Pong Game — Classic Arcade, 1 or 2 Player

How to play Pong

The original: Pong by Atari (1972). Ours is an independent remake, not affiliated with Atari.

Pong is the original arcade ball-and-paddle game — Atari's first hit and the title that lit the spark for the entire video-game industry. Play it two ways: against the computer, where every ball past its paddle is a point and one past yours ends the run, or two players on one keyboard, first to seven. Pick a mode on the start screen.

Controls

↑ ↓ — move the right (green) paddle
W S — move the left (blue) paddle in two-player mode
Space — serve, or play again after a game
1 / 2 — pick vs the computer or two players from the start screen
R — restart
Touchscreen — drag on your half of the board to move your paddle

Tips & strategy

Aim with the paddle edges. Hitting near the top of the paddle sends the ball up, the bottom sends it down, and the center returns it flat. The farther from the middle, the steeper the angle.
Don't hover at the center. Drift toward the side the ball is heading — early position beats fast reaction.
Force the angle. A steep return is harder for the computer to chase down than a flat one.
Use the wall rebounds. A ball bouncing off the top or bottom wall buys you extra read time.

About Pong

Pong shipped from Atari in 1972 as the first commercially successful arcade game, designed by Allan Alcorn as a training exercise for new engineer Nolan Bushnell. The home console version, released in 1975, sold out of Sears in days and kicked off the home video-game market. The mechanic is two paddles, one ball, no instructions — the original cabinet's only direction read "Avoid missing ball for high score."

Two-player Pong

Choose Two Players on the start screen or press 2. Blue on the left plays with W and S, Green on the right with the arrow keys, sharing one keyboard. Every ball past a paddle is a point for the other side and the first to seven wins. Rallies speed up a little with each hit, so the long ones get frantic. On a tablet, each player drags on their own half of the board.

Frequently asked

How do I play Pong? Press Space to serve, then use the arrow keys to move your paddle. Every ball past the computer is a point; one past you ends the run.

Is Pong free? Yes — no signup, no downloads, no installs.

Can I play Pong with two players? Yes — pick Two Players on the start screen (or press 2). Blue on the left uses W and S, Green on the right uses the arrow keys, and the first to 7 points wins. On a touchscreen, drag on your half of the board.

Does my high score save? Yes — your best one-player Pong score saves in your browser and also goes on the public leaderboard under your first name. You can change your name on your profile.

🏓 Pong Game