How to Play 3D Four in a Row

Four in a Row in three dimensions: the same drop-a-piece feel, but with pegs rising through four layers and winning lines running in every direction, including corner to corner through the middle of the cube.

The board

Sixteen pegs in a 4×4 square, each holding four beads: a 4×4×4 cube of 64 cells.
kawu shows the cube as four layers side by side, the bottom layer first. A peg is the same square in every layer.

Play

Red moves first. On your turn drop one bead onto any peg that is not full; it lands in the lowest empty cell of that peg.
Four of your beads in a straight line win. Lines run along rows and columns within a layer, straight up a peg, diagonally within a layer, diagonally through a vertical plane, and along the four space diagonals of the cube: 76 lines in all.
If all 64 cells fill with no line, the game is a draw.

Playing on kawu

Tap any cell of a peg to drop a bead there; the cell where it will land is marked. Hint shows the hard computer's move. Play either colour against three levels, or two players on one device.

Next: 3D Four in a Row strategy.

Frequently asked questions

Which lines count in 3D Four in a Row?

Any straight line of four cells through the cube: 48 rows and columns within layers, 16 vertical pegs, 8 diagonals within layers, 16 diagonals in vertical planes... in total 76 lines, including the 4 space diagonals from corner to opposite corner.

Can I place a bead anywhere in the cube?

No. Beads drop onto pegs and rest on the beads already there, so the next free cell on a peg is the only place a bead can go. That is what makes it a game of stacking threats.

Last updated 2026-10-21