Object
Play all your cards into the ARENA before your opponents.
After 10 rounds — or the number of rounds agreed upon — the player with the lowest total score wins.
Quick Start
Table Setup
Place the ARENA Card in the center of the table.
Choose any person to deal 19 cards face down to each player. Do not look at these cards.
The dealer announces, “FOUR DOWN,” signaling all players to stack their 19 cards keeping them face down. Each player then:
- ✦Places 4 cards face down in a row in front of them.
- ✦Places 1 face-up card on top of each Four Down Card.
- ✦Keeps the remaining 11 cards as their hand to look at and arrange.
Once you play your last Face-Up Card, your Four Down Cards are unlocked but remain unknown and face down. On your next turn, you may choose ONE of your Four Down Cards to flip and play to the ARENA.
First round
Compare each player's leftmost Face-Up Card.
The player with the highest card takes the Stone Tower and becomes the Stone Tower Holder. A Tower 4 Card beats every other card when determining the first Stone Tower Holder.
If there's a tie: compare the tied players' next Face-Up Card. Continue from left to right until the tie is broken.
The Stone Tower Holder
The player who wins each round becomes the Stone Tower Holder for the next round. The Stone Tower Holder:
- ✦Appoints the dealer
- ✦May choose Game Variations (see p. 7)
- ✦Determines the direction of play — left or right
- ✦Goes first
Note: The first round of each game is always played WITHOUT Game Variations.
High to low
Cards rank from highest to lowest:
King → Queen → Jack → 10 → 9 → 8 → 7 → 6 → 5 → 3 → 2 → 1
King is highest. 1 is lowest. There is no standard 4. The Tower 4 Card is a special card. It may be played at any time to clear the ARENA.
Play
The Stone Tower Holder goes first by playing up to four of the same exact card or a Tower 4 Card and announces the play. Play continues in the direction chosen by the Stone Tower Holder. The next player must play the same exact card or a lower card than the top card in the ARENA pile — or a Tower 4 Card to clear the ARENA and start a new pile.
Play
On your turn, play one card or multiple cards that are exactly the same.
If you play more than one card, every card you play must be exactly the same. You may not play two different sets of cards on the same turn.
Reminder: You may play multiple of the same exact card on your turn, as long as no more than four are together at the top of the ARENA. The fourth card always clears the ARENA.
The top card in the ARENA is a 6. You may play another 6, two 6s, OR play three more 6s to clear the pile OR you may play up to four of the same exact card LOWER than a 6 OR play a Tower 4 Card to clear the ARENA and go again.
You may play three 5s OR two 3s. You may not play two 5s and two 3s together.
Announce your play
Announce every play out loud so the next player knows how many of the same card are currently at the top of the ARENA.
A King starts the pile. Player announces "ONE KING!"
Next player adds 2 Jacks and announces "TWO JACKS!"
Next player plays 1 Jack and announces "THREE JACKS!"
Next player adds 2 Tens and announces "TWO TENS!"
Next player adds 4 Fives and announces "FOUR FIVES…CLEAR IT!"
Always announce the cumulative total of the card at the top of the ARENA.
Four of the same — clear it!
There can never be more than four of the exact same card consecutively at the top of the ARENA. Whenever the fourth is played, the ARENA is cleared. The four cards may be completed by one player, or across multiple players' turns.
The player who plays the fourth card announces: "FOUR [CARD] — CLEAR IT!" For example: "FOUR JACKS — CLEAR IT!"
To clear the ARENA: move the entire ARENA pile off to the side. Those cards are out of play for the rest of the round. The player who clears the ARENA goes again.
There are two 5s at the top of the ARENA and you have three 5s in hand. You may play only two of them, because that completes four consecutive 5s.
Announce: "FOUR 5s — CLEAR IT!" You may not play the third 5. Clear the ARENA and go again.
The top card in the ARENA is an 8. You play four 6s because 6 is lower than 8.
Announce: "FOUR 6s — CLEAR IT!" Clear the ARENA and go again.
After clearing the ARENA, start a new pile just like the first play of the round: up to 4 of the exact same card, or a Tower 4 Card.
Clear it with a Tower 4
A Tower 4 Card may be played at any time. It immediately clears the ARENA. Announce: "CLEAR IT!" Clear the ARENA and go again.
Pick it up
Can’t—or don’t want to—play? You can always choose to pick up the ARENA pile but if you do not have a playable card, you MUST pick it up. Pick up the entire ARENA pile and add it to your hand. The ARENA is now empty and your turn ends. The next player starts a new ARENA pile.
Face-Up Cards
Your Face-Up Cards are part of your playable hand. You may play a Face-Up Card by itself or combine it with any exact same cards from your hand.
You have a Face-Up Queen and two Queens in your hand. You may play all three together.
Announce: "THREE QUEENS!"
All 4 Face-Up Cards must be gone before touching your Four Down Cards.
Four Down Cards
Once all 4 Face-Up Cards are gone, your Four Down Cards are unlocked.
Choose one. Flip it. Play it. No peeking!
If it plays
If the ARENA is empty, the card you flip must be played and starts the new pile.
If the ARENA has a pile, you must play the flipped card if it is a Tower 4 Card or is the same as or lower than the top card.
You may not add it to your hand and play a different card. You must play the flipped card or pick up the pile.
