How it works
Use the arrow keys or WASD to slide every tile in one direction. Equal numbers merge into their sum, and a new tile appears after each move that changed the board. Two tiles can merge only once per move, so a row of four equal tiles becomes two merged tiles, not one. The goal is a 2048 tile; the game lets you keep playing afterward if you want a larger number.
The score is the sum of every merge. Your best score is saved in your browser's local storage, so it survives a reload on the same device. New game clears the board, the score, and the win flag but keeps the best score.
A method that works
The reliable strategy is a corner, not a number. Pick one corner and keep your largest tile there. Fill one edge in descending order and never move in the direction that pulls the corner tile away. Most losses come from a single careless Slide up when the big tile sits at the bottom.
Do not merge your largest tile too early if it strands the second largest. A 512 next to a 512 is a 1024, but only if the merge leaves the board flexible. Think about the empty squares a move creates, not just the tiles it combines. When the board is nearly full, the move that preserves the most space is usually right even if it scores nothing.
Reading a loss
A game usually ends for one of three reasons: the corner tile moved, the board filled with alternating small and large values, or a safe move was spent to chase a merge. Replay the last three moves in your head after a loss. The mistake is almost always earlier than the move that showed "no moves left."
Controls and storage
Arrow keys, WASD, and touch swipes all work. The page does not send your score anywhere; only the best number is written to local storage. Clearing site data removes it.