2048 vs Blackbox
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both games, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
2048
Merge numbered tiles by swiping to reach the 2048 tile. This fun and relaxing puzzle game challenges you to achieve a high score by strategically combining tiles.
- Swipe to move tiles
- Merge tiles with same numbers
- Reach 2048 tile
- High score challenge
- Relaxing puzzle gameplay
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Join the numbers and get to the 2048 tile! Swipe to move all tiles. When two tiles with the same number touch, they merge into one. Get to the 2048 tile, and reach a high score! Inspired by Gabriele Cirulli game available on the web: http://gabrielecirulli.github.io/2048/
Blackbox
This puzzle game challenges you to solve intricate problems without touching the screen. It utilizes minimalistic visual cues, sonic interfaces, and haptic feedback to guide you through unique challenges that require thinking outside the box. Discover a new way to interact with your device and prove your cleverness.
- Touchless gameplay
- Minimalistic visual clues
- Sonic interfaces
- Haptic feedback
- External puzzle solving
- Easter eggs
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So you think you understand this thing you’re holding? Think again. Stop tapping. Stop swiping. In fact, stop touching the screen at all. To crack Blackbox’s puzzles you’ll need to find solitude and stillness, climb mountains, call on friends, get in tune with the cosmos, and think outside the box. Minimalistic visual clues make for incredibly satisfying “Aha!” moments, while sonic interfaces provide an extra level of guidance and nuance that makes Blackbox accessible with or without vision. Thoughtful haptic feedback, Easter eggs on Easter eggs, and solutions that can’t be found beneath the glass of your screen redefine what a puzzle can be. You’ll never see your device the same way again. Think you’re clever? Prove it. (Blackbox is a living game under active development by Ryan McLeod. When not eating burritos or drinking coffee, he’s busy designing and developing new Blackbox challenges.) ■
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is review sentiment: Blackbox at 93% against 2048's 49%. Blackbox also leads on ads (none vs shown) and rating (4.8 vs 4.4). 2048's advantage is device support (4 vs 2) and iOS requirement (13.0 vs 16.6). On price, ratings volume, update cadence and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.
Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS
Both are free to download. 2048 sells 7 one-off in-app purchases and Blackbox sells 10 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
Blackbox holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 4.4. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 38K and 109K respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 49% of 2048's written reviews are positive against 93% of Blackbox's.
Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly every 9 days. Both last shipped on October 17, 2026.
| Parameter | 2048 | Blackbox |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.4 (38K ratings) | 4.8 (109K ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 48.9% of reviews | 92.6% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 38K | 109K — better |
| Update frequency | Every 9 days | Every 9 days |
| Ads | Yes | No — better |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Best chart rank | #129 | #33 — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple TV — better | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 13.0 — better | 16.6 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 221 MB | 209 MB |
| Age rating | 12+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Ketchapp | Shapes and Stories LLC |
Customer experience
2048
Blackbox
User reviews
2048
From 38K App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 🚀 Smooth gameplay
- 💡 Challenging and addictive
- 👍 Simple yet engaging concept
- 🕹️ Great time-killer
Room to improve
- 🔍 Unpredictable tile placement
- 🔋 High battery consumption
- 📢 Intrusive and frequent ads
- 🐛 Crashes and bugs
Blackbox
From 109K App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 👍 Unique and creative gameplay
- 🤔 Challenges users to think outside the box
- 😄 Humorous and witty comments
- 🔑 Utilizes phone features in innovative ways
Room to improve
- 🤯 Extremely challenging puzzles
- 💰 Expensive for additional content
- 🤖 Concerns about app accessing device permissions
- 🚗 Puzzles requiring travel/location are inaccessible for some
Bugs and requests
2048
Reported bugs
3 issues- Leaderboard and high score tracking issues
- Freezing and crashing during gameplay
- Ads interfering with gameplay and audio
Requested features
4 requests- Undo/rewind functionality
- Customizable themes and styles
- Multiplayer/competitive modes
- Difficulty levels or progressive challenges
Blackbox
Reported bugs
2 issues- Hints not working as expected
- Progress reset after app update
Requested features
4 requests- Add ability to earn hint credits through watching ads
- Include more free puzzles
- Improve accessibility for users with limited mobility
- Provide better guidance and instructions for puzzles
In-app purchases
2048
- Revive 5 Lives$0.99
- 10 lives (special first purchase)$0.99
- 10 lives$2.49
Show 4 moreShow fewer
- 15lives$2.99
- 30 Lives$3.99
- Remove ads$7.99
- No-Ads + 25 Lives$9.99
Blackbox
- Tiny Hint Pack$1.19
- Small Hint Pack$2.39
- Erudite Pack$2.99
Show 7 moreShow fewer
- Push Pack$2.99
- Coffee for Ryan$4.49
- Basic Pack$4.99
- Medium Hint Pack$5.00
- All Knowing Pack$7.99
- Large Hint Pack$10.00
- Extra Large Hint Pack$20.00
