Retro Bowl: run the offense, run the team
Retro Bowl is an American football game by New Star Games, a small UK studio. It came out on iPhone and Android in January 2020 and on Nintendo Switch in February 2022. You coach a team in pixel-art style: you play every offensive drive yourself, and you manage the roster between games.
How a game plays
You only control the offense. On a pass play, you drag back to aim and let go to throw, so the ball goes where you swiped. You can also run with the quarterback or hand off to the running back and dodge tacklers. The defense is not playable; the game simulates it and shows you the result.
Kicks are a quick aim-and-power swipe. Because you only get so many drives per game, every interception hurts and every long touchdown matters.
Managing the team
- Roster. Sign free agents, trade players, release the ones who are not working out.
- Draft. Pick new players each season to replace your stars as they age.
- Morale. Unhappy players perform worse. Wins and good press answers help.
- Coaching credits. The game's currency. Earn them by playing and spend them on players and staff.
- The press. Answer reporters after games. Your answers can lift or hurt morale.
Where to play the official game
Retro Bowl is on iPhone, Android and Nintendo Switch, and New Star also publishes a web version on Poki. On phones, a one-time Unlimited upgrade lets you edit uniforms, team names, end zones and weather. Retro Bowl+ is on Apple Arcade with that upgrade included.
The same studio made Retro Bowl College (2023), where you recruit with a scholarship fund, Retro Goal for soccer, and NFL Retro Bowl games for Apple Arcade.
Make a retro sports game of your own
Roam has no American football game right now. You can describe one in a sentence and play it on your iPhone: your team, your city, your rules, with pixel art if you ask for it. You can also ask for playable defense, or switch the sport to soccer or hockey.
More on Roam
Make your own retro sports game with Roam
Roam is a free iPhone app where you describe a game and it comes back playable. Name the sport, the controls and the team, then change it by talking. Roam is rated 13+ on the App Store.
Try: "pixel-art football, swipe to throw, I only play offense, my friends are on my team, win the league in 10 games"Roam ("Roam - Make Games" on the App Store) is an iPhone app where you play games and make your own by describing them or from a photo. It is free to download and play, and making games works without a subscription; optional Spark and Reality plans and credit packs add more creation. Android: pre-register on Google Play.
Questions people ask
Who made Retro Bowl?
New Star Games, a UK studio. It came out in January 2020.
Can you play defense in Retro Bowl?
No. You play the offense, and the game simulates the defense.
What are coaching credits in Retro Bowl?
The in-game currency. You earn them by playing and use them on players and staff.