How to Beat 2048

Grasp the rules of the game. You probably already know how to play 2048, but if you don’t, here are the most basic rules. Note that this is the gameplay of the official version of the game, but there are also many plagiarism, clones, and even predecessors. Many of them have different game rules.

• Swipe the screen up, down, left or right to move all the numbered squares in the respective direction. Each tile will move in that direction until it hits a wall or another tile (you need to press the arrow keys in the desktop version).
• Each time you move, a new cell numbered 2 or 4 will appear in an empty position according to the most recently moved row or column.

Try to reach the number 2048. When you move two squares with the same number to touch each other, they merge into a new square whose value is equal to the sum of those two squares. For example, two 2 squares will merge into a 4 square. The goal you need to try to achieve is to make a square that reaches 2048.

Pause the game and calculate first. You can quickly get caught up in the game and try to move as fast as you can. If you want to have a higher chance of winning, you should try to restrain yourself and only move when you are ready. Calculate ahead and try to imagine what the board will look like after you make your next move, or at least guess what will happen to some important squares.

Squeeze into the corner. A popular way of playing used by many players is to create a large square at a certain corner. It doesn’t matter which angle you choose, but you need to stick with it once you’ve made your choice. ^[1]

• This play is most effective when that corner is part of the row that you are keeping filled. That way, you can move the squares from left to right without affecting your high value square.

Seize the opportunity to combine multiple squares. If you see a long line of identical tiles, it’s usually a good idea to combine all of those tiles to get more space on the board. ^[2]

Alternately click the top and right. A basic way of playing is to alternate clicking the top and the right until there are no more moving squares. When this happens, you need to click on the left side, then continue to switch back and forth between clicking above and right. This is not a guarantee that you will “break the island” – in fact, it is often difficult to win playing this way. However, this is a way to help you get a pretty high score, and also a quick way to break your previous record. ^[3]