Comparison

Action Bowling vs PBA® Bowling Challenge

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

Head to head
About

Action Bowling

Experience realistic 3D bowling with an improved physics engine for authentic gameplay. Challenge friends in multiplayer or test your skills against AI. Enjoy various bowling locations and custom balls.

Highlights
  • Realistic 3D bowling simulation
  • Advanced physics engine
  • Multiplayer challenges
  • AI opponent
  • Customizable bowling balls
  • Multiple bowling locations
Features
Read full description

Get ready to play the long awaited sequel to Action Bowling Free, the best & most popular bowling game on iOS with over 40 million downloads.! We’ve built the game from the ground up to give you the most fun and addictive gameplay with the feeling of a realistic 3D bowling simulator! You will love the new and improved physics engine which simulates all the nuances of a professional game with outrageous curve shots and explosively competitive pin action. Action Bowling 2 features: • Explosive ball-on-pin collisions. • Professional curve-shot and hook shots. • Realistic 3D simulation. • Action packed multiplayer. • Tough-to-beat AI for an extra challenge! • Free to download! Prove your skills with realistic ten pin bowling action, choosing from solo or multiplayer mode in your favourite bowling alley. Avoid the gutter and splits to win each frame by scoring spares, strikes, and Turkeys on your way to the elusive 300 points game. When you have honed your skills in practice and solo play, feel free to challenge up to 3 of your friends to go head-to-head on the same device with pass & play. With the ideal mix of multiplayer, simulator, and 3D graphics, Action Bowling 2 is perfect for playing together with your friends and family, or to set yourself free from the boring work commute or waiting room! With an array of unique bowling locations, custom balls, and the crystal clear realistic graphics that are the signature of the Action Bowling franchise, Action Bowling 2 delivers everything you expect from the definitive 3D bowling simulator on iOS for free! Find out more at: http://facebook.com/ActionBowling http://twitter.com/BowlingGame http://youtube.com/ActionBowling

About

PBA® Bowling Challenge

Compete against professional bowlers in realistic 3D matches, from local alleys to national championships. Master your skills in career mode or challenge friends in real-time multiplayer. Unlock new balls and face legendary opponents.

Highlights
  • Career mode
  • Real-time multiplayer
  • Compete against 24 PBA bowlers
  • Over 100 bowling balls
  • Dozens of PBA tournaments
  • Leaderboards and achievements
Features
Read full description

Rise through the ranks against 24 of the PBA’s best bowlers as you compete for a variety of regional and national championship trophies. Starting in a local alley with a scuffed up 12 lb ball, you’ll hone your skills against bowling legends on your way to competing in the Tournament of Champions! Start a career or bowl a quick game! Career mode is at the heart of PBA Bowling Challenge, but if you’d rather just lace up and take to the lanes, we’ve got you covered. Choose from a wide variety of opponents and locations and unlock even more content in Career Mode! Online Multiplayer Action! Bowl against your friends in real-time, one-on-one multiplayer matches! Powered by Game Center services, multiplayer mode lets you invite your friends or get matched against a random opponent! Bowl against the best! How do you think you’d fare against the cool confidence and pin-point accuracy of Walter Ray Williams, Jr. or the brash power stroke of Pete Weber? How would your scores stand up against the high spin and smooth release of Norm Duke or the high cranking backswing of Tommy Jones? Based on actual statistics that track their power, hook, and control, PBA Bowling Challenge strives to accurately recreate the skill and style of the top bowlers in the sport today. Features Include: - Quickplay, Multiplayer, and Career modes! - Dozens of PBA Tournaments! - Bowl against 24 of the best PBA bowlers! - Over 100 different bowling balls with unique stats! - Leaderboards and Achievements. - Bonus challenges in every tournament! - Split Balls, Bomb Balls, and more!

Screenshots

Action Bowling3 screens
PBA® Bowling Challenge4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: PBA® Bowling Challenge at fortnightly against Action Bowling's every 3 months. PBA® Bowling Challenge also leads on ratings volume (131K vs 1.6K) and rating (4.7 vs 4.4). Action Bowling's advantage is review sentiment (81% vs 61%). On price, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model 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. Action Bowling sells 7 one-off in-app purchases and PBA® Bowling Challenge sells 15 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

PBA® Bowling Challenge holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 4.4. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: PBA® Bowling Challenge has 131K ratings behind it against 1.6K, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 81% of Action Bowling's written reviews are positive against 61% of PBA® Bowling Challenge's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Action Bowling ships an update every 3 months, PBA® Bowling Challenge fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on October 22, 2026 and October 28, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 5 level
Action Bowling versus PBA® Bowling Challenge: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterAction BowlingPBA® Bowling Challenge
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.4 (1.6K ratings)4.7 (131K ratings) — better
Positive reviews80.8% of reviews — better61.3% of reviews
Number of ratings1.6K131K — better
Update frequencyEvery 3 monthsFortnightly — better
AdsYesYes
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
Best chart rank—#151 — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS15.013.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size319 MB144 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperTribal City InteractiveConcrete Software, Inc.

