Best Browser Ball Games to Play Free Online

A huge share of the games people play for fun involve a ball. You kick it, hit it, roll it, bounce it or knock it into a hole. Ball games work well on a screen because you can see the arc and judge the bounce. This list covers the best ball games you can play free in a browser, from a momentum platformer to full sports games, pinball and brick breakers.

Quick picks

If you want…	Play
A platformer where you are the ball	Rollabout
A team sport with real rules	Soccer Game or Basketball Game
A net game against the computer	Volleyball, Tennis or Ping Pong
Slow, careful aiming	Golf or 8 Ball Pool
Classic arcade ball action	Pinball or Brick Breaker

1. Rollabout (Ball Game)

Rollabout is our ball game in the purest sense: you are the ball. It is a side-scrolling game about momentum, where you steer a bouncy ball through 15 obstacle courses built from ramps, gaps, springs, conveyor belts, moving platforms, spikes, water, fans and switch gates. Your ball keeps its speed, so a long downhill run carries you up the next ramp.

Why it’s good: Clearing level 5 unlocks a heavy Steel ball that smashes wooden crates and sinks in water, and clearing level 10 unlocks a light Paper ball that rides fans and drifts across wide gaps. You can switch balls at any moment, even in mid-air, and the last world needs all three. Best for: Platformer fans who like physics more than combat.

2. Basketball Game

Basketball Game is 2-on-2 street basketball on one half court, seen from the side. You and an AI teammate play two CPU players in a race to 11, with baskets inside the arc worth 1 and baskets beyond it worth 2. There is a 12-second shot clock and check ball after every score.

Why it’s good: The jump shot works on a release meter, so letting go right on the green line is a Perfect release and early or late shots lose accuracy fast. Layups and dunks go in far more often, but you have to get close first. On defense you block, steal and box out, and touching a falling ball is goaltending. There is also a six-court Street Tour and a 3-Point Contest. Best for: Anyone who wants a full basketball game rather than a free-throw toy.

3. Soccer Game

Soccer Game is top-down 5-a-side soccer, with four outfield players and a goalkeeper per side. Dribble, pass, chip lofted balls over defenders, power up shots and slide in for tackles against a keeper who dives.

Why it’s good: The rules are proper ones. A tackle from behind is a foul, a foul in your own area is a penalty, and the ball going out gives a throw-in, a goal kick or a corner. Play a quick match, an 8-team knockout cup where draws go to penalties, or go straight to a penalty shootout, at Easy, Medium or Hard. Best for: Football fans who want passing and positioning, not just shooting.

4. Volleyball

Volleyball puts a beach court in your browser, seen from the side. Move under the ball and press Hit: on the ground you bump it, and in the air with the ball above your hands you spike it. Each side gets up to 3 touches, and running into the net is a fault.

Why it’s good: Where you lean decides the shot, so holding toward the net spikes deep and holding away drops it short. Play 1 vs 1 or 2 vs 2 against the computer on Easy, Medium or Hard, or play a friend on one keyboard. Rally scoring runs to 7, 11 or 15, and you must win by 2. Best for: Two players sharing a laptop.

5. Tennis

Tennis is a match seen from behind your baseline. Timing aims the shot: swing early to pull it cross-court, late to send it down the line. You also pick the shot type, from flat and topspin to slice, lob and drop shot.

Why it’s good: Scoring is real tennis, with deuce, advantage and a tiebreak, over 1 set or a best of 3 short sets. The serve uses a power meter where the red top is fast but often a fault. On Auto, your player runs to the ball for you. Best for: Players who want a slower, tactical rally.

6. Ping Pong

Ping Pong is table tennis viewed from behind your end of the table. Your paddle follows the mouse or your finger, and the shot happens when the ball reaches you. Where the ball meets the paddle aims it, and the way you swing adds topspin, backspin or sidespin.

Why it’s good: The ball’s trail shows the spin coming at you, red for topspin, blue for backspin and yellow for sidespin, so you learn to read it. Games go to 11, win by 2, against a computer on Easy, Medium or Hard. If you want the 1972 original instead, our Pong has two paddles, one ball and a 2 player mode. Best for: Mouse players who like fast reactions.

