A tile sliding game where equal numbers merge

Slide numbered tiles, merge equal pairs and build bigger and bigger numbers: Merge Tiles in Games by Zaweba is the game for anyone looking for this kind of tile-sliding puzzle. It's played on a 4 by 4 grid, the target is a 2,048 tile, and you can keep going after that for a bigger score. It's free and offline, with no adverts.

Merge Tiles is easy to start and hard to put down. Each move takes a second, but a single careless swipe can fill the grid, so it rewards a steady plan more than quick fingers.

How Merge Tiles plays

Every move slides all the tiles on the grid as far as they'll go in one direction, and a new 2 or 4 appears in an empty space. When two equal tiles meet, they merge into one tile of double the value, and you score that value. Build a 2,048 tile to win, then carry on for a higher score. The game ends when the grid is full and nothing can merge.

You can use the arrow keys or W, A, S and D, or drag or swipe with the mouse. Z undoes your last move. Merge Tiles is on the Puzzles shelf of Games by Zaweba.

A plan that works

Pick a corner and keep your biggest tile in it. This is the most useful habit in the game. With the largest tile tucked into a corner, smaller tiles can build up towards it rather than getting stuck behind it.

Mostly use two or three directions. If your big tile lives in the bottom left, for example, use down and left most of the time, right when you need to, and up only when there's no other choice. An up move can pull the big tile out of its corner and leave a small one in its place.

Build a chain along the edge. Keep the row next to your big tile in order, with each tile a step smaller than the one beside it. Then one merge can set off another, rolling down the row into the corner.

Keep the grid open. The game ends when the board is full, so merges that clear space are often worth more than ones that just score. Watch the empty squares as much as the numbers.

Think a move ahead. Before each move, picture where the new 2 or 4 might appear. A move that leaves a single gap in an awkward place can let a small tile lodge where it blocks your chain.

Use undo while you learn. Z takes back the last move, which is a gentle way to see why a move went wrong.

How the score adds up

You score the value of every merged tile, so the score climbs faster as the numbers grow. Games by Zaweba keeps your best score for each game, along with plays and wins, and the result card at the end shows your score alongside your best. Scores stay in a file on your own PC.

Taking a break

Merge Tiles is easy to play in short bursts. Esc pauses, and the game pauses itself when the window loses focus, so you can leave a grid half built and come back to it. F1 explains the rules and F11 fills the screen.

If you like Merge Tiles, Gem Swap on the same shelf is a match-three game with cascades and colour bombs, and Block Clear has you pop groups of coloured blocks and plan for the big ones. Slide Puzzle is a calmer sliding game, putting the tiles of a painted picture back in order.