Games & Puzzles
Pong Game - Free Online Classic Arcade Game
Classic two-player Pong - play against the AI in the original arcade game.
Move mouse over canvas or use Arrow keys / W-S to control paddle.
About Pong
Pong is one of the earliest arcade video games, originally released by Atari in 1972. It simulates table tennis. You control the left paddle; the AI controls the right. The first player to reach 7 points wins.
Controls
| Action | Keys |
|---|---|
| Move paddle up | W or ↑ Arrow |
| Move paddle down | S or ↓ Arrow |
| Pause / Resume | Space or P |
The AI opponent tracks the ball with a slight delay, making it beatable with strategic angled shots rather than brute speed.
Scoring
A point is scored when the ball passes your opponent’s paddle and hits the back wall. The first player to reach 7 points wins the match. After a point is scored, the ball resets to center and is served toward the player who just lost the point.
Ball physics
The ball follows the law of angle of incidence = angle of reflection off the top and bottom walls. When the ball strikes the paddle, the angle changes based on where it hits: striking the center returns it at a shallow angle; striking near the edge deflects it at a sharper angle. This rewards positioning and adds strategy beyond raw reaction time.
Historical context
Pong (Atari, November 1972) was the first commercially successful arcade game, turning a $500 prototype into a $40 million business within two years. It was preceded by Tennis for Two (1958, William Higinbotham, displayed on an oscilloscope) and the Magnavox Odyssey’s table tennis game (May 1972). The runaway commercial success of Pong effectively launched the consumer video game industry.