Number Merge

A closer look at Number Merge

The rules in a few moves

Choose a direction to slide every tile as far as it can go. When two equal values meet, they combine into one tile worth twice as much. Two 2 tiles become 4; two 4 tiles become 8. Each new merged value is added to your score. After a move that changes the board, a new 2 or 4 appears in an empty square. A direction that changes nothing adds no tile.

A tile merges only once per move

Consider the row 2, 2, 2, 2. Sliding left produces 4, 4, empty, empty before the new tile appears. It does not produce 8 on the same move. Slide left again and those two 4 tiles can become an 8. This rule matters when planning a chain: one key press cannot combine a whole row through several stages.

Protect your empty spaces

An empty square gives you room to rearrange tiles. Before chasing the largest possible immediate merge, look at how many spaces you will have afterward. A high-value tile surrounded by small, mismatched numbers can be harder to use than a lower-value board with room to move. Favor moves that maintain a useful order along an edge.

Choose a corner, but stay flexible

Keeping the largest tile near one corner is a practical starting strategy. Build smaller values beside it so that they can eventually combine toward that corner. This is a heuristic rather than a guarantee: new tiles are random, and sometimes moving away from the corner is the only legal way to continue. Read the entire board before deciding.

Winning and ending

Reaching a 2048 tile is a milestone, and you can continue playing afterward. A round ends when no direction can move or combine any tile. The arrow controls provide a touch alternative to swiping. Arrow keys control the board when the game area has focus. New puzzle resets the board and current score. Scores are not uploaded or used in a public leaderboard.