8 Ball Poolplay a realistic pool game online, free
Break the rack, claim solids or stripes, and clear your group before sinking the 8. Drag-to-aim controls, a shot-preview line, and a CPU opponent — no download, no sign-up, right in your browser.
You · Open
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CPU · Open
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Shots
0
Time
0:00
Rack 'em up — you break.
Drag back from the cue ball to set power, release to shoot. Pot your group, then sink the 8.
Break to begin.
What is 8 Ball Pool
The pool game you already know, in a browser tab
8 Ball Pool is pocket billiards for two: a cue ball, seven solids, seven stripes, and the black 8. Break the rack, and the first ball you pot decides whether you are solids or stripes. Clear your group, then sink the 8 in any pocket to take the rack. This build is a single-player match against a CPU opponent — quick to start, easy to learn, hard to master.
- Real cue-ball physics
- Every shot runs a live 2D simulation — collisions, cushion angles, spin-off, and pocket rattles. Cut angles behave the way they do on a real table.
- Plays in your browser
- No download, no install, no plugins. play8ballpool.app racks a table the moment the page loads, on desktop and mobile.
- Aim preview + power meter
- A preview line shows the cue path and ghost-ball contact, and the power meter fills as you pull back so you commit to the shot you meant to take.
- Progress saved locally
- Wins, losses, current and longest streak, fewest shots, and fastest win are stored on your device — never on a server.
How to play
How to play 8 Ball Pool
Break the rack, take solids or stripes with your first pot, run your group with an eye on where the cue ball stops, and finish on the 8 ball.
- 1
Break the rack
Fifteen object balls are racked in a triangle with the 8 ball in the centre. Aim from behind the head string, set your power, and shoot the cue ball into the pack. A ball potted on the break lets you keep shooting; if nothing drops and no ball reaches a cushion, the break is a foul.
- 2
Claim solids or stripes
The table is "open" until the first legal pot after the break. Pot a solid (1–7) and you are solids for the rest of the game; pot a stripe (9–15) and you are stripes. Your opponent takes the other group. Pots on an open table still count and keep your turn alive.
- 3
Run your group
Each turn, strike the cue ball to hit one of your own balls first and send it into a pocket. Pot one and you shoot again; miss, or pot nothing, and the turn passes. Think one shot ahead — where the cue ball stops decides whether you have another shot.
- 4
Pot the 8 to win
Once all seven of your balls are down, the 8 ball is your target. Call it into any pocket with a clean hit. Pot the 8 early, pot it on the same shot as the cue ball, or scratch while shooting at it, and you lose the game instantly.
Tips to win more racks
- Before every shot, decide where you want the cue ball to stop — the pot is only half the shot.
- Use the preview line to line up thin cuts; aim the ghost-ball marker at the pocket, not the object ball.
- Break from slightly off-centre with high power to spread the rack and give yourself an early pot.
- When you have no good pot, play a safety: leave the cue ball where your opponent has nothing.
- Clear balls that block your own pockets or trap the cue ball early, while you still have options.
- Save an easy ball near a pocket as an "insurance" shot to get back to the table later.
- Leave the 8 ball for last with a clear line to a pocket — do not get stranded needing a bank.
FAQ
8 Ball Pool, answered
Straight answers about the free 8 Ball Pool game you can play online in your browser.
What is 8 Ball Pool?
8 Ball Pool is the most common pub and tournament form of pocket billiards. It is played on a six-pocket table with a cue ball and fifteen numbered object balls: solids 1–7, stripes 9–15, and the black 8 ball. One player pots the solids, the other the stripes, and whoever clears their group and then legally pots the 8 ball wins.
Is this 8 Ball Pool game free to play online?
Yes. play8ballpool.app is completely free and runs entirely in your browser. There is nothing to buy, download, or install, and there are no interruptive video ads, energy meters, or paywalls. Open the page and the balls are already racked.
Do I play against another person or a computer?
This is a single-player game: you break and then take turns against a CPU opponent that aims for its own group and plays a simple safety when it has no pot. There is no login, matchmaking, or chat — just you against the table and the computer.
Do I need to download an app or create an account?
No. The game is the website — a 100% browser-based build with no app store download and no sign-up. Your stats are saved locally in your browser, so there is no password to manage.
How do you decide who is solids and who is stripes?
The table is "open" immediately after the break. The first player to legally pot a called object ball on a normal shot takes that group: pot a solid and you are solids, pot a stripe and you are stripes. Your opponent is assigned the other group. If you pot both a solid and a stripe on the same shot, the table stays open.
What counts as a foul in 8 Ball Pool?
Common fouls are: potting the cue ball (a scratch), the cue ball hitting the opponent’s group or the 8 ball first, failing to hit any ball, and — after contact — potting nothing while no ball reaches a cushion. On the break, it is also a foul if no ball is potted and no ball reaches a rail. After any foul the incoming player gets ball in hand.
What is "ball in hand"?
After your opponent fouls, you may pick up the cue ball and place it anywhere on the table before your next shot. It is a big advantage: use it to line up the easiest pot with the best angle for the shot after that.
What happens if I pot the 8 ball early?
You lose the game immediately. The 8 ball is only a legal target once every ball in your group has been potted. Potting the 8 before then, potting it together with the cue ball, or knocking it off the table all end the rack in your opponent’s favour.
Can I lose even after potting the 8 ball?
Yes. If you pot the 8 on the same shot that you scratch the cue ball, or you pot the 8 on a foul, the shot does not win — it loses. You need a clean, legal shot: cue ball contacts the 8 first, the 8 goes down, and the cue ball stays on the table.
How do I win more games?
Play position, not just pots: before each shot pick where the cue ball should stop for the next one, and use only as much power as that needs. Break with pace from slightly off-centre, take a safety when you have no clean pot, and clear balls that block your pockets early. Leave the 8 ball for last with an open lane to a pocket.
How good is the CPU opponent?
The CPU looks for a shot that pots one of its own balls with a reasonable cut angle and a clear path, and otherwise rolls a ball safe so the turn passes. It does not plan several shots ahead, so tidy position play and disciplined safeties will beat it consistently once you know the table.
Does the game save my progress?
Your wins, losses, current and longest win streak, fewest shots in a win, and fastest win are saved locally in your browser. Nothing is sent to a server and there is no account. Because the save lives on the device, a different phone, a new browser profile, or cleared site data looks like a fresh start. A match in progress is not saved if you close the tab.
Can I play 8 Ball Pool on mobile?
Yes. The layout is built for touch: slide a finger to aim, drag back from the cue ball to set power, and release to shoot. The full table and the power meter fit on one screen in portrait, and racking a new game is instant with no page reload.