GL Golf vs Retro Golf
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both games, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
GL Golf
Experience realistic 3D golf with simple graphics and a physics system. Play solo or with up to four players across numerous holes, featuring various environmental challenges and game modes. Enjoy online tournaments, customizable golfers, and constant free updates.
- Realistic 3D golf simulation
- Multiplayer support (up to 4 players)
- Realistic physics system
- Numerous holes and courses
- Online tournaments
- Customizable golfers
- Driving range and practice modes
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GL Golf is a 3D sports game for the casual gamer. With a realistic physics system and great simple graphics, you and up to four players can golf all 720 holes (some available through in-app purchase) for countless hours. Everything in a real game of golf is included, such as water hazards, sand traps, trees, bushes, wind, four seasons, different time of days to play, and a driving range. Other great features include both an internet and individual high score list, game saving, great music, iTunes controls, 3 difficulty modes, mulligans, the ability to choose your set of clubs, match/stroke play, online tournaments, customizable male and female golfers, and much more. GL Golf is constantly being updated with free new features. Four new courses are released every year, available for in-app purchase. *New Game Center Multiplayer Support* - Play against your friends or a random opponent on any of your favorite courses. Golfers alternate every three hole until a winner is crowed after all 18 holes are finished. If you like GL Golf, make sure to check out Nuclear Nova’s other games, all available for the Mac/iPhone/iPad/iPod. • Nova Golf, the successor to GL Golf, is a much more detailed golf simulator with more modern graphics • Pinball Shuffle and Pinball Massacre are two unique comic book arcade style pinball tables • Barnyard Blaster is a unique shooter with plenty of weapons, animals, and environments • Rocket Golf gives golf a new twist with its unique 2D side scrolling gameplay • Liquid Defense, Hydrothermal, and Escape are our three classic puzzle/simulator games • Fractal 3D and ASCII Art are our first non-game apps Play now on your iPhone, iPod, and iPad! "This is a solid game and should definitely be on every duffer's app download list." -tuaw.com "In the end, GL Golf is an incredibly deep game, serving up six courses and tons of options, it never gets old" -iPhoneGamingNetwork.com "Of all the golf games and simulations I’ve played so far for the iPhone, there’s one that stands head-and-shoulders above the rest. GL Golf." -intomobile.com "I must say, this app is a very fun app. I am kind of addicted." -iPhoneMatters.com "The game play is solid. To swing the club just double tap on the screen; when the power meter reaches to a spot you want, just single tap and the club will swing, hitting the ball. You can change the type of club you have by dragging your finger up/down the screen, thereby changing the range. The game does pause itself when you tap the home button, so if you get a call while playing, you won't lose your game. " -Tuaw.com
Retro Golf
Experience classic 8-bit golf with intuitive controls and challenging courses. Master your swing with a two-tap system, navigate hazards, and aim for hole-in-ones. Unlock challenges and earn trophies in this nostalgic arcade-style game.
- 8-bit pixel art graphics
- Intuitive two-tap swing control
- Skill-based gameplay
- Full 9-hole course
- Challenge modes
- Trophy achievements
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Tee off in style with Retro Golf, a charming top-down golf game featuring gorgeous 8-bit pixel art graphics inspired by classic NES games. Master the art of the perfect swing with our intuitive two-tap control system. Time your power, nail your accuracy, and watch your ball soar across beautifully crafted holes. But be careful — water hazards, bunkers, and tricky terrain await! FEATURES • Classic Arcade Feel — Crisp pixel art visuals and satisfying sound effects bring back the golden age of gaming • Skill-Based Gameplay — Master the oscillating power meter and accuracy timing for the perfect shot • Intuitive Putting — Simple drag-back controls make sinking putts feel natural • Full 9-Hole Course — Play through Lakeside Links featuring water hazards, sand traps, and challenging layouts • Challenge Mode — Unlock special challenges after completing a course, featuring collectible mid-air targets • Hole in One Challenge — Test your precision in this addictive mini-game where every shot counts • Trophy Room — Earn achievements for birdies, eagles, hole-in-ones, and more • Quick Sessions — Perfect for gaming on the go — play a quick hole or a full round EASY TO LEARN, HARD TO MASTER Tap to set your target, tap to lock your power, tap for accuracy. Three taps to glory — but timing is everything. Push your power past 100% for extra distance, but watch out for the dreaded CHUNK shot! Download now and experience golf the way it was meant to be played — one pixel at a time
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is price: Retro Golf at Free against GL Golf's $4.99. Retro Golf also leads on review sentiment (100% vs 63%) and update cadence (every 2 weeks vs every 3 months). GL Golf's advantage is ads (none vs shown) and chart position (#146 vs unranked). On in-app purchases, monetization model and device support there is nothing between them.
Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS
Retro Golf is free to download; GL Golf costs $4.99 up front. GL Golf sells 11 one-off in-app purchases and Retro Golf sells 2 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
Retro Golf holds the better App Store score, 4.2 against 4.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: GL Golf has 106 ratings behind it against 13, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 63% of GL Golf's written reviews are positive against 100% of Retro Golf's.
GL Golf ships an update every 3 months, Retro Golf every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 29, 2026 and October 30, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | GL Golf | Retro Golf |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $4.99 | Free — better |
| Rating | 4.0 (106 ratings) | 4.2 (13 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 62.6% of reviews | 100.0% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 106 — better | 13 |
| Update frequency | Every 3 months | Every 2 weeks — better |
| Ads | No — better | Yes |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Best chart rank | #146 — better | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better |
| Requires iOS | 18.0 | 15.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 153 MB | 63 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Nuclear Nova Software | Chris Larson |
Customer experience
GL Golf
Retro Golf
Bugs and requests
GL Golf
Reported bugs
4 issues- Swing button not functioning
- Frequent crashes and freezes
- Courses not loading properly
- Incompatibility with newer devices
Requested features
4 requests- More course options
- Improved graphics and visuals
- Better putting system
- Online leaderboards and multiplayer
Retro Golf
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
GL Golf
- GL Golf Lob Wedge$0.99
- GL Golf Mulligan Pack$0.99
- GL Golf Tour Clubs$1.99
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- GL Golf Square Grooves$1.99
- GL Golf Driver 330$2.99
- GL Golf Course Pack 1$2.99
- GL Golf Course Pack 2$2.99
- GL Golf Course Pack 3$2.99
- GL Golf Course Pack 4$2.99
- GL Golf Course Pack 5$2.99
- GL Golf Course Pack 6$2.99
Retro Golf
- Remove Ads$1.99
- English2 variants$2.99









