Four in a Row — Play Free Online

Four in a Row is the classic drop-a-disc strategy game: two players take turns dropping coloured discs into a seven-column grid, and the first to line up four of their own in a row wins. The line can run horizontally, vertically or diagonally. The rules fit in one sentence, which is why a round is over in a few minutes yet still leaves room to outthink your opponent.

It is a calm change of pace from the rest of the Doodle Jump catalogue. There are no reflexes to train and no platforms to miss; the only thing that can go wrong is a move you did not think through. If you like a quick brain-teaser between jumpers and runners, this is a good one to keep open in another tab. It runs in the browser with nothing to install.

How to play

Pick a column and a disc falls to the lowest empty space in it. On a computer, point at the column with the mouse and click; on a phone or tablet, tap the column. The game's listed controls mention arrow keys, WASD and swipes, but for a board game like this the pointer or a tap is the natural way to choose where to drop.

Players alternate, so every disc you place is also a chance for your opponent to respond. Each turn comes down to two questions: can I make four right now, and can my opponent make four on their next move? If the answer to the second is yes, block it before doing anything else. A full board with no line of four is a draw.

Tips

• Take the centre column early. Discs there belong to more possible lines than discs on the edges, so they give you the most options.
• Build two threats at once. A single three-in-a-row is easy to block, but a move that creates two different open fours leaves your opponent able to stop only one.
• Watch the space above a threat. A gap you want to fill is only useful if the disc beneath it is already there, and if you fill the space below it yourself you may hand your opponent the winning spot.
• Look at diagonals before every move. Most careless losses come from a diagonal line that crept up unnoticed.

Similar games on Doodle Jump

If you want something that tests thinking rather than timing, Fireboy and Watergirl swaps the grid for co-operative puzzle rooms where two characters must work together. Bloons Tower Defense 2 is another planning game, asking you to place defences before the pressure builds. For something quicker, Helix Jump and Ovo 2 put the focus back on reactions.

Four in a Row suits short sessions, a quick game against a friend sharing a screen, or anyone who wants a puzzle that rewards patience over speed.