If you have one or more of the exact same card in your hand as the card you flipped, you may play those cards with it — but only enough to bring the consecutive total to four.
The ARENA shows a 7. You flip a 5. The 5 plays. If you also have two 5s in your hand, you may play them with your flipped 5. Announce: "THREE 5s!"
If a 5 was already on top of the ARENA, you may play only enough 5s to reach four total. Announce: "FOUR 5s — CLEAR IT!"
If it doesn't play
If the ARENA has a pile and the card you flip is not a Tower 4 Card and is higher than the top card, it does not play. You do not need to show it to the other players. Simply pick up the entire ARENA pile, including the card you flipped, and add it to your hand. Your turn ends.
Flipping again
You may flip only ONE Four Down Card per turn. Exception: if your flipped card clears the ARENA, you continue your turn and may flip another Four Down Card.
Game Variations
Before each round begins, the Stone Tower Holder chooses: No Variations • Any Combination • All Variations.
Place the corresponding Variation Tokens beside the ARENA Card. Only the chosen variations are active for that round.
Hot Fives — 5s are wild
When active, Fives are wild and can be played as any card except a Tower 4 Card. When you play a Hot Five, announce the card it represents, adding it to the cumulative total. Once played, it remains that card while in the ARENA and counts toward a four-card clear.
Two Kings are in the ARENA. You play two Fives as Kings.
Announce: "FOUR KINGS — CLEAR IT!" Clear the ARENA and go again.
Skip Sixes — 6s skip the next player
Whether you play one 6 or multiple 6s together, only ONE player is skipped. Announce: "SKIP [PLAYER'S NAME]!"
You play three 6s together. The next player is skipped once, not three players.
If your play completes four consecutive 6s: "FOUR 6s — CLEAR IT!" The ARENA clears instead of causing a skip.
High Sevens — go high instead of low
After a High Seven, the next player may play:
- ✦Another 7 — or enough 7s to bring the consecutive total to four
- ✦One or more of the exact same card higher than 7
- ✦A Tower 4 Card
Another 7 keeps High Sevens active. Four consecutive 7s clear the ARENA. Once a higher card is played, normal same-or-lower play resumes.
A 7 is played: "HIGH SEVEN!" Another 7: "TWO HIGH SEVENS!" A third: "THREE HIGH SEVENS!"
The fourth: "FOUR HIGH SEVENS — CLEAR IT!" Clear the ARENA and go again.
Reverse Eights — 8s reverse the direction of play
Whether one 8 or multiple 8s are played together, the direction reverses only ONCE. Announce: "BACK ATCHA!"
You play two 8s together. Direction reverses once, not twice.
If your play completes four consecutive 8s: "FOUR 8s — CLEAR IT!" The ARENA clears instead of reversing direction.
End the Round
The first player to get rid of all their cards wins the round.
Take the Tower
The round winner takes the Stone Tower and becomes the Stone Tower Holder for the next round. They now control the next round.
Scoring
The round winner scores 0 points. Everyone else scores the cards they have left:
- ✦1, 2, 3, 5, 6, 7 and Tower 4 Cards = 5 points each
- ✦8, 9, 10, Jack, Queen, King = 10 points each
After 10 rounds — or the number of rounds agreed upon before the game — add your scores.
Lowest score wins.
The player with the lowest total score earns the title of TOWER MASTER. The player with the highest total score earns the not-so-coveted title of TOWER DISASTER. Printable score sheets are available at FOURDOWNGAMES.COM.
Quick Reference
Setup
- ✦Deal 8 Face Down.
- ✦4 Down + 4 Face-Up.
- ✦Highest leftmost takes Tower.
- ✦Holder appoints dealer.
- ✦Deal 11 Hand Cards.
- ✦Holder chooses direction/variations.
Card rank
- ✦K → Q → J → 10 → 9 → 8 → 7 → 6 → 5 → 3 → 2 → 1 • no standard 4
On your turn
- ✦Up to 4 of the same exact card.
- ✦Must be the same as or lower than the top of the ARENA — or a Tower 4.
- ✦Announce the total of that card now at the top of the ARENA.
- ✦Fourth of the same card → announce "CLEAR IT!" Pile is out of play; go again.
- ✦Can't or won't play → pick up the entire ARENA pile; turn ends.
- ✦Face-Up Cards play with your hand; all 4 must go before Four Down Cards.
- ✦Four Down Cards: flip one per turn, no peeking — it plays or you pick up.
- ✦If a Four Down Card is flipped, that flipped card must be played. You may not play a different card from your hand.
Variation tokens
- ✦Hot Fives — 5s are wild; announce the card it represents. Cannot represent a Tower 4 Card.
- ✦Skip Sixes — 6s skip ONE player: "SKIP [NAME]!"
- ✦High Sevens — after a 7, play Higher instead of Lower or a Tower 4 Card.
- ✦Reverse Eights — 8s reverse direction ONCE: "BACK ATCHA!"
Scoring
- ✦Round winner: 0 points.
- ✦1, 2, 3, 5, 6, 7 and Tower 4 Cards = 5 points each.
- ✦8, 9, 10, Jack, Queen, King = 10 points each.
- ✦Lowest total = TOWER MASTER. Highest total = TOWER DISASTER.