Retro Bowl — Play Free Online

Retro Bowl is New Star Games' pixel-art American football game, and it is half sports game, half management sim. You run the offense on the field, then step off it to handle the roster, the money, the facilities and the fans. New Star Games launched it on iOS and Android in January 2020, and the browser version followed on Poki in 2021. The copy here is that HTML5 build, made with GameMaker.

On the field

On the field you control every offensive play your team runs. With a mouse and keyboard:

• Pass: hold the left mouse button and drag to aim, then let go. You can also click and hold on a receiver to throw to him.
• Run: W and S move the ball carrier up and down to dodge tacklers.
• Dive: A dives forward for extra ground.
• Slow down: D checks your speed.
• Kick: click once when the power meter is full, then again when the arrows line up in the middle.

On a phone the same moves become taps and swipes: tap and hold a player to throw, swipe up or down to dodge, swipe forward to dive and swipe back to slow down.

Weather plays a part. Rain and wind make throws harder, and audibles and timeouts let you change the call when the defense lines up in a way you did not expect.

Off the field

Between games you are the general manager. Your roster lives under a salary cap that starts at $150 million, too little for a squad of 5-star players, so you have to spread the money. Spending 100 Coaching Credits raises the cap to $175m. Through the draft, trades and releases you keep the roster fresh.

Coaching Credits come from winning, and they pay for nearly every upgrade: the stadium, staff and player training. How happy your fans are decides how many you get per win: 3 credits with support from 66 to 100%, 2 credits from 33 to 66%, and 1 credit below that. Player morale matters too, because unhappy players drop passes and miss throws.

Modes

Mode	What it does
Easy, Medium, Hard	Opponents get stronger and their defense more aggressive as you go up.
Extreme	Every opponent plays at a 5-star rating.
Dynamic	Difficulty rises as you win and drops as you lose.

Career mode carries each season into the next, and a well-run franchise can last more than 100 seasons. Exhibition games let you test plays with nothing on the line, and the two-player option sits there as well. The Hall of Fame keeps the stats of retired players and your achievements.

Tips

• Most winning drives are built on throws of 10 yards or less. Save the deep ball for when a receiver is clearly open.
• Throw before the receiver finishes his route. Late throws give defenders time to close.
• A dive is a safe 2 yards, which is often enough on third and short or at the goal line.
• When you are ahead, try to score with around 30 to 35 seconds left in the half, leaving the other team little time to answer.
• Upgrade the quarterback and wide receivers first, then the running back.
• Draft young players: they cost less and improve faster.