2048
Play 2048 in your browser. Slide tiles with arrow keys or on-screen buttons to reach 2048.
How to play
- Use arrow keys (or on-screen ▲▼◀▶) to slide all tiles in one direction.
- When two tiles with the same number collide, they merge and double.
- Keep merging to build higher numbers — reach 2048 to win!
- Click Restart any time to reset the board and score.
Use arrow keys or WASD to slide tiles. When two tiles with the same number touch, they merge into one. Reach 2048 to win!
How it works
2048 is a sliding tile puzzle played on a 4x4 grid. Each move slides all tiles in one direction. When two tiles of equal value collide during a slide they merge into a single tile worth their sum. After each move a new tile of value 2 or 4 appears in a random empty cell.
The goal is to create a tile with the value 2048 by repeatedly merging tiles. The game ends when the grid is full and no adjacent tiles share a value, leaving no valid moves.
A foundational strategy is to keep your highest-value tile anchored to one corner and build a descending chain of values along one edge toward that corner. This prevents large tiles from becoming trapped in the centre where they block merges.
The game saves progress in your browser automatically. Use arrow keys on desktop or swipe gestures on touchscreen to slide tiles.
Worked example
Reaching the 512 tile using the corner strategy
- Decide on one corner, for example bottom-left, as the anchor for your highest tile.
- Slide left and down almost exclusively to push tiles toward that corner.
- Only slide up or right when left or down moves are unavailable, then correct back immediately.
- Merges will naturally build a descending chain along the bottom row toward 512 and beyond.
A 512 tile in the bottom-left corner with a clear path to continue merging toward 1024 and 2048.
Common mistakes to avoid
- Sliding in all four directions randomly, which scatters high-value tiles and breaks any emerging chain.
- Abandoning the anchor corner to chase a convenient merge elsewhere, trapping the highest tile in the centre.
- Merging small tiles prematurely before creating space to manoeuvre the resulting medium tiles.
Key terms
- Merge
- When two tiles of equal value collide they combine into one tile worth twice the original value.
- Anchor corner
- The chosen corner where you park your highest-value tile to prevent it from being trapped.
- Chain
- A sequence of tiles along a row or column where each value is double the next, enabling efficient sequential merges.
Frequently asked questions
- How do I win?
- Merge tiles until you create a tile with the value 2048.
- Can I keep playing after 2048?
- Yes — the board keeps going after you reach 2048 so you can chase higher scores.