How to play Connect 4

Objective

Be the first player to form a straight line of four discs of your colour. The line may run horizontally, vertically or diagonally in either direction.

This page covers Hasbro’s Classic two-player drop-disc game. PopOut, Spin, Launchers and five-in-a-row products change the equipment or legal moves and are separate editions.

Setup

Assemble the two feet on the sides of the grid if your edition requires them. Put the grid upright between the players. Close and lock the release or slider bar along the bottom so discs cannot fall through.

Check that all 42 spaces are empty. One player takes all 21 red discs and the other takes all 21 yellow or gold discs. Decide who plays first by agreement or at random.

Turns

On your turn, choose any column that is not full and drop one disc through its slot at the top. The disc falls to the lowest empty space in that column. It cannot be placed midway up the grid, moved sideways or removed during the game.

Then the other player drops one disc. Continue alternating one disc at a time.

After every move, check all lines through the new disc:

• Horizontal: four across one row.
• Vertical: four in one column.
• Diagonal rising: four slanting upward from left to right.
• Diagonal falling: four slanting downward from left to right.

Only an unbroken straight line counts. A bent shape, a line with an opposing disc in the middle or three discs plus an empty space does not win.

Worked example

You already have three red discs running diagonally through adjacent columns. The next required space is empty, but two spaces beneath it in that column are also empty.

You cannot place a disc directly into the winning space: a dropped disc would fall to the bottom. You must first fill the supporting spaces—while preventing your opponent from blocking the line—before a red disc can rest at the needed height.

Winning

The first player to make an unbroken line of four discs wins immediately, even if the same move also creates a longer line. Stop before another disc is played.

If all 42 spaces fill and neither player has made four in a row, the game is a draw. The official sheet focuses on the four-in-a-row win; treating a completely filled non-winning grid as a draw is the necessary end condition because neither player has a legal move or winning line.

To play again, hold the grid over its tray or storage area, open the bottom release and let every disc fall out. Close and lock the release before the next game. Alternate the starting player across a series.

Common mistakes

• Placing a disc in an unsupported space. Every disc falls to the lowest open position in its column.
• Missing a diagonal. Both diagonal directions count.
• Counting a gap or corner. The four discs must form one uninterrupted straight line.
• Continuing after four appears. The game ends on the winning drop.
• Using more than one disc per turn. Players alternate single drops.
• Leaving the release open. Lock the bottom bar before the first move.

Variants

Some Connect 4 products add discs that pop pieces out, rotating columns, launchers, power effects or different board sizes. Follow that product’s sheet; those moves are illegal in Classic Connect 4.

For a casual match, agree to best-of-three or another odd number of games and alternate who starts. That match structure does not change any individual game.