Paddle Duel
Play the classic paddle game in your browser against a simple computer AI.
How to play
- You control the left paddle — press W/▲ to move up, S/▼ to move down.
- Hit the ball past the CPU's right paddle to score a point.
- Angle shots by hitting with the paddle's edge to curve the ball.
- First player to reach 7 points wins the match.
- Click Restart to start a new match at any time.
Use W/S or arrow keys to move your paddle (left side). First to 7 points wins! On mobile use the ▲/▼ buttons.
How it works
Paddle Duel is a classic Pong-style game where you control a vertical paddle on one side of the screen and an AI paddle defends the other. A ball bounces back and forth; if it passes your paddle you concede a point, and if it passes the AI's paddle you score one.
Move your paddle up and down using the mouse, arrow keys, or on-screen buttons to intercept the ball. The first to reach the target score wins the match.
The ball typically speeds up slightly after each hit, so long rallies become progressively harder to handle. Placing the ball near the edges of the AI paddle is the most effective way to score, as edge hits are harder for the AI to return.
Rather than always matching the ball's vertical position exactly, position your paddle where you predict the ball will arrive after its next wall bounce. Predictive positioning beats reactive scrambling at high speeds.
Worked example
Scoring against the AI with an angled shot
- Position your paddle so the ball hits its top or bottom edge rather than the centre.
- An edge hit deflects the ball at a steep angle toward the AI's far corner.
- The AI must travel a longer distance to the corner, and at high speed it may not arrive in time.
- Repeat the edge-hit strategy to generate winning angles consistently.
An angled shot wins the point as the AI paddle fails to reach the ball in the corner.
Common mistakes to avoid
- Centring the paddle after every hit instead of tracking the ball's predicted return path after a wall bounce.
- Always hitting with the paddle centre, giving the AI easy straight-ahead returns to handle.
- Overreacting to unpredictable bounces by moving the paddle past the ball's actual destination.
Key terms
- Rally
- A sequence of back-and-forth hits without either side conceding a point.
- Edge hit
- Hitting the ball with the very top or bottom of the paddle, deflecting it at a steep angle.
- AI difficulty
- The speed and accuracy of the computer-controlled paddle; adjustable in settings on some versions.
Frequently asked questions
- How good is the CPU?
- The CPU follows the ball at a fixed speed — good enough to rally but beatable with sharp angles.
- How do I score?
- Get the ball past the right paddle (CPU side).