Initially released for Microsoft Windows and Mac OS X systems in 2007, it has since had versions released for Xbox Live Arcade, PlayStation Network, the Nintendo DS (with the help of Q Entertainment), Windows Mobile, iOS, Zeebo, and Android; the game has also been ported as a Java application, and an extended minigame incorporated into the massively multiplayer online game World of Warcraft.

Peggle initially sold slowly but was boosted by the inclusion of a specially designed demonstration in Valve's The Orange Box, and has since been downloaded over 50 million times.

[1] Every five levels in the Adventure mode correspond to playing with one of ten "Peggle Masters" cartoon characters that help the player.

Each of the Peggle Masters has a unique special ability that is activated when the player strikes one of the two randomly selected green pegs on the board.

Style points are awarded for making difficult shots, such as striking two orange pegs consecutively a distance apart or getting lucky bounces off the ball catcher.

[1] When the player clears the board of orange pegs, as announced by the song "Ode To Joy" and the message "Extreme Fever",[3] the bottom of the level is replaced with five bins of different point values for the ball to fall into them.

If all the pegs on a level are cleared, a bonus is awarded, all the bins turn to the maximum value, and the message "Ultra Extreme Fever" is displayed.

A "Duel" mode allows the player to compete against another person or a computer AI on the same board in attempting to reach the highest score.

The Xbox Live and PlayStation Network versions add a "Peg Party" mode, in which up to four players compete on their separate boards using a limited number of balls, each attempting to get the highest score.

The team initially incorporated a "rapid-fire" mechanic used in pachinko, along with numerous moving targets; however, they found this made the levels either too fast-paced or too demanding of the player.

[5] Though the game was technically completed within a year, PopCap opted to spend more time polishing it, improving the visuals and background images.

This feature initially was programmed as a simple message stating "Extreme Fever" and the music of "Ode to Joy" as a placeholder.

The team focused on improving the presentation of these, including adding a zoom on the current ball as it neared the last orange peg to be cleared.

[8] Peggle Extreme was packaged with the Windows version of The Orange Box, featuring levels inspired by Half-Life 2, Team Fortress 2, and Portal.

[13] The Xbox Live Arcade and PlayStation Network versions includes the "Peg Party" mode in which up to four players can compete simultaneously.

[16] The Xbox Live and PlayStation Network versions of Peggle received Nights as a downloadable expansion to the game on November 19, 2009.

Alec Meer of Eurogamer found the game to be a "constant series of rewards" in gameplay, graphics, and audio that would continue to satisfy the player.

[1] The Xbox Live version was seen as truthful to the PC version, and while the Peggle Party mode was considered an interesting addition, Dan Whitehead of Eurogamer felt it was a "curiously remote approach" that did not fully integrate a multiplayer experience into the game,[23] a point also stated by Mastrapa who lamented the lack of online leaderboards.

[30] IGN editor Cam Shea ranked it eighth on his top ten list of Xbox Live Arcade games.

[32] The release of Peggle on iOS was extremely popular, placing in the top ten applications purchased through the App Store for the first two weeks it was available.

[37] PopCap funded a study at East Carolina University which found that Peggle players experienced a "45% decrease in depression" in individuals under the age of 25.