Comparison

GL Golf Lite vs Retro Golf

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both games, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

GL Golf Lite

Experience realistic 3D golf with simple graphics and physics. Play solo or with up to four players across 720 holes, featuring various environmental challenges and game modes. Enjoy online tournaments, customizable golfers, and regular free updates with new courses available for purchase.

Highlights
  • Realistic 3D golf physics
  • Up to four player modes
  • 720 holes across multiple courses
  • Online tournaments
  • Customizable golfers
  • Driving range and practice modes
  • Game Center multiplayer support
Features
Read full description

GL Golf Lite 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 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.
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 • 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

About

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.

Highlights
  • 8-bit pixel art graphics
  • Intuitive two-tap swing control
  • Skill-based gameplay
  • Full 9-hole course
  • Challenge modes
  • Trophy achievements
Features
Currently charting
Read full description

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

GL Golf Lite4 screens
Retro Golf4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Retro Golf at 5.0 against GL Golf Lite's 3.9. Retro Golf also leads on review sentiment (100% vs 61%) and update cadence (every 2 weeks vs every 3 months). GL Golf Lite's advantage is ads (none vs shown) and ratings volume (85 vs 10). On price, 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. GL Golf Lite sells 3 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.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Retro Golf holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 3.9. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: GL Golf Lite has 85 ratings behind it against 10, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 61% of GL Golf Lite's written reviews are positive against 100% of Retro Golf's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

GL Golf Lite ships an update every 3 months, Retro Golf every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 22, 2026 and October 25, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard7 real differences · 4 level
GL Golf Lite versus Retro Golf: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterGL Golf LiteRetro Golf
PriceFreeFree
Rating3.9 (85 ratings)5.0 (10 ratings) — better
Positive reviews60.9% of reviews100.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings85 — better10
Update frequencyEvery 3 monthsEvery 2 weeks — better
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
Best chart rank—#138 — better
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS18.015.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size59 MB63 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperNuclear Nova SoftwareChris Larson

Customer experience

GL Golf Lite

All ratings85 ratings
Positive68.2%
Neutral14.1%
Negative17.6%
Written reviews243 reviews
Positive60.9%
Neutral13.6%
Negative25.5%

Retro Golf

All ratings10 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews4 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

Bugs and requests

GL Golf Lite

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Scores not properly recorded on leaderboards
  • Swing meter and wind direction obscured by ads
  • Inconsistent ball physics and putting
  • Crashes on newer devices

Requested features

4 requests
  • More holes and courses
  • Character customization
  • Online leaderboards and multiplayer
  • Improved graphics and visuals

Retro Golf

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

3 purchases

GL Golf Lite

One-time3
  • Club Upgrades$0.99
  • Remove Ads$0.99
  • Club Pack$1.99
2 purchases

Retro Golf

One-time2
  • Remove Ads$1.99
  • English2 variants$2.99

Questions

Is GL Golf Lite free?
GL Golf Lite is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Retro Golf free?
Retro Golf is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, GL Golf Lite or Retro Golf?
Retro Golf is rated higher. GL Golf Lite averages 3.9 out of 5 from 85 ratings, while Retro Golf averages 5.0 from 10 ratings.
Do GL Golf Lite or Retro Golf have ads?
Retro Golf shows ads; GL Golf Lite does not.
Which is updated more often, GL Golf Lite or Retro Golf?
GL Golf Lite ships an update every 3 months, and Retro Golf every 2 weeks. Most recently, GL Golf Lite was updated on October 22, 2026 and Retro Golf on October 25, 2026.

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