2048
Swipe, merge, repeat. Two matching tiles slide together and become one, doubling in value. Keep merging until you build a 2048 tile, then see how much further you can go. It is the one more go puzzle that took over the world in 2014.
Play it instantly with no sign up, or inside your crew for a running high score battle.
Play 2048 nowAt a glance
| Players | 1 at a time, with personal and crew bests |
|---|---|
| Board | 4 by 4 |
| Goal | Reach the 2048 tile, then score as high as you can |
| Timer | None |
| Controls | Swipe, arrow keys or on screen buttons |
How to play
- The board starts with two tiles.
- Swipe up, down, left or right. Every tile slides as far as it can in that direction.
- When two tiles with the same number collide, they merge into one tile worth their total.
- After every move, a new tile appears in an empty square. It is usually a 2, sometimes a 4.
- Reach a 2048 tile to hit the famous goal. You can keep playing after that.
- The game ends when the board is full and no merge is possible. Your score is the total of every merge you made.
How it works in GroupGames.ai
What makes ours different
- Keep going past 2048. Reaching 2048 is a milestone, not the end.
- Crew high scores. Inside a crew, finished games go on the crew leaderboard. Only completed games count, so the rankings stay fair.
- Never loses a move. Moves save in the background in order. Close the tab or lose signal and your board is still there.
- Instant input. The board reacts the moment you swipe. Saving never slows you down.
Strategy: how to win at 2048
Pick a corner and stay there. Keep your biggest tile in one corner, for example the bottom left.
Build a chain along the edge. Line up tiles in falling order next to your big one, like 512, 256, 128, 64. Then they merge into each other one after another.
Use mostly two or three directions. If your corner is bottom left, swipe down and left most of the time, right when you must, and up only in an emergency.
Merge small tiles early. Scattered 2s and 4s clog the board. Clear them before they trap your big tiles.
Think one move ahead. Before each swipe, check where the new tile could appear and whether it could block your chain.
Ways to play
Chase a number. Set yourself a target: 1024 for a quick game, 2048 for the classic, 4096 if you want a real challenge.
Play a crew duel. Inside a crew, everyone plays their own board and the crew leaderboard shows the best finished score. Agree a deadline, like the end of dinner, and see who is on top.
Speed run your mornings. One game with your chai is about five minutes. It is a good warm up for the brain and very hard to stop at one.
Teach a kid. 2048 is a great way for children to practise doubling. Say each merge out loud: two and two make four, four and four make eight.
Common mistakes
- Swiping up in a panic. One bad swipe can pull your big tile out of its corner and scatter the chain. If you must, move it back straight away.
- Chasing merges across the board. A merge in the wrong place can cost you more than it gains. Keep merges flowing toward your corner.
- Ignoring the new tile. Every move adds a tile. Leave space where it cannot hurt you.
A short history
2048 was created in March 2014 by Gabriele Cirulli, a 19 year old Italian web developer, as a weekend project. It was inspired by an earlier game called 1024 and is similar to Threes, a paid puzzle game released weeks before, whose creators publicly objected to the wave of clones that followed. Cirulli released 2048 free and open source, and it drew more than four million visitors in its first week. Thousands of versions have been made since, with bigger boards, different tiles and every theme imaginable.
FAQ
What happens after you reach 2048? You can keep playing. The game only ends when the board is full and no merges are left.
What is the highest possible tile in 2048? On a 4 by 4 board, the highest tile anyone can theoretically reach is 131,072.
How is the score calculated? Every merge adds the value of the new tile to your score. Merging two 64 tiles adds 128.
What is the best strategy for 2048? Keep your biggest tile in a corner, build a descending chain along one edge, and avoid swiping in the direction that pulls the big tile out.
Who made 2048? Gabriele Cirulli, in 2014.
Is 2048 based on Threes? Not directly. Cirulli based it on a game called 1024, and both follow the slide and merge idea that Threes introduced shortly before.
Do I need an account to play? No. Open the solo page and start swiping. Your best is saved in your browser.