Board & classics
Play Connect Four online
Discs drop into a column from above – simple enough for two moves. After that it is all about parity, double threats and never handing your opponent a platform. Four in a row counts horizontally, vertically and diagonally.
Play Connect Four nowFree · no download · no ads
Where Connect Four comes from
Milton Bradley released Connect Four in 1974 – a drop game that looks like upright tic tac toe and is mathematically far deeper. In 1988 James Allen and Victor Allis independently proved that the first player always wins with perfect play by opening in the centre column. It is known as Vier gewinnt in Germany and as Captain's Mistress in older British editions.
How it works
Drop pieces into the columns in turn. First to line up four – across, down or diagonally – wins. You are red and start.
Three tips for better results
- 1The middle column is the most valuable: more possible fours run through it than any other.
- 2Never play directly below a square that would win for your opponent – you are handing them the game.
- 3Two threats stacked in the same column are lethal, because blocking the lower one opens the upper one.
Frequently asked questions
Is Connect Four free to play?
Yes. Connect Four runs straight in your browser, costs nothing and needs no installation. There are no ads and no paywall – the chips in the game are play money and cannot be bought.
Do I need an account to play Connect Four?
You create a profile with a name and a PIN, but no account is created on anybody else's server. Scores, chips, achievements and unlocked motifs live only in your own browser.
How do you play Connect Four?
Drop pieces into the columns in turn. First to line up four – across, down or diagonally – wins. You are red and start.
Where does Connect Four come from?
Milton Bradley released Connect Four in 1974 – a drop game that looks like upright tic tac toe and is mathematically far deeper. In 1988 James Allen and Victor Allis independently proved that the first player always wins with perfect play by opening in the centre column. It is known as Vier gewinnt in Germany and as Captain's Mistress in older British editions.
Does Connect Four work on a phone?
The site adapts to the screen size, and anything you can click can also be tapped. Games controlled with arrow keys do need a keyboard, though.
Also known as
These are the terms people use to look for Connect Four.
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