How to play 2048

2048 is a sliding block puzzle created by Gabriele Cirulli in 2014. You start with two tiles on a 4×4 grid. Each swipe moves every tile as far as possible in that direction. When two tiles with the same number touch during a move, they merge into one tile with double the value. After every move, a new tile (either 2 or 4) spawns in a random empty spot.

The goal is to create a tile with the value 2048. Reaching it requires combining 1024 pieces of value 2, which takes careful planning and disciplined move selection. The game ends when the board fills up and no more merges are possible.

Controls

Desktop: Arrow keys (↑ ↓ ← →)
Mobile: Swipe up, down, left, or right on the grid

Strategy in one sentence

Pick a corner, never move your biggest tile out of it, and build a descending chain. Read our Corner Strategy guide for the full explanation with diagrams.