About 2048
2048 is a single-player sliding tile puzzle. Every move slides all tiles in one direction; matching numbers merge and double. A new 2 or 4 appears after each move. The board fills up fast, so plan ahead and keep your biggest tile in a corner.
Strategy that actually works
2048 rewards discipline far more than speed. The board fills up because of moves you make without thinking, not because you ran out of good options.
- Pick a corner and never leave it. Keep your largest tile in one corner for the whole game and build the rest of the board around it.
- Never swipe in the direction that empties that corner. If your anchor is bottom-left, avoid swiping up and avoid swiping right unless there is genuinely nothing else.
- Build a descending row. Along the edge holding your biggest tile, keep values decreasing outwards. That row then collapses in one clean merge.
- Merge small tiles early. Stray 2s and 4s in the middle of the board are what block a merge three moves later.
Reaching the 2048 tile needs roughly a thousand merges, so a single careless swipe rarely ends a run on its own — but it usually starts the sequence that does.
Frequently asked questions
How do I win 2048?
Create a tile with the number 2048 by merging smaller tiles. A common strategy is to keep your largest tile pinned in one corner and build a chain of descending numbers next to it.
Does my best score save?
Yes. Your best score is stored locally in your browser on this device. Nothing is uploaded to any server.
Does the game end at 2048?
No. Reaching the 2048 tile is the traditional goal, but the board keeps going as long as you have a legal move, so 4096 and beyond are possible.
Why did a 4 appear instead of a 2?
New tiles are mostly 2s with an occasional 4. A 4 in an awkward spot is harder to clear, which is part of what makes the later board so tight.
When exactly is the game over?
When the board is full and no two neighbouring tiles hold the same number, so no move would change anything. A full board on its own is not the end.