How to play PADEL 01 on Meta Quest 3 and 3S: free MR guide

This PADEL 01 guide covers everything you need to play the virtual and mixed reality padel simulator from Wilzig Studio. Released in its first Early Access stage on October 27, 2026 on the Meta Horizon Store for Meta Quest 3 and Meta Quest 3S, the game is completely free with no ads and no in-app purchases. Players can jump straight into singles and doubles matches against AI bots, practise across 12 structured drills, compete in challenges and bot rankings, and switch between passthrough and full VR with no partner required.

Below, we break down launch specs, room and court setup, paddle shapes, controller tracking and physics realism compared to real-court padel, how to earn all 36 drill stars, how PADEL 01 stacks up against other Quest racket games, and what Wilzig Studio is testing for Stage 2. For more zero-cost Quest picks, see our best free VR games on Meta Quest guide.

1. First-stage Early Access specs: what is free at launch

Unlike free-to-play sports titles that lock courts, rackets or modes behind microtransactions, the first stage of PADEL 01 gives Quest players the complete offline and leaderboard training loop for free:

• First-stage price: Free ($0.00) on the Meta Horizon Store with no ads and no in-app purchases (Stage 2 pricing is not announced yet).
• Headsets & size: Meta Quest 3 and Meta Quest 3S with Touch Plus controllers (~400 MB download).
• Modes & rankings: 1v1 singles and 2v2 doubles against AI bots across six difficulty levels, bot rankings, 12 shot drills (36 stars), weekly challenges and monthly drill rankings.
• Visuals & offline play: Full-color passthrough, portal view and full VR. Bot matches and drills work offline; Wi-Fi is only needed to submit challenge and ranking scores.
• Comfort rating: Rated Comfortable thanks to 1:1 physical footwork with no joystick locomotion or artificial camera rotation.

2. Set up Passthrough, Portal or Full VR and pick your court size

Overhead smashes, bandejas and glass-wall defensive turns demand both lateral reach and ceiling clearance. Before starting a match, clear a safe VR play space at home, tighten your Touch Plus wrist straps and check your mixed reality and space setup on Meta Quest 3.

1. Choose your view mode: Use Passthrough near walls, lamps or furniture so your room stays visible, Portal for a framed mixed reality window into the stadium, or Full VR in an open floor area.
2. Match the court preset to your room: Pick from four court size presets, scaling from compact living-room dimensions up to a full regulation 10 by 20 meter padel court.
3. Keep indoor lighting bright: Play in at least 50 lux of indoor light so inside-out controller tracking stays rock-solid on fast swings.

3. Choose your padel racket shape and read the ball trail

PADEL 01 models spin, launch angle and glass rebounds rather than relying on heavy arcade auto-aim. You can switch freely between three classic padel paddle shapes:

• Round (Control): Offers the widest sweet spot and steadiest placement—best when learning wall-rebound timing, deep lobs and defensive blocks.
• Teardrop (Balance): Blends backcourt control with crisp punch on net volleys and bandejas for all-round singles and 2v2 play.
• Diamond (Power): Shifts weight toward the paddle head for harder flat smashes and aggressive volleys once your contact point is reliable.

Watch the ball's native yellow trail off the turf and glass: sliced shots skid lower after kissing the back or side wall, giving you an early visual cue to bend your knees before returning.

4. Tracking feel, physics realism vs real padel and physical stamina

Moving from a real padel court—or another VR sports sim—into PADEL 01 comes with distinct hardware and physical dynamics worth knowing so you can adjust your stroke:

