Player Support

BACK TO THE GAME

This article contains everything you need to know about Arkadium’s 4 in a Row Game.

Use the list below to navigate specific topics about 4 in a Row. 

How to play

This is the game's starting screen. You will have several different options.

1. Matchmaking allows you to start a new game against an opponent right away without any sort of complication. Simply press it, and you'll arrive at a room to play 4 in a Row against an online opponent.
2. Vs Bot allows you to start a match against a computer opponent.
3. New Room will create a brand new room, where you can await an opponent. This can be an online stranger should you decide to open your room's access, or should you like a private match, you can set one up with a friend.
4. Local Play allows you to play the game of chess with someone next to you.
5. Rooms. These are the public rooms already created by other players. You can see the player count on the side. You can join a room to play a match, or to watch two players play their own match.
6. Sound options allows you to control the sound of the music and game actions to your liking.

If you're in need, take a refresher on the rules by clicking on the information button.

The below values represent your Game Level, Account Level and Shop Credit. While the credit buys items in the Shop, your game level and account level work differently.

Your game level increases as you play more games. Clicking on it will take you to the level rewards page, where you can claim rewards as you gain more levels.

Your account level will also increase as you play more games. The rewards will differ from those in the level menu. Be sure to increase both for massive points.

The game's Shop has a large number of things to purchase. From brand new pieces, to boards, to many others. Use earned credits to purchase these.

Matchmaking

By selecting Matchmaking, you will be matched with a human player from around the world. A small window will appear that notes the game is looking for an opponent for you. Once an opponent is found, you'll automatically enter the match.

Vs Bot

By selecting Vs Bot, you will open the bot menu. You will be placed with a computer opponent, called a "bot". You can pick out the bot's difficulty in the menu. Select Start Game to start. Choose between Public and Private on whether you want the match to be viewable by spectators.

The bot has a wide range of difficulty values to choose from, so that you can have fun on your own challenge level. 

New Room

By selecting New Room, you'll be able to choose through a number of options to make your match to your liking. Selecting between Public or Private opens your room to other players or only to those of your liking. You can select "Bot Count" to choose the number of bots in the room.

By choosing between Presets and Advanced, you can choose whether you'd like the room to have particular match rules, or simply be the default.

By choosing Advanced, you can pick between a few options. You can choose how much time a player has to make a move in the game, the maximum number of players allowed in a room, and by picking the Host vs Everyone Else option, you'll be able to have as many users as you'd like in a room, and play against all of them in turn.

Selecting Save as Preset will save your preferences as an extra preset, so that you can choose it directly when creating a new room, to avoid having to set the rules each time. You'll be asked to name your preset if you choose to.

It will then be available from the Presets. You can delete it by pressing the trash can icon on the top right of it.

Local Play

When choosing Local Play, you'll have the same options to choose from as before, but you will not be creating a new online room. Instead, you'll be playing with a local opponent, someone next to you. Click Play to begin the match.

The game

When playing the game, you will see this screen. It's important to recognize all of the game's play elements, in order to have better control over your match.

1. In this area, the player and the opponent are marked. You can see each player's piece color, as well as each one's display pictures.
2. This is the board. Each player may, in their own turn, make a move. You'll see all of the player's moves on the board.
   
3. In this area, you can move your next piece to drop it on the board. Each player will drop a piece in turn. If you make a line of four pieces, either horizontally, vertically or diagonally, you will win the match.

Tips

This chapter is about some strategies on how to perform better.

Core Strategies:

- Control the Center: Always try to play in the center column when possible. It gives you more opportunities to connect vertically, horizontally, and diagonally.

- Think Ahead: Don’t just focus on your next move—try to think 2–3 moves ahead. Ask yourself: If I play here, what will my opponent do next?

- Block and Build: Always be on the lookout for your opponent’s potential winning moves and block them. At the same time, build multiple threats (called forks) so your opponent can’t block them all.

- Watch for Diagonals: Diagonal wins are often overlooked. Keep an eye on both rising and falling diagonals.

- Force Moves: Try to create situations where your opponent is forced to block you, giving you control of the board.

Advanced Tactics:

- Odd-Even Row Strategy: Control the odd-numbered rows (1st, 3rd, 5th) because they give you the final say in vertical stacks.

- Tempo Play: Sometimes it’s better to delay a winning move to set up a stronger position.

- Sacrificial Moves: Occasionally, you can sacrifice a piece to bait your opponent into a trap.

Scoring

The 4 in a Row game has no scoring system. There is no way to save score in the 4 in a Row game. This game is meant to be a fun game experience to play online with a variety of people, without a specific scoring system or leaderboard. The game is incompatible with the regular competitive Arkadium leaderboards, and it's meant for simple fun matches.