How to play 2048
2048 is a sliding number puzzle on a 4×4 board. Every move pushes all tiles in one direction, equal numbers merge into their sum and a new tile appears. Build a 2048 tile to win, then keep going for a bigger score.
Rules
Each move slides every tile as far as it can go. Two tiles with the same number merge into one tile with double the value, and that value is added to your score. A tile can merge only once per move. After every move that changes the board, a new tile appears in a random empty cell: a 2 nine times out of ten, otherwise a 4. The game ends when the board is full and no neighbouring tiles match.
Controls
- Arrow keys or WASD slide the tiles.
- Swipe on the board on phones and tablets.
- R or New Game restarts the board.
Strategy tips
- Choose one corner and keep your largest tile in it for the whole game.
- Use mostly two directions, for example Left and Down, the third only when you must, and avoid the fourth, because it pulls the big tile out of its corner.
- Keep the edge row next to your corner full and ordered from large to small, so merges cascade toward the corner.
- Merge small tiles early; scattered 2s and 4s are what usually fill the board and end the game.
History
Italian developer Gabriele Cirulli created 2048 in March 2014 as a weekend project, inspired by the games 1024 and Threes. He released the code as open source, which led to thousands of variants across the web and app stores.
FAQ
- Can you win 2048 every time? No. New tiles appear in random cells, so luck matters, but the corner strategy wins far more often than random play.
- What happens after 2048? Nothing stops you. Keep merging toward 4096 and beyond for a higher score.
- How is the score calculated? Every merge adds the value of the new tile. Merging two 8s adds 16 points.
Build it yourself
Curious how this game works? Our step-by-step tutorial How to Make the 2048 Game in JavaScript rebuilds it from this page's code, with examples you can copy.