Table tennis is my main hobby. Gaming is a close second.
The vast majority of table tennis players are energetic and competitive people. We don’t shy away from challenges.
Most of us are passionate about table tennis to the point that If we are not hitting the ball, we are thinking about tactics, watching games, or reading articles about the sport.
Sadly, table tennis clubs are not open 24/7, so we compiled a list of the top 6 table tennis games.
I only included games I tried and had lots of fun with, except for one which I couldn’t play because of hardware limitations.
There are at least 2 games on this list that are not to be missed. I had more fun with one of them than while playing real table tennis. Let’s start!
6) Table Tennis Champion
- Release date: September 17, 2015
- Platforms: Android, iOS
- Publisher: Giraffe Games Limited
- Price: Free to play (with in-app purchases)
The first game we have on this list is Table Tennis Champion.
This game is a lot of fun and is the only mobile game on this list that has 3D graphics and full models of the players.
The game mechanics are simple but hard to master. The game is based on the timing and the location in which you hit the ball to determine if you win or lose the point.
If you hit the ball early or late, your opponent will gain the initiative and possibly win the point with a smash.
I also feel it’s realistic in the sense that if you do almost everything right, your opponent can still win the point with a well-placed counterloop.
I like the difficulty of the game in the sense that it is quite challenging but if you lose you will always know what you did wrong.
The game features both a lengthy career mode with over 50 levels and a multiplayer mode. Also, you can play against your friends, which in my opinion makes the game much more interesting.
Table tennis champion has over 10 million downloads on the Google Play Store and a 4.4-star rating.
5) Table Tennis Touch
- Release date: May 15, 2014
- Platforms: Android, iOS
- Publisher: Yakuto
- Price: Free to play (with in-app purchases)
Next on this list is Table Tennis Touch.
The game has refined mechanics and shots feel very natural.
It has a career mode with seemingly endless levels and different tournaments.
At first, I thought the game would be very easy until I entered the quick play mode and played against the AI on maximum difficulty. I lost 11-0. No mercy point for me!
At the beginning of the game, the levels are very easy, but as you progress through the game, they become a lot more difficult, which makes the game a lot more entertaining.
I really like this game because timing, swing speed, and strategies matter. A very useful tactic is to touch short and then play long.
But again, the attribute that I like the most about this game is its physics. The game feels very natural and the physics closely resemble real table tennis.
Table tennis champion has over 10 million downloads on the Google Play Store and a 3.9-star rating.
4) I’m Ping Pong King 🙂
- Release date: June 19, 2018
- Platforms: Android, iOS
- Publisher: Orangenose Studio
- Price: Free to play (Removing ads costs $2)
I’m Ping Pong King is very different from the rest.
From the moment you open the app you are shown a message that says that I’m ping pong king is an unusual game as it is played with just two buttons.
All models are Stickmen and your opponent can only hit the ball to your right or left. You will have a button to hit the ball on either side.
The game is super simple and minimalist, but that doesn’t mean it’s easy.
The goal this game presents us is to become the ping pong king. For that, you will have to defeat 50 players that progressively become more complicated.
This game was very well received by players because it is a simple and relaxing game.
Because of this, it has a 4.6-star rating and over 5 million downloads.
Despite not having realistic physics, the game has better reviews than the others. In its simplicity lies its greatness.
In addition, there are some really fun mini-games and there is also additional content once you beat all 50 players in the story mode.
Another thing that I really liked about this game is that they earn their revenue from ads that are not very invasive, and not from microtransactions that make it a pay-to-win game.
3) Ping Pong Fury
- Release date: March 17, 2021
- Platforms: Android, iOS
- Publisher: Yakuto
- Price: Free to play (with in-app purchases)
Ping Pong Fury is the first game on our podium.
It earned this spot in the rankings for many reasons. I had a blast during my time with the game.
Analyzing the data sheet of the game, we can see that it is another game from the publisher Yakuto, who developed the #5 game on our list, table tennis touch.
Ping pong fury is similar to table tennis touch but with lots of improvements. This game was released 7 years later, so they had more time and new technology to further polish their already successful formula.
