What Is 2048? How to Play
2048 is a single-player number puzzle played on a 4×4 grid. Slide the tiles in one direction, combine equal numbers and work toward a tile worth 2048. This guide explains the rules and scoring step by step.
Slide every tile
A directional move shifts all tiles as far as they can go. Equal neighboring tiles can combine, with no tile merging twice during that move.
Follow a simple example
Moving 2,2,2,2 left produces 4,4,empty,empty before the new tile appears. It adds 8 points, not 16.
Know when the game ends
A full board is only over if no horizontal or vertical neighbors match. An empty cell or an available matching pair means a move may still be possible.
Play without a keyboard
Swipe in one clear direction on the board or use the on-screen arrow buttons. Scrolling elsewhere on the page remains available.
The 2048 rules, step by step
- Start with two small tiles on the board.
- Choose left, right, up or down. All tiles slide toward that edge.
- Equal tiles that meet combine once: 8 and 8 make 16.
- A valid move adds a new tile, usually 2 and sometimes 4, in an empty cell.
- Continue making space and building pairs until a tile reaches 2048.
A tile created during a move cannot merge again in that move. For example, 2, 2, 4, empty moved left becomes 4, 4, empty, empty before the new tile appears. It does not become 8 immediately.
Score versus highest tile
Your score adds the value of every merged tile. Merging two 16s adds 32 points, while sliding without a merge adds none. The highest tile records a different achievement: a score of 2048 does not necessarily mean that you have made a 2048 tile. Choose Keep playing after reaching the target if you want to continue.
Your first game
Open the classic 2048 game and focus the board before using the keyboard. Start by watching how a whole row moves rather than trying to move one tile. When you understand the rules, try the 2048 corner strategy or use practice with undo to compare two directions.
Try a 2048 merge example
Compare left and right on the same starting row. This preview shows only the slide and merge, before a random tile appears. Every preview starts from the row shown below; it does not change your saved game.
Starting row
- 2
- 2
- 2
- —
After the move
- 4
- 2
- —
- —
Left: 4, 2, empty, empty. Merge score: 4 points.
The pair nearest the chosen edge merges first. The third 2 stays separate; the new 4 cannot merge again during this move.
When a new tile appears
After a move changes the board, one empty cell is chosen for a new tile. In this implementation each new tile has a 90% chance of being 2 and a 10% chance of being 4. These are probabilities for individual spawns, not a promise of exactly nine 2s in every ten moves. A direction that changes nothing adds no tile and no points.
Two adjacent pairs can merge in one move: 2, 2, 4, 4 moved left becomes 4, 8, empty, empty, adding 12 points before the new tile appears. A full board is not automatically game over: an equal horizontal or vertical pair can still merge.
Where these rules come from
The original 2048 project was created by Gabriele Cirulli; its source and credits provide the original reference. The examples on this page use this website’s own merge engine. Larger boards and practice undo are additions to this implementation. Read how our guides and game examples are checked or report a rule that does not match your game.