How to Play 2048

2048 is a sliding tile puzzle played on a 4×4 grid. Combine matching numbered tiles by sliding them in four directions. Every move a new tile appears. Reach the 2048 tile to win — or keep going for a higher score.

The Goal

Slide tiles on the grid to merge identical numbers. When two tiles with the same value collide they combine into a single tile worth twice the value — a 2 and a 2 become a 4, two 4s become an 8, and so on. The goal is to build a tile that reaches 2048.

You can keep playing after reaching 2048 to push your score higher. The game ends when no moves remain — the grid is full and no adjacent tiles share the same value.

Controls

• Arrow keys or W A S D — slide all tiles in that direction.
• Every keypress is one move, even if only one tile shifts.

• Swipe up, down, left, or right to slide all tiles in that direction.
• Each swipe is one move, even if only one tile shifts.

Use the New Game button to reset the board and start over at any time.

Scoring

Each merge adds the value of the new combined tile to your score. Merging two 512 tiles into a 1024 tile adds 1024 points. Chaining several merges in one move adds all of them together.

On the daily puzzle, your final score, move count, and time are recorded and submitted to the leaderboard. The leaderboard ranks first by score (higher is better), then by time (lower is better).

Tile Values

Tiles always start as 2 or 4 — there is a 90% chance of a 2 and a 10% chance of a 4. New tiles appear randomly in an empty cell after every move. The sequence of values doubles with each merge: 2 → 4 → 8 → 16 → 32 → 64 → 128 → 256 → 512 → 1024 → 2048 and beyond.

Only tiles with the same value can merge, and each tile can merge at most once per move.

Basic Strategy

Pick a corner and commit to it. Choose one corner — usually a bottom corner — and keep your highest-value tile there. Build a descending chain of tiles along the edge leading away from it so that every merge naturally feeds into the next.

Never slide away from your anchor corner. Avoid moves that pull your largest tile away from its corner. For example, if your highest tile is in the bottom-left, avoid swiping up unless it is absolutely necessary. Losing control of the corner is how most games end.

Keep the top row full. Once you have a chain across the top or bottom edge, try to keep that row full at all times. This forces new tiles to appear elsewhere and preserves your chain.

Think ahead. Before each move, consider where the new tile might appear and whether it will disrupt your layout. Moves that leave the board in an unrecoverable state are usually a sign that you moved without thinking.

Daily Puzzle

Each day a new puzzle is seeded — the same starting board for every player around the world. The puzzle resets at midnight UTC. Everyone playing the daily puzzle on a given day starts from an identical tile layout, making it a fair head-to-head competition.

After completing the daily puzzle you can submit your score to the 2048 leaderboard. You need to be signed in to submit.