Strike Out Boredom: 7 Thrilling VR Bowling Games You Need to Play Now
Virtual reality bowling has been more enjoyable for me than almost any other sport, and happily, there is a wide range of exceptional VR bowling games to pick from. I have tried out all the main choices, and there are a few clear champions. The ideal option for you depends on your desired VR bowling experience features.
Regarding virtual reality bowling, two titles stand out: Premium Bowling and ForeVR Bowl. Premium Bowling is a remarkably accurate simulation of the real thing, while ForeVR Bowl offers a fun, social atmosphere while still providing a realistic gaming experience.
The Best VR Bowling Games
I’m a huge fan of playing bowling in virtual reality, and I’ve spent significant time in VR alleys. I’ve sampled all of the titles on this list of the best VR bowling games, plus some that didn’t make the final ranking. I’ll discuss the positives and negatives of evaluating these bowling games. Also, some of the VR bowling games on this list are free, so you have a few options if you’re looking to enjoy the sport without spending any money.
Premium Bowling
Premium Bowling is a top-notch virtual reality bowling game, and I would recommend it. It is a great way to experience authentic bowling in VR. This game concentrates on simulating bowling and accurately represents the ball’s movements and lane.
The feeling of playing this game is luxurious, with excellent graphics, well-structured modes, and settings, and a satisfying and enjoyable bowling experience. Playing Premium Bowling in virtual reality is very realistic, and the only thing missing is lifting a heavy bowling ball instead of swinging a controller.
The shots you make are gratifying as they replicate your swing accurately, so if the pins don’t fall, you know what modifications you need to make the next time. When you hit a strike, it is very satisfying, and you can attempt to make that same perfect swing when your turn comes again.
Movement controls aren’t perfect—I could move forward, backward, and side to side with the left thumbstick, but the right thumbstick didn’t turn, so I had to turn physically. This is fine if you have a large playspace or a standalone headset, but I would have liked to use the right thumbstick to turn my avatar.
Once you master the movement controls, the game is excellent. Premium Bowling videos don’t capture the game’s satisfaction. Shots feel right and outperform the competition.
My only issue with shot realism was that Premium Bowling sometimes misjudged my spin. It sometimes felt like the controller position determined the reel when I released the ball rather than the turn rate during the swing. An excellent simulation has this minor flaw.
Premium Bowling has many bowling alleys and decent multiplayer support. I was satisfied. Great bowling simulation. Steam VR and Oculus offer excellent bowling.
VR bowling players likely fall into two categories. The first group wants a bowling simulation and enjoys improving. Excellent bowling suits this group.
The second group wants a fun, social bowling experience. Premium Bowling may be a good choice, but consider one of the other options below.
| Developer: | Sadetta |
|---|---|
| Genre(s): | Sports, Individual, Bowling |
| Special Controllers: | HTC Vive, Oculus Rift HTC Vive, Oculus Rift, Valve Index HTC Vive, Oculus Rift, Windows Mixed Reality, Valve Index Oculus Rift |
| Number of Online Players: | Online Multiplayer |
ForeVR Bowl
The second choice I would suggest is ForeVR Bowl, which differs from Premium Bowling in several ways.
ForeVR Bowl can only be enjoyed with Oculus headsets, so it is not a feasible choice if you possess a different headset brand. The visuals of ForeVR Bowl have been given a stylized look compared to the lifelike quality of Premium Bowling. Considering that it is meant to be used with standalone headsets such as the Quest 2, the creators have achieved a remarkable job in making it look as impressive as it does. The art style and design of ForeVR Bowl give it an inviting and distinctive character.
To handle the dilemma of swinging a controller instead of carrying a hefty bowling ball, the developers of ForeVR Bowl have come up with an alternate solution. It uses bowling balls with different characteristics that affect your shots’ speed, spin, and behavior, thereby introducing an extra level to the game.
You can choose from over 150 bowling balls with spin and speed characteristics. Besides impacting the gameplay, the ball designs are visually appealing, providing a substantial motivation to play and acquire them all.
It took me a while to get accustomed to the game’s physics, but I was hooked once I got the hang of it.
Initially, I observed a marked contrast in my precision when I threw the ball from a stationary position compared to when I took a step ahead before throwing the ball. It is not sure whether taking action forward assisted the headset in getting a better understanding of my aim, yet it rapidly became my favored way of bowling in ForeVR Bowl.
The other issue I faced was minimal variation in ball speed depending on how quickly you swung your hand. It seemed like I had significantly more control over the spin than ball speed. This is presumably intentional due to the stats allocated to each ball. However, it indeed reduces the realism of the game.
These two issues didn’t influence my pleasure in the game but took some adjustment.
One thing that I truly adored about ForeVR Bowl was the soundtrack. There are some magnificent tunes in the default soundtrack, yet a built-in Jukebox lets you play any Youtube music while you bowl.
ForeVR Bowl offers single-player as well as multiplayer modes.
Premium Bowling Vs. ForeVR Bowl
Deciding between Premium Bowling and ForeVR Bowl can be difficult, as they are geared to two distinct audiences. If you favor more realistic visuals and the closest possible bowling experience in virtual reality, go for Premium Bowling. Alternatively, suppose you value the social aspect of bowling with your family and friends and prefer a more entertaining experience. In that case, ForeVR Bowl is the right option for you.
Pure Bowl VR Bowling
Pure Bowl VR Bowling is an alternative to the two VR bowling games mentioned above and was made available for Steam VR in 2021. It works pretty well at simulating bowling and focuses on that. The lanes were fun to spend time in, and the graphics were pleasing.
