2048

2048 is a sliding number puzzle you can finish in a coffee break or chase for weeks. The board is a grid of squares holding numbered tiles. Every move pushes all of the tiles as far as they can go in one direction, and when two tiles with the same number bump into each other they join into one tile worth their sum. Two 2s make a 4, two 4s make an 8, and so on up the powers of two until, with patience, you build the 2048 tile.

How to play

• On a phone or tablet, swipe up, down, left or right anywhere on the game.
• On a computer, use the arrow keys or W, A, S and D.
• After each move a new tile appears on an empty square: usually a 2, sometimes a 4.
• A tile can only merge once per move, so a row of four 2s becomes two 4s, not one 8.
• Your score goes up by the value of every tile you create by merging.
• The game ends when the board is full and no neighbouring tiles match.

Board sizes

The classic board is 4×4. Pick 5×5 or 6×6 for a roomier, more forgiving game, or 3×3 for a tight puzzle where every square counts (on 3×3 the goal is 512). Each size keeps its own best score and its own game in progress, so you can switch between them without losing anything. Reaching the goal is not the end: choose Keep going and see how far past it you can climb.

Undo and continue

Every game comes with one free undo that takes back your last move, including the tile that appeared after it. If you need more, you can watch a short ad for each extra undo, even after the board has filled up. Undo brings back the same tile it took away, so it can't be used to fish for a better one, and your last moves are remembered if you close the page.

When the board fills up, you can also watch an ad once per game to continue: the smallest tiles are cleared (three on the classic board) and your big tiles stay where they are.

Tips and strategy

Pick a corner and keep your biggest tile in it. Most strong players choose a bottom corner and mostly swipe down and toward that side, using the third direction only when they have to and avoiding the fourth. Keep the row along that edge full so the big tile cannot be pushed out of place.

Build a chain of descending values leading away from the corner, like 256, 128, 64, 32, so that one merge starts a cascade. Merge small tiles early before they scatter across the board, and look one move ahead: ask where the new tile could land and whether it would block your chain. When the board feels crowded, slow down. Most games are lost to a hurried swipe in the wrong direction, not to bad luck.