Slide numbered tiles on a 4x4 grid, merge matching pairs and climb toward the 2048 tile, then keep going past it. Best score saved in your browser.
About 2048
2048 is the deceptively simple number puzzle that quietly took over the internet. The rules fit in one sentence: swipe to slide every tile, and when two tiles with the same number touch, they merge into one. From that single idea grows a game of long-term planning, board management and nail-biting near-misses. Each move spawns a new tile, so the board is always filling up — your job is to keep merging faster than it clogs. The magic is in the tension between the move you want to make and the move you can afford to make. One careless swipe can lock your biggest tiles in the wrong corner and end a great run. It is the perfect companion for a quiet coffee break, and it is endlessly replayable because no two boards ever play out the same way.
Where 2048 comes from
2048 was written by Gabriele Cirulli, a 19-year-old Italian web developer, over a single weekend and released on 9 March 2014 as free, open-source software under the MIT licence. He built it as a clone of Veewo Studio's 1024, itself derived from Asher Vollmer's Threes!, and it drew more than four million visitors in its first week; the largest tile that can ever be made on a standard board is 131,072. The game on this page is a browser take on Cirulli's concept, not his original site. Source.
Inside 2048: what we checked
The numbers below come from 2048's own source code, and the screenshots are from our own test run of the game (20 October 2026).
- The board is 4 × 4. Every move that changes the board adds exactly one new tile on a random empty square: a 2 nine times out of ten, a 4 the rest of the time. A move that changes nothing adds no tile.
- Your score goes up by the value of every tile you create, so turning two 32s into a 64 adds 64 points.
- Each tile merges only once per move: a row of four 2s becomes two 4s, not one 8.
- Making 2048 shows a "You win!" screen but lets you keep going. The game only ends when the board is full and no two neighbouring tiles match.
- Space and Enter slide the board down, the same as the down arrow; R starts a new game and M mutes.
- Your best score is kept in this browser's local storage, so it survives a reload but not clearing the site's data.
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How to play 2048
Swipe or use the arrow keys to push every tile in one direction at once. Each tile slides as far as it can, and equal tiles that crash together combine into their sum. A new 2 or 4 then pops into a random empty cell after each move. Keep merging to grow your numbers. Hit the 2048 tile to win, then carry on for an even higher score. The board is a 4x4 grid, and after every move a new 2 (sometimes a 4) appears in an empty cell.
Controls
Arrow keys or WASD to move on desktop. Swipe up, down, left or right on touch devices.
Tips & tricks
- Pick one corner and keep your biggest tile anchored there — never let it get dragged away.
- Build your numbers in a snake-like row so merges chain naturally toward your anchor.
- Avoid spamming all four directions; mostly alternate two directions to keep order.
- Only swipe the 'fourth' direction when you are truly stuck — it scrambles your layout.
Frequently asked questions
What is the highest tile possible in 2048?
On a standard 4x4 board the theoretical maximum is 131072 — sixteen tiles doubling up perfectly, which needs a run of lucky 4-spawns at the very end. Reaching 4096 or 8192 is a realistic goal; the game here keeps going after 2048 so you can try.
What is the trick to winning 2048?
Keep your biggest tile locked in one corner and build a descending chain along that edge, so merges cascade toward the corner. Use only three directions for most of the game and treat the fourth as an emergency move.
Is 2048 a math game?
Only loosely — every tile is a power of two, and merging doubles it. Beyond that it is a spatial planning puzzle: the skill is keeping the board ordered, not doing arithmetic.
Does 2048 save my progress?
Yes — 2048 keeps your best score and settings in this browser's local storage, so they are still there when you come back on the same device. Nothing is uploaded and no account is involved — clearing your browser data is what resets it.
Embed 2048
From our blog
2048 features in Games Like 2048 — Addictive Number and Merge Puzzles and The Best Free Games for a Chromebook (No Download, No Install).