Guide
How to Play 4 in a Row
4 in a Row is a two-player strategy game. Take turns dropping discs into a seven-column grid; the first to line up four of their colour — across, up, or diagonally — wins.
Play 4 in a RowThe objective
Be first to line up four
4 in a Row is played on an upright grid of seven columns and six rows. Two players alternate turns. On your turn you drop one disc into a column; it falls to the lowest empty cell. You win the instant four of your discs form an unbroken straight line — horizontal, vertical, or diagonal.
You never choose the row, only the column. Reaching the exact square you want means the cells below it have to be filled first — sometimes by you, sometimes by moves you force your opponent to make. That constraint is the whole game.
The game is free, runs in the browser, and needs no account. Open the board when you want to play; use this guide for the rules, the opponents, and the habits that win more games.
The grid
Seven columns, six rows, 42 cells
The board starts empty. You play yellow, your opponent plays red, and yellow always moves first — a small but genuine advantage on this board size. Each column holds six discs and then locks out.
With perfect play the first player can force a win by opening in the centre column; this was proven by computer analysis in 1988. Human play is nowhere near perfect, so in practice the first move is an edge, not a certainty.
Controls
Click, tap, or use the keyboard
Every method drops into the same column. Pick whichever fits the device in your hand.
Everywhere
Click or tap a column
Point at any column and click, or tap it on a touchscreen, to drop your disc there. The whole column is the target, so it works with a thumb. A preview disc shows where your piece will land before you commit.
Desktop
Arrow keys
Left and Right slide the aim marker between columns; Down, Enter, or Space drops the disc. It is the fastest way to play a quick game without moving your hand to the mouse.
Desktop
Shortcuts
U takes back the last move, N starts a new game, R replays with the same settings, and M mutes the sound. Every on-screen control also has a visible focus ring for keyboard navigation.
The loop
Four beats you repeat all game
Reading the grid, then choosing between these is the whole game.
- 1
Read the grid
The board is seven columns wide and six rows tall — 42 cells in all, and it starts empty. You play yellow, your opponent plays red. Yellow always moves first, which is a small but real advantage.
- 2
Drop a disc
On your turn, choose a column. Your disc drops straight down and settles on top of whatever is already there — you never choose the row, only the column. Then it is the other side’s turn. Columns fill up and eventually lock out.
- 3
Line up four
You win the instant four of your discs sit in an unbroken line — across a row, up a column, or along either diagonal. The four winning discs light up. There is no move to make after that; the game is over.
- 4
Block and build
Every turn does two jobs: stop your opponent’s line from reaching four, and grow one of your own. When the grid fills with no line of four anywhere, the game is a draw — start a new one and swap the pressure back.
Rules
Every rule that decides a move
The objective
Be the first to get four of your own discs in a straight line — horizontal, vertical, or diagonal. The line must be exactly your colour with no gaps. The game ends the moment that line is formed.
Taking turns
Yellow moves first, then the two sides alternate. A turn is always a single disc dropped into a column of your choice; the disc falls to the lowest empty cell in that column. You cannot pass, and you cannot place into a full column.
Gravity
You control the column, never the row. This is the whole puzzle: to reach a square you want, the cells beneath it must be filled first — sometimes by you, sometimes by moves you can force your opponent to make.
Winning and drawing
Four in a line wins immediately for the player who completed it. If all 42 cells fill with no four-in-a-line for either side, the game is a draw. Draws are uncommon between players of different strength and common between two careful players.
First-move advantage
On the standard 7×6 grid, the player who moves first can force a win with perfect play by starting in the centre column. In practice neither side plays perfectly, so the advantage is real but small — this build simply lets yellow go first every game.
Opponents
The computer, or a friend
Choose your match-up on the start screen. Computer stats are kept per level.
- 01 · Easy · Medium · Hard
Versus the computer
A single-player game against a built-in opponent. Easy takes obvious wins and blocks obvious threats but is otherwise loose. Medium looks a few moves ahead. Hard searches deeper, always contests the centre, and punishes a careless drop — expect to lose until your setups get cleaner.
- 02 · Pass-and-play
Two players, one device
Hand the phone or keyboard back and forth. The board shows whose turn it is in their colour, the running score is kept for the sitting, and a new game is one tap. No account, no second device, no connection needed.
Common mistakes
Why winnable games get lost
Ignoring the centre
Playing the edges early cedes the middle, and the middle is where most winning lines live. If your opponent stacks the centre column unopposed, you are already on the back foot.
Setting up your opponent
Dropping a disc directly below an empty winning square gives the opponent a free win on their next turn. Before you play a column, check what the square on top becomes.
Blocking only one end
When the opponent has three in a row with space on both sides, blocking one end still loses to the other. You have to see the open-three coming a move earlier and stop it forming.
Tunnel vision on one line
Adding disc after disc to a line the opponent has already sealed off just wastes tempo. Keep two or three potential lines alive and pivot between them.
- Open in the centre column. Every horizontal and diagonal four must pass through the middle three columns, so central discs do the most work.
- Always scan for three-in-a-line — yours and theirs — before you move. Complete your own; block theirs.
- Build two threats at once. If you can make a move that creates two different winning squares, your opponent can only block one.
- Watch the square above a threat. Filling the cell below a winning square hands your opponent the win on top — avoid it unless you must.
- Count parity. Threats you complete on odd rows (1, 3, 5) favour the first player; even-row threats favour the second. Aim your lines at the rows that suit your side.
- Do not chase a single line. If it is fully blocked, switch to a new direction rather than adding dead discs.
- Use undo to test a line against the computer, see what it opens up, and take it back if the position got worse.
Where you can play
Same game on phone and desktop
4inarowgame.com runs in any modern browser with no app to install. Stats stay on the device you played on.
Desktop browsers
Chrome, Edge, Firefox, and Safari all run the game with no plugin. Click a column with the mouse or drive the whole game from the arrow keys, with U to undo and N for a new game.
Phones and tablets
The layout is touch-first. The full 7×6 grid and the turn indicator sit on one portrait screen, columns are thumb-sized tap targets, and a new game is instant with no page reload.
Stats on this device
Games played, wins, losses, and win streak against each computer level — plus the two-player head-to-head record — live in local browser storage. They stay until you reset them or clear site data, and they do not sync between devices.
Still stuck on a rule? Read the 4 in a Row FAQ or jump in and play.
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