Pastime Arcade

Four in a Row

Drop discs into the grid and be the first to line up four, across, up or diagonally. Play the computer or a friend.

Opponent Level First move

You play red against the computer. With a friend, red and yellow take turns on this screen. Keys 1 to 7 drop a disc in that column.

How to play Four in a Row

  1. The grid is 7 columns wide and 6 rows tall. Players take turns dropping one disc into a column; it falls to the lowest empty space.
  2. The first player to line up four discs of their colour in a row wins: across, up and down, or diagonally.
  3. If all 42 spaces fill up with no line of four, the game is a draw.

On this page you play red. Click or tap a column, or press the keys 1 to 7, to drop a disc. Choose who moves first below the grid: moving first is a real advantage, so swap now and then. Pick Friend to play two players on one screen, red against yellow.

  • Hint highlights the column the Hard computer would choose for you.
  • Undo takes back your last disc and the computer's reply.
  • Your wins, losses and draws against each level are kept in this browser.

Four in a Row and Connect 4

This is the game best known as Connect 4. Milton Bradley first sold it under the Connect Four trademark in February 1974; the brand now belongs to Hasbro, and this site has no connection with either. The game itself has many other names, among them Four in a Row, Four Up, Plot Four, Find Four, Drop Four and The Captain's Mistress, and the rules here are the standard ones: a 7 by 6 grid, discs that fall, four in a line to win.

Simple as it looks, it is far from trivial: there are about 4.5 trillion possible positions on the standard grid. In 1988 James Dow Allen and Victor Allis each showed, two weeks apart, that the first player can always win by starting in the middle column. Our page on how to win Four in a Row explains what that means for your games.

How strong is the computer?

Easy always takes a winning move and blocks an obvious one, but otherwise often drops a disc at random. Medium looks four moves ahead. Hard keeps searching for about 0.7 seconds, which in the opening is around 13 moves ahead, and it opens in the centre column, as perfect play does. In our tests each level beat the one below it in every game, whichever side started: Medium won 30 of 30 against Easy, and Hard 10 of 10 against Medium.

Frequently asked questions

Is Four in a Row the same as Connect 4?

Yes. Connect 4 is the brand name the game was sold under from 1974; Four in a Row is one of its generic names. The board, the falling discs and the rule of four in a line are the same.

Can I play Four in a Row with a friend?

Yes. Choose Friend below the grid and take turns on one screen: red, then yellow. To play against the computer instead, choose Computer and a level.

Do diagonal lines count?

Yes. Four discs in a row win across, vertically or along either diagonal.

Who should go first?

Moving first is an advantage: with perfect play the first player always wins. To keep it fair against a friend, take turns starting; against the computer you can choose under First move.

Can a game end in a draw?

Yes, if all 42 spaces are filled and nobody has four in a row. Between careful players it happens quite often.

Is the Hard computer unbeatable?

No. It searches about 13 moves ahead in the opening, not to the end of the game, so a well-prepared trap, especially two threats at once, can still beat it, most easily when you move first.