About Four in a Row — 2 Player
Play Four in a Row with a friend on the same screen: pass the phone or share the keyboard and take turns dropping discs. A running tally of wins and draws stays at the top, and a rematch lets the other player start.
Four in a Row is a two-player game of dropping discs into an upright grid of seven columns and six rows. Each disc falls to the lowest free space in its column. The first player to line up four of their own discs across, down or on a diagonal wins.
Also called: 4 in a row, drop four, four in a line.
How to play Four in a Row
- Red always moves first. Against the computer, choose 1st to play red or 2nd to play yellow, and pick a level.
- Click or tap a column to drop a disc into it. On a keyboard, press 1–7, or move with the arrow keys and press Enter.
- Players take turns, one disc at a time. A disc always falls as far down its column as it can go.
- Make a line of four of your discs in a row, column or diagonal to win.
- If all 42 spaces fill up with no line of four, the game is a draw.
Rules
- A full column cannot take another disc.
- Lines of five or more also win; every disc in the line is highlighted.
- Undo against the computer takes back your last disc and the computer’s reply. With a friend it takes back one disc.
- Rematch swaps who goes first, so both players get to start.
Four in a Row tips and strategy
- Play the centre. The middle column is part of more possible lines than any other, so the first player usually starts there.
- Look at the space directly above each move. If your opponent could win there, your disc just gave them the spot underneath it.
- Build two threats at once: three in a row open at both ends, or two separate lines that need the same move to stop. Your opponent can only block one.
- Threats on different rows matter at the end. The first player generally wants their threats on odd rows (counting from the bottom), the second player on even rows, because the board fills up in that order.
- Don’t fill a column just to fill it. Keep columns under your own threats empty, so the opponent is the one forced to play beneath them.
Four in a Row questions
Can the first player always win?
Yes, with perfect play from an empty board the first player can force a win by starting in the centre column. That takes flawless play for the whole game, so in practice both sides win plenty.
How strong is the Hard computer?
Hard searches around ten to fourteen moves ahead within a quarter of a second and never misses an immediate win or block. Beating it usually takes a double threat it can’t see coming, which is more likely if you play first.
Is the Easy level really easy?
Yes. Easy only looks two moves ahead, sometimes plays a random disc and occasionally overlooks its own winning move, so it is a good opponent for children and beginners.
Do diagonals count?
Yes. Four in a line counts in any direction: across, up and down, and both diagonals.
Is my game saved if I close the tab?
Yes. The game in progress is saved in your browser after every move, separately for the computer and the same-screen version, and your win, loss and draw record is kept for each level.
Is Four in a Row free to play?
Yes. Four in a Row on Kultured Arcade is completely free: no download, no account and nothing to buy. It runs in any modern browser on a phone, tablet or computer.
Do I need to download Four in a Row?
No. It opens instantly in your browser and saves your progress on your device, so there is nothing to install and no sign-up.
Can I play Four in a Row on my phone?
Yes. The game fits your screen and works with touch as well as a mouse and keyboard, on iPhone, Android, tablets and computers.
Can I play Four in a Row online with a friend?
Yes. Open the Online tab and choose Create invite, then send the link or the six-character code. The game starts as soon as your friend opens it. Quick match pairs you with someone who is waiting.