How to Play 2048: Rules and the Corner Strategy

2048 is a sliding number puzzle on a 4×4 grid. Swipe (or use the arrow keys) to slide every tile in one direction. When two tiles with the same number touch, they merge into one tile with double the value. After every move a new 2 or 4 appears. The goal is to build a tile worth 2048.

The rules

All tiles slide as far as they can in the direction you choose.
Two equal tiles that collide merge: 2+2 makes 4, 4+4 makes 8, and so on.
A tile can only merge once per move.
Your score goes up by the value of every merged tile.
The game ends when the board is full and no merge is possible.

The corner strategy

Pick a corner (for example bottom-left) and keep your biggest tile there all game.
Use mostly two directions, such as down and left, and a third only when needed. Avoid the direction that would pull your big tile out of its corner.
Build a chain: keep the row with your biggest tile full and in decreasing order (for example 256, 128, 64, 32) so merges cascade into the corner.
Don't chase small merges all over the board. Think about where the new tile will appear.
Stay calm when it gets full. Look for the move that keeps your corner safe.

A bit of history

2048 was created in 2014 by Gabriele Cirulli, a young Italian developer, as a weekend project. It went viral almost overnight and was played by millions of people within weeks. Its simple rules and "just one more try" feeling made it one of the most famous browser puzzles ever.

Points

Reaching a 512 tile earns 1 point, 1024 earns 2, and 2048 earns 3. Press End when you want to finish and collect.

▶ Play 2048 now