# Zen 2048

Every new tile is a 2. Zen removes the surprise of a newly arriving 4 while keeping the full four-by-four board, the 2048 goal and the need to manage space.

## Play

The playable board loads above these notes when JavaScript is enabled. Choose Start your trail, then use the arrow keys, a swipe or the direction buttons.

## The rules of Zen 2048

- Board: sixteen cells in four rows and four columns.
- New tiles: only 2s (100%).
- Merges: Double equal numbers; two 2s become 4, then two 4s become 8.
- Goal: reach 2048.
- A blocked move does not add a tile or count as a move.

## Read one move

A left move transforms this row as shown, before the next tile appears elsewhere on the board:

```
Before: 2 2 2 2
After:  4 4 . .
```

Each tile can merge once per move. A tile just created by a merge cannot immediately join another tile during the same swipe.

## A useful first exercise

Knowing the next tile value does not tell you where it will land. Positions still follow the seeded generator, and a crowded board can still end the round.

Notice the difference between a pure slide and a merge. A slide adds one occupied cell after the spawn; a single merge followed by a spawn keeps the occupied-cell count unchanged.

## Controls and saved rounds

Choose Start your trail, then use arrow keys, board swipes or the four direction buttons. Trail tip suggests a legal direction without changing the board. End round records an early stop; after an ending, New trail prepares another attempt. Your unfinished round and this mode's best score stay in this browser when storage is available. Changing a theme does not change a tile.

For the complete controls, read [how to play](../how-to-play.html). Compare [all nine variants](../variants-guide.html), choose [another game](../games.html), or work through the [practice lab](../practice-lab.html).