How to Play
- Pick Play vs Computer and a level, or choose a two-player game on one device.
- Tap the table to start. After a short pause the ball is served from the centre spot.
- Slide your finger left and right to move your paddle. In a solo game you are the purple paddle at the bottom.
- Return the ball past your opponent’s paddle. If it slips past their end of the table, you win the point.
- The first player to reach 7 points wins the match.
Rules
The ball bounces off both side walls, so it can be banked like a shot in a game of snooker. It cannot leave through the sides, only through the two ends of the table.
Where the ball meets your paddle controls its new direction. A hit on the middle sends it straight back, while a hit near either end sends it off at a sharp angle. Every return also makes the ball a little quicker, so long rallies grow tense. After each point the speed resets, and the next serve travels towards the player who just lost the point, giving them the first touch.
There is no time limit and no draw. The match simply ends as soon as one side reaches seven.
Tips & Strategy
- Win points with the paddle ends. A straight return is easy to handle. Meeting the ball with a corner of your paddle sends it towards the wall, and the bounce is much harder to read.
- Return to the centre after each hit. From the middle you can reach either wall. Players who stay near the edge after a shot leave the whole other side open.
- Use the walls against a slow opponent. The easy computer only reacts once the ball is in its half, so a steep bank shot often beats it cleanly.
- Stay calm when the rally speeds up. The ball gets faster with every touch, and the computer’s aim gets shakier too. Simply keeping the ball in play during a long rally is often enough to win it.
- Keep your finger low on the screen. Sliding near the bottom edge means your hand never covers the ball as it comes towards you.
Game Modes
Play vs Computer puts you at the bottom and the computer at the top. On Easy it moves slowly and reacts late, which is ideal for young players and beginners. Medium predicts where the ball will go but sometimes misjudges it. Hard follows the ball from the moment it leaves your paddle and rarely makes mistakes, so you will need sharp angles to beat it.
Two players on one device splits the table into halves. The player at the bottom moves by sliding anywhere on the lower half, and the player at the top slides on the upper half. Both can move at exactly the same time. With a keyboard, the bottom player uses A and D or the arrow keys, while the top player uses J and L.
Play with Friends
Lay a phone or tablet flat on a table and sit facing each other, one at each end. The score and messages for the top player are drawn the right way up for them. It is a great quick game while waiting for food at a restaurant, and a best-of-three series settles any argument about who has the fastest hands.
Paddle Ball FAQ
How do I move my paddle?
Touch the screen and slide left or right. The paddle follows your finger. You do not need to touch the paddle itself; anywhere on your half of the table works.
Why does the ball keep getting faster?
Each return adds a little speed to make rallies exciting. The speed has a fair upper limit, and it goes back to normal after every point.
Which difficulty should I choose?
Start on Easy to learn the angles. Move to Medium once you win comfortably, and try Hard when you can place the ball near the walls on purpose.
Can two people play at the same time on one phone?
Yes. Each half of the screen controls its own paddle, and the game follows each finger separately, so both players can move together.
Can I pause a match?
Press P or Escape, or switch to another app, and the match freezes until you tap the table again.
Last updated: 2026-09-30
