How to Play

Simple to learn.
Hard to put down.

Orbaris is built on one idea: connect four identical discs in a row. Everything else — the battle royale, the evolving board, the Tag Team — is what happens when you put that idea in a room with up to 20 players at once.

1
Drop your disc into any open column on the board
2
Connect four of your discs in a row — horizontal, vertical, or diagonal
3
In Elimination, score connects-fours to outlast every other player
4
Last player standing wins the prize pool
The Board
Classic 1v1 grid · larger modes use a bigger board
The Basics

The Grid

The board adapts to the competition. Classic 1v1 uses a 7-column, 6-row grid. Multi-player modes scale the grid up to fit the number of players in the match. One rule stays the same regardless of size: drop a disc into a column and it sinks to the lowest empty row.

How the grid works

In Classic 1v1, the board is 7 columns wide and 6 rows tall. In multi-player modes, the grid scales up automatically to give everyone enough space to compete — more players means a larger arena. On your turn, pick any column that is not full and your disc drops to the bottom of that column. Once a column is full, it is closed.

There is no picking a row. Gravity decides where your disc lands. Plan ahead — blocking a column for your opponent often matters as much as building your own line.

In multi-player modes the grid is larger, giving everyone room to build and compete. In Elimination, if the board fills completely before a winner is found, it redraws to fit the remaining players and the game continues. The game only ends when one player is left standing.

  • Classic 1v1 uses a 7-column, 6-row grid — multi-player modes use a larger grid scaled to the player count
  • 6 rows — row 1 is the bottom, row 6 is the top
  • A disc always falls to the lowest open cell in the chosen column
  • A full column cannot receive any more discs
  • In Classic: if the board fills with no winner, the game is a draw and each player receives 1 point

In Elimination mode with multiple players, the board is shared. Every player's discs are on the same grid simultaneously.

Disc drop animation — column 4
Disc falls to the lowest empty row in the selected column
The Win Condition

Connect Four

Get four of your discs in a straight line — in any direction. That is the only win condition in Orbaris. Horizontal, vertical, or diagonal: all four count equally.

Horizontal — 4 in a row

Three directions, one rule

Four discs of the same colour touching in a straight line — that is a connect-four. It does not matter which direction: left-to-right, bottom-to-top, or either diagonal all count the same way.

In Classic mode, the first player to connect four wins the game. In Elimination mode, connecting four scores points and can eliminate opponents — the board stays in play and the surviving players keep going.

  • Horizontal: four discs across in the same row
  • Vertical: four discs stacked in the same column
  • Diagonal: four discs running diagonally in either direction
  • Longer chains (5, 6...) still count as one connect-four
  • Multiple connect-fours from one move all count
Elimination Mode

Battle Royale on a shared board

Up to 20 players. One grid. Everyone's discs on the same board at the same time. Connect four to score and eliminate opponents — the board changes with every elimination, and the last player standing takes the prize pool.

Live elimination board — 6 players, mid-game

How elimination works

Every player places one disc per turn in rotation. Connect four of your own discs to score points and eliminate an opponent — typically the player whose disc you connected against or who has the fewest discs remaining.

When a player is eliminated, their discs are cleared from the board. This is the defining moment of Elimination mode: the board opens up, columns re-open, and the strategic picture changes entirely for everyone still playing.

  • Players take turns in rotation — everyone gets one move per round
  • Connect four of your colour to score and threaten elimination
  • Eliminated players have their discs removed from the board
  • The board contracts — previously blocked columns may re-open
  • Bots automatically fill any empty slots before the game begins
  • Missing two turns in a row results in automatic forfeit

The prize pool

Points are awarded throughout the game for connect-fours, eliminations, and survival. The last player standing earns the full prize pool — the accumulated points from all eliminated players.

EventPoints
Connect-four scoredPoints awarded
Opponent eliminatedBonus points
Surviving to final twoSurvival bonus
Winning the matchPrize pool
Board fills — ClassicDraw, 1 point each

Board redraw: If the grid fills before a winner is declared in Elimination, the board does not end the game. It redraws to a size appropriate for the players still in the match, and the game continues until one player remains.

Free users can optionally watch a short ad after a connect-four in Elimination to earn bonus points. Entirely opt-in — declining has no penalty.

Key Mechanic

The board evolves when a player is eliminated

This is what makes Orbaris different from any other connect-four game. When a player is eliminated their discs disappear from the shared board — columns open back up, blocking pieces vanish, and positions that were impossible become possible. Everyone still playing has to re-read the board instantly.

