Volleyball Games

Volleyball games put you on one side of the net to return the ball and win points against your opponent. There are around 20, all free and with nothing to download, with indoor matches, beach volleyball and some very original takes.

Indoor and beach volleyball

In indoor volleyball it's six against six, and each team can touch the ball up to three times before sending it over the net. It's played in sets, and a point is won when the ball hits the opponent's floor or they make an error. Beach volleyball is played on sand, usually two against two. The games on the list tend to simplify all this, but the core idea is the same: the ball can't touch your side of the floor.

For beach volleyball you have Beach Volley, Beach Volleyball, Volleyball Summer Sports: Beach and Ben10 Beach. For a more traditional approach, try Volleyball Sport Game, EG Volley Ball or Head Sports Volleyball.

In the real sport, an indoor set is played to 25 points with a two-point lead, and the match is best of five sets. In beach volleyball sets go to 21 and the match is best of three. The games usually shorten everything, with matches that last a few minutes.

The strangest versions

This is the fun part of the list. In Crab Ball you play with crabs, Volleyball With Animals puts animals at the net, and Tentakel Volley, Teddy Ball and Jolly Volleyball also give the sport a different feel. The two Jeeves games, Jeeves Volley and Jeeves Volleyball, have two butlers passing the ball with trays. And Pill Volleyball and Volleyball Match Of Pills do it with pills. The mechanics change little, but the humor does.

To play better

• Get under the ball before it drops, without running after it.
• Anticipate the bounce. If you lose a second, you no longer have time to spike.
• Don't use up all your touches too early: you need a final strong hit to send it over.
• When the other side hits hard, don't try to return it with force. Just keep it in play.