2048 is a sliding puzzle played on a 4×4 grid: push all tiles in one direction and equal numbers merge into their double — 2+2=4, 4+4=8 — until you build the 2048 tile. Same rules as the 2014 original by Gabriele Cirulli: each move spawns a new tile, 2 with 90% probability and 4 with 10%. Arrow keys, WASD and touch swipes all work, with one-move undo and a best score saved in your browser.
Each tile merges at most once per move: [2,2,4] slid left becomes [4,4], never [8] — exactly the original rule.
A move that changes nothing is invalid and spawns no new tile.
Undo goes back exactly one move — unlimited undo would make the score meaningless.
Your best score is stored only in this browser (localStorage); nothing is sent to a server.
The single most important habit is keeping your biggest tile in one corner. A large tile in the middle blocks four neighbours and traps small tiles around it.
Once you pick a corner, stop using the direction that pulls tiles away from it. If your anchor is bottom-left, treat "up" as forbidden.
Line your large tiles along one edge in descending order — 512, 256, 128, 64 — so a fresh merge cascades down the row. This "snake" layout is the backbone of every high score.
Always keep empty cells in reserve. The moment your only legal move is the forbidden direction, the layout collapses.
The original game spawns a 2 with 90% probability and a 4 with 10%, and this version keeps the same ratio.
The low rate of 4s is a difficulty balance: more 4s would complete merge chains faster, but would also litter the board with tiles that break your ordering.
Because spawns are random, the same skill produces different scores in different runs — judge yourself on your best of several games.
One 2048 tile is 1,024 twos merged together. Tile values are always powers of two because the only rule is "two equal tiles become their double".
The theoretical maximum on a 4×4 board is 131,072 (2¹⁷) — all sixteen cells filled in perfect descending order with a lucky final 4. In practice, 8192 is an elite result.
Score is the sum of every merge you have made, so your first 2048 tile usually lands somewhere around 20,000 points.
Using all four directions. Without a forbidden direction your anchor tile gets dragged out of its corner — the clearest gap between beginners and experienced players.
Ignoring stranded small tiles. A 2 or 4 wedged between large tiles kills that row; plan a merge path for small tiles as soon as they appear.
Gambling with two or three empty cells left. Options shrink fast as the board fills; when space runs low, restore your ordering before chasing points.
Undo only steps back one move, so it rescues a slip, not a strategy — a two-second check before each move is worth more.
2048 was built over a weekend in March 2014 by Italian developer Gabriele Cirulli and released free and open source. It spread explosively and became one of the most-cloned web games ever.
It descends from the mobile game Threes! via the intermediate clone 1024 — Cirulli has said as much himself.
This implementation follows the original rules exactly — 4×4 board, 90/10 spawn ratio, one merge per tile per move — and runs entirely in your browser with no redirects or tracking of your play.
Slide all tiles on a 4×4 grid in one of four directions. Equal tiles that collide merge into their sum, and every move spawns a new 2 (90%) or 4 (10%) on an empty cell. The game ends when no move changes the board; you win by building the 2048 tile.
No. Hit "Keep going" on the win screen and play on. The theoretical maximum tile on a 4×4 board is 131,072, but reaching 4096 or 8192 already puts you well above most players.
Keep your largest tile locked in one corner and never press the direction that pulls it out of that corner. Arrange your big tiles in descending order along one edge so merges chain into each other.
Yes — swipe the board in any direction. It runs entirely in the browser with no install or sign-up, and works offline once loaded.
Every merge adds the merged value to your score: merging two 4s scores 8 points. Your best score is kept in this browser only.