Nintendo Switch Sports Bowling guide: How to play, format, tips and tricks

Last Updated on: 7th May 2022, 01:45 am

Nintendo Switch Sports brings back the classic Wii Sports to the next generation, with many of the iconic games such as bowling and tennis making a return, as well as brand new games including volleyball.

Bowling is perhaps the most iconic game from Wii Sports, so it’s great to see it make a return in the game, with it largely remaining the same but with some improvements and quality of life changes.

Here is everything you need to know about playing bowling in Nintendo Switch Sports.

How to play Nintendo Switch Sports Bowling

Bowling can be played by up to 16 players in Nintendo Switch Sports, depending on which mode you chose at the start of the game.

When playing online or against CPU, the game will try and match 16 players together, but when playing locally this is capped to just four players.

For online play, whether it is against strangers or friends, players will all play at the same time.

But when playing locally, players have the option to take turns or play simultaneously. If choosing to play at the same time, each player will require their own Joy-Con controller.

Nintendo Switch Sports Bowling format

Bowling in Nintendo Switch Sports has two different formats depending on which mode you select at the start of the game.

If you’re playing locally then you will play bowling in the traditional manner, with each player doing ten turns to try and knock down as many pins as possible, with a possible maximum score of 300.

When playing locally there is also a “Special” mode where players “Overcome obstacles to knock down pins. The lanes change every time!”

If you’re playing online, then the game follows a new tournament-style format.

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The game will take place over the usual ten turns, but split into four different elimination rounds.

To start, there are 16 players that compete in round one. After the third turn, the top 9 will progress to round two and the lowest-scoring players will be eliminated.

Following round two, only the top five will progress to the semifinals, before it being cut down to just the top three for the final turn.

Nintendo Switch Sports Bowling tips and tricks

When playing bowling, trying to get a strike is the main goal, with it granting the most points possible.

The best way to achieve this is to add spin to your throw by twisting your wrist as your release the ball.

Another way to achieve this is to rotate the character slightly before taking the shot. You can move the character left and right by using the analog stick on the Joy-Con and then rotate by pressing either Y or A.

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From what we’ve found, moving the character two places in the opposite direction to the hand you use to throw, and then rotating once or twice will often set you up in a good way to hit a strike or spare if you throw straight.