How to play Merge Cosmos

An idle merge tycoon: drag matching objects together to forge stardust into planets, stars, black holes and a whole universe. It earns while you're away.

Play Merge Cosmos free → More puzzle games

Merge Cosmos is played on a board of twenty spaces. Each space holds one object or nothing. There are twenty kinds of object, from Stardust at level 1 to a Universe at level 20.

Merging

Drag an object onto another object of the same kind and the two merge into one object of the next level, in the space you dropped it on. The space it came from is freed. Dropping an object onto an empty space just moves it, and dropping it onto a different kind of object swaps the two. Two Universes cannot merge, because there is nothing above them. The first time you make each kind of object it is added to your atlas.

Earning

Every object earns coins every second. A Stardust earns one coin a second and each level earns three times the level below, so two objects merged into one earn half as much again as the pair did, and free up a space as well.

Buying

The Buy button buys one object into the first free space. You can buy any level up to three below the best object you have made this run, and the arrows next to the button choose which. Every purchase of a level raises the price of the next one by 12%, so it pays to move up to the higher levels as you unlock them.

Deliveries

Every ten seconds a free object is delivered to a random empty space. While the board is full, deliveries wait. Upgrades make them arrive faster and at higher levels, up to three levels below your best.

Recycling

Drag an object onto Recycle, or select it and press Recycle, to sell it for five seconds of what it earns. Use it to clear an odd one out that has no partner.

Upgrades

Faster deliveries shortens the time between deliveries. Richer deliveries raises their level. Auto-merge merges your lowest pair on a timer. Long Shift raises how long you can earn while away. Upgrades are kept until your next supernova.

While you are away

When you come back, your board is paid for the time you were gone at its full rate, for up to two hours plus an hour for each Long Shift. Deliveries and auto-merges do not run while you are away.

Supernova

Once you have made a Red Dwarf (level 12) you can go supernova. Your coins, board and upgrades restart and you collect stars. Each star adds 25% to everything you earn, permanently. The number of stars grows with the cube root of the coins earned in the run, so a longer run pays more stars. Your atlas and stars are kept through every supernova.

Controls

Drag an object onto a matching one to merge them. You can also tap one object and then another.

Drag onto an empty space to move an object, or onto a different object to swap them.
Drag onto Recycle to sell an object for coins.
Keyboard: the arrow keys move, Space picks up and drops, B buys, U opens upgrades, A opens the atlas and Delete recycles.

Strategy tips

Merge as soon as you can. A merged pair earns more than the two did apart and frees a space.
Keep at least one space free so deliveries can land.
Buy at the highest level you are allowed. Each level's price climbs with every purchase, and a new level starts fresh.
Recycle a lone low object that has no partner coming, rather than letting it block a space.
Auto-merge is worth buying early if you like to leave the game running.
Buy Long Shift before a long break so the time away keeps paying.
Your first supernova is worth it once it pays a handful of stars. After that, it usually pays to wait until a supernova at least doubles your stars.
The atlas shows the next object to find. Every one earns three times the last.