How to win at 2048
2048 looks like a game of luck, but a simple plan wins most games: keep your biggest tile in a corner and build towards it in order. Here is that plan, step by step.
The rules in one minute
You slide every tile on a 4 by 4 board in one of four directions. Two tiles with the same number that touch merge into one with double the value, and after every move a new small tile appears in an empty cell. Reach 2048 and you win; run out of moves and the game is over.
Pick a corner and stay there
Choose one corner, say bottom left, and keep your biggest tile in it for the whole game. Mostly use the two directions that push tiles towards that corner (down and left), use the third only when you must, and avoid the fourth: it is the move that pulls your big tile out of its corner and lets a small tile take its place.
Build a chain of tiles
Fill the bottom row so the values fall away from the corner: 512, 256, 128, 64. Then carry on along the row above, in the other direction. When the smallest tile of that chain merges, everything can roll up into the corner in a few moves. Keep the bottom row full, so a sideways move cannot shift it.
Think one move ahead
Before you slide, look at where the new tile can appear. Keep small tiles away from your corner and merge them early, before they get stuck between big ones. If two moves look equally good, choose the one that leaves more empty cells.
When it goes wrong
If a small tile does land in your corner, do not panic: build it up where it is and steer back to the plan. Most lost games come from one rushed move in the fourth direction.
Practise in Coreforge 2048
Coreforge 2048 plays by these rules, with crystals instead of tiles. It saves after every move, so you can stop and carry on later, and Undo, Smash and Swap help you out of a tight spot. A new daily board waits every day, the same for everyone.