How To Beat 2048

Strategies For Getting the 2048 Tile

So, how many of you are addicted to 2048?

For the uninitiated, 2048 is a puzzle game which at first glance resembles Sudoku. It was created by Italian developer Gabriele Cirulli. The object of the game is to combine tiles to form the number 2048. You combine tiles by merging two equal numbers together to form their double (2 and 2 make 4, 4 and 4 make 8, 8 and 8 make 16). But whenever you move a tile, the entire board moves. And after every move, a new 2 or 4 tile appears. Fill up the board and you lose.

The addictive nature of this game stems from the fact that the beginning is so easy, but it becomes difficult later. It becomes very difficult to get those two 256 tiles to form a 512. Getting a 1024 tile feels like its own milestone, but getting two next to each other is nearly impossible. Many people have different strategies on how to achieve victory. While there are some differences, many of the strategies overlap in a number of ways. Here are some strategies to getting the coveted 2048 tile.

Build a base of crazy 8's

Well, 8's and 16's. And there's nothing crazy about them. I just wanted to use the term crazy 8's. Forgive me, it sounded catchy. Anyway, you want to ensure that you are building a base of low-medium numbers by swiping them as far as they can go to one side, then the other, and finally swiping upwards so that the numbers start forming the 32's, 64's, and 128's. Eventually, the 32's and 64's will be the numbers you are building up on the board, and you will be combining them upwards to get the 256's and 512's.

Corner yourself

It's 2048, not a debate (wow, so many catchy lines here). Unlike a debate, you want to corner yourself here. You gain nothing from having the 512's and the 1024's if they are on opposite corners of the board, after all. Pick a corner and aim your tiles there. If you have a 256 in that corner, then building your tiles in that direction will give you some 32's and 64's in a row, giving you another 256 right near it and a 512 as a result.

Never swipe down

Again, you want to build a base of numbers on one side so that they are all next to each other. That means picking a direction that you are never going to go (for me, it's down. Others choose up). Otherwise, what happens is that you have some of these numbers in two different rows with a 2 or 4 mixed in that you can't get rid of. Of course, you may come to a point where you are only able to swipe down. Do it and try to fix the tiles afterwards, but under no circumstances should you swipe in that direction willingly.

Move slowly and think long term

This is something that still hampers me. I got my numbers built up in the upper-right corner, but I see a prime opportunity to move two 64's into a 128 on the upper left. Is that necessarily a good idea? Possibly, or possibly not. That 128 won't be coming into play anytime soon if it's separated from your upper-right 512 by 16's and 32's. It's really tough to give a definitive piece of advice, but always remember that the goal is to get the 2048 tile. Building two sets of high tiles does nothing if they aren't near each other. The immediate gratification of turning those 64's into a 128 might not benefit you in the long run. All I'm saying is think strategically rather than tactically.

Good luck

There are tons of tips and strategies out there, but these seem to be the overarching ones. Give it a try and see how far you can go. The game's settings should allow you to keep playing even after getting the 2048 tile (I believe you have to change them yourself). See if you can impress your friends with a high score and a 4096! Good luck!

A Helpful Video..........

.........that I had nothing to do with