How to play Bowling
- The game. A game has ten frames (or five, for a quick game). In each frame you get two balls to knock down the ten pins.
- Taking turns. Each bowler bowls a whole frame, then the next bowler takes their turn. The score sheet at the top shows every bowler's frames, and the frame being bowled is outlined.
- A strike. Knock down all ten pins with your first ball and the frame is over. A strike is marked X.
- A spare. Knock down the rest of the pins with your second ball and it's a spare, marked /.
- An open frame. If any pins are still standing after two balls, the frame scores the pins you knocked down. A ball that knocks down nothing is marked -.
- The last frame. Roll a strike or a spare in the last frame and you get bonus balls to finish it: two more after a strike, one more after a spare. A fresh set of pins comes out whenever you clear them all.
- Winning. When everyone has bowled every frame, the highest total wins. Equal top scores are a tie.
How scoring works
Every frame scores the pins you knocked down in it, but strikes and spares earn a bonus:
- A strike scores 10, plus the pins from your next two balls.
- A spare scores 10, plus the pins from your next ball.
That's why a frame with a strike or spare shows its total a little later: it waits for the balls that make up its bonus.
An example. You roll a strike in frame 1. In frame 2 you knock down 7 pins, then 3 more for a spare. In frame 3 your first ball knocks down 6, your second ball 2.
- Frame 1: 10 for the strike, plus the next two balls (7 and 3) = 20.
- Frame 2: 10 for the spare, plus the next ball (6) = 16, so the running total is 36.
- Frame 3: 6 + 2 = 8, so the running total is 44.
Twelve strikes in a row, one in each of the first nine frames and three in the last, is a perfect game of 300. A spare in every frame is worth at least 100 points, and bowling a 9 and then the last pin in every frame scores 190.
Controls
| What | Phone, tablet or mouse | Keyboard |
|---|---|---|
| Move along the foul line | Drag the ball sideways | A and D |
| Aim | Drag sideways anywhere else on the lane | ← and → (hold Shift for small steps) |
| Hook | Tap one of the five hook buttons below the lane | Q and E, or 1 to 5 |
| Speed | The length of your swipe | ↑ and ↓ |
| Bowl | Swipe up the lane and let go | Space or Enter |
The dotted yellow arrow shows the direction the ball leaves your hand. It doesn't show the hook: a hooked ball runs straight through the oil on the front of the lane and bends on the dry back end, close to the pins. The longer your swipe, the faster the ball, and the meter beside the ball shows the speed in miles per hour. A very short swipe doesn't bowl, so you can change your mind.
Your spot, aim and hook stay set from ball to ball, so you can repeat a throw that worked. Just like a real bowler, though, no two balls leave the hand exactly alike: every throw, yours and the computer's, wobbles a tiny bit. The view follows the ball down the lane, and the little map of the pins in the corner shows which pins are still standing.
Computer levels
The computer sees exactly what you see: the pins standing and the score sheet. It bowls with the same controls as you, choosing a spot, an aim, a speed and one of the five hooks, and its hand wobbles more at the lower levels. Computer bowlers in the second and fourth places bowl left-handed, so their hook bends the other way.
| Level | How the computer bowls |
|---|---|
| Easy | Rolls a straight ball at the head pin from near the middle of the lane. Its aim often drifts, so it leaves splits and sometimes finds the gutter. For a spare it aims at the middle of the pins left. |
| Medium | Rolls a gentle hook into the pocket. For a spare it aims straight at the pin nearest to it. |
| Hard | Rolls a strong hook from near the edge of the lane, the line that strikes most often. For a spare it tries out a range of throws in its head and picks the one most likely to clear the pins. |
| Expert | Bowls the same strong hook with the steadiest hand, and tests every spare throw several times before it bowls. |
Over 150 test games for each level, Easy averaged about 110 a game, Medium about 160, Hard about 190 and Expert about 215.
Tips to win
- Find the pocket. Strikes come from hitting just to one side of the head pin, between the 1 and 3 pins for a ball that hooks to the left, or between the 1 and 2 pins for a ball that hooks to the right. Hitting the head pin full in the face often leaves a split.
- Hook for strikes. A hooked ball comes into the pocket at an angle and keeps driving through the pins. Try a strong hook from near the right edge of the lane, aimed almost straight down it, and let it bend into the pocket.
- Use the arrows. The purple arrows on the lane are there to aim at, just like on a real lane. Change your aim a little at a time and watch where the ball crosses the arrows.
- Slow balls hook more. If your hook is missing the pocket, try a slightly faster or slower ball before you change your aim.
- Shoot spares straight and across the lane. For a pin on the right, such as the 10 pin, stand on the left side and aim across the lane with a straight ball. For a pin on the left, do the opposite.
- Keep what works. Your set-up stays the same for the next ball, so when you roll a strike, bowl the same way again.
About bowling
Ten-pin bowling grew out of much older games of rolling a ball at pins, and today it's played in bowling centres all over the world. Real lanes have the same layout as this one: 60 feet from the foul line to the head pin, a little over 41 inches wide and made of 39 boards, with a row of dots about 7 feet out and the aiming arrows about 15 feet out. The ten pins stand in a triangle, 12 inches apart, and the scoring with strikes and spares is the standard one used everywhere. Here the lane is drawn so the pins are easy to see even on a phone, and the view follows the ball all the way down.
Questions
How does scoring work in bowling?
Each frame scores the pins you knock down with its two balls. A strike scores 10 plus your next two balls, and a spare scores 10 plus your next ball. The game is ten frames, and the highest total wins.
What's the difference between a strike and a spare?
A strike is all ten pins with the first ball of a frame. A spare is all ten pins with both balls of a frame together. A strike earns a bigger bonus: the next two balls instead of one.
What is the highest score in bowling?
300, a perfect game: twelve strikes in a row. In the last frame, the strike gives you two bonus balls, and both have to be strikes too.
What is a split?
When the first ball knocks down the head pin but leaves pins standing with a gap between them, such as the 7 and the 10 in the back corners. Splits are hard to pick up, so the game tells you when you leave one.
How do I throw a hook?
Tap one of the hook buttons below the lane before you bowl. The buttons on the left make the ball bend to the left near the pins, and the ones on the right bend it to the right. The outer buttons give the strongest hook.
Can 3 or 4 people play?
Yes. Choose 3 or 4 players before you press play. Everyone takes turns on the same device, and each bowler has their own colour of ball and their own row on the score sheet. Against the computer you can bowl with one, two or three computer bowlers.
Is this bowling game free?
Yes. It's free in your browser on phones, tablets and computers, with no download, no sign-up and no ads during a game.
Updated 9 November 2026