Dodgeball

One against the pack, three lives, and a catch that knocks the thrower straight out

Single player
arcade
action
casual

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About Dodgeball

You are alone on one half of a walled 3D court. Two or three opponents hold the other half and they never cross the line, so nothing can reach you from behind — every threat comes from in front, which makes this a reading game rather than a panic one.

Three lives, a countdown, and one objective: eliminate everyone before the clock reaches zero. Balls sit loose on the floor and more are dropped in as the match runs. You pick one up by walking over it, throw with a button, dive sideways with another, and catch with the same button you throw with when your hands are empty.

Catching is where the game really lives. A thrown ball only counts as dangerous while it is travelling fast, and if you meet a fast incoming ball with the catch button instead of dodging it, whoever threw it is out immediately and you are holding their ball. It scores two and a half times what a normal hit does, and on the harder settings it is often the only reliable way to clear the last opponent.

What is different about this version

The catch is not a defensive option, it is the best attack in the game. It shares a button with the throw and only becomes available when your hands are empty and a live ball is heading toward you from the other team. Land it and the thrower is eliminated wherever they stand, and you keep the ball.

The opponents dodge on a strict budget rather than reacting perfectly. Each will attempt exactly one sidestep per throw, only once the ball is close, and only at a probability the difficulty sets — roughly one attempt in six on Easy against nearly three in four on Hard. Once an opponent has used or declined their dodge against a particular throw, that throw connects if your aim was good.

How to play Dodgeball

Set the difficulty first: two opponents and ninety seconds at the easiest, three opponents and sixty at the hardest.
Walk over a loose ball to pick it up.
Throw at an opponent to eliminate them and score, or catch an incoming throw to eliminate the thrower instead.
Dive to dodge. You are briefly untouchable during the dive and it moves you much faster than running.
Clear the court before the timer expires. Getting hit costs a life, and three hits end the match.

Controls

Desktop	Arrow keys or W A S D to move, spacebar to throw — or to catch, when your hands are empty — and Shift to dive.
Phone or tablet	A stick on the left moves you; the right-hand button reads Throw or Catch depending on whether you are holding a ball, with Dive beside it.
Players	One player. Any other characters on screen are run by the game.

Strategy

Because each opponent only gets one dodge attempt per throw, and only inside a short distance, range is the variable you control. A throw from across the court gives the dodge every chance to trigger and complete. A throw from close in arrives before the sidestep finishes, so the same shot that is a coin-flip at distance is nearly certain at five paces. On Hard, where three in four throws get dodged, closing the gap is not bravery, it is the arithmetic.

Diving is movement as much as defence. It carries you at more than twice running speed and makes you untouchable for most of its length, but the cooldown runs well over a second, so a dive burned on a slow rolling ball leaves you flat-footed for the throw that follows. Learn to tell live balls from dead ones: only a ball still travelling quickly can hurt you, and one trundling back off the wall is a free pickup.

When you clear the pack, the clock is worth ten points a second, so a match won with thirty seconds left is worth three hundred points you would otherwise leave on the floor. That makes hesitation genuinely expensive and argues for pressing forward once you are down to the last opponent rather than circling safely. Balance it against your lives: at one life left the catch is still the highest-value play available, but a failed catch is a hit, and a hit is the match.

Mistakes that cost you the game

Throwing from the back of your half. Distance gives the pack its whole dodge window, and a miss hands them a ball.
Diving at every ball that comes near. Only fast-moving balls hurt you, and the cooldown means the wasted dive is the one you needed.
Standing still to line up a shot on the harder settings — they aim where you are, and they aim quickly.
Playing out the clock once the court is nearly clear. The time bonus is ten points a second, so a slow win is a cheap one.

Tips

Attempt the catch on anything thrown from close range. Eliminating the thrower is the single biggest score available.
Pull one opponent out of position and deal with them separately. A group covers each other; an isolated one does not.
Keep a ball in hand while repositioning. You cannot catch while carrying, but you can throw the instant a chance appears.
Easy gives ninety seconds against two opponents, which is the setting for practising catches without losing to the clock.

Questions about Dodgeball

Can a friend play as the other team?

No. It is one player against a computer-run pack on a single device.

How much time and how many opponents?

Ninety seconds against two on Easy, seventy-five against three on Normal, sixty against three on Hard.

What happens if I catch a ball?

Whoever threw it is eliminated on the spot and you end up holding the ball, which is worth far more than hitting them yourself.

Does it cost anything?

No. Dodgeball is free to play, runs in your browser, and needs no download, install or account.

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