How 2048 works

Your main goal in 2048 is to join matching tiles until you make the 2048 tile. Each merge also adds points to your score, so bigger tiles give you more points.

The game is made up of a 4x4 grid. Every move slides all tiles on the board at once. Swipe left and every tile shifts as far left as it can go. When two matching tiles slide into each other, they merge into one tile worth twice as much. Two 4s become an 8. Two 8s become a 16.

After each move, a new 2 or 4 tile appears in an empty space. The game ends when the grid is full and no matching tiles can merge.

Random swipes can quickly trap large tiles in the middle. Before you move, check where each row or column will end up and check that your move leaves an empty space for your next match.

Controls

• Desktop: Arrow keys
• Mobile: Swipe in any direction

Tips for beginners

You can quickly lose the game when your biggest tile gets trapped in the middle and smaller tiles block the spaces around it.

Follow these tips and you will get better at 2048:

• Choose one corner at the start and avoid moving your highest tile away from it.
• Build the bottom row from biggest to smallest, starting with your highest tile in the corner.
• Try not to swipe up unless you have no other move, because it can move the tiles in your bottom row out of order.
• Keep matching numbers beside each other so one swipe can merge several pairs and open more spaces.

Who created 2048?

2048 was created by Gabriele Cirulli in 2014. He built the game in one weekend and shared its code online for free. It was based on the earlier game 1024 and also took ideas from the game Threes.

Similar games

If you enjoy brain games like 2048, these games also let you join matching numbers.

• 2048 Balls lets you drop numbered balls into a container. Matching balls merge when they hit each other.
• In Merge to Million, you drag each numbered block into place instead of moving the whole board at once.