Number Merge 4x4: Free 2048-Style Game

How to play

Slide the whole board in one direction using the arrow keys, W for up, A for left, S for down or D for right. On a phone, swipe across the board; short taps do not move tiles. You can also use the four visible arrow buttons. Tiles travel as far as they can until another tile or the board edge stops them. The same controls work on every board size.

Two equal neighbors combine into one tile with twice their value. Each tile can merge only once in a move, and matches resolve from the edge you move toward. For example, moving a row of 2, 2, 2, 2 left makes 4, 4, empty, empty. Moving 2, 2, 2, empty left makes 4, 2, empty, empty. The fresh 4 cannot merge again until a later move.

Every move that changes the board adds one new tile to an empty square: a 2 with a 90 percent chance, or a 4 with a 10 percent chance. A move that leaves every tile in place adds nothing and does not increase the move count. Your score increases by the value of each merged tile, so combining two 8s adds 16 points. Sliding without merging adds no points.

Reach a 2048 tile to see a win note, then choose Keep going to aim higher. The game ends when none of the four directions can change the board. Either reaching 2048 or running out of moves finishes the daily game for your streak. Undo restores exactly one move, including its score and the random tile stream, so repeating that move repeats its spawn. Reset starts the same game again. Share sends your score, largest tile and game link without showing the board.

A short history

Gabriele Cirulli released 2048 in 2014, drawing on earlier number games including 1024 and, indirectly, Threes. Sliding and combining numbers turned a small grid into a widely played browser game. Number Merge is our original version of that familiar rule set, with our own site palette, tile treatment, controls and three board sizes. It is a solo number game, separate from our clue-based logic puzzles. You do not need an account, a download or a time limit to play. Read the creator’s project notes.

The daily 4x4 game starts from the UTC date and remains available through its dated link. The 4x4, 5x5 and 6x6 practice pages begin with fixed starting games; New game selects another game in your browser. New tiles are random and some games end before 2048. We make no promise of a winning path. The same starting game and the same moves repeat the same tile sequence, but different moves can leave different empty squares and different outcomes. Code creates the starting tiles and checks every move under the merge rules.

Playing tips

Give your largest tile a steady home near a corner. Try arranging nearby values in increasing order so smaller pairs can feed toward it. This is a useful habit, not a guarantee: a new tile may land in a square you hoped to keep open. Before changing direction, look at the far edge and check whether the move would separate a useful pair.

Keep some empty squares available. A crowded board offers fewer ways to bring equal tiles together. Look one move ahead and notice whether a tempting merge would leave incompatible numbers wedged between pairs. The larger practice boards give you more space to explore, while the daily 4x4 board calls for more frequent decisions about space.

Best score is saved separately for each board size on this device and remains after Undo or Reset. A daily streak counts consecutive UTC days you finished the daily game by reaching 2048 or running out of moves. Undo or Reset after finishing keeps that day counted. Replaying the same date never adds a second count. Progress and records stay in this browser; clearing browser storage or changing devices starts a separate record.