How to play 2248

The board and the goal

2248 is played on a board of 5 columns and 8 rows, 40 cells in total. The board is always full: every cell holds a tile, and every tile is a power of two, such as 2, 4, 8, 16 or 32. Tiles are colored by value, so equal tiles are easy to spot.

Your goal is to merge chains into bigger tiles and score as many points as you can. Classic has no timer and no final tile. On your first visit, a three-step tutorial shows the basics.

Making a chain

A chain is a path through touching tiles. Tiles touch in 8 directions: left, right, up, down and the four diagonals. Three rules decide which tiles can join:

1. The second tile must be equal to the first one. A chain cannot start with a 2 and a 4.
2. Every further tile must be equal to the previous tile or double it. After a 4 you can add another 4 or an 8, but not a 2 or a 16.
3. Each cell can be used only once in a chain. A chain needs at least 2 tiles.

Here the chain starts with the 2 in the bottom-left corner, takes the 2 above it, then climbs through 4, 8 and 16. Together the tiles add up to 32, and the 32 appears where the chain ends, on the cell of the 16.

While you draw the chain, a bubble above the last tile shows the tile you will get and the length of the chain, for example "128 ×6", and the chain line takes the color of that tile. A tile that does not fit is not added, and the bubble gives a small shake. To take back the last tile, drag back onto the previous one.

Controls

Rounding and score

When you release, the whole chain merges into one tile in the last cell. Its value is the sum of the chain, rounded up to the next power of two if needed. Two 2s make 4, and 2 + 2 + 4 makes exactly 8. Three 2s add up to 6, which is not a power of two, so they become an 8:

Rounding makes odd-sized groups useful. Three 128s add up to 384 and become a 512, the same tile that four 128s would give. Each merge adds the value of the new tile to your score: the 8 above is worth 8 points, a 512 is worth 512.

Chains of 6 tiles or more also earn a word of praise on the board, from "Nice chain" for 6 tiles up to "Monster chain" for 13 or more. In this example, four 2s, a 4 and an 8 add up to 20, which rounds up to 32:

Falling tiles and new tiles

After a merge, the cells of the chain are empty except the last one, which holds the new tile. Tiles above the empty cells fall straight down to fill the gaps, and new tiles drop in from the top until the board is full again. Tiles never slide sideways.

New tiles are mostly small. At the start of a game they range from 2 to 64, and the smallest ones are the most common. As your highest tile grows, the range of new tiles moves up with it.

Retiring small numbers

A board full of 2s next to a 4096 would be hard to play, so small numbers retire. When your highest tile reaches 2048, the 2 retires: every 2 on the board disappears with a short animation, the cells refill from the top, a message tells you which number has retired, and no new 2s appear. At 4096 the 4 retires, at 8192 the 8, and so on. The tile chart lists every step.

Power-ups and hints

The round buttons below the board are your power-ups; the badge on each one shows how many you have. Tap a button to arm it, then tap the board. Tap the button again or press Esc to cancel.

• Hammer removes any one tile. The tiles above fall down and one new tile drops in.
• Swap swaps two neighboring tiles; diagonal neighbors count too.
• Shuffle mixes up all the tiles. After a shuffle there is always at least one possible chain.
• Undo takes back your last move, including the new tiles it brought. A move is a merge or the use of Hammer, Swap or Shuffle; undoing a power-up gives it back. Only one step can be undone at a time.

In Classic you start with one of each. Each new highest tile from 512 up is celebrated with confetti and a banner, such as "New tile: 1024", and gives one more power-up, in the order Hammer, Swap, Shuffle, Undo, up to 9 of each. Daily 2248 gives 1 Hammer and 1 Swap; Blitz offers only Shuffle when you are stuck.

The lightbulb button is a free, unlimited hint: it highlights the chain that gives the biggest tile, and if there is a tie, the longest of them. In the settings you can also turn on an automatic hint that appears after 10 seconds without a move.

When the game ends

The game is over when no two equal tiles touch anywhere on the board, not even diagonally, because then no chain can start. The board below has no moves left:

If you still have a power-up that can help, the game offers it first, and you can keep going or end the game. Otherwise a short "No more moves" message appears, followed by the result screen: your score, your best score, your highest tile, your longest chain and the number of merges. Press Play again to start a new game. In practice this is rare in Classic, because retiring numbers keep the board open.

Pausing and saving

Press the pause button in the top bar or P to pause. The board is hidden while the game is paused, and the game also pauses by itself when you switch to another tab or app.

Your game is saved in your browser after every merge: the board, the score and your power-ups. Classic, Daily and Blitz are saved separately. The save stays on your device and does not move to another phone or browser. To start over, press New game; if your game already has points, you are asked to confirm first.

The top bar, statistics and settings

The top bar shows your score and best score, a mode menu and the buttons New game, Pause, Help, Statistics, Settings and Fullscreen. Daily adds the merges left, and Blitz the clock.

• Help summarizes the rules and can start the tutorial again.
• Statistics show, for each mode, your games, best and average score, highest tile and longest chain, your daily streak, and a strip with every tile you have reached so far.
• Settings turn sound and vibration on or off and let you choose the dark theme, reduced motion, the automatic hint and the language.