2048 5×5

2048 on a 5×5 board gives you twenty-five squares instead of sixteen. The rules don't change: swipe or use the arrow keys, all the tiles slide together, and two matching tiles merge into one worth double. The extra row and column change the feel of the game, though. You have time to repair mistakes, space to set up merges several moves ahead, and enough room to go well past 2048. That is why the goal on this board is the 4096 tile.

What the extra space changes

On the classic board one misplaced tile can end a game. On 5×5 a stray 2 in the wrong spot is usually a nuisance rather than a disaster, because there are other lanes to work in. The price is length: reaching 4096 takes well over a thousand moves, so the danger comes from losing focus halfway through rather than from a single bad swipe.

Strategy for 5×5

• Pick a corner for your biggest tile and fill the whole edge beside it with large values in descending order. Five tiles make a long chain: 1024, 512, 256, 128, 64.
• Use the second row as a workshop. Build the next tile your chain needs there, then drop it into place.
• Don't spread out just because you can. Small tiles scattered over twenty-five squares are hard to bring back together.
• Glance at the far side of the board now and then. Low tiles pile up there quietly while you watch your corner.

Saves and stats

The 5×5 board has its own game in progress, best score and stats, so you can try another size and come back to the same position. Reach 4096 and you can keep playing for 8192. For a different challenge, play the classic 4×4, the cramped 3×3 or the wide-open 6×6.