How do you play 2048?
Slide the 4×4 board up, down, left or right and merge matching tiles until you build a 2048 tile. Two 2s make a 4, two 4s make an 8, and every merge doubles the number.
Each move adds a new tile to an empty square. When the board is full and nothing can slide or merge, the game is over. After you reach 2048 you can keep going for a bigger tile.
How do tiles move and merge?
- Sliding: every tile slides as far as it can in the direction you swipe.
- Merging: two tiles with the same number that collide become one tile with their sum.
- Once per move: a tile that was just merged cannot merge again in the same move. Sliding 2, 2, 2, 2 left gives 4, 4, not 8.
- Leading edge first: with three equal tiles in a row, the two closest to the wall merge. Sliding 2, 2, 2 left gives 4, 2.
- New tiles: only when something moved, a 2 (90%) or a 4 (10%) appears in an empty square.
- Score: the value of every merged tile is added to your score.
Who created 2048?
2048 was made by Italian web developer Gabriele Cirulli and released as an open source game in March 2014. He reportedly built it over a weekend, drawing on earlier number merging games Threes! and 1024.
Because the code was open, countless variants followed. The number 2048 is 2 to the 11th power. The ormgames version keeps the same rules with new art, sounds and a choice of board sizes.
What changes with the board size?
| Board | Goal | Feel |
|---|---|---|
| 3×3 | 256 | Only nine squares, very tight |
| 4×4 | 2048 | The classic board |
| 5×5 | 2048 | Roomy, good for first timers |
| 6×6 | 2048 | Long games and huge tiles |
Tips and strategy
- Keep your biggest tile in one corner. Pick a corner, say bottom left, and never let it drift away.
- Stick to two or three directions. For a bottom left corner, mostly swipe left and down, and only swipe up when you have to.
- Fill the corner row in order. Line up tiles like 1024, 512, 256 so they can merge in a chain.
- Do not trap small tiles between big ones. A 2 stuck between large tiles is hard to clear.
- Think about where the new tile will land. Avoid moves that loosen your corner row.
Your score and best score are saved per board size in this browser. The game in progress is saved too, so you can refresh or come back later and pick up where you left off.