2048: Free Online Number Merge Puzzle
Slide numbered tiles and merge equal numbers until you make 2048. Classic games on boards from 3×3 to 6×6, plus a daily game with the same new tiles for everyone.
Quick facts
- Category
- 🧩 Puzzle
- Price
- Free, no download or sign-up
- Plays on
- Computer, phone and tablet
- Screen
- Portrait
- Provided by
- After School Play
- Added
About 2048: Number Merge Puzzle
2048: Number Merge Puzzle is our own version of the sliding number puzzle. The standard board is four squares by four. Swipe in any direction, or press an arrow key, and every tile slides as far as it can that way. When two tiles with the same number run into each other they merge into one tile with their sum: two 2s make a 4, two 4s make an 8, and so on up the line. After every move a new 2, or now and then a 4, appears on an empty square. Make a 2048 tile to win, then keep going for 4096 and beyond. The game ends when the board is full and no two touching tiles match.
The tiles glide across the board and pop when they merge, and quick swipes chain one after another without waiting for the last move to finish. A swipe on the board never scrolls the page, so it plays well on a phone held upright or sideways and with a keyboard on a computer. Each number has its own colour, from pale lilac 2s through greens, oranges and pinks to a glowing gold 2048, so you can read the board at a glance.
Scoring is simple: every merge scores the number it makes, so merging two 64s scores 128. Classic games are endless and come in four sizes: a quick 3×3 board where the goal is 256, the standard 4×4, and roomy 5×5 and 6×6 boards for long games. Each size keeps its own game and best score, and your best climbs as you play. Undo is free in classic games: it takes back your last move. The daily game is played on the 4×4 board, lasts 300 moves and gives everyone the same new tiles on each UTC day, so scores can be compared fairly on the leaderboard. Play it each day to build a streak. Your game is saved after every move, so you can leave and come back.
If you have gems, helpers are on offer at fixed prices: a Hint shows the best direction to swipe, Remove takes one tile off the board, and in the daily game Undo takes back a move. None of them adds points. 2048: Number Merge Puzzle is free to play in your browser with no download or sign-up, and its tiles, music and sound effects are all made for the game.
Want more? Browse Puzzle games.
How to Play
- Pick the daily game, or a classic game on a 3×3, 4×4, 5×5 or 6×6 board.
- Swipe, or press an arrow key, to slide every tile as far as it goes.
- Two tiles with the same number that run into each other merge into one with their sum.
- After every move a new 2 (sometimes a 4) appears on an empty square.
- Each merge scores the number it makes. Make a 2048 tile to win, then keep going.
- The game ends when the board is full and no two touching tiles match.
Tips
- Keep your biggest tile in one corner and build toward it.
- Use two directions, like down and left, for most moves and the others only when you must.
- Keep the row with your biggest tile full, so it can't slide out of its corner.
- Line tiles up from big to small along one edge, so each merge sets up the next.
- Before you swipe, look at where the new tile could land.
FAQ
- Is 2048: Number Merge Puzzle free?
- Yes. It is free to play in any modern browser, with no download and no sign-up.
- What is the daily game?
- 300 moves with the same new tiles for everyone that day. It changes at midnight UTC. You can replay it, your best score of the day counts, and playing it each day builds your streak.
- How is the score worked out?
- Every merge scores the number it makes: two 8s merging score 16, two 512s score 1024. Nothing else scores. In the daily game the most anyone could score in 300 moves is 10,872.
- What happens after I make 2048?
- You win, and you can keep going on the same board for 4096 and bigger tiles. The game ends only when no move is left.
- Is there an undo, and what do gems do?
- Undo is free in classic games and takes back your last move. Gems buy helpers at fixed prices: a Hint that shows the best direction to swipe, Remove to take one tile off the board, and Undo in the daily game. None of them adds points.