Player 3 (green) is about to be eliminated
All Game Modes

Four ways to play

Same grid. Same win condition. Four formats that feel completely different.

Classic — 1v1

The original format. Two players, one board, first to connect four wins. Clean, direct, and the best way to learn the fundamentals before stepping into Elimination.

  • Two players take turns alternating one disc each
  • First to connect four in any direction wins
  • Challenge a friend via 6-character join code, play hot-seat on the same device, or face an AI at five difficulty levels
  • Draw if the board fills completely with no winner — each player receives 1 point
  • AI has three distinct play styles: aggressive, defensive, and balanced

Classic is the best starting point. Master reading the board in 1v1 before taking on the multi-player formats.

Classic — end of game, blue wins

Elimination — 3 to 20 players

The original paper-game concept, now digital. All players share a single board and take turns in rotation. The board evolves as players are eliminated. Last one standing wins.

  • 3 to 20 players compete on a single shared grid, scaled to the starting player count
  • Join public matchmaking queues by player count
  • Empty slots are automatically filled by bots before the game starts
  • Connect four to score and eliminate opponents
  • Eliminated players' discs are removed — the board changes for everyone
  • Missing two consecutive turns forfeits your place in the game
Elimination — 5 players remaining

Tag Team — human and AI partners

Every human player partners with one AI bot. Your team competes against other human-bot pairs. A format that only works in the digital world — and one that tests a completely different set of skills.

  • Each human player is paired with one AI bot partner
  • All bots in the session share the same difficulty level, set by the first player to join — teams are always evenly matched
  • You and your bot share a disc colour — opponents see you as one team
  • You can suggest moves to your bot partner each turn
  • Requires a persistent Tag Team name set in your Profile before joining
  • Tag Team names are permanent once they accumulate leaderboard points

Set your Tag Team name in your Profile before your first game. Choose carefully — once you have points on the leaderboard, the name is locked permanently.

Tag Team pairing
👤
You
Human Player
+
Partner
🤖
Your Bot
AI Partner
vs
👤
Opponent
Human Player
+
Partner
🤖
Their Bot
Same difficulty
Bot Integrity Score

Every Tag Team player has a public Bot Integrity Score on the leaderboard — the average difficulty of bots they have faced across all their Tag Team games. This score makes the quality of every player's record visible to the community.

Private Games — invite only

Create a private session and share the 6-character join code with exactly who you want. The host sets the rules — player count, bot difficulty, and play style. Results count toward your public stats.

  • Host generates a 6-character join code and shares it with invited players
  • Invited players enter the code on their own device to connect
  • Host's device runs all game logic and broadcasts state to all players
  • Empty slots can be filled with bot players at your chosen difficulty
  • If the host disconnects, host duties automatically transfer to the next eligible player
  • All results are recorded to player stats and count toward the leaderboard

Private Games run on the same competitive ruleset as public matches. There is no separate private-game leaderboard — every result counts.

Joining a private game
1
Host starts a Private Game and receives a 6-character code
2
Share the code with your players via message, chat, or out loud
3
Players enter the code on play.orbaris.com to join the lobby
4
Host fills remaining slots with bots if needed and starts the game
Scoring and Ranking

Your record is public

Every game you play counts. Points, badges, win streaks, and your Quality Score are all visible on the global leaderboard — and the Quality Score shows not just how much you have won, but how you won it.

Quality Score

Every player has a Quality Score from 0 to 100, calculated from their full game history. It accounts for opponent types, bot difficulty levels faced, and game mode variety. Grinding easy bots in Classic produces a very different Quality Score than competing in high-difficulty Elimination matches against human players.

The score is informational, not punitive — it is there so the community can see the context behind any player's ranking at a glance.

Quality Score and all game history details are publicly visible on the leaderboard. Your email, name, and birth year are never shown publicly.

Registration bonus

Every new account starts with 100 points on registration. This gives every new player an immediate foothold on the leaderboard from their first session.

Badges

Badges are earned through gameplay milestones and account completion. They are displayed publicly on your leaderboard profile and reflect the range and depth of your play history across all game modes.

Win streaks and eliminations are tracked separately per mode. Building a strong record in Elimination is one of the fastest ways to improve your Quality Score.

Ready to play?

Free to play at play.orbaris.com. No download, no install. Jump in and start a game in under a minute.

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