Paddle Duel Unblocked
Angle it off the edge, curve it with a swing, and be first to ten.
Tip: rotate your phone to landscape for a larger view.
What is Paddle Duel?
Paddle Duel is a retro table tennis game against the computer. You move the left paddle to return a ball that speeds up with every hit, using edge hits for sharp angles and a moving paddle for spin. Whoever reaches 10 points first takes the match.
- Category
- Arcade Games
- Players
- 1 player
- Plays on
- Phone, tablet & desktop
- Input
- Keyboard, Mouse, Touch, Gamepad
- Made by
- Frank Force
- Checked
Paddle Duel is the oldest video game idea there is, rebuilt with a little modern flair. Two paddles, one ball, a dark court with a curved old-TV glow, and sparks every time the ball connects. You take the left side against a computer opponent, and the first to ten wins. The twist is control: where the ball hits your paddle and whether your paddle is moving both change its flight. It comes from Frank Force’s LittleJS Arcade and plays unblocked on this page with keys, mouse, touch or a gamepad.
The Rally Rules
Choose Play, then press Space, click or tap to serve. The ball rebounds off the upper and lower edges. Whoever lets it slip past their paddle gives up a point. After each point the ball rests in the middle, small arrow dots show which way it will go, and it heads toward the player who just lost the point once you serve.
Contact point matters. Meeting the ball with the center of your paddle sends it back almost level. Meeting it near an end fires it out on a sharp diagonal that bounces off the walls.
Every return also adds speed, up to a ceiling, and the speed resets on each new serve.
Spin and the Computer Opponent
Move your paddle during contact and the ball takes on spin, curving in the direction you were moving. The bend fades over about a second, and a faster swing makes a stronger curve.
The computer is good but not perfect. Its paddle is slightly slower than yours, it settles on a target once per exchange with a bit of randomness, and it spots your curve only now and then. Those three facts are your way in.
Paddle Duel controls
| To do this | Keyboard | Mouse | Touch |
|---|---|---|---|
| Slide your paddle (the left one) | Up and Down arrows, or W and S | Move the pointer up and down | Drag a finger up and down |
| Put the ball in play | Space | Click | Tap the screen |
| Set the score back to 0-0 | R | — | — |
| Pause, restart or quit | Escape | Click the menu icon in the corner | Tap the menu icon in the corner |
Winning Points, Not Just Returning Them
Think of every return as a choice between safe and sharp.
The safe return, off the middle of the paddle, keeps the rally going but gives the computer an easy read. Use it when the ball is very fast and you are just trying to survive.
The sharp return, off an end, sends the ball into a wall bounce that is harder to track. Pair it with a swing and the curve can fool the computer into moving the wrong way.
Between shots, slide back toward center so either wall is in reach. And when the court glows red, stop chasing. Make short, small moves and wait for the ball to arrive.
Why It Is Worth a Match
Matches are quick, the rules take seconds to learn, and the spin system adds just enough depth to make you feel clever when a curved shot wins a point. For more ball-and-paddle action, try Brick Smash or bounce shots off walls in Tank Ricochet.
Paddle Duel: questions players ask
Can two people play Paddle Duel on one computer?
No. The right paddle is always run by the computer, so it is a one-player game. The title screen does show a computer-versus-computer match running in the background while you pick from the menu.
How do you beat the computer in Paddle Duel?
Make it travel. Your paddle is quicker than the computer's, and it only accounts for spin occasionally. Steep shots off your paddle's ends, plus a swing at contact for curve, win far more points than safe flat returns.
Why does the screen turn red during long rallies?
Every hit speeds the ball up, until it reaches a set limit. When a rally gets near top speed, the court glows red, the borders throb and the view shakes as a warning. Speed drops back to normal on the next serve.
Can I turn off the old TV effect?
Yes. The curved screen and scanlines can be switched off in the Options menu if you prefer a flat, sharp picture.
Credits and license
Paddle Duel was created by Frank Force and released as open source. FreezeNova hosts a lightly adapted copy on its own server, together with the original license file.
- Source code: github.com/KilledByAPixel (original project)
- Code license: MIT
- Art & audio: MIT (paddles, ball and CRT screen effect drawn in code, sound effects generated at runtime)
- Our changes: Given a new name for this site. The game, its LittleJS helpers and the engine now share one folder, the title text and save name are new, and two code comments are worded differently. Gameplay has not changed.
