Play Connect 4 online
Line up four discs of your color — across, down or diagonally — before the computer does. Pick its level, from Easy to Expert, and drop your first disc: the game is free, no sign-up, on desktop and mobile.
Your move
You play Red — Medium level.
Connect 4 vs computer: four levels
Easy plays somewhat at random: it sometimes sees its wins and blocks one threat out of two — perfect for learning the rules or playing with a child. Medium looks two moves ahead for itself and for you, and picks among its best moves: it punishes forgotten threats.
Hard sees five moves on each side and no longer falls for a simple threat. Expert searches as far as one second allows — often more than ten moves — and always opens in the center.
How to beat the computer
Take Red and start in the center: it's the only first move that guarantees a win with perfect play. Then build threats — three in a row with an empty space — that it can't block right away because the space is up in the air.
Two threats stacked in the same column, or a threat on an odd row when you went first, win endgames. It's all in our strategy guide.
2 players or multiplayer
Side by side, take turns on one screen with 2-player Connect 4. And from a distance, multiplayer Connect 4: send a link to a friend, and the game plays live on both screens.
A new puzzle every day
Every morning, Tabladia publishes a Connect 4 puzzle: a game position where Red moves and wins in two, three or four moves, whatever the computer does. Only one first move works — find it.
Puzzles count toward the weekly leaderboard, the one that rewards coming back. Every past puzzle stays playable in the puzzle archive.
The rules in a nutshell
The board has seven columns and six rows. Players take turns dropping a disc into a column; it falls to the lowest free space. The first to connect four wins; if the board fills up with no line, it's a draw. Red goes first.
For openings, traps and the odd-even rule that decides endgames, read our rules and strategy guide.
Frequently asked questions
Is Connect 4 online free?
Yes, completely: against the computer, two players on one screen or with a friend, no sign-up and no limit on games.
Can the computer be beaten?
On Expert it searches more than ten moves ahead and never misses a direct threat, so beating it takes threats set up on the right row. Connect 4 is a solved game: the first player always wins with perfect play, starting in the center. Take Red and aim for the middle column.
How do I play multiplayer with a friend online?
Open “Multiplayer Connect 4”, create the game and send the link by text, chat or email. Your friend opens it, takes Yellow, and the game plays live on both screens. Neither of you needs an account.
Who goes first in Connect 4?
Red always moves first. Against the computer you choose: go first (you're Red) or let it start. Between friends, whoever invites starts, and the rematch swaps roles.
Is Connect 4 the same as Four in a Row?
Yes: Connect 4, Connect Four and Four in a Row all name the same game — lining up four discs on an upright board of seven columns and six rows.
Does it work on phones?
Yes: the board fits the screen and you play by tapping a column. Nothing to install.
Which level should I start with?
Easy, while you get used to spotting diagonals; then Medium once you beat it three times in a row. Hard and Expert require thinking several moves ahead.
Does the computer cheat?
No. It plays by the same rules as you and only knows the board. Its strength comes from search: it tries possible moves — yours and its own — several turns ahead.
Are my wins saved?
Yes, in this browser: the table under the board counts your wins, draws and losses at each level. Nothing goes to a leaderboard — Tabladia's leaderboards are for the daily puzzles.