2048
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About this game
2048 is a sliding number puzzle played on a 4x4 board. Every move pushes all the tiles at once, matching numbers merge into their sum, and a new tile drops in. It takes ten seconds to learn and a long time to stop thinking about, which makes it a good short break between study sessions.
Practises: Number sense (powers of two)
Made by another developer and hosted on Brainlag.
How to play
Your goal is to build a tile worth 2048. Each move slides every tile on the board as far as it can go in one direction. When two tiles with the same number collide, they merge into one tile worth double: two 2s make a 4, two 4s make an 8, and so on up the powers of two.
After every move that changes the board, a new 2 or 4 appears in a random empty square. The round ends when the board is full and no slide can merge anything. If you reach 2048 you get the choice to keep going, so you can chase 4096 and beyond.
Your score goes up by the value of every merged tile, so bigger merges are worth more. The game keeps your best score, and the New Game button (or the R key) starts a fresh board whenever you want.
Controls
| Key | Action |
|---|---|
| Arrow keys | Slide all tiles up, down, left or right |
| W A S D | Same as the arrow keys |
| H J K L | Vim-style slides (left, down, up, right) |
| R | Restart with a new board |
| Swipe | Slide tiles on a touch screen |
Tips
- Pick one corner for your biggest tile and keep it there. Most strong players use a bottom corner and almost never press the opposite direction.
- Use only three directions as much as you can. If your big tile sits bottom-left, lean on Down and Left, use Right when needed, and save Up for emergencies.
- Build a snake: line up tiles in falling order along the bottom row (for example 512, 256, 128, 64) so one merge sets off a chain back into the corner.
- Keep the row that holds your big tile completely full. A gap there lets a stray 2 slip in next to your 512 and block the chain.
- Before each move, look at where the new tile is likely to land. Moves that leave the free squares away from your corner are safer.
FAQ
Does it save my progress?
Yes. Your best score and the board you are playing are stored in this browser, so you can close the tab and pick up where you left off. Clearing site data or switching device starts you from scratch.
Can I play on a phone or tablet?
Yes. Swipe in any direction on the board to slide the tiles. It also works with a keyboard on laptops and Chromebooks.
Is there an end after 2048?
Reaching 2048 counts as a win, but you can choose Keep going and push for 4096 or higher. The game only ends when the board locks up with no possible merges.