In this Yonex Astrox 99 Game review, I’ll look at the brand new 3rd-gen intermediate racket launched around September 2025.
It’s Yonex’s most head-heavy badminton racket in their current catalog, and it’s a beast on court. But before we get to how it plays ten hours in, let’s go over a few quick details.
I had it restrung to my usual Yonex BG 80 string at 10.5 KG (23 lbs) in tension. It felt like there was a bit of miscommunication at the store, so when my friend checked it and pointed out how it felt to him like it was strung at 24-25 lbs, I wasn’t surprised. Keep that in mind for this review.
The smash-based BG 80 string is a complete overkill for this already powerful racket, but I wanted to keep things consistent between the racket reviews.
While this strikes me as a singles racket, I played mostly doubles games with it (luckily, it’s only available in the 4U weight class – most popular in doubles), but I managed to get a few singles games in here and there.
I won’t be covering the racket tech in this review, as I often struggle to feel the difference between most of it, and what’s shown in the ads is usually just in the premium Pro and Tour models anyway.
Table of Contents
Yonex Astrox 99 Game (3rd gen, 2025) review
The Yonex Astrox 99 Game 3rd gen is obviously built for power, so let’s start there.
The power-workout trade-off
This racket is a beast. Usually, that much power requires a super head-heavy balance, which creates an immediate downside: it can be fatiguing, especially on your shoulder and upper back if you love hitting overhead shots.
If you play to smash, that can be tough.
If you play for a workout, that can be fantastic news.
It makes you work harder, and I’ve found that doing some supporting shoulder and back exercises at the gym helps me play with this style of racket without tiring out toward the end of an intense match. If you’re into that, this racket might be a fun choice for you.
For lower-intermediate games where the front court isn’t always heavily contested, the Astrox 99 Game is a blast. Overhead clears and smashes are effortless, even if your technique isn’t perfect. My mediocre backhand suddenly gained a few extra points in the power department. A nice surprise.
That’s also helpful when you’re off-balance. If you’re scrambling but manage to get the racket on the shuttle, the head weight helps you send it back over the net with enough depth to stay in the rally.
I’ve spent a while preferring even-balanced or slightly head-light rackets for my doubles games, but the Astrox 99 Game reminded me of some less obvious benefits of a powerful racket, especially for social players.
– Easier lifts: At the intermediate level, defensive lifts often fall short. This racket makes it easier to get that extra length and height, giving you more time to reset your defense after a smash. This helps in social sessions where you’re paired with players of different skill levels
– Power when off-balance: When you’re on your heels and your technique falters, the head weight helps generate the power you need to get out of trouble
– Fun smash defense: Blocking smashes becomes surprisingly satisfying. Most of the work is just placing the racket in the shuttle’s path and directing it where you want it to go, rather than having to actively drive it back
Midcourt and softer shots
While the racket excels from the back of the court, its head-heavy nature demands more from you in the midcourt. During fast, flat drive exchanges, the racket’s weight means you need to be prepared and use a bit more wrist and forearm strength to keep up compared to a lighter, faster frame. It’s not exactly a speed demon, but it didn’t bother me much.
But all that head-heavy power creates a challenge up at the net. The racket feels slower, and controlling delicate net shots takes practice. It is SO easy to accidentally tap the shuttle with too much force, popping it up for an easy kill for your opponents.
The same goes for softer shots like drops. The racket wants to inject power into everything, so you have to be very deliberate to take the pace off for a delicate drop shot. It takes practice to find that touch.
The verdict
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After playing with it for a while, I’m seriously considering switching back to this type of powerful racket—and not just for the smashes. The biggest lesson has been learning to control the power.
You don’t need 100% power. Unless you’re hitting a steep downward shot, going all-out will likely send the shuttle flying out the back. Instead, consider aiming for 75% power. That gives you more precision and control, and honestly, it’s still more powerful than many other rackets at full swing.
In intermediate social games, winning is often about consistency and making fewer mistakes than your opponents. The Astrox 99 Game helps you get more shots back over the net reliably, which wins a lot of points.
I had lots of fun with the Yonex Astrox 99 Game 3rd generation. I bet you will too, if your body is up for the fatiguing challenge.
(Make sure that you’re ordering the 3rd gen, 2025 model, in the green-black color scheme rather than ‘white tiger’ or ‘cherry sunburst’–the 2nd gen racket.)
Yonex Astrox 99 Game (3rd gen, 2025) vs. Yonex Astrox 88D Game (3rd gen, 2024)
If this Astrox 99 Game review leaves you interested in a power-based racket, you might also be looking at this racket’s sibling, the Astrox 88D Game (3rd gen) from 2024.
I found the 99 Game offers more “easy power” and has a larger, more forgiving sweet spot. The 88D Game feels faster through the air, but its smaller sweet spot is less forgiving of mishits.
You can’t have everything, so it’s just a different compromise. The 99 feels easier to hit cleanly with, but the 88D feels quicker to move.
(Make sure that you’re ordering the 3rd gen, 2025 model, in the green-black color scheme rather than ‘white tiger’ or ‘cherry sunburst’–the 2nd gen racket.)
