# Strike! eSports CandlePin — user reviews > 117 indexed App Store user reviews of Strike! eSports CandlePin by Touch Mechanics, rated 4.60/5 from 333 ratings. - Source: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/strike-esports-candlepin/id1446256403/reviews - App overview in markdown: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/strike-esports-candlepin/id1446256403.md - Rating breakdown: 5★ 247 · 4★ 53 · 3★ 17 · 2★ 4 · 1★ 12 ## What do users think of Strike! eSports CandlePin? Overall sentiment: positive **Pros** - 🚀 Realistic candlepin simulation - 👍 Authentic candlepin bowling experience - 💡 Challenging and competitive gameplay - 🚀 Fast and smooth gameplay - 👍 Enjoyable and addictive **Cons** - 🐛 Ball going through pins without knocking them down - 🐛 Pins not falling as expected - 🐛 Inconsistent pin physics and behavior - 🐛 Glitches and bugs affecting gameplay - 💰 Concerns about rigged matchmaking and algorithm manipulation **Commonly reported bugs** - Ball going through pins without knocking them down - Pins not falling as expected - Inconsistent pin physics and behavior - Crashes and performance issues - Matchmaking and algorithm problems **Most requested features** - Add option to play with friends and pass the device - Improve pin and ball physics to be more realistic - Provide more customization options for the game - Optimize performance and stability to reduce crashes ## Newest reviews (18 of 117) ### 3/5 — Does anyone play this game? *2026-07-03* It’s a fun game to play, but every time I play I get searching for opponent and it never finds one. So they should just put a solo practice option because that is basically what I am doing anyway. I would not trust this game to play for real money. Also, I was under the impression that in real Candlepin bowling the lanes are not oiled and there is a 10 foot line that you cannot loft the ball past. Regardless it’s still fun since there no other options that I have found. ### 4/5 — Good…but not a true representation *2025-11-10, version 1.6.0* Balls that slip through the front line of pins or in between pins…just doesn’t happen. The amount of pins that get hit and the pins don’t fall. And the fact that there is oil on the deck is the biggest flaw. ### 4/5 — Strike! eSports Candlepin Bowling game *2025-11-09* A very realistic candlepin simulator and the reason I know that is it’s just as frustrating as real candlepin bowling except the action and sound effects play more like 10 pin. I wish the pins wouldn’t wobble as much as they do because often times the pins fall as the screen is changing and it doesn’t register my STRIKE even though I got a STRIKE! I would t be so upset but when you’re playing for real cash you want it to be fair at least 😄 ### 3/5 — Not CandlePin *2025-10-26, version 1.5.0* It’s more like ten pin with CandlePin rules ### 4/5 — Entertaining *2025-06-25, version 1.5.0* Good but I notice a glitch in the software. When a pin falls down late, it does not always count. ### 4/5 — Wicked awesome! *2025-05-04, version 1.5.0* As a New Englander this gives me the authentic feeling of the most challenging bowling game which is CandlePin! The slow mo replay when you make a good shot is cool . I wish the greed of playing for money wasn’t involved but you can still enjoy the gameplay for free. ### 5/5 — Fun! *2025-04-01, version 1.5.0* I live in Pennsylvania so we have no candle pin bowling alleys and this is as close as it gets and it is pretty fun! ### 4/5 — Love it!! *2025-03-04, version 1.5.0* Only thing I wish you would change is the pin sounds ### 5/5 — Great Game! *2025-03-04, version 1.5.0* This is a great game. Very much like real candlepin bowling. The latest upgrade has been a great improvement. ### 4/5 — Mechanics *2025-02-23* I enjoy this game but a couple things that would make this game 10x better, if the ball didn’t go through or in between slight holes in pins. Another thing is adding like a rescan option when you click the pins button mid game on the top right, this mechanic would allow you to rescan the pins actually standing so it gives the correct number a fill on a mark or to finish up a frame. Another by pass to that is not moving on to the next ball automatically the user has to tap the screen when they’re ready and that’s when it’ll tell you how many pins are knocked down ### 4/5 — Good…but not a true representation *2025-01-19, version 1.5.0* Balls that slip through the front line of pins or in between pins…just doesn’t happen. The amount of pins that get hit and the pins don’t fall. And the fact that there is oil on the deck is the biggest flaw. ### 4/5 — 👍🏻 *2025-01-13, version 1.5.0* 👍🏻👍🏻 ### 5/5 — Strike eSports *2024-12-29, version 1.5.0* Multiple exciting games!! Love the different kinds of bowling!! ### 5/5 — Never heard of this game but it's fun! *2024-12-12, version 1.5.0* Hard to get over 135. We don't have this game down south US. ### 5/5 — Amazing *2024-12-10, version 1.5.0* Amazing ### 5/5 — Great game *2024-12-08, version 1.5.0* This game is awesome !!! ### 4/5 — Fun game *2024-12-06, version 1.5.0* Sometimes pins fall after I need them to make my spare or strike, as in the reload screen doesn’t wait on wobbling pins. Other than that it’s a fun candlepin bowling game ### 5/5 — Back n Forth *2024-11-27, version 1.5.0* When I play Tenpin there’s an option to play w a friend, where you hand phone back n forth to take turns. It’s a nice option, does this app have it and I’m missing it? Dave G. ## Most critical reviews (10 lowest-rated) ### 1/5 — Not Fun anymore *2024-12-31, version 1.5.0* There are games that are difficult and then there are games that are manipulated