Bowling was published by Atari, Inc., released in 1979.

What kind of game is Bowling?

Bowling is a sport game for the Atari 2600.

Can two people play Bowling?

Yes. Bowling supports multiplayer (Multiplayer). Player 1 uses the arrow keys, player 2 uses WASD, and two USB or Bluetooth gamepads can be connected instead.

How much data does Bowling load?

The Bowling ROM is 2 kB. It is fetched once when you press play and then cached by your browser, so returning to the game does not download it again.

Which emulators can run Bowling?

Bowling runs on Atari 2600 and Javatari / Stella JS Engine. You can switch between them from the emulator list further down this page if one performs better on your device.

Bowling Game (1979) - Atari 2600

Name: Bowling
Availability: InStock
Author: Atari, Inc.

Action / Button	Keyboard Key
D-Pad (Up / Down / Left / Right)	`Arrow Keys`
Button A	`Z` or `J`
Button B	`X` or `K`
Button X / Turbo A	`A` or `U`
Button Y / Turbo B	`S` or `I`
Select	`Shift`
Start	`Enter`

Gamepad Input	Retro Function	Keyboard Key
D-Pad / Analog	Character Movement / Steering	`▲` `▼` `◄` `►`
Button A (East)	Primary Action / Attack / Fire	`Z` / `K`
Button B (South)	Secondary / Jump / Cancel	`X` / `J`
Button X / Y	Special / Turbo / Extra Fire	`A` / `S`
Select	Insert Coin / Select Option	`Right Shift`
Start	Game Start / Pause Game	`Enter`

Gamepad Input

Retro Function

Keyboard Key

D-Pad / Analog

Character Movement / Steering

▲ ▼ ◄ ►

Button A (East)

Primary Action / Attack / Fire

Z / K

Button B (South)

Secondary / Jump / Cancel

X / J

Button X / Y

Special / Turbo / Extra Fire

A / S

Select

Insert Coin / Select Option

Right Shift

Start

Game Start / Pause Game

Enter

Emulator Core Engine	Technology	Multiplayer	Gamepad	Touch	Ads	Action / Switch
EmulatorJS (Default WebAssembly)	`WebAssembly / JS`	YES	YES	YES	NO	▶ ACTIVE
Atari 2600 (Recommended)	`WebAssembly / Libretro`	YES	YES	YES	NO	PLAY ⚡
Javatari / Stella JS Engine	`WebAssembly / Libretro`	YES	YES	YES	NO	PLAY ⚡

Emulator Core Engine

Technology

Multiplayer

Gamepad

Touch

Ads

Action / Switch

EmulatorJS (Default WebAssembly)

WebAssembly / JS

YES

▶ ACTIVE

Atari 2600 (Recommended)

WebAssembly / Libretro

YES

PLAY ⚡

Javatari / Stella JS Engine

WebAssembly / Libretro

YES

PLAY ⚡

Bowling is a sports game developed and published by Atari, Inc. for the Atari 2600, released in 1979. The game shows a top-down view of a ten-pin lane and supports one or two players competing across the standard ten frames. Multiple game variations — selectable before play with SELECT — adjust ball speed and handling.

How to Play

Before each delivery, slide your bowler left or right along the foul line using the joystick, then press fire to release the ball. It rolls down the lane with a natural hook, so your starting position and direction shape where the ball meets the pins. Press SELECT (F11) before starting a game to cycle through the available variations.

Controls

	Player 1	Player 2
Joystick	↑↓←→	TGFH
Fire / throw	Spacebar	A
RESET	F12	F12
SELECT	F11	F11
Pause	Alt+P	Alt+P

Tips

Aim for the pocket — the gap between the headpin and pin 3 on the right side. Starting your bowler slightly right of centre lets the ball’s natural hook curve into it.
On spare attempts, reposition on the opposite side of the remaining pins so the ball crosses the lane and catches them at a cleaner angle.