2048: how to play, and how to make 2048 (and more)

The rules

• The board: four rows of four cells. The game starts with two tiles.
• A move slides every tile up, down, left or right, as far as it can go.
• Two tiles with the same number merge into one with their sum: two 2s make a 4, two 4s an 8, and so on. A tile merges only once in a move, so a row of 2 2 2 2 slid left becomes 4 4.
• After every move a new tile appears on an empty cell: a 2, or now and then (one time in ten) a 4. A move that would change nothing does not count.
• The game ends when the board is full and no two tiles side by side match: No more moves.

Scoring

Every merge adds the new tile's number to your score: merging two 8s gives 16 points, two 1024s give 2048. Your best score is kept, and the box at the end of a game shows your score, your best and the biggest tile you made.

2048 and beyond

Make a 2048 tile and the game says You made 2048!. Choose Keep going to play on for 4096, 8192 and higher, until no move is left. Every bigger tile you make after it is cheered too.

Other boards

Under "Play" on the home screen you choose the board: 3×3, 4×4 (the classic), 5×5 or 6×6. The rules are the same on each. A bigger board is roomier and longer; the 3×3 is tight, and there the goal is a 512 tile instead of 2048. Each board keeps its own game in hand, its own best score and biggest tile, and its own page in Statistics. The daily board is always 4×4.

Undo

The Undo button under the board (beside it on a wide screen) takes your last move back: the board and the score are as they were. Every game has three undos, and the button shows how many are left. When no move is left, Undo is offered in the end box too, and the game goes on from before the move that ended it. Once the three are used, in the browser version you can watch a short ad for one more undo (not on the daily board, where everyone has the same three). Undoing does not change the tiles to come: the same move made again brings the same new tile.

The daily board

Every day there is one daily board, the same for everyone in the world: the same starting tiles, and the same new tiles for the same moves. Your best score on it is kept for the day, and you can play it again as often as you like. A new board comes at midnight UTC. "Share" sends your score with a link that opens the same board.

The calendar button beside "Daily board" shows the month: every day whose board you have played to the end has a crown, and the days in a row with a crown are your daily streak. A day you missed can still be played from the calendar, from October 2026 on, and earns its crown too.

In Halloween week, 26 October to 1 November 2026, each day's crown is a pumpkin. The first pumpkin unlocks the Halloween theme (a night colour scheme) in Settings → Theme, and it stays yours after the week is over.

In Christmas week, 21 to 27 December 2026, each day's crown is a present. The first present unlocks the Christmas theme (an evergreen colour scheme) in the same place, and it stays yours too.

Achievements and statistics

There are 15 achievements to collect: tiles from 128 to 4096, scores of 10,000, 25,000 and 50,000 in one game, games played to the end, the daily board, three pumpkins in Halloween week and three presents in Christmas week. "Achievements" on the home screen lists them all, with how far along you are. They are kept on your device.

"Statistics", beside it, shows your games played, your best score, your biggest tile, the daily boards you have finished, the moves you have made and your time played; and, for each board and the daily board apart, the games played, the best score and your average score (and each board's biggest tile).

Strategy

• Keep your biggest tile in a corner. Choose one corner, say bottom left, and keep the highest tile there all game.
• Use mostly two or three directions. With the big tile at the bottom left, slide down and left most of the time, right when you must, and up only when nothing else moves.
• Build a chain along the edge. Line up tiles in falling order beside the corner tile (1024, 512, 256 …) so that each merge feeds the next.
• Keep the bottom row full. A full row cannot shift sideways and pull your corner tile out.
• Merge small tiles early. Scattered 2s and 4s fill the board; clear them before they block your chain.
• Think one move ahead. Before each move, look where the new tile could land.

Controls

Swipe on the board with your finger or the mouse. On a computer, use the arrow keys or W A S D; Z, U or Backspace undoes the last move; Esc goes back to the menu (the game is kept).

Questions and answers

Is 2048 free?

Yes. It is free to play, with ads in the browser version. There is nothing to buy.

Do I need to download anything?

No. It plays in any modern browser on a phone, tablet or computer. If you like, you can install it as an app: on Android and in Chrome on a computer, choose "Install app" on the home screen; on an iPhone or iPad, use Safari's "Add to Home Screen". Once installed, it starts even without a connection.

Is my game saved?

Yes. The game in hand and your records are kept on your device, without an account. Leave in the middle of a game and "Continue" on the home screen picks it up again; "New game" asks first before it gives up a game you have played for a while.

Is there an undo?

Yes: three in every game. See Undo.

Can I change the colours?

Yes: Settings → Theme has colour schemes for the screen and the board, and three looks for the tiles: bright (the game's own), pastel, and neon (dark tiles with lit numbers). Your choice is kept on your device.

Who is the little robot?

That is Zip. He hops in beside the box when you make 2048, beat your best score, finish the daily board or run out of moves, and now and then waves from beside the board when you make a new biggest tile (from 512, or from 128 on the 3 × 3). He never stands over the board or a button, and a tap sends him off. He comes less often after the first few times; to turn him off, choose Zip: on in Settings.

Which languages does it speak?

41, from English, Chinese, Hindi and Spanish to Turkish, Swahili and Vietnamese. It starts in your browser's language when it has it, and you can change it on the home screen.

Something is wrong, or I have an idea

Write to support@brookmoon.com.