# 2048: how to play, and how to actually reach the 2048 tile

Source: https://roam.new/2048/. Checked November 4, 2026.

2048 is a sliding-tile puzzle by Italian developer Gabriele Cirulli. He built it over a weekend and released it free and open source on March 9, 2014. You slide every tile on a 4x4 grid at once, equal numbers merge, and the goal is to build a single 2048 tile.

Where to play the original: [2048 by Gabriele Cirulli](https://play2048.co/).

## The rules in one minute

Swipe up, down, left or right and every tile slides as far as it can. When two tiles with the same number touch, they merge into one tile with double the value: 2 and 2 make 4, 4 and 4 make 8, and so on. After every move a new 2 or 4 appears in an empty square.

You lose when the board is full and no move can merge anything. You win when a 2048 tile appears, and you can keep going after that.

Cirulli based it on 1024, which was itself a copy of the paid game Threes, and he called 2048 conceptually similar to Threes. It spread fast: over 4 million visitors in less than a week.


## The corner strategy, step by step

- **1. Pick a corner**: Choose one corner, say bottom-left, and keep your biggest tile there all game.
- **2. Use two directions most**: Mostly swipe down and left. Right is your third move. Up is for emergencies only.
- **3. Keep the bottom row full**: A full row cannot shift sideways, so your big tile stays locked in place.
- **4. Build a chain**: Line tiles in falling order along the bottom row, like 256, 128, 64, 32, so merges roll into the corner.
- **5. Fix small tiles early**: Merge stray 2s and 4s before they get stuck behind bigger tiles.

## Merge puzzle ideas with a twist

- **Meme merge**: Two small memes merge into a bigger meme, up to one legendary one.
- **Pet evolution**: Kittens merge into cats, cats into lions. Your own pet is the final tile.
- **Head to head**: Two players on the same seed. First to 512 wins.

## Make your own merge puzzle with Roam

Roam is a free iPhone app. Write the grid, what merges into what and how you win, and it comes back playable. Roam is rated 13+ on the App Store.

Try: "2048-style merge puzzle on a 4x4 grid, tiles are photos of my dog that grow bigger, reach the golden dog to win"

[Get Roam on the App Store](https://apps.apple.com/app/apple-store/id6745489251?pt=126889634&mt=8&ct=rnew-2048)

## Questions people ask

**Who made 2048?**
Gabriele Cirulli, an Italian developer, released it on March 9, 2014.

**Can you keep playing after 2048?**
Yes. In the original game you can continue past 2048 to build bigger tiles.

**Is 2048 always winnable?**
No. New tiles appear at random, so a board can lock up even with good play. The corner strategy makes wins much more likely.

## Sources

- 2048 by Gabriele Cirulli: over 4 million visitors in less than a week: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2048_(video_game)

## About Roam

Roam ("Roam - Make Games" on the App Store) is an iPhone app where you play games and make your own by describing them or from a photo. It is free to download and play, and making games works without a subscription; optional Spark and Reality plans and credit packs add more creation. Android: pre-register on Google Play. https://roam.gg