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Today's daily number puzzle.

A free daily number puzzle: slide the tiles, and two of the same number merge into one. Make a 128 in as few moves as you can. Everyone gets the same board today, so start sliding.

Puzzle
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Moves
0
Your best today
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How to play the daily number puzzle

  1. Each move slides every tile as far as it goes.
  2. Two tiles with the same number merge: 8 and 8 make 16.
  3. A new 2 (sometimes a 4) appears after every move.
  4. Reach 128. Fewer moves is better. Out of space means start over.

Arrow keys or WASD on a keyboard. Swipe on a phone.

Make a 128.

How scoring works in the daily number puzzle

Your score is one number: how many moves it took to make a 128. Lower is better, and everyone plays the same board, so scores compare fairly.

Moves
Every slide that changes the board counts as one move. A slide that moves nothing is free.
Same board
The start and every new tile come from a generator seeded with today's date. Same moves, same board, for everyone.
New tiles
Each move adds one tile: a 2 nine times in ten, otherwise a 4. You start with three tiles.
Puzzle number
Puzzle #1 was October 1, 2026. The number goes up by one every day at your local midnight.
Restarts
Starting again gives you the same opening and the same new tiles for the same moves, so you can replay a line and beat it.
Out of space
If the board fills up and nothing can merge, the run is over. Start today's board again and your best stays saved.

Strategy tips for daily number games

These merge-puzzle habits work in most daily number games, and they cut moves here.

A useful floor: the tiles on the board only add up by 2 or 4 a move, and a 128 needs them to total 128. So fewer moves always means a better-planned board, not a lucky one.

  1. Pick a corner and keep your biggest tile there

    Bottom left, say. Slide mostly down and left so the big tile never leaves.

  2. Build a chain along one edge

    Line up 64, 32, 16, 8 next to each other. One slide then merges down the whole row.

  3. Avoid your fourth direction

    If you use down, left and right, only press up when nothing else moves. It drags the big tile out of its corner.

  4. Merge small tiles early

    Loose 2s and 4s fill the board fast. Clear them before they split your chain.

Sharing your score and keeping a streak

When you make a 128, a Copy my score button appears. It copies one short line you can paste anywhere, with no spoilers about the board.

The daily puzzle in the IdlePal Mac app

IdlePal puts today's puzzle in a panel under your MacBook notch. It drops down while Claude Code, Cursor or Codex is working, so a two-minute wait becomes a few moves.

The daily puzzle in the app is free. Its rules may change before launch as we tune it.

Questions about the daily puzzle

Is the IdlePal daily number puzzle free?

Yes. The web version on this page is free with no account, and the daily puzzle stays free in the IdlePal Mac app too.

When does the daily number puzzle reset?

At midnight on your device. The board is picked from your local date, so a new puzzle appears when your calendar day changes.

Does everyone get the same daily number puzzle board?

Yes. The starting tiles and every new tile come from a generator seeded with the date, so two people who make the same moves see the same board.

What counts as a move in the daily number puzzle?

Any swipe or arrow key that changes the board. A slide that moves nothing isn't counted, so you can't lose moves by bumping a wall.

Can I play yesterday's daily number puzzle?

Not on the web yet. This page always loads today's board. Your best score for today stays saved in this browser.

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macOS 14 or later. Best on a MacBook with a notch.