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 sign-up
At a glance
- Category
- Arcade
- Controls
- arrow keys
- Price
- free
- Sign-up
- not required
Pong is you against yourself and the clock – there is no opponent at the table, only your own record. Scores and achievements still count.
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 is no paywall – the chips in the game are play money and cannot be bought. The site is funded by advertising, which appears only if you agree to it.
Do I need an account to play Pong?
No. The home page offers “play now without an account” – that starts you straight away and your progress stays in this browser. An account is only worth it if you want the same progress on several devices; name and PIN are enough, and we never ask for an email address. A guest profile can be turned into an account at any time without losing anything.
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.
Do I have to download anything to play Pong?
No. Pong runs in the browser – on Windows, macOS, Linux, Android and iPhone alike. There is no app, no plugin and nothing to install.
Can I play Pong against the computer?
Pong is you against yourself and the clock – there is no opponent at the table, only your own record. Scores and achievements still count.
Does Pong work without an internet connection?
The page has to load once; after that the game itself runs entirely in your browser and needs no connection. If you use an account, your progress syncs again as soon as you are back online.
Also known as
These are the terms people use to look for Pong.
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