4 in a Row
Drop discs. Line up four before they do. Best of 3.
Four in a Row is a two-player connection game where players take turns dropping a disc into a column, and it falls to the lowest free space. The first to line up four discs across, up or diagonally wins the game.
Tap a column and watch your disc drop and bounce into place. A ghost disc shows where it will land before you let go, so the rule is clear at once and the real game is planning threats moves ahead.
Also known as Connect Four-style, Connect 4-style, Four in a line.
- How you hold it
- Pass and play
- Match
- Best of 3
- Length
- About 2 to 5 minutes
- Play
- Friend, bot or online
How to play 4 in a Row: quick rules
About 2 to 5 minutes at best of 3. Full rules, options and bot levels are further down.
- 1Tap a column to drop a disc.
- 2Take turns, and each disc falls to the lowest space.
- 3Line up four: across, up or diagonal.
- 4The loser starts the next game.
- 5Win the most games; a full board is replayed.
Play 4 in a Row here
Two of you on this screen, or you against the bot. The full game is in the app.
4 in a Row rules
Board and turns
- The board stands upright, 7 columns by 6 rows, or 8 by 7 if you choose the bigger board. Each disc falls to the lowest empty space in its column.
- Players take turns, one disc each. You can't pass, and you can't take a drop back.
- The banner and the screen tint show whose turn it is: “Red's turn” and “Blue's turn”, or “Your turn” and “Bot is thinking…” against the bot.
- A full column won't take a disc: it shakes, shows a cross, and it stays your turn.
- There is no turn timer, so take as long as you need to think.
Winning a game
- Four or more of your discs in an unbroken straight line wins the game: across, up and down, or on either diagonal.
- Only the player who just dropped can win, so two players can never win at once. A disc that completes two lines at once lights both, and still counts as one game.
- The winning discs get a gold ring and the banner reads “Four in a row!”
Draws
- A full board with no line of four is a draw: “Draw! Play again”. It doesn't count, and the game is replayed on an empty board.
- After a draw, the player who didn't start it starts the replay.
- There is no limit on draws in a row; after three, the banner says so.
Who starts, and winning the match
- The first starter of a match is picked at random. From the second game on, the loser of the last game starts, so the edge of moving first keeps passing to the player behind.
- The match is best of 1, 3 or 5 games: the first to win 1, 2 or 3 games takes it. A match can't end in a draw.
- On a rematch, the player who lost the last match starts the first game.
Boards
- 7 × 6
- The classic board, and the default.
- 8 × 7
- A wider, taller board with more room for long plans. Line up four still wins. It needs a wider screen, so on very narrow phones it shows as unavailable.
Tips to win at 4 in a Row
- 1Start in the middle column: a disc there is part of more possible lines than one on the edge.
- 2Before every drop, look at the space just above it. Dropping there can hand your rival the space they need to win.
- 3Build a double threat, two spaces where one more disc wins. Your rival can only block one.
- 4Block a line of three as soon as you see it, and check the diagonals; they are the easiest to miss.
Where 4 in a Row comes from
The upright drop-the-disc game became widely known in 1974, when it was sold as Connect Four. In 1988 James Allen and Victor Allis each showed by computer that on the standard 7 × 6 board the first player can always win with perfect play.
Controls
Upright, handed back and forth. A banner in the mover's colour says whose turn it is.
- On your turn, tap a column to drop a disc in it.
- Or touch the board and slide: a preview disc follows your finger above the columns, with a ghost disc where it will land. Lift to drop.
- Lift away from the board to cancel without dropping.
- Pass the phone between turns. Only the player whose turn it is can drop.
Options
Every option is free. Defaults are marked.
| Option | Choices | What it does |
|---|---|---|
| Best of | 13 (default)5 | How many games the match can run to; win the majority to take it. |
| Board | 7 × 6 (default)8 × 7 | The size of the board; you still need four in a row to win. |
Play 4 in a Row against the bot
The bot plays Blue by searching ahead through the possible drops, favouring the centre columns and weighing lines of two and three. It sees only the board and the moves already made, never your finger, and takes a short, visible moment to think before each drop. Against the bot, outside a tournament, you can spend coins on a hint on your turn: it lights the column the bot's deepest search would pick for you for a couple of seconds, and never drops the disc for you.
Easy
Looks only at its own next drop, so it misses your winning threats, and sometimes drops in a random column.
Normal
Blocks a win you are about to make and looks a few moves ahead, but a threat set up further out can catch it.
Hard
Looks well ahead, opens in the centre and rarely slips. It isn't perfect: a double threat built beyond its horizon can still beat it.
Online, tournaments and hints
- Online
- Plays online today4 in a Row also plays online, turn by turn: meet a stranger or invite a friend with a short code or link, with no chat.
- Tournament
- Can be drawn in a tournamentIn a tournament it is always best of 3 on the 7 × 6 board, whatever your saved options, and there are no hints.
- Hints
- Stuck against the bot? A hint lights up the strongest move for a few coins. Never with a friend, online or in a tournament.
How it feels
- A falling whoosh as a disc drops, then two clicks as it bounces into place.
- A tick and a light buzz as your preview slides from column to column.
- Gold rings and two pulses on the winning line, with a fanfare and “Four in a row!”
- A soft sigh for a draw, and a “Game 2” card while the board clears for the next game.
Accessibility
- Colour is never the only cue: Red discs carry a solid dot and Blue discs a hollow ring, so a line reads without colour.
- Fully playable with a screen reader: each column is announced (“Column 4, 2 discs”) with a Drop action, and each turn is announced.
- One finger is all it takes, and the whole board height is a touch area.
- With Reduce flashing on, discs fall without bouncing and the win ring stays still.
4 in a Row questions
It plays by the same rules as Connect Four-style games: drop discs into a 7 by 6 board and line up four. 4 in a Row is Duo Clash's own version, with a bigger 8 by 7 board as an option.
The first starter of a match is picked at random. After that, the loser of each game starts the next one.
A single game can, if the board fills with no line of four. It doesn't count and is replayed, so a match never ends drawn.
Play the centre columns, which join the most lines, and set up two winning spaces at once. Before each drop, check you aren't giving your rival the space right above it.
Yes. 4 in a Row in Duo Clash is built for two players on the same phone. Upright, handed back and forth. A banner in the mover's colour says whose turn it is.
Yes. The bot plays Blue by searching ahead through the possible drops, favouring the centre columns and weighing lines of two and three. Choose Easy, Normal or Hard.
Play 4 in a Row on one phone
Free on Android. Sit face to face, or take on the bot on Easy, Normal or Hard.
