2048: the complete wiki

How to play

Controls

Move

Arrow keys or W A S D

Pause

Space bar

Phone

Swipe on the board

Modes and options

Classic

The usual rules: you lose when there are no moves left.

Time

2 minutes to score as much as you can.

Zen

No clock and no game over, to play at your own pace.

Boards

3×3 (hard), 4×4 (the classic), 5×5 and 6×6 (more room, longer games).

Undo

Optional, up to 3 uses; a game with undo counts as practice and doesn’t save records.

Rules

• Each move pushes every tile to one side until it hits the edge or another tile.
• Two tiles with the same number merge into one worth double (2 + 2 = 4, 4 + 4 = 8…) and add that value to your score.
• After every move a new tile appears (a 2 or, sometimes, a 4).
• The game ends when the board is full and no merge is possible.
• Reaching 2048 is a win, but you can keep playing for 4096 and beyond.

Strategy

The strategy that wins the most games is the “corner” one: your biggest tile lives in a corner, and next to it you build a row ordered from high to low, like a staircase. Each new tile merges its way toward that row, and the staircase grows without the big tile ever moving.

Go deeper

• 2048 guide: a strategy to reach 2048 (and beyond)

Tips

• Pick a corner and keep your highest tile there all game.
• Use mostly two directions (say, down and left) and a third only when there’s no other choice.
• Avoid the direction that pulls your big tile out of its corner.
• Keep one row completely full so it can’t shift on its own.
• Before merging, look at which new tile could land in the gap you leave.

Common mistakes

• Moving in all four directions with no plan. Pick a corner for your highest tile and avoid the direction that pulls it out.
• Merging big tiles far from the corner: getting them back into place is hard.
• Letting the corner row fill up with tiles out of order: the staircase breaks and the board locks up.
• Watching only the tile you move: every move also spawns a new tile on a free cell.

Mechanics

The tags that describe 2048. Those with a page lead to similar games.

• 1 player
• Logic
• Strategy
• Relaxing
• High scores
• Classic

Glossary

Merge

When two equal tiles collide as you slide, they join into one worth double, and that value goes to your score. Each tile merges at most once per move.

Corner strategy

Keeping the highest tile fixed in one corner and lining the others up beside it in a staircase, avoiding the direction that would pull it out.

See the full glossary

FAQ

Can you always win 2048?

No: new tiles appear at random, so sometimes the board locks up. With the corner strategy you reach 2048 in most 4×4 games.

Which board is easiest?

5×5 and 6×6 leave much more room. 3×3 is the hardest: reaching 2048 there is almost impossible, so it’s played for points.

Why didn’t my game save a record?

If you used Undo, the game counts as practice and doesn’t save records. The star icon next to the score shows it.

Can I keep going after 2048?

Yes: press “Keep playing” and go for 4096, which has its own achievement.