Four in a Row

How to play Four in a Row

Four in a Row is the classic vertical connection game for two players. You and your opponent take turns dropping coloured discs into an upright grid of 7 columns and 6 rows, and every disc slides straight down to the lowest empty hole in its column. The first player to line up four of their own discs in a straight line — across, up-and-down, or diagonally — wins on the spot. The rules take seconds to learn, but because every move is public and gravity limits where discs can land, the game is packed with traps, double threats and forced wins. Play a friend on the same screen, or challenge the computer at three difficulty levels for ranking points.

The goal

Be the first to connect FOUR of your own discs in one unbroken straight line. The line can run horizontally along a row, vertically up a column, or diagonally in either direction. Red always moves first, then the players alternate — one disc per turn, no skipping.

The board

The board is an upright blue rack with 7 columns and 6 rows — 42 holes in total. Both players start with nothing on the board; Red and Amber build the position one disc at a time. Because discs are dropped in from the top and stack upward, the bottom row fills first and high cells only become reachable once the discs below them are in place. That “gravity” rule is what makes the game tactical.

How a turn works

• On your turn, choose any column and drop one disc into it — on this site, tap or click anywhere in the column. Hovering shows a ghost disc on the exact cell where your disc will land.
• Gravity does the rest: the disc falls to the LOWEST empty cell of that column. You can never choose the exact row — only the column.
• A column that already holds six discs is full and cannot be played. If you try, nothing happens; pick another column.
• In the two-player game you can press Undo to take back the last move — handy when teaching a beginner. There is no undo against the computer in ranked play.

Winning and draws

The game ends the instant one player has four (or more) of their discs in a straight line — horizontally, vertically, or diagonally. The winning four light up so everyone can see the connection. If all 42 cells fill up and nobody has connected four, the game is a draw. Draws are rare between attacking players but common between two careful defenders.

Playing the computer (ranked)

In “Four in a Row vs Computer” you pick your colour and a difficulty — Easy, Normal or Expert. Red moves first, so choose Red to take the first-move advantage or Amber for a tougher challenge. The computer thinks entirely on your device, so the game works offline. Easy makes deliberate mistakes and is perfect for beginners; Normal looks a few moves ahead; Expert takes every immediate win, blocks your threats and hunts for double attacks. Beat it to earn ranking points: Easy +10, Normal +30, Expert +100. Sign in and your best result appears on the leaderboard.

Strategy tips

• Take the centre column early. Every horizontal and diagonal line of four must pass near the middle, so a disc in the centre column joins far more potential winning lines than a disc on the edge.
• Watch for three-in-a-row — yours AND theirs. If your opponent has three with an open end you must block it immediately; if you have three, your opponent is forced to respond, which lets you dictate the game.
• Build double threats. A single threat can always be blocked, but two open threes at the same time cannot — creating a “fork” of two winning cells is the most common way to force a win.
• Think about odd and even rows. As Red (first player) your winning cells ideally sit on odd rows (1st, 3rd, 5th from the bottom); as Amber, aim for even rows. Endgame gravity tends to hand those cells to the right player.
• Never fill the cell directly below an opponent’s winning hole. Dropping there gives them the landing they were waiting for — sometimes the best move is in a completely quiet column.

Frequently asked questions