A number merge game where every drop climbs

How drop-merge number games work

In a drop-merge game you drop numbered tiles into columns. When two equal numbers touch they merge into one tile worth double, and that new tile can merge again, so a single drop can set off a chain. The board fills as you play; the skill is building toward bigger numbers while keeping room for the next drop.

How Upward plays

Drop numbered tiles into five columns, let equal neighbours double, and watch gravity carry one merge into the next. Plan with two pieces ahead, keep room for the next drop, and climb the nine-rung ladder from 2 Pebble to 512 Orbit in a starry Summit Night world.

The Daily Climb gives everyone the same seed and 50-drop rules, and later pieces respond to your climb, so every placement matters. Free and Pro play the Daily by the same rules, on one shared leaderboard.

Getting better at a number merge game

Plan with the two pieces shown ahead and keep room for the next drop; a board that is full of big numbers but has nowhere to put the next piece ends the run.

Chains are where the points are. The merge your drop causes scores at 1×, and each merge gravity sets off after it scores more, rising from 1.5× up to 6×. One deep cascade is worth far more than the same merges made a drop at a time, and reaching Orbit in fewer drops earns a bigger summit bonus.

Five ways to play

The Daily Climb and Classic are free. Blitz is a two-minute climb with no take-backs. Chain Hunt gives you fifty drops, with bonus points for deep cascades. In Rising Sky the safe board shrinks every 10 drops until you reach Orbit or the sky closes in.

The Climb Path adds sixteen fixed challenges across four chapters: Trailhead, Ridgecraft, Thin Air and Orbit School. The four Trailhead challenges are free.

What is free and what is paid

Upward is free to start: the ranked Daily Climb and its leaderboard, three Classic runs a day, and the four-stage Trailhead.

The Upward Full Game Unlock is $4.99 one time. It adds unlimited Classic, the Blitz, Chain Hunt and Rising Sky modes, 12 advanced Climb Path challenges, the Blitz leaderboard and friend challenges, a weekly Streak Saver, two years of Daily archive, 500-run history, Daily history sync and board themes. StackForge Play Pass, $2.99 a month or $14.99 a year, unlocks Pro in every StackForge game.