Four in a Row
Drop discs and connect four before the computer does.
About Four in a Row
Four in a Row is the great "one more game" strategy game: two players take turns dropping discs into a seven-column grid, and gravity stacks them from the bottom. First to line up four of their own — horizontally, vertically, or diagonally — wins. The pencil-and-paper ancestors of the game are old, but it became a household name through the boxed version sold since 1974, and it has a genuinely famous place in games research: computer scientists fully solved the 7x6 game in 1988, proving that perfect play from the centre column wins for the first player. Knowing that fact and playing well against a thinking opponent are, as you will discover, two very different things.
This is PlayZone's own build, written in-house and running entirely in your browser with no download and no account. Play against the computer at three difficulty levels — from a casual Easy to a Hard mode that genuinely plans ahead — or switch to two-player mode and share one screen, the old-fashioned way. Your discs are violet; your opponent's are teal with a white ring, so the two sides stay distinct for every kind of colour vision. The running score of wins, draws, and losses is saved on your device.
How to Play Four in a Row
Tap or click any column to drop your disc into it; the disc falls to the lowest empty cell. You and your opponent alternate turns, and the first to connect four discs in a straight line — across a row, up a column, or along either diagonal — wins instantly, with the winning four highlighted. If all forty-two cells fill with no line of four, the game is a draw. Against the computer you always move first; in two-player mode, pass the device between turns.
Strategy: Think in Threats, Not Turns
- Claim the centre column. The middle column touches more possible four-in-a-row lines than any other — it is the single most valuable real estate on the board, which is exactly why perfect play starts there.
- Every move, check two things. Before dropping: can I complete four right now? If not — can my opponent complete four on their next turn? Block first, build second. Most casual losses are simply a missed block.
- Build double threats. A single line of three is easy to block. The winning pattern is creating two ways to complete four at once — your opponent can only stop one. Diagonals crossing a horizontal are the classic setup.
- Mind the cell you open up. Dropping a disc fills a cell — and creates a new landing spot directly above it. The most painful blunder in the game is placing a disc that lets your opponent land exactly where they needed. Before you drop, look one row up.
- Odd and even rows matter late. In the endgame, threats on different rows resolve in a forced order as columns fill. If you have a threat sitting on a row your opponent must eventually hand you, you can simply wait. Feeling this "zugzwang" develop is the deepest layer of the game.
The Three Computer Levels
Easy plays loosely — it will still take a win sitting in front of it and block the obvious, but otherwise wanders; ideal for kids and first games. Medium plays a sound positional game: it favours the centre and avoids handing you immediate wins, and it punishes missed blocks reliably. Hard looks several moves ahead, weighing every line on the board — it spots double threats before they exist and needs you to play the full threat-and-block game to beat it. If you can win on Hard consistently, you have genuinely learned the game.
Turn-based thinking games like this are the planning cousin of the puzzles in my 2026 browser-games roundup — the same look-ahead discipline as 2048, but against an opponent who plans back. For a lighter head-to-head on the same screen, our Tic Tac Toe is the two-minute version; this is the fifteen-minute rivalry.
Further Reading
- The Best Free Browser Games to Play in 2026 Where strategy games fit among this year's picks.
- Best Free Online Games for Kids in 2026 Turn-taking games are some of the best first strategy games for children.
- Do Casual Browser Games Actually Train Your Brain? What planning games genuinely exercise.
FAQ
How do I drop a disc?
Tap or click anywhere in the column you want — the disc falls to the lowest empty cell in that column. Full columns simply stop accepting discs. The highlighted four lights up the moment either side wins.
Can two people play on one device?
Yes — press "Switch to 2 Player" and share the screen, taking turns. Player 1 uses the violet discs, Player 2 the ringed teal ones, and the difficulty buttons hide since no computer is involved. Press the button again to return to playing the computer.
What is the best first move?
The centre column, without question — it participates in more potential four-in-a-row lines than any other column. The game was mathematically solved in 1988: with perfect play, the first player wins by starting in the centre. Humans are not perfect, so the advantage is real but very beatable.
How do the difficulty levels differ?
All three take an immediate win and block your immediate win. Easy otherwise plays loosely and is beatable by beginners; Medium plays a solid centre-first game and avoids gifting you wins; Hard searches several moves deep across every line on the board and requires real double-threat play to defeat.
Why does the computer sometimes pause before moving?
A short, deliberate beat is added so the turn exchange is easy to follow — and on Hard the computer really is evaluating thousands of positions before it chooses. It always responds within a moment.
Does the game save scores?
Yes — your wins, draws, and losses are kept on the scoreboard and stored locally in your browser. They persist between visits on the same device; clearing browser data resets the tally.
Is Four in a Row good for kids?
Excellent — it is one of the best first strategy games there is. The rules take ten seconds, turns are quick, and it quietly teaches looking ahead, spotting threats, and losing a round gracefully. Start young players on Easy, or play together in two-player mode.