The sliding number puzzle, crafted in wood, stone, metal, gems and light.
Merge 2048 is the classic sliding number puzzle, made to feel like a beautiful object. Every slide moves all the tiles on the board at once; two tiles with the same number that collide merge into one tile worth their sum. Keep merging and 2s become 4s, 8s, 16s and onward, all the way to 2048 and beyond.
Each step up the number ladder is also a step up in material. Small tiles are lacquered wood, then come polished stone, brushed and chromed metal, faceted gems from 1024, and finally tiles made of pure light for players who push past 8192. Play the Classic 4×4, stretch out on the 5×5 and 6×6 boards, or take on the Daily Merge, where the tiles appear in the same order for everyone.
How to play
- Slide up, down, left or right. Every tile moves as far as it can in that direction.
- When two tiles with the same number touch during a slide, they merge into one tile with double the value, and the new value is added to your score. A tile can only merge once per slide.
- After every slide that changes the board, a new 2 (or sometimes a 4) appears on an empty square.
- Make the 2048 tile to win, then keep going for a higher score. The game ends when the board is full and no slide can merge anything.
- You start with three undos. Each time you make a new highest tile from 256 upward (256, 512, 1024 and so on) you earn one back, up to five. If you run out of moves, you can still undo your way out.
Controls
| Action | Keyboard | Touch | Gamepad |
|---|---|---|---|
| Slide | Arrow keys or W A S D | Swipe in any direction | D-pad / left stick |
| Undo | U, Z or Backspace | Undo button | X / LB |
| Finish when out of moves | Enter or Space | Finish button | A |
| Pause / restart | Esc / R | Pause button | Start / Back |
Every action can be remapped in Settings.
Modes
- Classic 4×4
- Slide, merge, reach 2048, then keep going for the highest score.
- Daily Merge Daily
- Today's tile spawns, the same for everyone. 4×4, one board, best score.
- Grand 5×5
- More room to plan. Chase 4096 and beyond.
- Vast 6×6
- A huge board for marathon merging into the light tiers.
Tips & strategy
- Pick a corner and keep your biggest tile in it. Most strong players never let the largest tile leave its corner.
- Fill the row along that corner and keep it full, so sliding sideways never pulls your big tile out of place.
- Arrange tiles in a snake: biggest in the corner, then the next biggest beside it, decreasing along the row and back the other way. Merges then roll up the chain toward the corner.
- Avoid the slide that points away from your corner unless you have no other choice. If you must, slide back immediately.
- Merge small tiles early. Scattered 2s and 4s clog the board faster than anything else.
- Save your undos for real emergencies, such as a spawn that lands in your corner, rather than fixing every small slip. Each new highest tile from 256 upward earns one back.
- On 5×5 and 6×6 boards the extra space is forgiving, but the same corner strategy is what gets you to the light tiles.
Achievements
- Heavy MetalForge a 128 tile (the first metal tile)Locked
- Chain ReactionMake four merges with a single slideLocked
- GemcutterCut a 1024 tile (the first gem)Locked
- 2048Make the 2048 tileLocked
- PuristMake 2048 without using a single undoLocked
- BeyondMake a 4096 tileLocked
- Let There Be LightMake an 8192 light tileLocked
- Big NumbersScore 20,000 points in one gameLocked
- Daily GrindFinish a Daily Merge boardLocked
A short history of the genre
Sliding number puzzles have a long history, from the wooden fifteen puzzle of the 1870s to modern touch-screen games. In 2014 a small open-source browser game about merging powers of two went viral almost overnight, inspired by earlier merging puzzles, and the target number 2048 became a household name.
Its appeal is the mix of simple rules and deep strategy: anyone can play their first game in seconds, yet reaching 2048 takes planning, and computer programs that search ahead can reach tiles of 16384 and higher. Merge 2048 keeps the rules everyone knows and adds bigger boards, a daily challenge, a limited undo and a material for every tier.
FAQ
Is Merge 2048 free?
Yes. Merge 2048 is free to play in your browser with no download or sign-up. The site is supported by unobtrusive ads that never cover the game.
Does it work on phones?
Yes. Merge 2048 is designed for portrait play on phones: swipe to slide the tiles and tap the Undo button below the board. It also works in landscape, on tablets and on desktop.
What happens after I make 2048?
You get a celebration, and then the game carries on so you can chase 4096, 8192 and a higher score. The game only ends when no move is possible.
How does undo work?
You have three undos per game. Making a new highest tile of 256 or more earns one back, up to a maximum of five held at once. Undo restores the board and score exactly, including the tile that spawned, so it can't be used to re-roll a spawn.
What is the Daily Merge?
A 4×4 game where new tiles appear from the same seeded sequence for every player on the same day (it changes at midnight UTC). Your best score of the day is saved and you can share it.
What do the tile materials mean?
They show how far up the ladder a tile is: wood for 2 to 8, stone for 16 to 64, metal for 128 to 512, gems for 1024 to 4096, and light for 8192 and above.
Where are my scores saved?
In your browser on this device. You can export your profile from the Profile page and import it on another device.
Updates
- Merge 2048 launched with Classic 4×4, Grand 5×5, Vast 6×6 and the Daily Merge.
