How to win at 2048: the complete strategy (4 × 4 and 5 × 5)
The step-by-step method to reach 2048: corner strategy, full row, snake, mistakes to avoid and tips for the 5 × 5 grid and power-ups.
Read the article →
ULTIM8 Games · New edition
DELUXE
The puzzle that conquered the world in 2014 is back in a premium edition. A 5 × 5 grid, ten levels from Scout to Titan, power-ups to turn the game around and badges to collect.
Detected: your device, and the right version launches automatically.
5×5Grid
10Levels
4Power-ups
8Badges
Try it here, then switch to the full version.Continue in the full version →
Preview
The game in pictures
A raised 5 × 5 board in the heart of a fantasy world, power-ups on the left, your badge collection on the right. (The game's interface is currently in French.)
How it works
Three moves. Endless games.
You can learn the rules of 2048 in ten seconds. Mastering them is another story.
Slide
With the arrow keys or a swipe of your finger: every tile on the board slides in the chosen direction.
Merge
Two identical tiles that meet merge into one: 2 + 2 = 4, 4 + 4 = 8… all the way to 2048 and far beyond.
Survive
Every move spawns a new tile. Keep space free, build your chains, and don't let the grid fill up.
What's new
The classic, Deluxe edition
We kept the immediacy of the original and added the depth demanding players were missing.
5 × 5 grid
25 cells instead of 16: more room to build, longer merge cascades, and a ceiling pushed almost to infinity.
10 levels
From Scout to Titan: the XP you earn in every game is kept and raises your level, even when you lose.
4 power-ups + Flux
Bomb, Mega Bomb, Mega Bar and Second Chance, plus a Flux gauge that rewards merge streaks.
8 badges
From Beginner · 4 to 2048 · Legend: a medal for every big tile you create, kept from one game to the next.
The arsenal
Power-ups to turn the game around
A crowded grid is no longer the end. But every power-up is precious: the right power at the right moment makes all the difference.
Progression
Level 1 · ScoutLevel 10 · Titan
💣
Bomb
Removes a chosen tile. Unlocked by the 32 tile.
💥
Mega Bomb
Removes up to 3 tiles in a 3 × 3 area. 128 tile.
⚡
Mega Bar
Clears an entire row. Unlocked by the 512 tile.
↺
Second Chance
Game lost? Removes the smallest tile. 1024 tile.
≋
Flux
Merge gauge: when full, it grants an X2 tile.
✦
Combo
Merge turns in a row: it speeds up the Flux.
Desktop or mobile
One link. The right version.
Two optimised builds, one for keyboards and big screens, one for touch in portrait. The site recognises your device and launches the right version automatically.
Your device
Desktop version
Built for the keyboard: arrow keys to play, a wide display and polished sound effects. Mac, Windows and Linux, in any recent browser.
Open the desktop version
Your device
Mobile version
Full-screen portrait format, precise swipe gestures, lighter loading. iPhone, Android and tablets, with nothing to install.
Open the mobile versionNew · free tool
Stuck? Ask for the best move
Copy your grid (4 × 4 or 5 × 5): our Expectimax AI calculates the best move and explains why.
Practical guides
Learn to play and win
Strategy, power-ups, levels and badges in 2048 Deluxe, where to play and which variants to try.
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2048 Deluxe power-ups guide: Bomb, Mega Bar, Flux and the X2 tile
Bomb, Mega Bomb, Mega Bar, Second Chance, Flux gauge, Combo, X2 tile and missions: what each 2048 Deluxe bonus does, how to get it and when to use it.
Read the article →43264128256512102420484
2048 Deluxe levels and badges: XP thresholds from Scout to Titan
The 10 levels of 2048 Deluxe (Scout, Initiate, Artisan… Titan) with their XP thresholds, the 8 badges and how to unlock them, and how to level up faster.
Read the article →248163264128256512
Play 2048 online for free: where to play and how to choose
Original version, 2048 Deluxe, game portals, apps: where to play 2048 for free on desktop and mobile, what makes a good version and the pitfalls to avoid.
Read the article →3581321345589144
The best 2048 variants: grids, themes, 3D and evil versions
3 × 3, 5 × 5, Threes!, Doge 2048, Flappy 2048, Evil 2048, 3D, hexagonal, Fibonacci: a tour of 2048 variants and which one to choose.
Read the article →The story
The history of 2048 in five chapters
From a weekend of coding in March 2014 to the 5 × 5 grid of 2048 Deluxe: origins, invention, viral phenomenon, maths and reinvention.
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March 2014: the weekend Gabriele Cirulli invented 2048
How a 19-year-old Italian developer coded 2048 in a weekend and released it as open source on 9 March 2014, sparking a worldwide phenomenon.
Read the article →3612244896192384768
Threes!, 1024 and Saming: the real family tree of 2048
From the 15 puzzle to Threes!, from 1024 to Saming's 2048: who really invented 2048? The lineage of a puzzle and the clone controversy.
Read the article →204810245122561286432168
4 million players in a week: anatomy of the 2048 viral phenomenon
Hacker News, open source, Doge 2048, Flappy 2048: how a free game with no budget conquered the planet, and why it's so hard to stop playing.
Read the article →248163264128256512
The hidden maths of 2048: probability, strategy and AI
Powers of two, the conservation law, the 131,072 theoretical ceiling, the corner strategy and the Expectimax algorithm: everything behind 2048.
Read the article →2565121024128204810246432512
From 2048 to 2048 Deluxe: how we reinvented a classic
5 × 5 grid, 10 levels, 4 power-ups, 8 badges, Godot and WebAssembly: behind the scenes of how ULTIM8 Games designed 2048 Deluxe.
Read the article →
The studio
An ULTIM8 Games title
2048 Deluxe is developed by ULTIM8 Games, Oceanide's video game label. Godot engine, WebAssembly export: the smoothness of an app, right in your browser.
- Free, no sign-up: one click and you're playing.
- Nothing to install: everything runs in the browser.
- Desktop and mobile: two optimised versions, detected automatically.
- An open tribute: to Gabriele Cirulli's 2048 and its whole lineage.
2048?
Your first 2048 tile is waiting. And after it, 4096, 8192… how far will you go on a 5 × 5 grid?
Start a game