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Number Merge stats
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How to play Number Merge
Slide the whole board in one direction. Tiles with the same number merge into their total, a new tile appears after every move, and you win by building the target number.
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Slide the board
Use the arrow keys, or the arrow pad under the board. Every tile moves as far as it can in that direction.
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Merge equal tiles
Two 4s that bump into each other become an 8. A tile can only merge once per move, so four 2s in a row make two 4s, not an 8.
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Mind the new tile
Every move adds a tile somewhere empty. That is why a move that merges nothing is nearly always a bad move.
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Reach the target
The target for the board is shown above the grid. If the board fills up with no merges left, the game ends - with part credit for how far you got.
Number Merge difficulty levels
Four tiers, switchable on this page at any time. Nothing is locked, and a harder board is worth more when you finish it.
- Easy
- 5x5 grid, target 256. The roomiest board here, and the gentlest target. A careless move is survivable.
- Medium
- 4x4 grid, target 512. One column and one row fewer, for twice the target. This is where the corner rule starts to matter.
- Hard
- 3x3 grid, target 128. A small grid with a low target. It is short, and there is nowhere to put a mistake.
- Expert
- 4x4 grid, target 2048. The classic: 2048 on a four-by-four. Expect a long game and roughly a one-in-three chance of getting there.
Number Merge tips
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Pick a corner and keep it
Decide where your biggest tile lives and never let it move. Everything else is built up against it.
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Give up one direction
If your big tile is bottom-left, stop pressing up. Three directions are enough to play, and the fourth is what breaks your corner open.
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Build a row before you build a tile
A bottom row reading 128, 64, 32, 16 collapses into a single big tile the moment you feed it. Scattered big tiles just take up space.
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On a small grid, look one move ahead
The 3x3 board has nowhere to hide a mistake. Before each move, ask where the new tile can land and whether you will still have a merge after it.
Number Merge questions
Is a smaller grid really harder?
Yes, and it is the thing most people find surprising. The 5x5 board gives you room to recover from a careless move; the 3x3 gives you none.
What happens when the board fills up?
If no two neighboring tiles are equal, there is no move left and the game ends. You keep part credit for the progress you made.
Can I play it without a keyboard?
Yes. The arrow pad under the board does everything the arrow keys do, and it sits within reach of a thumb.
Is it the same as 2048?
It is the same idea, with the grid size and the target as the difficulty dial. 2048 on a four-by-four is the expert tier here, not the only board on offer.
Scoring, streaks and levels work the same way on every game and are explained on the about page.