by developer algorithms to manage your scores. This is the latter. Your score on any upcoming shot is generally determined by your previous shot. Your score on shots following up marks is very rarely above 6. You can only have a strong match for either the front 5 frames or the last 5 frames but not both. It’s too bad because the game was actually well made and fun until you realize the algorithm are determined to keep score in the low 100s. ### 1/5 — 2 on a spare *2024-11-25* Deadwood conveniently angled to make the game impossible. CandlePin in real life is fun and not near as difficult as this game is ### 1/5 — So Much Better *2024-06-19* Very impressed with the changes. Balls no longer go thru pins; when spares are not converted, it's my fault, not the program. Still VERY impressed with the physics, angles, momentum...amazing The weird thing, though, is: when you’re having a crappy game & you KNOW you’re about to lose big, all of a sudden you start converting MIRACLE spares & your luck is incredible so that you end up losing by 6-12 pins instead of 30 or 40…to make you feel better, i’m sure. So you’re still not ALWAYS in control. There’s still that Big Brother element… ### 1/5 — Scam. Beware! *2024-01-06, version 1.3.1* You will receive a message in the app that you won a prize but when you respond, they will charge you $150 and no prize. Total scam. ### 1/5 — Wobbly Pins. *2022-09-28, version 1.3.0* Way too many wobbly pins that don’t fall. If you get a spare, the next ball will be a low count. Way too many times the ball goes right by a whole rack of pins and naturally a few wobbly pins that just don’t fall. Just breaks any momentum waiting around for wobbly pins that won’t fall. Then when a pin IS going to fall, it instantly goes to the next shot. Then it’s split after split after split. The “oil” patterns ruin it all. It’s just a time killer. ### 1/5 — Last update ruined the game *2022-08-15, version 1.3.0* Pins are reacting very differently, spinning in place. The oil percentage and pin interaction has changed dramatically. Just remove the oil %, CandlePin bowling doesn’t put oil on their lanes. Oil isn’t a factor in CandlePin bowling. ### 1/5 — Poor glitchy game *2022-05-04, version 1.2.2* Can’t stand balls magically going through pins, wood going through pins, and balls impossibly passing between pins. Unrealistic pin action. Keep losing games by few pins because of glitches. Bugs ### 1/5 — Glitches *2021-12-28, version 1.2.2* Good game overall but it glitches way to often. The ball goes straight through the pin. Very frustrating ### 1/5 — Major defects *2020-05-18, version 1.1.0* I’ve reported to support multiple times that the ball will go through the pins as if they were not even there and causes me to lose matches, support has done nothing to fix the problem and it’s been months. I’ve had enough and will be deleting the app ### 2/5 — Good game but will not let me play any of the paid games. *2025-11-07* I put in $10 credit so I could join some of the actual cash win tournaments and games. However it will NOT let me play them. Everytime I click play on them, it does a 1-2 second delay, then shows a loading wheel, and then just goes back to the main page with the game listings. Not sure why, but now I’ve wasted $10 for what seems like nothing. Otherwise the game has good physics and good design. ## Most praised reviews (10 highest-rated) ### 5/5 — The best out there *2026-06-11, version 1.6.0* Sometimes the ball goes through the pins but I’m enjoying this game more and more! ### 5/5 — Best bowling game to date!!! *2026-06-09* This game is amazing, and if you’re a bowling fan, or if you’re just looking for a game to enjoy while you have some downtime this is the game for you!!! Play this lest you get munsoned by playing another game losing your time, energy, and most importantly of all your mojo!!! ### 5/5 — Candlepin *2026-04-06, version 1.6.0* Awesome ### 5/5 — Perfect *2026-02-23, version 1.6.0* Best game ever ### 5/5 — Love it! *2026-01-10* I grew up around CandlePin bowling. Our family owned a CandlePin bowling alley until my Dad passed away. Machine shops in the area closed their doors and that put a cramp in our business. I can tell by the names of the subscribers (user names) these people are mostly from New England and there could be some that bowled at our lanes. Name of our place was Dicks Lanes in Windsor Vermont! I have only one complaint and someone else already mentioned it. Sometimes the ball seemingly goes right through the pin without knocking it down! Can be frustrating if you’re at a critical point in the game! Please look into it! Thanks and good luck fellow CandlePin bowlers! ### 5/5 — Amazingyyy *2026-01-08, version 1.6.0* Amazingyyyy ### 5/5 — Back n Forth *2025-11-20, version 1.6.0* When I play Tenpin there’s an option to play w a friend, where you hand phone back n forth to take turns. It’s a nice option, does this app have it and I’m missing it? Dave G. ### 5/5 — Great game *2025-11-11, version 1.6.0* This game is awesome !!! ### 5/5 — Strike! eSports *2025-07-30* Great game! Would like to see two improvements. CandlePin balls cannot fit between any pins without touching a pin. Also, if a wiggling pin starts to fall, the progresses to the next ball without crediting the pin fall on previous frame or it stands back up. ### 5/5 — Awesome *2025-07-29, version 1.5.0* Very Good App!! --- *Data collected daily from the US App Store and indexed by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/). User reviews are verbatim App Store reviews. Ratings, prices and chart positions refresh continuously; this snapshot is from 2026-09-04.*