Pong
Pong is a 1972 sports arcade game developed by Atari, one of the earliest commercially successful video games. Two players each control a vertical paddle on either side of the screen to bounce a ball back and forth in a simple, table-tennis-style contest of reflexes, with the ball speeding up and its angle shifting depending on where it strikes the paddle.
Despite its extreme simplicity and the instruction "Avoid missing ball for high score," Pong was a cultural and commercial phenomenon that helped launch the entire video game industry and established Atari, founded by Nolan Bushnell and Ted Dabney, as a pioneer. Its intuitive, immediately understandable two-player competition proved that electronic games could captivate a mass audience in bars and arcades.
Pong endures as an icon of gaming history, endlessly recreated and referenced, and remains instantly recognizable as the game that helped start it all, still playable in countless compilations and recreations.
Play it today
Modern alternatives to Pong, with the devices they run on and their price. Ordered editorially by how well each one stands in for the original, with community votes weighted in as they accumulate.
Prices, platform availability and Steam Deck compatibility can change at any time. Always check the store page before buying.
Lethal League Indie
€ 13,99An indie competitive ball-bouncing brawler that channels Pong energy into fast, chaotic multiplayer duels.
Lethal League runs on PC, Mac, Linux. Not available on iPhone, iPad, Android phone, Android tablet, PlayStation, Xbox, Switch. It is Steam Deck Verified.
Windjammers 2
€ 19,99Two-player disc duelling with lobs, smashes and readable angles, the sharpest modern take on Pong's core duel.
Windjammers 2 runs on PC, PlayStation, Xbox, Switch. Not available on Mac, Linux, iPhone, iPad, Android phone, Android tablet. It is Steam Deck Verified.
Atari 50: The Anniversary Celebration
€ 34,99A curated collection that includes the original Pong alongside dozens of Atari classics with historical context.
Atari 50: The Anniversary Celebration runs on PC, PlayStation, Xbox, Switch. Not available on Mac, Linux, iPhone, iPad, Android phone, Android tablet. It is Steam Deck Playable.
Pong Quest
€ 12,49Atari's own oddity: an RPG built around paddle duels, with power-up balls and dungeons.
Pong Quest runs on PC, PlayStation, Xbox, Switch. Not available on Mac, Linux, iPhone, iPad, Android phone, Android tablet. It is Steam Deck Playable.
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