2048 — How the Number Puzzle Works, and How to Get the 2048 Tile
2048 is played on a four-by-four grid. Every move slides all the tiles as far as they will go in one direction, and when two tiles with the same number collide, they merge into one tile worth their sum: two 2s make a 4, two 4s make an 8, and so on. After each move a new tile appears in an empty square — usually a 2, occasionally a 4. Reach the 2048 tile to win. The game ends when the board is full and no move can merge anything.
The rule that catches people out is that a tile can only merge once per move. Slide a row of 2, 2, 2, 2 and you get 4, 4 — not 8. That is why long chains of identical tiles are less useful than they look.
The strategy that works for almost everyone is the corner. Pick one corner and keep your largest tile there, building a descending chain of numbers along that edge. Use mostly two directions (say, left and down), a third when you must, and avoid the fourth unless the board forces it, because pulling your big tile out of its corner is how most games fall apart. Think one move ahead about where the new tile might land.
Reaching 2048 usually takes a few hundred moves. When you get there you can stop, or keep going for 4096 and beyond. Your score is the total of every merge you have made, and your best score is saved in your browser for next time.
Play with the arrow keys or WASD on a keyboard, or swipe on a phone or tablet; the board is sized to fit a phone screen. It runs entirely in your browser, with nothing to install and no account.
How to play 2048
- Press "Start game" to place the first two tiles.
- Use the arrow keys (or WASD), or swipe on a touch screen, to slide every tile in that direction.
- Matching tiles that collide merge into one with double the value.
- Keep merging to build bigger tiles — reach 2048 to win.
- Keep your biggest tile in a corner; the game ends when no move is possible.