Slide tiles with arrow keys or swipes, merge matching numbers, and try to reach the 2048 tile before the board fills up.
Arrow keys on desktop, swipe on touch screens.
Merge matching numbers to build toward the 2048 tile on a compact 4x4 board.
Play with arrow keys on desktop or swipe gestures on any touchscreen.
Your highest score is kept in this browser so every game has something to beat.
Slide, merge, and build your way to the 2048 tile.
2048 turns a single sliding mechanic into a surprisingly deep puzzle. Every move affects the whole board at once, so the real skill isn't spotting one merge — it's keeping the board organized enough that a merge is always available a few moves later, even as new tiles keep appearing.
Most strong runs come from picking a strategy early and sticking with it rather than merging opportunistically in whatever direction looks easiest that turn.
Keeping your highest-value tile locked in one corner stops it from getting boxed in by smaller tiles on every side.
Favoring two directions (say, only up and left) keeps your tiles ordered by size instead of scattering large numbers around the board.
An early move that looks convenient can trap small tiles in bad positions later — think about where the new tile will land, too.
Before sliding, check whether the move still leaves you an obvious merge available on your next turn.
Questions about merging, winning and controls.
Sliding two tiles with the same number into each other combines them into one tile with double the value. Each tile can only merge once per move.
Reach a 2048 tile to trigger the win banner. You can keep playing past 2048 by choosing Keep playing instead of starting over.
The game is over when the board is completely full and no two adjacent tiles share the same number, so no move can change the board.
Yes. Use the arrow keys on desktop, or swipe up, down, left or right on a touchscreen.
Yes. Your highest score is saved in this browser's local storage and stays even after you start a new game.