocks

Each turn gives you three random animal blocks. Place them on the board, clear full rows or columns, and connect new animals into existing same-color groups to pop them. The best scores come from triggering both systems at the same time.

Core Rules

Drag or tap a block from the tray, then place it on empty cells of the board. A piece only fits if every square in its shape lands on open space. After you use all three tray pieces, a new set appears.

If none of the remaining pieces can fit anywhere, the run ends. That means board control matters just as much as short-term scoring.

3

Three Pieces Per Turn

Every tray gives you three shapes to work through before the next batch appears, so order matters immediately.

FIT

Exact Placement Only

A block must land fully on empty cells. No overlap, no partial fit, and no squeezing through occupied space.

END

No Move, No Run

If none of the remaining tray pieces fit anywhere on the board, the run stops instantly.

Two Ways to Score

Line Clears

Fill every cell in a row or column and the whole line disappears. The line-clear multiplier follows 2 to the power of the total lines cleared in that resolution, so 1 line is x2, 2 lines are x4, 3 lines are x8, and the value keeps doubling from there.

Color Matching

Connect three or more animals of the same type horizontally or vertically and they pop, but only if the group includes both the piece you just placed and older matching animals already on the board. This can happen at the same time as a line clear, and overlapping cells score in both systems.

LINE

Clear Full Rows

Rows and columns vanish only when every cell is filled, and larger simultaneous clears get exponential value.

POP

Connect Into Old Groups

Color pops need the new placement to attach into same-animal cells that were already on the board.

BOTH

Stack Both Systems

The strongest turns finish a line and a valid color pop together so overlapping cells get counted twice.

Best Beginner Flow

  • Start from corners and edges so the center stays flexible for bulky shapes.
  • Check all three tray pieces before placing the first one.
  • Use line clears to keep space open, then chase color pops when the board is stable.
  • Save awkward shapes for gaps only they can solve.
Pro tip: Leave one cell open in a nearly full line while building a same-color cluster that already has older matching animals in place. Filling that final space can trigger both a line clear and a valid color pop together.

Ready to Try a Run?

Use the guide as reference, then jump back into the game while the rules are still fresh.