• Controller weight vs a real pala: A Quest Touch Plus controller weighs roughly 126 grams with battery, compared to 355–375 grams for a real carbon padel racket, and produces no air drag or off-center frame torque. Because the controller feels light, newcomers often flick their wrists too fast and overhit into the back glass; swinging smoothly through the shoulder with a firm wrist delivers much truer depth and spin.
• Overhead camera tracking limits: Inside-out cameras on Quest 3 and Quest 3S track forehands, backhands and reflex volleys accurately, but holding your racket hand stationary behind your head while waiting for a high lob can briefly step outside the upper camera field of view. Prepare smashes and bandejas slightly in front of your dominant shoulder while keeping your eyes up on the ball.
• Physics vs scaled home courts: Spin transfer and double-wall glass rebounds reward real padel habits—heavy slice stays low off the glass, while flat drives rebound deeper toward the service line. However, compact living-room presets naturally shorten lateral sprinting compared to a real 10 by 20 meter court, shifting emphasis onto split-step timing and wrist angle rather than long court sprints.
• Physical fatigue in longer sessions: Because every shot uses 1:1 footwork, low knee bends for glass balls and repeated overhead swings without thumbstick movement, playing back-to-back 2v2 sets or 20-ball Pro drills builds real shoulder, forearm and quad fatigue within 25 to 30 minutes. Pace your sessions and wipe headset facial interfaces during changeovers.

5. Master the 12 training drills, 36 stars and monthly rankings

Open the Drills menu to sharpen individual strokes before entering full sets. All 12 specialized drills are grouped under All, Backcourt, Net and Serve tabs, offering up to three stars each (36 stars total), personal bests, attempt counts and XP:

• Glass rebounds: Train Back wall (Return after the back glass) and Side-wall escape (Return after the side glass) to let deep balls pass your hip before stepping into the rebound.
• Control & lobs: Use Rally (Build an unbroken rally), Targets (Land in the highlighted target) and Lob (Clear the bot and land deep) to build placement accuracy.
• Overheads, volleys & serves: Dedicated drills cover the bandeja, víbora, flat smash, net volleys, fast reflexes and underhand serves.

Tap How to Play to preview the target diagram, pick Gentle, Medium or Pro difficulty, and choose 10, 20 or Free under Balls. Crucially, monthly drill rankings count 20-ball series only—10-ball and Free runs earn practice reps and stars, but do not submit to the monthly leaderboard. Wi-Fi also unlocks the Weekly drill challenge.

6. Play singles and 2v2 doubles matches and climb bot rankings

Match mode lets you play 1v1 singles or 2v2 doubles solo, with AI bots acting as both opponents and your doubles partner across six difficulty levels (Gentle to Pro) plus persistent bot rankings and umpire score calls.

Against higher-tier bots, real padel tactics beat raw swing speed: lift high lobs toward the back glass to reclaim the net with your AI partner, let deep baseline balls rebound off the back wall instead of forcing awkward half-volleys, and angle sliced víboras into the side fence.

7. How PADEL 01 compares to other Meta Quest racket games

If you already play racket sports on Quest, PADEL 01 fills a specific gap between compact table sims and full-court tennis:

• Versus table sims: Eleven Table Tennis ($19.99) remains the benchmark for fine micro-spin in tight standing spaces and cross-platform PvP, but plays entirely over a stationary table without overhead smashes or surrounding rebound walls.
• Versus full-court VR tennis: Lawn-tennis sims like First Person Tennis - The Real Tennis Simulator ($22.99) offer full tournaments and online PvP, yet covering a baseline tennis court in a living room usually requires teleport, sliding or run-in-place movement. PADEL 01 keeps movement 100% physical by scaling its enclosed four-wall cage across four room presets—and unlike paid Quest racket titles, its entire first Early Access stage is free.

8. Stage 2 roadmap: what Wilzig Studio is actively testing next

While version 0.1.2-ea focuses on solo bot play and leaderboards, Wilzig Studio's press documentation outlines concrete technical work underway for later stages—along with clear caveats on what is not finalized yet:

• Online multiplayer & social club hub: Live PvP matches and a shared virtual padel club are the headline features in development for Stage 2.
• Indoor Medium and outdoor Large club venues: Internal Editor QA captures already test autonomous rallies with four Advanced (8/10) bots across two multi-court club layouts—an indoor arena with tiered spectator seating and an open-air palm-lined club.
• Pending animation polish & Stage 2 pricing: Wilzig Studio transparently notes that avatar footwork (feet), racket grip alignment and final artistic approval on the club build are still in progress, and neither a Stage 2 release date nor Stage 2 pricing has been announced yet. You can track patch notes on the Meta Horizon Store or share direct feedback in the official Discord community (discord.gg/Ra2DKZM89Z).