Arcade · Rules

How to play 2048

A four by four board of numbered tiles. Slide them all one way, and two tiles with the same number that meet become one. Here, reaching 2048 is a milestone and not the end, and you can stop a long run and keep its score.

Players
1
Board
4 × 4
New tile
2 or 4
At 2048
Keep going
The rules

Seven things. The last two are where this version differs.

  1. The start

    Two tiles on an empty board. Each is a 2, or one time in ten a 4.

  2. Move

    Swipe on the board, tap the on-screen arrows, or use the arrow keys or W, A, S and D. Every tile slides as far as it can go that way.

  3. Merge

    Two tiles with the same number that meet become one tile worth both. Merging starts from the edge you slid toward, and a tile can merge only once per move.

  4. A new tile

    After every move that shifts something, one new tile lands on a random empty cell. It is a 2 nine times in ten and a 4 the other time. A swipe that moves nothing is not a move, and no tile appears.

  5. Score

    A merge scores the number on the tile it makes. Making a 64 pays 64. Nothing else scores.

  6. 2048 is not the end

    Making the 2048 tile does not stop the run. Keep going and keep scoring.

  7. How a run ends

    The board is full and no two neighbouring tiles match. Or you tap End run and then tap it again to confirm, which banks the score you have. A run also stops after 20,000 moves.

One move

A swipe to the left.

Before. You swipe left.
After. Five merges, ringed in green: 4 + 4 + 8 + 32 + 16 is 64 points. A new tile then lands on one of the nine empty cells.

Look at the top row. Four 2s make two 4s and stop there, because a tile merges once per move. The second row is the same rule: the two 4s make an 8, and that new 8 does not then merge with the 8 beside it.

People ask

The 4s, the score and the finish.

Does the game end when you reach 2048?
No. 2048 is a milestone. The run carries on and keeps scoring until the board is stuck or you end it yourself.
What are the odds of a 4 appearing in 2048?
One in ten. Every new tile is a 2 nine times out of ten and a 4 the other time. That goes for the two tiles you start with as well.
How is the score worked out in 2048?
Each merge scores the number on the tile it makes, so merging two 32s scores 64. Sliding tiles without merging scores nothing.
Can a tile merge twice in one move?
No. Each tile merges at most once per move. A row of 2, 2, 2, 2 becomes 4, 4. A row of 4, 4, 8 becomes 8, 8.
Can you stop a run and keep the score?
Yes. Tap End run, then tap it again to confirm. The run is scored on exactly what you played. Ending early is never worth more than playing on.
Now play

Past 2048 the board keeps going.

Nothing at stake
You play alone. No opponent, nothing to stake and no rating.
Best run
Only your best run ranks on the high scores board.
Checked score
The game records what you did and sends it when the run ends. The server replays it and works out the score itself.
Play 2048

Free, and no account needed. Opening the game seats you as a guest, and the run starts when you press Start.

one of the games in the Arcade.