2048 game, slide, join, reach 2,048.

2048 is a sliding tile puzzle. You slide numbered tiles around a square board. When two tiles with the same number touch, they join into one tile with twice the number. The aim is to make a tile with 2,048 on the 4x4 board. This version is free, has no account or ads, lets you undo, and has boards from 3x3 to 6x6. Use the arrow keys or W, A, S, D, or swipe on a phone. The code and the look are our own, written from the rules.

How to play 2048

1. Press an arrow key, or swipe the board, to slide all the tiles that way. On a touch screen without a swipe, use the four buttons under the board.
2. When two tiles with the same number meet, they merge. A 2 and a 2 make a 4, a 4 and a 4 make an 8, and so on.
3. After every move that moved something, a new tile appears in an empty square.
4. Keep merging to build bigger tiles. Try to keep your biggest tile in a corner.
5. You win when you make the goal tile, and you can keep going after that. The game ends when the board is full and no two neighbours match.

Scoring

Each merge adds the value of the new tile to your score. Joining two 8s into a 16 adds 16. A chain of merges in one move adds up: if one move joins two 2s into a 4 and two 4s into an 8, you gain 4 + 8 = 12 points. A move that moves tiles but merges nothing scores nothing.

Board sizes and goals

The 3x3 board is a quick game with a goal of 256. The 5x5 and 6x6 boards are roomier and easier to keep alive, so they suit a relaxed game. Each board size keeps its own best score.

Undo and the best score

Undo takes back your last move, up to 50 moves in a row, and works with the Z key. It is there so one slip does not end a good game. To keep the best score fair, a game in which you used undo does not set a new best, and the page tells you when that is the case. Your best for each board size is saved in this browser.

Tips that help

• Pick one corner for your biggest tile and do not move it out. Mostly use two directions, such as left and down, and use the others only when you must.
• Keep the biggest tiles in a row along one edge, in order, so they can merge in a chain.
• Do not chase small merges in the middle of the board. A tile in the middle blocks the lines.
• Look one move ahead before every swipe. Ask which tiles will touch and where the new tile can land.
• When the board is nearly full, a single move can clear several squares. That is the time to think longest.

For a different kind of puzzle, try the memory games or the . To test your speed, see the reaction time test.