Number Merge is our free take on the 2048 game: a 4x4 board, two starting tiles, and one simple rule. Slide every tile at once, join matching numbers, and keep doubling until you reach 2048. Then keep going, because the game does not stop there.
The board is a 4x4 grid. Each game starts with two tiles already placed. When you slide, every tile on the board moves as far as it can in that direction until it hits the wall or another tile.
If two tiles with the same number bump into each other, they merge into one tile worth double. Two 2s make a 4, two 4s make an 8, and so on up the ladder: 16, 32, 64, 128, 256, 512, 1024 and 2048.
After every slide that actually changes the board, one new tile appears in a random empty cell. Nine times out of ten it is a 2. The rest of the time it is a 4. If a slide would not move anything, nothing happens and no new tile is added, so a wasted key press costs you nothing.
- A tile can only merge once per move. A row of 2, 2, 2, 2 slid left becomes 4, 4, not 8.
- When three equal tiles sit in a line, the two closest to the wall you slide towards merge first.
- Reach a 2048 tile to win. A banner appears, and you can tap Keep playing to chase 4096 and beyond.
On a computer, use the arrow keys or W, A, S and D to slide. Press P or Esc to pause, and Enter or Space to start a game from the title screen.
On a phone or tablet, swipe anywhere on the board in the direction you want. A short, clear swipe is enough. There are also on-screen arrow buttons under the board if you prefer tapping.
Your score goes up only when tiles merge. Each merge adds the value of the new tile. Join two 8s and you gain 16 points. Join two 1024s and you gain 2048 points. If one slide makes several merges, you get all of them added together.
Simply moving tiles around scores nothing. That is why big scores come from big merges late in the game, not from lots of small moves early on.
Your best score and your highest tile are saved in your browser when a game ends, so they are waiting for you next time on the same device.
The corner strategy is the one most good players use. Pick one corner, say bottom left, and keep your biggest tile there for the whole game. Then line up smaller tiles next to it in falling order along the bottom row: 512, 256, 128, 64. When the small end merges up, the whole row can collapse into the corner like a chain.
To keep the big tile in its corner, lean on two directions most of the time, such as down and left. Use the third direction, right, when you have to. Try hard never to press the fourth one, up, because it pulls your big tile out of the corner and a new 2 can land right where it was.
- Keep the bottom row full so sideways slides cannot shift your corner tile.
- Do not chase every merge you see. A merge that breaks your order often costs more than it gives.
- Look at where the new tile will have room to appear before you slide.
- Merge small tiles early so the board does not fill up with scattered 2s and 4s.
- If you get stuck with your big tile out of the corner, slide it back the very next move.
The game ends only when all 16 cells are full and no two matching tiles sit next to each other, up, down, left or right. At that point no slide can change the board.
A full board is not game over on its own. If any two neighbours match, you can still slide to merge them and free up space. The end screen shows your score, your best, your highest tile in this game and your best tile ever.
The original 2048 was made by Italian developer Gabriele Cirulli in March 2014, as a weekend project. It was inspired by the earlier sliding puzzle Threes! and a similar game called 1024. It spread across phones and browsers in a matter of weeks and became one of the best known puzzle games of the decade.
Number Merge is an original PlayNest game in the same style. It is not affiliated with the original 2048, but it keeps the rules people know, so if you have played 2048 before you will feel right at home.