Bowling Games
About Bowling Games
Ten-pin bowling is one of the great games to play with friends: ten pins at the end of a long wooden lane, two balls a frame and a score sheet full of Xs and slashes. A strike knocks all ten down with the first ball, a spare clears them with two, and a perfect game of twelve strikes in a row is worth 300. Bowling games keep the best bit, the moment the ball crashes into the rack, and let you bowl a whole game in a few minutes.
Strike Lane is our 10-pin bowling game, down a lane drawn in perspective with the pins waiting under a glowing masking unit. Drag sideways to choose where you stand, then flick up the lane: the line of the flick aims the ball, its speed sets the power and a curl at the end of the flick puts spin on it, so the ball skids down the oiled front of the lane and hooks into the pocket beside the head pin on the dry back end. The pins run on real pin physics, so every rack falls differently, splits included, and a callout reads STRIKE, SPARE, SPLIT or GUTTER after each ball. The game page plays a full ten frames with no clock, scored on a paper-style sheet with bonus balls in the tenth, and the score to beat is your own best. The short five-frame game is the one dealt in Swipe mode, the gauntlets and the daily challenge.
Bowling games on Gamefinity are free in your browser with no download: drag and flick with one finger on a phone or tablet, or press, drag and flick with the mouse on a computer. For more games won by a careful line, try the flick games and the aim games, or a round of Clifftop Putt from the golf games; the sports games page has the rest.
Frequently asked questions
How is bowling scored?
Each frame scores the pins you knock down. A strike, all ten with the first ball, scores ten plus your next two balls; a spare, all ten with two balls, scores ten plus your next ball. A strike or spare in the tenth frame earns its bonus balls straight away, so a perfect game of twelve strikes is 300.
How do I throw a hook in Strike Lane?
Curl the end of your flick. Bend the last part of the swipe to the left and the ball hooks left near the pins; bend it right and it hooks right. The more you curl, the more it hooks, and a slower ball hooks more than a fast one.
Where should I aim for a strike?
At the pocket, the gap between the head pin and the 3 pin. In Strike Lane a ball that hooks into the pocket scatters the rack best; hit the head pin full on and you are likely to leave a split.
Can I play bowling on my phone?
Yes. Strike Lane is made for touch: one finger drags the ball along the foul line and flicks it up the lane. It plays just as well on a computer, where you press, drag and flick with the mouse.