About the game
Number Merge is a slide-and-combine puzzle in the tradition of classic tile games. A 4×4 board fills with numbered tiles, and every swipe pushes them toward that edge. Whenever two matching tiles collide, they fuse into one tile worth double — two 2s become a 4, two 4s become an 8, and so on.
The game ends only when you can't move a single tile. That moment is never far away, which is the magic of the genre: every move feels safe, and then one afternoon you're fifteen minutes deep wondering where your day went.
How to play
- Swipe (or press an arrow key) to slide every tile as far as it can go in that direction.
- If two equal tiles collide, they merge into one — worth double.
- After every move, a new tile (2 or 4) pops onto the board.
- Survive until no moves remain. Build bigger tiles to score more, and chase the 2048 tile if you can.
Controls
| Slide up | ↑ or W |
| Slide down | ↓ or S |
| Slide left | ← or A |
| Slide right | → or D |
| Touch screens | Swipe in any direction |
Five beginner strategies players wish they knew
1. Pick a corner and claim it
Your biggest tile wants a permanent home. Cornering it is the single most reliable technique — you lose that tile only if you slide into the corner on the wrong axis, so default to the other two directions.
2. Push in only one direction most of the time
When you jitter between left and right constantly, the board shuffles into chaos. Pick a main axis (say, down) and only slide sideways when you truly must. Order comes from restraint.
3. Build matching pairs next to each other before merging
A pair of identical tiles only fuses if a slide brings them together. So stage your merges: get two 64s on the same row, then slide them into each other, rather than hoping they collide by luck.
4. Never make a move that fills your last empty cell
If your final empty square is about to be swallowed by a swipe, that swipe is a gamble. You can usually afford a "wasted" move in a safer direction instead.
5. Merge toward your corner, not away from it
Your corner tile should grow by absorbing reunions from its row and column. Push smaller tiles toward it, merge them into doubles as they arrive, and keep a clear path back to the corner open.
Why you'll like it
Number Merge is the definition of a coffee-break puzzle: first minutes are easy and satisfying, and the difficulty sneaks up on you gracefully. It's perfect for trains, queues, and those “five more minutes” moments — still free, still in your browser, still no account needed.
Frequently asked questions
How do I get to 2048?
Keep your biggest tile in one corner, merge the second-biggest into it on a single axis, and avoid moves that fill your last empty cell. It's more about restraint than speed.
Does the game slow down as tiles get bigger?
No — the real difficulty is board space, not timing. You decide the pace on every move.
Is my best score saved?
Yes, in your browser's local storage, right on your device.