🔲 2048

How to play

Sixteen cells in a four by four grid start with two tiles on the board. Every move slides all tiles as far as they will go in one direction, and two touching tiles of the same value merge into one worth double. A new tile appears after any move that actually changed the board, a 2 nine times out of ten and a 4 otherwise. Reach a 2048 tile to win; you can keep playing afterwards until the grid is full with no merges left.

• Arrow keys — slide every tile left, right, up or down.
• Swipe — the same four moves on a touch screen, in whichever direction the swipe leans.
• New Game button — clears the board back to two starting tiles and resets the score.

Scoring

Each merge adds the value of the tile it creates, so merging two 64s adds 128. Moving without merging scores nothing, and there is no bonus for reaching 2048 beyond the message. Your Best figure is the highest score of the session and updates the moment you pass it. The game is over only when the grid is full and no two neighbouring tiles share a value.

Tips

• Pick one corner and never move the tile out of it. Using only two or three of the four directions keeps your largest tile anchored.
• Build the row containing that corner in descending order, so each tile has a partner waiting next to it.
• Avoid the direction that would pull your big tile off the edge. One such move can undo twenty careful ones.
• Merge small tiles early. Every 2 and 4 you leave lying around is a cell you cannot use later.

Frequently asked questions