Play 4th and Inches Online

4th and Inches came out in 1987 as part of the MS-DOS Classic Games series, published by Accolade. It was one of the early football games on PC, arriving at a time when sports simulations were just starting to find their footing on home computers. The graphics were simple, the sound was basic, but it offered a solid dose of football strategy without the complexity of later titles.

You control the entire team, choosing offensive and defensive formations before each play. The main objective is to outscore your opponent by moving the ball downfield and into the end zone. Signature mechanics include calling plays from a menu, then taking direct control of the quarterback or ball carrier during the action; you can also switch to defense to try and make a tackle. The pacing is deliberate, with a focus on strategic choice rather than arcade speed, and the difficulty can be steep, especially against the computer's defensive reads. It feels like a thoughtful, sometimes tense chess match played out on a digital gridiron.

Each game uses different controls, most DOS games use the keyboard arrows. Some will use the mouse , "Alt" ,"Enter" and "Space bar".