Play Five in a Row online — free
Place stones. Line up five.
- 1 or 2 players
- Play the computer — 5 levels
- Play friends or other players online
- Phone, tablet or computer — right in your browser
- Free — no sign-up, no download
About Five in a Row
Five in a Row, also known as gomoku, is simple to learn and deep to master: take turns placing stones, and the first to make an unbroken line of five wins.
Play on the classic 15×15 board or the bigger 19×19, against the computer or a friend online.
How to play Five in a Row
Goal
Be the first to get five of your stones in an unbroken line — across, up and down, or diagonally.
Setup
The board starts empty. You can pick a 15×15 board (the classic size) or the bigger 19×19 Go board. Black moves first, then the players take turns. Points are named like a map: letters a, b, c… left to right (no letter is skipped, so 19×19 runs a–s) and numbers 1, 2, 3… from the bottom up — the centre of 15×15 is h8.
On your turn
- Place one stone on any empty intersection (where two lines cross). Stones never move and are never captured.
- On a phone, where the points are tiny, the first tap shows where your stone would go (with a cross-hair); tap the same point again to place it, or tap somewhere else to move it.
Winning line
- Five or more (freestyle): five in a row wins, and so does a longer line of six or more.
- Exactly five: only a line of exactly five wins. A line of six or more (an “overline”) doesn't count — the game just carries on. This applies to both players.
How the game ends
- The moment someone makes a winning line, they win.
- If the whole board fills up with no winner, it's a draw (rare!).
Tips
- An open three (three in a row with both ends empty) threatens to become an open four, which can't be stopped — so block open threes straight away.
- The winning trick is a double threat: one stone that makes a four and an open three (a “four-three”), or two open threes at once. Your opponent can only block one.
- A four forces an answer. Chaining fours (each one forcing a block) is a great way to set up a double threat.
Five in a Row: questions and answers
Is Five in a Row free to play?
Yes. Five in a Row on Neon Game Cave is completely free — there's nothing to download and you don't need to sign up.
Can I play Five in a Row against the computer?
Yes. Choose "Play the computer" and pick one of 5 levels — from a gentle beginner to a tough opponent.
How do I play Five in a Row with a friend online?
Open the Game Cave and challenge your friend from the Players online list in the lobby. To be sure you find each other, share a chat room code first — friends in a chat room also get free text chat during the game.
Can I play Five in a Row on my phone or tablet?
Yes. Five in a Row runs in the web browser on phones, tablets and computers, so there's no app to install. You can add Neon Game Cave to your home screen to open it like an app.
Do I need an account to play Five in a Row?
No. You can play straight away as a guest. Signing in with Google is optional — it keeps your games safe in the cloud and, in games with leaderboards, puts your best scores on them.