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. Play 8 ball pool online free in your browser against the computer on Easy, Medium or Hard, or with a friend as 2 players on the same device. There is no download and no sign-up.

How to play

The game follows the standard 8-ball rules. Players take turns, and you keep shooting for as long as you legally pocket one of your own balls.

• The break: the breaker has the cue ball in hand behind the head string, the dashed line across the table near the end you break from. If you pocket any ball on the break, you shoot again.
• Open table: the table stays open after the break. The first ball you legally pocket after that decides your group: solids (1 to 7) or stripes (9 to 15). Your opponent gets the other group.
• Every shot: the first ball the cue ball touches must be one of yours. On an open table any ball except the 8 is fine. After contact, you must pocket a ball or send a ball to a cushion.
• Winning: once all seven of your balls are down, the 8 ball is your target. Pocket it in any pocket to win. You don’t need to call your pocket.
• Losing: pocketing the 8 before your group is cleared, or scratching on the shot that sinks it, loses the game. If the 8 drops on the break, it is spotted back on the foot spot and the game goes on.

Fouls and ball in hand

A foul ends your turn and gives your opponent ball in hand, which means they can place the cue ball anywhere on the table before they shoot. These shots are fouls:

• Scratching, which means the cue ball goes into a pocket.
• Missing every ball.
• Hitting the other group, or the 8 before it is your target, first.
• No ball reaching a cushion after the cue ball makes contact, when nothing was pocketed.

Balls pocketed on a foul stay down. A foul on the break gives ball in hand behind the head string instead. The message above the table tells you what happened and whose turn it is.

Aiming and shooting

Drag anywhere on the table and the cue points toward your finger or mouse. Then choose how to shoot:

• Pull back: press on the cue ball, drag backward and let go. The further you pull, the harder the shot. Slide back to the cue ball to cancel.
• Power bar: drag along the bar under the table and release to shoot at that power.
• Keyboard: Left and Right rotate the aim (hold Shift for fine aim), Up and Down set the power, and Space shoots.

The full guide shows a ghost ball where the cue ball will touch the first ball, the path that ball will take and where the cue ball glances off. A red cross means the ball isn’t yours. Press Guide (or G) to switch to the aim line only, or turn the guide off for a real challenge.

The Spin button (or X) sets center, follow or draw, each in a normal and a strong version. Follow rolls the cue ball on after contact and draw pulls it back. A center hit on a short, straight shot stops the cue ball almost dead.

Tips

• Use the ghost ball. The cue ball has to arrive where the ghost ball sits, lined up with the pocket. Thin cuts need far more accuracy than straight shots.
• Don’t overhit. Hard shots rattle balls in the pocket jaws and send the cue ball flying, sometimes into a pocket.
• Plan the next shot. Use follow and draw to leave the cue ball near your next ball, and take on the trickiest balls while you still have easy ones left.

FAQ

Is 8 Ball Pool free?

Yes. It is free to play with no account and nothing to install. Your wins and losses against each computer level, and 2 player results, are saved in your browser.

How good is the computer?

Every level picks a legal ball and a pocket. Easy often misses and sometimes fouls, Medium makes most of the straightforward shots, and Hard checks its shots ahead and rarely misses, so you will need to run out your group to beat it.

Does it work on phones and Chromebooks?

Yes. On a phone the table turns upright to fit the screen, and touching it won’t scroll the page. Press P or Esc to pause on a keyboard.

Like games with real physics? Try Mini Golf for putting around obstacles, or Bowling for ten frames of strikes and spares.