7. Golf

Golf is a full-course game seen from above, on a 9-hole or 18-hole course of par 3, 4 and 5 holes. Pick a club, aim, read the wind and time a 3-click swing meter. Stop it early and you hook left, late and you slice right.

Why it’s good: Each club has its own carry, from the 250-yard Driver down to the 90-yard Sand Wedge. Water costs a penalty stroke, out of bounds is stroke and distance, and on the green the HUD tells you how much a putt breaks. Play solo or pass and play with 2 to 4 players. Best for: A calm ball game where every shot gets your full attention.

8. 8 Ball Pool

8 Ball Pool is a top-down pool game with real ball physics. Break the rack, claim solids or stripes, clear your group and sink the 8. Fouls such as a scratch or hitting the wrong group first give your opponent ball in hand anywhere on the table.

Why it’s good: The aim line and ghost-ball guide can be turned off. Play the computer on Easy, Medium or Hard, or a friend on the same device. Best for: Players who enjoy planning two shots ahead.

9. Pinball

Pinball is the classic arcade table. Hold Space to charge the plunger, then keep the ball alive with two flippers on Z and the slash key, or the arrow keys. The table has bumpers, drop targets and a score multiplier, and you get three balls.

Best for: Short sessions chasing a best score. It is a simple table, so it suits quick runs more than long ones.

10. Brick Breaker

Brick Breaker has two ways to play. In Launch mode you aim once and fire a whole stream of balls at numbered bricks that drop one row per turn, and fly through +1 rings to gain more balls. In Classic mode you steer a paddle through 30 handcrafted levels and catch power-ups such as multi-ball, a wide paddle and a laser.

Why it’s good: The aim line shows your first bounce, so Launch mode is about angles. If you want the arcade original, our Breakout is the classic paddle-and-bricks game with three lives. Best for: Anyone who likes bank shots.

More ball games online

• Four Square: the playground game against three CPU kids. Let the ball bounce once, hit it into another square and climb from Dunce to King.
• Baseball: a batting game where you read fastballs, changeups, curveballs and sliders in a Home Run Derby or a 3-inning game.
• Bowling Game: 10 pin bowling with a hook meter and up to three CPU rivals.

For games built around pucks, rackets and bats too, see our roundup of the best browser sports games.

How to choose the right ball game

• You want teammates and tactics: Soccer Game or Basketball Game.
• You are playing with a friend on one device: Volleyball, Tennis, 8 Ball Pool or Golf.
• You prefer thinking to reacting: Golf and 8 Ball Pool, where nothing moves until you shoot.

From Pong to Breakout

Ball games were there at the start of video games. Pong, a 1972 sports game from Atari, was built around a single bouncing ball and two paddles. Atari’s Breakout followed in 1976 and turned the same bounce against rows of bricks at the top of the screen. Many ball games online still run on that idea.

How we picked these games

We picked games where the ball is the center of play, and we chose one strong game for each kind of ball sport where we could. Each one runs in a standard browser without a download. Every detail above comes from the game’s own rules and controls, and we left out anything we could not check.

Frequently asked questions

What are the best ball games to play online for free?

Rollabout is the best pick if you want a game about rolling and bouncing a ball. For sports, Soccer Game, Basketball Game, Volleyball and Tennis all use real rules against the computer. All of them are ball games free to play in a browser.

Can I play ball games on my phone?

Yes. Rollabout, Basketball Game and Soccer Game have on-screen touch buttons, and Ping Pong’s paddle follows your finger. Brick Breaker and 8 Ball Pool work with a drag to aim.

Which ball games can two people play on one device?

Volleyball and Tennis support two players on one keyboard. 8 Ball Pool has a 2 player mode on the same device, Golf has pass and play for 2 to 4 players, and Pong has a 2 player option.

What is the ball game where you roll through levels?

That is Rollabout. You steer a ball through 15 obstacle courses across three worlds, and you unlock a Steel ball and a Paper ball along the way.

Start rolling

Start with the first world of Rollabout, then pick the sport you play in real life and see how your instincts hold up. When you want a different kind of run, jump over cacti in the Chrome Dino game.