Drag to aim, release to drop. Watch the ball bounce through pegs and land in a multiplier slot. 10 balls per round, ×200 jackpot edges, free online.
#physics#casual#single-player#classic
How to play
Drag along the top to aim, release to drop a ball. Or tap to drop at that spot. Arrow keys / A,D nudge aim; Space, Enter, or ↓ drops. 10 balls per round.
About Plinko — Drop-the-Ball Multiplier Arcade
Plinko is a one-screen physics game built on the oldest gambling instinct: drop a ball, watch chaos turn it into a number. A drag at the top picks the column. A release lets gravity take over. The ball clatters down through twelve rows of pegs, every collision rolling a small dice on which way it goes next, and lands in one of nine multiplier slots at the bottom. Edges pay ×200. The center pays ×1. You get ten balls.
The game is half skill and half surrender. You can tell exactly where the ball will start — your finger is on it — but the moment it hits the first peg, your aim becomes a probability cloud instead of a destination. Aim down the middle and the ball almost always settles in the cheap slots. Aim at an edge and you give it a real shot at the jackpot, but a single unlucky bounce sends it skidding across to the other side. Reading the spread of pegs and choosing how greedy to be is the entire game.
Plinko looks simple because it is. There are no levels, no boss, no skill trees. Each ball is its own small drama: a launch, ten seconds of clatter, a number. Big jackpot? Quiet center? The next ball is already half-aimed. The pleasure is the sound of a peg cascade and the second of suspense at the bottom row, when the ball is heading for a slot and you don't yet know which one.
Tips & strategy
Aim wider than you think. Statistically, balls drift toward the middle — the only way to land an edge jackpot consistently is to start very close to the wall. The middle slots will fill themselves with bad luck.
Don't fixate on one side. The peg distribution is symmetric. Alternating left and right edge aims gives more chances at the ×200 slots and helps you avoid clustering in one column.
Watch the first three rows. Most of the ball's final spread is decided by the first few pegs. If your ball drifts inward on row two, it's probably not coming back out.
Tap-and-release is the same as a drag. The aim updates the moment you touch, and the ball drops the moment you let go — there's no need to physically drag if you already know where you want it.
The ×1 center is a real outcome, not a near-miss. Expect about one out of every twelve random drops to land there. Don't waste a ball just because the previous one was unlucky.
Best score is per device. Your high score is saved in this browser's local storage; clearing site data resets it. Use the same device if you are chasing a personal best.
Multiple balls can be in flight. You don't have to wait for one to land — drop the next one whenever you've decided your aim.
Frequently asked questions
What is Plinko?
Plinko is a physics-based arcade game where you drop a ball from the top of a board, it bounces randomly through a triangular grid of pegs, and lands in one of nine multiplier slots at the bottom. Edge slots pay ×200, the center pays ×1. You get ten balls per round.
How do I aim?
Touch or click anywhere along the top of the board. The aim cursor follows your finger as you drag. When you release, the ball drops from wherever you released. You can also use ←/→/A/D to nudge the aim and Space/Enter to drop.
Can I make the ball land where I want?
No — and that's the point. The ball's path depends on every peg it hits, and pegs randomize each bounce. You can shift the probability toward one side by aiming there, but the result is always uncertain.
Why does the ball almost always land in the middle?
Plinko is a Galton board — each peg is roughly a coin flip on which way the ball goes, and many coin flips average out toward the center. The middle slots are the most likely outcomes, which is why the multiplier there is lowest.
How is the round scored?
Each ball adds its slot's multiplier to your total score. After all ten balls have landed, your round total is locked in. If it beats your previous best, the new best is saved in your browser.
Is my high score saved?
Yes — your best round total is saved in your browser's local storage on this device. It survives reloads but resets if you clear site data or switch browsers.
Does it work on mobile?
Yes. Plinko is built mobile-first: portrait orientation, one-thumb play, no keyboard required. Drag along the top to aim, lift your finger to drop.
Why won't the game start when I tap the board?
You have to press the Play button to start a round. Once you're playing, tapping the board sets your aim and drops a ball. This is intentional — it lets you scroll past the game on mobile before starting.