Play Four in a Row against the computer ▶ Play now — runs natively, no emulator
Guide updated October 2026 · Runs via WebAssembly (native port)
The vertical connection game: seven columns, six rows, and discs that drop to the lowest free hole. Tap a column (or press 1–7) to drop a red disc; the computer answers with yellow. The first to line up four in a row — across, up and down, or diagonally — wins. Who goes first alternates from game to game, and the score is kept across games.
Controls — what does what
| Action | Keyboard | Mouse / touch |
|---|---|---|
| Drop a disc | 1–7 | Click the column |
| Take back | — | Undo |
FREE This is the complete game, free. Written from scratch for ExeBrowser — original code, nothing to unlock, free to play.
Original code written for ExeBrowser — see NOTICE.md.
Tips
The middle column takes part in more lines of four than any other, so it's the strongest place to start. Watch for threats on two levels at once: a disc that threatens to complete a line in two different places can't be blocked. And keep track of which holes each of you would win on — sometimes the right move is to leave a column alone because filling it would let your opponent drop into the square above.
The computer
Easy looks two moves ahead, with a little randomness; Medium searches five; Hard searches eight, which is enough to see most traps before you spring them. It scores positions by counting the lines of four each side can still make, and prefers the centre.
Frequently asked questions
Is this Connect 4?
It's the same game. "Connect Four" is a trademark of Hasbro, so we use the generic name; the rules — a 7×6 upright grid, discs that fall, four in a line wins — are not owned by anyone.
Can the first player always win?
With perfect play, yes — the game was solved in 1988, and the first player wins by starting in the centre. Neither you nor the computer here plays perfectly, though.
Can I use the keyboard?
Yes: number keys 1 to 7 drop a disc in that column.
More you can play in your browser
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Want a game like this on your own site?
Four in a Row isn't ours to give away — we host it, we didn't write it. But eleven of the games here we did write from scratch, and those are free for anyone to put on their own page: one line of HTML, no account, no permission, no attribution beyond a credit line.