New to SquashRT and not sure where to start? If you came here to play rather than to draw up drills, the fastest path is a scored match — against the AI or against another player online.
Starting an AI match
Open Play a match and choose the AI option. You'll get a full scored game, not a drill: real serves, real rallies, and a running score. The AI is a practice partner for pacing and shot selection, not a measure of competitive ranking — treat early matches as a way to get comfortable with the controls and the ball's on-screen behavior before you pay attention to the scoreline.
Starting an online match
If you'd rather play a person, choose Online Match on the match setup screen, pick your games and level, then use Copy Match URL to send the link to your opponent and press Connect. Matches marked Public show up on the homepage. Matches run on SquashRT's physics-based approximation of ball flight.
What to expect the first time
- On the match setup screen (
/play/match?setup=ai), no sign-in prompt appears before you can press Start Match — confirmed directly on the setup screen, which lets you pick difficulty (Beginner–Pro) and game count (1/3/5) without logging in first. - The setup screen also has a Save replay as drill option. Turn it on if you want to review the rally afterwards — saved replays open in Court View and the Tactics Board (note: saving replaces your previous replay).
Why start here instead of the drill ladder
The Training drill ladder walks through one skill at a time in order — Straight Drive, Cross-Court Drive, Front-Court Touch, Wall Length, Boast, Volley, Lob, and on into Rally play (later drills stay locked until you clear the earlier ones). A match is the opposite: everything at once, at rally speed. Playing one early gives you context for why the drills matter later, especially for casual players who came to try the game before committing to structured practice.
SquashRT's physics is an approximation of real ball flight, not a full simulation — realistic enough to judge rhythm and pattern, and a companion to court time, not a replacement for it.