Board game · Lychee Games
Play Five in a Row online with a friend
Five in a Row is a two-player stone game: take turns placing stones on the crossing points of a large grid, and the first to make an unbroken line of five wins. Lines can run across, down or diagonally. I built it with a 15 × 15 or 19 × 19 board and an Exactly five rule, so a game can stay simple or follow the stricter version.
- Players: 1 or 2
- Modes: Solo, Same phone, Online room
- Price: free, no sign-up
Play Five in a Row nowOpens in your browser. Nothing to install.
How to play Five in a Row
Goal: Place five stones in an unbroken line: across, down or diagonally.
- Choose a 15 × 15 or 19 × 19 board. Dot stones move first; players alternate placing one stone on an empty intersection.
- With Exactly five switched off, five or more wins. With it on, a line of six or more does not win; a separate line of exactly five still can.
- Tap an intersection to select it, then use Place stone. The star marks the last move and an ink line marks the winning stones.
- Undo turn takes back your move and the computer reply during solo play. A completed result cannot be undone.
Scoring and winning
- The first winning line ends the game. A full board with no winning line is a draw.
Controls
- Keyboard
- ← ↑ → ↓ select an intersection when the board is focused
- Enter or Space places the stone
- Touch
- Tap an intersection, adjust with the arrow buttons if needed, then tap Place stone
Modes
- Solo
- Easy, Medium or Hard computer. Hard searches threats in a background worker.
- Same phone
- Two people take turns on one board.
- Online
- Two players. The host selects the board and rule. Reload to reclaim your seat. Create a room and send the code or invite link, or join with a friend’s code. One code from the hub’s Play together panel works for every game.
Tips
- Play near the centre early. A stone there can join lines in every direction, while one near the edge cannot.
- An open four, four in a line with both ends empty, cannot be stopped. Block your opponent’s open threes before they grow into one.
- Look for a stone that makes two threats at once, such as two open threes. Your opponent can only block one of them.
- With Exactly five on, a sixth stone spoils a line, so check you are not filling the gap that turns your five into six.
Five in a Row is free in your browser, with no sign-ups and no ads. Online rooms need an internet connection; one room code from the Lychee Games hub works for every game, so you can switch games without sending a new invite.
Questions
Is Five in a Row free to play?
Yes. Five in a Row is free in your browser, with no sign-up, no download and no ads.
Is Five in a Row the same as Gomoku?
It follows the same idea as Gomoku, the traditional game of making five in a row on a Go-style grid. Here you choose a 15 × 15 or 19 × 19 board, and whether a line of six or more still counts.
What does the Exactly five rule do?
With Exactly five on, a line of six or more stones does not win, but a separate line of exactly five still does. With it off, any line of five or more wins.
How many people can play Five in a Row?
Five in a Row is a head-to-head game for two: a friend online, the computer in solo mode, or two people on one phone.
Can I play Five in a Row on my own or on one phone?
Yes. Solo mode: Easy, Medium or Hard computer. Hard searches threats in a background worker. Same-phone mode: Two people take turns on one board.