Play Side Pocket online
2 players online · taking turns · everyone on their own device How online multiplayer works
Chalk your cue, watch the cue ball and line it up: pool, arcade style.
Play nowFree, right in your browser, nothing to install.
- Year
- 1986
- Manufacturer
- Data East
- Players
- 2 players, alternating turns
- Genres
- Pinball & pool, Sports
- Decade
- '80s arcade games
Lots of arcades had a real pool table in the back, but if you were too short to see over the rail, Side Pocket was the next best thing. It looked like a laid-back machine until somebody ran five balls in a row and a crowd started forming.
It's back on UsuArcade. Open the arcade in your browser, sit down at the Side Pocket machine and hit INSERT COIN. Free, nothing to install, and the same satisfaction of nailing the perfect angle.
History
Data East put out Side Pocket in 1986, at a time when most arcade sports games were all about twitch reflexes. This one asked for something else: think through every shot, control your power and play with spin.
Its late-night pool hall vibe, smooth music and classy look made it stand out from the noisy cabinets around it. It got several home console versions over the following years, which tells you the formula worked.
How to play
You see the whole table from above. Aim by moving the shot line with the stick, set your power and, if you want, add English to the cue ball so it stops, follows or draws back after contact. Every ball you sink scores points.
To clear a stage you need to hit a minimum score before you run out of chances, so sinking balls isn't enough: you want to leave the cue ball in good position for the next shot. One sloppy miss can leave you with an impossible table, and that's where you find out who actually knows pool and who's just mashing the button.
Fun facts
- It's pool built for the arcade: power and spin on the cue ball matter as much as your aim.
- Leaving the cue ball in position matters just as much as sinking the shot.
- Its smooth, late-night atmosphere set it apart from the loud sports cabinets of the time.
In the arcade
Side Pocket was a take-turns game, and that's how it plays on UsuArcade, just online: invite your friend to your cabinet once they're in the lobby and trade turns, each on your own phone or PC. While one plays, the other watches live.
Nothing to install: it runs in your browser, gamepad supported, and every game starts with INSERT COIN, free. Everyone else in the lobby can watch and chat, and scores go up on the arcade's high score board.
FAQ
Can I play Side Pocket online with a friend?
Yes, taking turns online, each on your own device: just like the original arcade, you alternate turns in the same game of Side Pocket, you on your phone or PC and your friend on theirs. While one plays, the other watches.
What year did Side Pocket come out?
The Side Pocket arcade game came out in 1986, made by Data East.
How do you play Side Pocket?
Aim, set your power and spin, and sink balls to score. You need to reach a minimum score to move on to the next stage.
Is it free?
Yes. It runs in your browser with nothing to install. Every game starts with INSERT COIN, no payment needed.
