Color Lines Strategy: 6 Tips

Color Lines is about survival: the board fills three balls a turn unless you clear. New? Read the rules.

1. Use the edges

Lines along the edges leave the centre free for traffic. Build your five along a side or a diagonal that hugs a corner.

2. Keep corridors open

A ball with no path is a dead ball. Leave at least one empty lane across the board so pieces can get where they are needed.

3. Read the preview

The three announced colours tell you what is coming. If two reds are due, start a red line now; if nothing useful is coming, clear what you can.

4. Six beats two fives

A line of six scores 12 and a seven 18, but the real gain is tempo: a long line clears more of the board in one move. Extend a four to six when the balls are there.

5. Clear before you're cornered

Taking 10 points now is usually better than waiting to set up a bigger line while three balls land each turn. With fewer than fifteen empty squares, clear anything you can.

6. Don't bury balls

A ball boxed in by four others may never move again. Keep each colour's balls connected to open space.

The hint looks for a clearing move first, then the move that builds the longest open run without burying anything.

Last updated 2026-10-21