This game is based on an online multiplayer mode.
The main attraction of this game is playing online matches against other players and earning fans and money. Also, you can play with your friends, which makes for a very fun experience.
As you have more fans, you will progress to new arenas, and you will play in much more important matches where much more money and more fans are on the line.
Its system is practically identical to that of the famous 8-ball pool game, which has more than 500 million downloads.
When you play, you bet money and so does your opponent.
As you progress through the different leagues and arenas, many more customization options open up for you.
I must say that this game was very well researched since in the customization options you can change the blade and the rubbers separately, the balls and shoes.
Each of these components is going to change the way your character performs.
The initial blades have a lot of control and little speed, and as you progress, the blades have more and more speed.
In terms of the mechanics, they are incredibly polished. The physics of this game surprised me for the better.
What surprised me the most was the sidespin mechanics.
You can perform pendulum and reverse pendulum serves by drawing a circle in the air clockwise or counterclockwise, which emulates real table tennis very well.
Likewise, you can also perform sidespin shots in the rally.
The second thing that surprised me the most is that when you receive a sidespin shot you have to either counter that sidespin with your own or aim correctly to account for the incoming sidespin.
If you hit the ball normally, your rubber reacts like it would in real life. The rubbers absorb incoming sidespin and the ball goes wide.
You can also hit both topspin and backspin shots.
The only con I can find for this game is the microtransactions. This game prompts you to buy a ping pong pass, similar to the Fortnite battle pass.
The difference is that in Fortnite, the things you get with the battle pass are aesthetic. In this game, different equipment may give more spin or speed to your shots.
If you buy the ping pong pass, as you win matches you will have better and better rewards. If you don’t buy the ping pong pass, your rewards will be much worse.
Also, the game tries to sell equipment for real money. This means that those who decide to pay have a huge advantage compared to the rest.
Despite everything, I think it’s a great free-to-play game that can be enjoyed without spending money, and the mechanics are the best of all mobile games.
2) Eleven Table Tennis
- Release date: June 20, 2016
- Platforms: Windows
- Publisher: For Fun Labs
- Price: $19.99, €19.99
I don’t know where to begin with this game.
You don’t have a table in your house? You don’t have someone to play with? Do you want to play table tennis when the club is closed?
Eleven table tennis is a virtual reality table tennis game that comes incredibly close to the real thing.
One proof that this game is very close to real table tennis is that all the players within the top 50 are real table tennis players.
What’s more, in Steam reviews, many casual gamers said that they improved their actual table tennis skills by playing this game, and it makes a lot of sense.
With this game, you can really train specific aspects of table tennis, like timing, footwork, and form.
It’s like doing shadow play but, at the same time, you’re actually playing. This game blows my mind.
As you can see, you can have a proper workout from home with this game. If you want to play well, your footwork and your shots have to be on point.
I would say that it is an excellent way to practice table tennis alone. You can even try new tactics!
It is the only game that I can think of which is positive to spend many hours playing. Not only is it incredibly fun, but it’s also good for your body.
Another advantage of this game is that you don’t have to fetch the ball.
In real table tennis, more than half the time we are fetching the ball, but this game allows us to play table tennis without needing to fetch the ball, which greatly improves the flow of the game.
The physics of this game are incredible. The ball reacts as it would in real life.
If the ball comes with backspin, you must open up or it will go to the net, for example.
This game is incredibly fun and will be, for many, the best table tennis game out there.
If it is the best table tennis game, why is it ranked number 2? Because I couldn’t play it!
The big problem with this game is its accessibility.
In order to play this game, we not only need a PC with a powerful processor and a high-end graphics card, but we also need a VR headset.
In order to play this game, we will have to have spent around $1000 on hardware.
The gaming experience is exceptional for those who meet the requirements, but the vast majority of us are not going to be able to play it, unfortunately.
It’s a real shame as it’s rated 10/10 on Steam and has overwhelmingly positive reviews, which doesn’t happen often.
1) Lofi Ping Pong
My favorite table tennis game is Lofi Ping Pong.
The most important thing I can say about lofi ping pong is that it captures aspects of table tennis in a unique way.