The bowling and lane physics were decent, but I did find Pure Bowl VR Bowling harder to produce reliable shots than the first two games on this list.
You can play locally cooperative games and solo games against computer opponents. The visuals are fantastic, but fewer lanes are available, and the overall package feels more simplistic. Even though I have difficulty recommending Pure Bowl VR Bowling over the top two games on this list, I believe it has much potential to improve over time.
If you’re looking for a good bowling simulation, Premium Bowling and ForeVR Bowl are better options.
| Developer: | Kitten Fortress |
|---|---|
| Genre(s): | Sports, Individual, Bowling |
| Number of Online Players: | No Online Multiplayer |
VR Mini Bowling
VR Mini Bowling is akin to a mix of bowling and mini-golf, offering a different experience, unlike the first three VR bowling games. It is full of fun and great value.
Instead of a conventional bowling lane, the most exciting moments come from the offbeat streets that make you bowl around corners, up ramps, and loops while having to dodge various obstacles.
The game has several scoring modes: standard, stroke play, and rush mode. Stroke play tallies the number of shots necessary to knock down all the pins in each lane. At the same time, rush mode challenges you to complete this as speedily as possible, providing plenty of hilarity as I tried throwing bowling balls as quickly as possible.
Although VR Mini Bowling is deliberately designed to be entertaining, there are worldwide leaderboards and local multiplayer. This encourages players to become better and perform at their best.
The ball physics in the game are pretty respectable. However, the creativity of the lanes is what makes them truly special.
| Developer: | Brian Macumber |
|---|---|
| Genre(s): | Sports, Individual, Bowling |
| Special Controllers: | HTC Vive, Oculus Rift HTC Vive, Oculus Rift, Windows Mixed Reality HTC Vive, Oculus Rift, Windows Mixed Reality, Valve Index |
| Number of Online Players: | Online Multiplayer |
All-In-One Sports VR
All-In-One Sports VR, which lets you play 11 sports in one game, is an excellent choice if you want to try some VR bowling but aren’t sure if you need an entire bowling game. Baseball, archery, ping pong, basketball, bowling, badminton, golf, dart, pool, boxing, and tennis are among the sports that are included.
Even though bowling will not be as good as a bowling-specific game, it is still a lot of fun, and the physics is pretty good.
In All-In-One Sports, bowling VR falls short of Premium Bowling’s standards because it lacks the realism and consistent swing mechanics of a VR-specific bowling game. It is, however, better regarded as a VR adaptation of Wii Sports because it isn’t intended to compete with the best.
It took some time to get the hang of bowling in All-In-One Sports VR because it wasn’t like bowling at all, more like its own game. I threw a lot of gutter balls in the beginning as I got used to the game, but eventually, I changed my technique and started getting better scores.
While bowling in All-In-One Sports VR is a lot of fun, purchasing it depends on your interest in playing various sports and having a good time with your friends. Instead of being exact replicas of real-world activities, most sports offer lots of fun. I enjoyed this game and would certainly suggest it.
| Developer: | Appnori Inc. |
|---|---|
| Genre(s): | Sports, General |
| Special Controllers: | Oculus Rift Windows Mixed Reality |
| Number of Online Players: | Online Multiplayer |
Bowling In Rec Room
Rec Room is a popular social game you can play in VR or on a computer. It’s available on Steam VR and Oculus headsets, and the good news is that it’s free. There are thousands of user-made rooms where you can take part in a wide variety of activities.
The good news is that there are several good VR bowling rooms that you can play in to get a taste of VR bowling. Just open up the game, go to the menu, select play, then use the search function to search for “bowling.” There are several rooms you can enter and start bowling in right away.
I have sampled a handful of VR bowling games, and the best one I have come across is titled “Bowling.” It was an all-inclusive bowling establishment where one could play unlimited games. Playing solo, with friends, or even with other players through online multiplayer was possible.
Adapting to the bowling experience in Rec Room took some time. The physics was rather primitive compared to Premium Bowling VR and a few other games, so I had to learn the correct technique to do well. Initially, it was a bit infuriating, but eventually, I acquired the process, and my performance improved.
Rec Room is generally a great place to have fun and meet new people while doing various activities. Bowling is worth trying out; since it is free of charge, nothing stops you from trying it.
| Developer: | Against Gravity |
|---|---|
| Genre(s): | Sports, Miscellaneous, Individual, Party / Minigame, Tennis |
| Special Controllers: | HTC Vive HTC Vive, Oculus Rift, Windows Mixed Reality Oculus Rift |
| Number of Online Players: | Online Multiplayer Up to 20 Players |
Bowling In VRChat
Like the Rec Room, VRChat is an interactive virtual reality platform that lets you hang out with others while engaging in various activities. Many of these virtual worlds are made by other users, giving plenty of possibilities for creative expression.
If you look up the keyword “bowling” among the user-generated worlds, you’ll find many bowling experiences you can explore and enjoy. I identified several that offer a complete VR bowling experience. The primary attraction of VRChat is its social element, and it’s straightforward to play a game of bowling with other users.
I had a great time testing all the different VR bowling worlds, but the physics was generally lacking, and the experience was much worse than other virtual reality bowling alternatives.
Conclusion
VR bowling games can be a very pleasurable activity when done correctly. Of the available options, Premium Bowling provides a remarkable VR bowling experience. At the same time, ForeVR Bowl offers a more arcade-like game with slightly reduced realism but lots of fun.
