Number merge puzzle: play Upward free
Drop numbered tiles into five columns. Equal numbers that touch merge into the next one up, and gravity can set off a chain. Today’s 50-drop Daily Climb and Classic run right here in your browser, with no sign-up, no ads and nothing to install. This is a gameplay preview: the Upward app for iPhone and Android looks and sounds better.
Get Upward on iPhone and Android. The ranked Daily Climb, its leaderboard, your streak and five ways to play go with it.
Keep climbing in the Upward app. The ranked Daily Climb, three Classic runs a day and the Trailhead challenges are free there, with no ads. One $4.99 unlock or the StackForge Play Pass adds unlimited Classic and the Blitz, Chain Hunt and Rising Sky modes.
Today’s climb deals the same tiles as the Upward app’s Daily for the same drops. Replay it as often as you like.
This is a gameplay preview, and browser play is unranked practice. The Upward app looks and sounds better, with its full Summit Night visuals, merge animation, sound and haptics. The ranked Daily Climb, its leaderboard, your streak, the Climb Path and five ways to play live there too, and it is free to start.
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This game sends nothing about your play anywhere. Your best scores stay in this browser.
How to play this drop and merge game
- Tap a column to drop the tile in hand. It falls to the lowest empty space. You can also press on the board, slide to a column and let go.
- Equal numbers that touch merge into the next value up: two 2s make a 4, two 4s make an 8.
- Gravity settles the board after every merge, which can set off another merge, and another. Climb from 2 Pebble to 512 Orbit.
The tile in hand is shown as Next, with the two after it under Then, so you can plan three drops ahead. Every tile shows its number and the landmark its rung is named for, so the board never depends on telling colors apart. With a keyboard, Tab moves between columns and Enter drops, or press 1 to 5.
A full column refuses a drop while any other column has room. Once every column is full, the next drop ends the climb.
Merge numbers with a plan
- Plan three pieces, not one. Before you drop, decide where the next two are going too.
- Give each column a job: keep big tiles together and a column or two low for small drops.
- Build staircases for chains. Line up 16 beside 8 beside 4, and one small drop can roll all the way up.
- Count before you drop. Three 4s make an 8 and a 4, and a stray leftover can block a column you need.
More technique is in the Upward number merge guide.
Scoring and chain reactions
Every merge scores more the higher the rung it creates and the more tiles it uses. Merging three or more tiles at once adds a cluster bonus, and building a new highest tile adds a peak bonus. The merge your drop causes scores at 1×; each merge gravity sets off after it scores 1.5×, then 2.25×, 3.25×, 4.5× and up to 6×. Reaching Orbit adds a summit bonus that is bigger the fewer drops you used.
Today’s Daily Climb and Classic
The Daily Climb is seeded by the UTC date, so everyone starts with the same tiles, and it uses the app’s rules: 50 drops and 3 take-backs. Later pieces respond to how high you have climbed, so different choices can see different tiles. A fresh one arrives at 00:00 UTC. Here you can replay it as often as you like, which makes it a good place to learn the board before you spend your ranked attempt in the app.
Classic is an open climb to Orbit with unlimited Undo. Like the app’s free tier, it gives you 3 free climbs a day, and a climb counts once its first tile lands. Your best score in each mode is remembered on this device only.
What the Upward app adds
The app keeps the ranked side: one ranked Daily Climb a day against a leaderboard, a streak, the Climb Path’s challenges, and the sound, haptics and animation of the full Summit Night board. It has no ads, lives or paid boosts. The $4.99 Upward Full Game Unlock or the StackForge Play Pass adds unlimited Classic and the Blitz, Chain Hunt and Rising Sky modes.
Number merge puzzle questions
What is a drop and merge number puzzle?
You drop numbered tiles into columns, and equal numbers that touch merge into the next value up. In Upward the board has five columns, each eight tiles tall, and merges double: two 2s make a 4, two 4s make an 8, all the way from 2 Pebble to 512 Orbit.
How do merges and chain reactions work?
Merges resolve in pairs. Two matching tiles become one tile of the next value, three double one pair and leave the third behind, and four carry twice. When gravity settles the board, a new tile can touch another match and merge again. The merge your drop causes scores at 1×, and each merge gravity sets off after it scores more, from 1.5× up to 6×.
When does a climb end?
A climb is won when you build 512 Orbit, and reaching it in fewer drops earns a bigger summit bonus. The Daily Climb also ends after 50 drops. A full column refuses a drop while any other column has room; once every column is full, the next drop ends the climb.
Is today's Daily the same as in the app?
Yes. The Daily Climb here is dealt by the same engine and the same date seed as the Daily in the Upward app for iPhone and Android, so the same drops get the same tiles. Later pieces respond to how high you have climbed, just as in the app. A browser climb is never ranked; the ranked attempt and the Daily leaderboard live in the app.
Do I need an account or an install?
Neither. The puzzle runs in this page, and nothing about your play is sent anywhere. Your best scores and today's Classic count are kept only in this browser.
Are there ads or paid boosts?
No. The browser puzzle is free with no ads, and the Upward app has no ads, lives or paid boosts. In the app the free tier includes the ranked Daily Climb, 3 Classic runs a day and the Trailhead challenges; the $4.99 Upward Full Game Unlock or the StackForge Play Pass adds unlimited Classic and the Blitz, Chain Hunt and Rising Sky modes.