How to Play Four in a Row

Four in a Row is played on a vertical 7-column, 6-row grid. The board starts completely empty.

Players take turns dropping colored discs into the columns. Red always goes first.

On your turn you choose a column and your disc falls to the lowest available row in that column.

Here Red has dropped a disc into the center column (column 4). It lands at the very bottom of the grid.

Discs always fall to the lowest unoccupied row in their column. You cannot place a disc in mid-air.

Notice how both Red and Yellow discs stack on top of each other in the same column.

Connect four of your discs in an unbroken horizontal line to win.

Here Red has four in a row along the bottom of the board (columns 1-4). Game over!

Stack four of your discs in the same column for a vertical win.

Yellow has stacked four discs in column 5, winning the game.

Four in a diagonal line also wins. Diagonals require careful planning because you need supporting discs beneath each piece.

Red wins here with a rising diagonal from bottom-left to upper-right.

If all 42 cells are filled and neither player has four in a row, the game is a draw.

Draws are rare in Four in a Row but possible with careful play from both sides.

Always watch your opponent's progress. If they have three in a row with an open end, you must block or they will win on the next turn.

Here Yellow has three in a row on the bottom (columns 2-4). It is Red's turn. Red should drop into column 5 to block the threat — otherwise Yellow wins!

In the Pop Out variant, you can still drop discs into columns as normal, but you gain a powerful new move: popping your own disc from the bottom of a column.

When you pop a disc, it is removed and every disc above it shifts down by one row. This can create new connections — or destroy existing ones. Both drop and pop moves are available each turn.