Customer experience

Action Bowling

All ratings1,633 ratings
Positive85.1%
Neutral7.0%
Negative7.8%
Written reviews239 reviews
Positive80.8%
Neutral7.5%
Negative11.7%

PBA® Bowling Challenge

All ratings130,533 ratings
Positive92.0%
Neutral4.8%
Negative3.1%
Written reviews542 reviews
Positive61.3%
Neutral10.1%
Negative28.6%

User reviews

Action Bowling

From 1.6K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🎳 Realistic bowling experience
  • ⚡ Addictive gameplay
  • 🎨 Enjoyable graphics
  • 🕹️ Fun and challenging
  • 🕰️ Good time killer

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Glitches and bugs
  • 🔄 Inconsistent pin physics
  • 💰 Paywall for new balls/lanes
  • 🔍 Lack of customization options
  • 🕹️ Difficulty changes over time

PBA® Bowling Challenge

From 131K App Store ratings

What we love

  • ⭐ Best game for stress
  • ⭐ Fun and challenging gameplay
  • ⭐ Realistic bowling experience
  • ⭐ Great graphics and sound effects
  • ⭐ Variety of venues and features

Room to improve

  • 🙄 Excessive ads and in-app purchases
  • 🤔 Tournaments feel rigged at times
  • 😒 Progression is too grindy
  • 🤯 Frequent bugs and crashes
  • 🤬 Loss of progress and saved data

Bugs and requests

Action Bowling

Reported bugs

5 issues
  • Strikes not registering correctly
  • Pins resetting positions unexpectedly
  • Game freezing or crashing
  • Scoring issues and discrepancies
  • Compatibility problems with newer iOS versions

Requested features

5 requests
  • Multiplayer mode
  • Leaderboards and achievements
  • More ball and lane variety
  • Ability to save/resume games
  • Improved ball control mechanics

PBA® Bowling Challenge

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Game freezes after watching ads
  • Progress and stats randomly reset
  • Multiplayer matchmaking issues
  • Inconsistent ball behavior and glitches

Requested features

5 requests
  • Instant replay and save clip feature
  • Point difference counter
  • One ball roll-off for tied games
  • Option to disable crowd noise
  • More realistic ball physics and behavior

In-app purchases

7 purchases

Action Bowling

One-time7
  • Coins Booster Pack$0.99
  • Coins Action Pack$1.99
  • No Ads$1.99
Show 4 more
  • Coins Party Pack$2.99
  • Coins Deluxe Pack$4.99
  • Coins Mega Pack$9.99
  • Coins Ultra Pack$19.99
15 purchases

PBA® Bowling Challenge

One-time15
  • Lonely Pin Pack$0.99
  • Pin Party Pack2 variants$1.99
  • DNA Bundle$4.99
Show 12 more
  • Paragon Pearl Bundle$4.99
  • Black Widow 3.0 Bundle$4.99
  • Black Widow 2.0 Bundle$4.99
  • Plenty of Pins Pack2 variants$4.99
  • Dark Side Bundle$4.99
  • Hypnotize Bundle$4.99
  • Weber Bundle$4.99
  • Venom Shock Bundle$4.99
  • Pile of Pins Pack2 variants$9.99
  • Pin Island Pack$14.99
  • Pin Freighter Pack$19.99
  • Pin Freighter Pack$24.99

Questions

Is Action Bowling free?
Action Bowling is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is PBA® Bowling Challenge free?
PBA® Bowling Challenge is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Action Bowling or PBA® Bowling Challenge?
PBA® Bowling Challenge is rated higher. Action Bowling averages 4.4 out of 5 from 1.6K ratings, while PBA® Bowling Challenge averages 4.7 from 131K ratings.
Do Action Bowling or PBA® Bowling Challenge have ads?
Both Action Bowling and PBA® Bowling Challenge show ads.
Which is updated more often, Action Bowling or PBA® Bowling Challenge?
Action Bowling ships an update every 3 months, and PBA® Bowling Challenge fortnightly. Most recently, Action Bowling was updated on October 22, 2026 and PBA® Bowling Challenge on October 28, 2026.

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