The 2048 board and objective
Pastel 2048 is a number-merging puzzle played on a four-by-four grid. At the beginning of a round, two tiles appear in empty cells. Each tile contains a power of two, usually 2 or 4. Your objective is to combine equal values until one tile reaches 2048. The board has no timer, so the useful skill is choosing a move that leaves room for several future moves.
When you make a move, every tile slides as far as it can in the selected direction. If two equal tiles meet, they merge into one tile worth twice the value. Two 2 tiles become 4, two 4 tiles become 8, and the chain continues through 16, 32, 64, 128, 256, 512, 1024, and 2048. After every successful move, a new 2 or 4 appears in an empty cell. That new tile is why empty space matters: every turn changes both the board you planned and the problem you must solve next.
Controls on desktop
Use the Up, Down, Left, and Right arrow keys to move every tile. The game captures those keys while you are playing so the page does not scroll instead. A key press that would leave the board unchanged does not create a new tile or increase the move count. You can also use the on-screen buttons if a keyboard is unavailable.
Controls on mobile
Swipe across the board in the direction you want the tiles to travel. You can make a deliberate tap on the large direction buttons below the board when a swipe would be inconvenient. On a crowded board, use one clear gesture at a time and wait for the position to settle before deciding again.
How merges and scoring work
Your score increases by the value of each tile created in a merge. Combining two 8 tiles creates a 16 and adds 16 points. If one swipe creates several separate merges, all of those values count. A tile created by a merge cannot merge a second time during the same swipe. For example, a row containing 2, 2, 4, 4 becomes 4, 8 when moved toward the occupied side, rather than becoming 16 immediately.
The score is useful for comparing rounds, but survival is the real engine of a high score. An organized board creates more turns and gives later, larger merges time to happen. The Moves counter records successful board changes. Largest shows the greatest tile reached in the current round. Best is saved in the current browser's local storage; it is not an account score and does not follow you to another device.
Starting a clean round
Press Start on the opening overlay or choose New Game to create a fresh board. Undo restores the position immediately before your latest successful move and is useful when you are learning how a move changed the layout. It stores one previous position, not a complete replay history. Reaching 2048 displays a success message, but you can choose Keep Playing and continue toward 4096 or a personal best.
A round ends when the grid is full and no equal neighboring tiles remain horizontally or vertically. If there is an empty cell, the round is still alive even when no immediate pair is visible. Look for a move that opens a lane or combines a smaller pair before assuming the board is finished.
Three habits for your first games
Watch the whole grid
Every swipe affects all four rows or columns. Check the destination edge and the paths of the other tiles, not only the pair you want to combine.
Keep a corner in mind
Choose a home corner for your largest tile early. This simple constraint prevents valuable tiles from drifting into the middle.
Preserve open cells
Space gives you options. When the board becomes crowded, clear small values and restore a lane before pursuing a tempting large merge.
Pause after unusual moves
There is no clock. If a move pulls your largest tile away from its edge, identify how you will put the board back in order before moving again.