How it works
The board is four squares wide and four squares tall. Two tiles appear when the game begins, and each one shows a 2 or a 4. Every move pushes all the tiles toward one side of the board. They keep sliding until they hit a wall or another tile.
When two tiles that carry the same number collide, they merge into a single tile worth double the value. Two 4s become an 8, two 8s become a 16, and so on. Each merge adds the new value to your score. After every move that changes the board, one new tile appears on a random empty square. The game ends when the board is full and no neighbouring tiles match.
Keeping the board open
Empty squares are the resource you are really managing. A move that merges nothing still adds a tile, so the board fills up fast when you push in a direction that does nothing useful.
Most players keep their largest tile parked in one corner and only ever push toward the two sides that touch it. That keeps the big numbers lined up along one edge, where they are easy to feed with matching tiles. The move that breaks this habit is the one that drags your largest tile away from its corner and leaves the board scattered.
Scoring and reaching 2048
Your score is the sum of every tile you have created through a merge. Large merges are worth far more than small ones, so a single 1024 merge outweighs dozens of early ones. The best score you reach is stored in your browser and shown next to the current score.
Reaching 2048 needs a chain of merges all the way up, which means you need a 1024 and another 1024 on the board at the same time. When you get there you can stop, or keep playing on the same board to push for 4096.
Controls
Use the arrow keys or the WASD keys. You can also click the on-screen pad, or swipe on a touch screen. New game resets the board at any time.
Frequently asked questions
Does every move add a new tile? Only moves that actually change the board. If nothing slides and nothing merges, the board stays exactly as it was and no tile is added.
Can one tile merge twice in the same move? No. A tile that has just merged is locked for the rest of that move, so a row of four 2s becomes two 4s rather than a single 8.
What happens after I reach 2048? You can choose to keep playing on the same board. Your score keeps rising, and the game only ends when no moves are left.
Is my best score saved? Yes, in your browser. Clearing your browser data removes it.