Game guide › Puzzle & Brain › 2048
2048 Free online game
- Puzzle & Brain
- Solo
- 5×5 · 4×4 · 3×3
Merge matching numbers to make bigger ones
What is it?
2048 is a number puzzle where you slide the whole board in one direction to merge matching tiles. 2 and 2 make 4, 4 and 4 make 8, and so on, building bigger and bigger numbers on the way to the 2048 tile.
You can choose a 5×5, 4×4 or 3×3 board. Fewer cells fill up faster, making it harder; the game ends when no move is possible.
How to play
- Swipe and every tile slides that way
- Two tiles with the same number merge into one
- Game over when no moves are left
Playing on PC (keyboard · mouse)
On phones you tap the screen; on PC you can also use the mouse and the keys below.
| Arrow keys · W A S D | Slide |
|---|---|
| Esc | Pause · back |
Difficulty and rankings
| Difficulty | 5×5 · 4×4 · 3×3 |
|---|---|
| About the difficulty levels | Fewer cells means harder — each board size has its own best score and ranking |
| Ranking | Highest score first · separate rankings for phone (touch) and PC (keyboard · mouse) |
There's a weekly ranking and an all-time ranking; the weekly one resets every Monday at midnight (Korea time). For details, see the Help.
Good to know on Hanpanmadang
- Your score is the sum of all tiles created by merging. Merging 2 and 2 adds 4 points; merging 4 and 4 adds 8.
- After every move a new tile appears in an empty cell: a 2 nine times out of ten, a 4 one time in ten.
- The game continues even after you reach the target tile (4096 on 5×5, 2048 on 4×4, 256 on 3×3). Rankings use your score when the game ends.
Learn from examples
Sliding a row of four 2s to the left makes two 4s, not one 8, because tiles pair up two at a time starting from the side you slide toward. This move scores 4 + 4 = 8 points.
Sliding 4 · 4 · 8 to the left merges the 4s into an 8, but that 8 won't merge with the neighboring 8 in the same move. It takes one more slide to make 16. Count your moves ahead when building big numbers.
Common mistakes
- Sliding in all four directions evenly.
- Your big tile easily slips out of its corner and gets stuck in the middle. Use only two or three directions, and avoid sliding away from the corner where your big tile sits.
- Merging whatever you can without a plan.
- Line up tiles so each big tile sits next to the next-largest, and a single slide will chain several merges.
Tips
- Keep your biggest number pinned in one corner and gather everything toward it.
- Using just two or three directions instead of all four keeps your big number from leaving its corner.
- When the board is nearly full, pick the direction that creates the most merges. Two or three merges at once open up lots of space.
- Small numbers trapped between big ones are hard to clear. Merge them before they get stuck.
More Puzzle & Brain games
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- Apple 10Box apples that add up to 10 to clear them
- Watermelon MergeMerge matching fruit into bigger ones, and finally a watermelon
- Block DropFill rows with falling blocks to clear them
- Number SlideSlide the tiles into order starting from 1
- MinesweeperUse the numbers as clues to open every cell without hitting a mine
- Sudoku1 to 9 once in every row, column and 3×3 box
- NonogramFill cells using the number clues to reveal a hidden picture
- BridgesBuild as many bridges as each island's number and connect every island
- Circuit ConnectRotate tiles so power flows to every one
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- Mental MathSolve as many mental math problems as you can in 60 seconds
- Memory MatchFind and flip pairs of matching cards
- Color MemoryRemember the order the buttons light up and repeat it