Play 2048 online for free — the classic sliding-tile puzzle with undo, a global leaderboard and no ads in your way

How to play 2048

Swipe (or press the arrow keys / WASD) to slide every tile on the 4×4 board in one direction. When two tiles with the same number touch, they merge into one: 2 + 2 = 4, 4 + 4 = 8, and so on. After every move a new 2 or 4 appears in an empty cell. Build a 2048 tile to win — and you can keep playing afterwards to chase 4096, 8192 and a bigger score.

Step by step

1. Press START. Two tiles appear on the empty 4×4 board.
2. Swipe on the board (phone) or press an arrow key or W/A/S/D (desktop). Every tile slides as far as it can in that direction.
3. Two equal tiles that collide merge into their sum, and one new tile — a 2 nine times out of ten, otherwise a 4 — drops into a random empty cell. A swipe that moves nothing doesn't count and spawns nothing.
4. Made a mistake? Undo restores the position before your last move. It works one step back only, and becomes available again after your next move.
5. When the board is full and no neighbours match, the game ends. Enter a nickname (up to 12 characters) to post your score to the global top 10.

2048 strategy and tips

• Pick a corner and keep your biggest tile there. Most strong players lock the high tile in the bottom-right (or any corner) and avoid the one move that would pull it out.
• Use only three directions. If your corner is bottom-right, mostly swipe down and right, left only when you must, and almost never up. That keeps the top row from filling with small tiles.
• Build a "snake" chain. Arrange tiles in descending order along one row so merges cascade: 512 · 256 · 128 · 64 merges into 1024 in a single sweep.
• Don't rush. There is no timer. Look at where the next merge will land before you swipe, and use Undo (one step) when a move goes wrong.

Scoring and the leaderboard

Every merge adds the value of the new tile to your score, so a 2048 run usually lands around 20,000 points and reaching 4096 doubles that. Your best score is saved in this browser, and if you enter a nickname after a game it goes on the global top 10 — no account needed. Share your result with a link and your friends see your score and top tile before they play.

Frequently asked questions

Does the game stop when I reach 2048?

No. A "You made 2048!" message appears and play continues until you run out of moves. The result screen then says either "2048 cleared!" or "No moves left", together with your score, top tile and number of moves.

How many times can I undo?

One step at a time. After you undo, you must make another move before Undo can be used again, so you can take back any single move but never two in a row.

Where is my best score stored?

In this browser only. Another device or browser won't see it. The global leaderboard is separate: it keeps only the nickname and score you submit after a game.

What does "New game" do mid-game?

It throws the current board away and starts fresh. If you've already made more than three moves, a confirmation appears first so a stray tap doesn't cost you a good run. Your saved best and any leaderboard entry stay.

About this version

2048 was created by Gabriele Cirulli in 2014 and became one of the most played browser games ever. This free version runs entirely in your browser on phone or desktop, works with touch swipes and keyboard, and never uploads anything. Looking for something else? Try Snake or the block puzzle.

Related tools

• Block Puzzle — another grid puzzle with no timer
• Sudoku — number logic with four difficulty levels
• Minesweeper — classic deduction on a grid
• Snake — the same swipe controls, at speed