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Paddle Rally is a free online paddle ball game: one paddle each, one ball, and a computer opponent at the far end of a neon court. Where the ball meets your paddle sets its angle — the middle sends it straight back, the ends send it away steeply off the walls — and every return makes it a little faster, so long rallies end at a pace nobody can hold. First to 7 takes the match. Twelve stages bring sharper opponents, posts in the middle of the court, a sliding block, shrinking paddles and spin. Play with a mouse, a finger or the arrow keys — no download, no sign-up.
How to play Paddle Rally
- Pick a stage and tap the court (or press Space) to start. Your paddle is the cyan one; the computer plays the pink one at the far end.
- Move your paddle across the court to meet the ball: it follows your mouse or finger, or the arrow keys. Your paddle has a top speed, so move early rather than late.
- Where the ball meets your paddle sets its angle. The middle sends it straight back; the ends send it away at up to 60 degrees, so it bounces off the side walls.
- Every return makes the ball a few per cent faster, up to the stage’s top speed, and the next point starts slow again. The pace bar shows how fast the rally is.
- Let the ball past your paddle and the computer scores; get it past the computer and you score. The serve swaps every point, and the first to 7 points wins the match.
- Win the match to clear the stage and unlock the next one. Concede few enough points and you earn two or three stars.
- Later stages add posts in the middle of the court, a block that slides up and down the middle line, paddles that shrink a tenth every 4 returns, and spin: a paddle that is moving as it hits curves the ball the way it was moving.
- P or Space pauses, and switching to another tab pauses the match too.
Tips
- Get back to the middle after every shot. The farthest the ball can go is then half the court away, not all of it.
- Aim with the ends. A steep return off the wall away from the computer’s paddle wins more points than any amount of straight blocking — but the ends leave you less room for error.
- Watch the bounce, not just the ball. A steep ball off a side wall arrives on the other side of where it was heading.
- In a long rally, play safe. The ball keeps getting faster for both of you, and the computer misjudges fast steep balls as well.
- On posts stages, a ball can bounce off a post straight back at you. Stay ready until it is past the middle.
- On spin stages, keep your paddle still as you hit for a straight ball, or swipe as you hit to curve it away from the computer.
- On a phone, hold the phone upright: the court stands up, you play from the bottom, and your thumb steers left and right.
FAQ
Is Paddle Rally free to play?
Yes. Paddle Rally is free to play online in your browser, with no download, no account and nothing to buy. All twelve stages are here and unlock in order as you win.
How do you aim the ball?
With the part of the paddle you hit it with. The middle sends the ball straight back, and the closer to either end you meet it, the steeper it leaves, up to 60 degrees. A moving paddle does not change the angle — except on spin stages, where it curves the ball.
Why does the ball keep getting faster?
Every return makes it a few per cent faster, up to a top speed that rises from stage to stage. That is what ends a long rally: sooner or later someone cannot get there in time. Each new point starts at serve speed again.
Does the computer cheat?
No. It plays by your rules: its paddle tops out below yours on every stage (well below on the early ones), it reacts to a ball only after a short delay, and it misjudges where the ball will arrive, more on fast, steep balls and after bounces. Later stages simply give it a quicker eye and a quicker paddle.
How are the stars set?
They are measured, not guessed. Three simulated players — a casual, a regular and a sharp one, with human reaction times and judgement — play every stage 41 times against the computer. Any win is one star; two stars mean conceding no more points than the regular player’s middle match, three no more than the sharp player’s.
Is Paddle Rally the same as Pong?
No. Paddle Rally is an original game in the two-paddle ball genre that Pong made famous in 1972: two paddles, one ball, a point when it gets past. It adds a twelve-stage ladder of computer opponents, a rally that speeds up, posts, a sliding block, shrinking paddles and spin.
How is it different from Air Hockey and Table Tennis?
In Air Hockey you push a puck anywhere in your half, and Table Tennis follows ping pong’s rules with a ball that has height. Paddle Rally is the flat, fast original: your paddle slides along one line, and the whole game is the angle and the speed-up.
Does Paddle Rally work on a phone or tablet?
Yes. On a phone held upright the court stands up, you play from the bottom and steer with your thumb; held sideways it lies flat with you on the left. The match runs at 120 steps a second whatever your screen draws, so a phone and a fast monitor play exactly the same game.