Rather than relying on trying to simulate its physics, this game tries to capture the essence of table tennis and transform it into a work of art, and in my opinion, it is 100% successful in its attempt.
I think it is a game that all table tennis players and people who like music should play.
There are tons of things I like about this game, and that’s why I ranked it #1.
To begin with, the game is a rhythmic game of ping pong. It is similar to Guitar Hero, osu! and Rock Band in that sense.
The game has a very interesting concept which is to use the ping pong ball as a metronome. The timing in which you have to hit the ball is the same as the rhythm of the song.
It is a similar concept to the song “Ping Pong” by Armin van Buuren. This in itself makes it a super entertaining game.
One thing that stands out about the game is that it emulates table tennis points in an incredible way.
If we think about guitar hero, osu! or rock band, a mistake in the song breaks your combo, but it doesn’t make you lose the game.
In this game, if you mess up once, you lose. You can only win if you do a full combo, that is if you complete the entire song without missing the ball.
In table tennis, it is the same thing. The moment you miss the ball or send it out, the point is over. In both table tennis and lofi ping pong, the goal is to hit the ball one more time than your opponent.
Also, in this sense, I felt that playing this game is like winding up a music box. The moment you miss the ball, the music stops.
If you want to keep listening to your favorite songs, you have to return the ball correctly. This creates a uniquely satisfying experience.
Also, the pace of table tennis and lofi ping pong is very similar. If we turn up the speed in lofi ping pong, the game can be even faster than real table tennis, which is one of the fastest sports on earth.
Another thing that lofi managed to capture is that you’re always playing the same shots but points are never the same.
In lofi ping pong, there are three strokes, and in table tennis, if we think about it, we are always playing more or less the same shots. However, no point is the same as the previous one.
Finally, for us to do well in both table tennis and lofi ping pong, we have to be 110% focused. Any slip will mean defeat. You must enter a state of flow in which you are one with the beat of the music.
Being so focused while listening to beautiful songs creates a truly amazing experience.
Here’s a review by Delete Repeat. It does contain some spoilers, though.
At first, the game may seem complicated. What’s more, I read comments from people who found it too difficult for them, which made them lose interest.
In my personal experience, the game was hard but possible. It was challenging to play but this meant it was super satisfying when I beat it.
The game is centered around a cryptic and enigmatic story centered around a female ping pong player. This woman plays matches against other players who say strange things to her.
At first, we will not be able to understand the story, but everything makes sense when you finish it. In hindsight, all the pieces fall into place to create a very poetic ending.
The story mode is 1-3 hours long and I can say that it was a great experience.
However, once the story is over, you have so much more to do.
Without a doubt, my favorite feature of this game is being able to play with your own music.
In other games such as guitar hero or osu!, if you want to play with your own music you will have to create a level with notes yourself.
In this game, you simply load your songs and you’re ready to play. It is something magnificent.
It is an amazing experience for me to play ping pong so I can listen to my favorite music.
In addition, we can play with both calm and fast music. Calm music will give us a super relaxing experience while fast music will keep us on the edge of our seats.
In the clip below, I play two of my favorite songs. If you know which ones they are, tell me in the comments!
I liked this game so much that I ended up in it! How so, you may ask?
If you have lofi ping pong, open the leaderboards.
As of writing this article, I am the #2 player in the world. Unfortunately, I didn’t record the play that got me the 2nd spot in the world, but here’s the video of the play that got me to 4th place:
As you can see, it gets as fast as or even faster than real table tennis. I think my reflexes from playing table tennis really helped me achieve the #2 spot on the leaderboards.
If you made it this far, I challenge you to beat my score. Bring it on!
Alvaro’s a qualified ITTF Level 1 Coach who's been playing Table Tennis since he was 15 and is now ranked within the top 50 in his native Argentina. He loves to compete in provincial tournaments and is always looking for ways to improve. Alvaro made his favorite memories with a racket in hand, and he joined the RacketInsight team to share his passion with other players!
Blade: Butterfly Fan Zhendong ALC | Forehand: Butterfly Dignics 09c | Backhand: Butterfly Tenergy 19
Playstyle: The Controller