2048 — Play Free Online
More Retro Arcade games
2048 is the sliding number puzzle that Gabriele Cirulli wrote over a single weekend and released as open source in March 2014. He based it on 1024 by Veewo Studio, and it shares its core idea with Threes by Asher Vollmer, a debt Cirulli has openly admitted. The version on this page is built from his original code.
The rules
You play on a four-by-four board that starts with two numbered tiles. Every move pushes all the tiles on the board as far as they can go in the direction you chose, until each one stops against the edge or against another tile. Matching numbers that meet are fused into a single tile worth their sum: two 2s give a 4, two 4s give an 8, and so on up the powers of two.
After each move a fresh tile lands on a random empty square. In this build the new tile is usually a 2 and only sometimes a 4. The aim is to build a tile showing 2048. If the board fills up and no neighbouring tiles match, no move is possible and the game is over.
Controls
- On a computer, use the arrow keys to slide the tiles up, down, left or right.
- On a phone or tablet, swipe across the board in the direction you want.
The page shows your current score and your best score. Reaching 2048 does not force you to stop: a Keep going button lets you carry on toward bigger tiles, and New Game or Try again resets the board.
Strategy
Because one swipe moves everything at once, the game punishes random sliding. A dependable approach is to pick one corner and keep your largest tile parked there, then build the next-largest values along the edge beside it so they are in reach when they match.
- Look a couple of moves ahead. A merge that looks good now can leave a small tile trapped behind larger ones.
- If your high tiles drift into the middle of the board they become hard to reach, and the run usually ends soon after.
Why it caught on
2048 spread fast after its launch, which surprised its author. Because the code was open, a long line of variations and clones followed, but this plain four-by-four board is the one they all copy.
Questions about 2048
Who created 2048?
Gabriele Cirulli made 2048 in a weekend and released it in March 2014. He took the idea from 1024 by Veewo Studio, and the game is close in concept to Threes.
How do you play 2048?
Slide all tiles with the arrow keys or a swipe. Two tiles with the same number merge into one with double the value, and a new tile appears after each move.
When is 2048 game over?
When the board is full and no two neighbouring tiles share a number, there are no moves left and the game ends.
Can you keep playing after reaching 2048?
Yes. A Keep going button lets you continue the same board toward larger tiles.
