Arcade
Play Pong online
Two paddles, one ball, eleven points. The rebound angle depends on where you make contact – flat in the middle, steep at the edge. Every rally speeds the ball up until somebody blinks.
Play Pong nowFree · no download · no ads
Where Pong comes from
Allan Alcorn programmed Pong at Atari in 1972 as a practice exercise – Nolan Bushnell had not told him it was only a test. The first machine stood in a bar in Sunnyvale and broke down shortly after: the coin box had overflowed. Pong is regarded as the game that founded the video game industry, although the principle already existed in Willy Higinbotham's Tennis for Two in 1958.
How it works
Goal
Eleven points win. Let the ball past you and your opponent scores.
Controls
Mouse up and down, or arrow keys / W and S. Space serves.
The angle
What matters is where the ball meets your paddle: Centre – a flat, straight return. Edge – a steep angle that is hard to reach. That is your aim, not luck.
The pace
Every return speeds the ball up a little, to a limit. Long rallies get frantic on their own.
The opponent
On "Unbeatable" it tracks the ball without error – only a truly steep angle gets past it.
Three tips for better results
- 1Hit with the edge of the paddle when you want to force your opponent into a corner.
- 2Stay near the middle instead of chasing every ball – the way back is shorter.
- 3At high speed only anticipation helps: move to the rebound point, not to the ball.
Frequently asked questions
Is Pong free to play?
Yes. Pong runs straight in your browser, costs nothing and needs no installation. There are no ads and no paywall – the chips in the game are play money and cannot be bought.
Do I need an account to play Pong?
You create a profile with a name and a PIN, but no account is created on anybody else's server. Scores, chips, achievements and unlocked motifs live only in your own browser.
How do you play Pong?
Goal Eleven points win. Let the ball past you and your opponent scores.
Where does Pong come from?
Allan Alcorn programmed Pong at Atari in 1972 as a practice exercise – Nolan Bushnell had not told him it was only a test. The first machine stood in a bar in Sunnyvale and broke down shortly after: the coin box had overflowed. Pong is regarded as the game that founded the video game industry, although the principle already existed in Willy Higinbotham's Tennis for Two in 1958.
Does Pong work on a phone?
The site adapts to the screen size, and anything you can click can also be tapped. Games controlled with arrow keys do need a keyboard, though.
Also known as
These are the terms people use to look for Pong.
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