Remember playing Elf Bowling back in the late nineties? You can play it once again this Christmas season! This is the original version that was shared online, particularly through e-mail chains.
I’ve also made this game available for macOS (via WineSkin). If you’re running Windows, simply choose the “PC” version below. Happy Holidays!
**Last updated 12/5/2023**
Just got a mac for the first time in my life. I have no idea how to use this thing…..NEED ELF BOWLING FOR MAC! please
Post has been updated with a Mac version. Enjoy!
THANKS!!!
THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THIS!!! I’ve SOOOOO missed this game… and the fact that you’ve made it Mac friendly… WOW!!!! You ROOOOOOOOOCCCCCCCKKKKKKK!! :)
I’m glad I could help. Thanks for the warm comments!
Is this a free download?
Thank you for this classic. I’m not a “gamer” but I do love me some elf bowling at Christmas time.
I was afraid this one had gone the way of 45 rpms.
i downloaded this- but it was NOT elf bowling- i got something called tux racer. whats up?
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what app do you open it with on mac?
To extract the game, you’ll need a program like Keka. The game is zipped up with this to help save space. After it’s unzipped, you’ll see the game app file. Double click it to open it and you should be good to go. Have fun!
Is there a way to download Elf Bowling on a Chromebook?
It would be easiest if you have access to either a Windows or Mac computer to play this game. You can click here for more info on how to potentially run this game on a Chromebook. http://www.howtogeek.com/173353/how-to-run-windows-software-on-a-chromebook/
Check out the “Install Wine” and “Virtual Machine” sections. It might take a little work, but at least you’d be bowling with the elves again.
Thank you so much, this game brings back good memories!!
Great to hear it!
Can I download this elf bowling on my android smartphone?
I am unable to open Elf Bowling on my Macbook Pro running OSX 10.12.2
Getting this error message whenever I try and open it-
“ERROR! cannot write to Info.plist, there are permission problems, or you are on a read-only volume.
This cannot run from within a read-only dmg file.”
any idea what I could be doing wrong?
I’ll have to look into it, Joe. Thanks for the heads up.
I saw an unofficial version floating around the web for Android, but it just bundles a Gameboy Advance emulator. It was a little fishy, so I wouldn’t advise downloading it.
A thousand thank yous. I loved this game when it first came out and love to play it every Christmas. Never liked the sequel.
Thank you for the kind comment. I’m happy you enjoy it!
I’m getting error message
“An error occurred while starting the X11 server: “Failed to activate core devices.”
Click Quit to quit X11. Click Report to see more details or send a report to Apple.”
Any ideas? :)
Hi Rosey,
Which version of macOS are you running?
Sierra, would it need to be on a lower OS?
I think some newer OS have had trouble with this particular game. I’ll try to set some time aside soon to get it running properly with Sierra. Thanks for the heads up!
Maybe there was an error grabbing the correct file or there was an advertisement popup somewhere. I’ve updated the post with new links so please try again. I’m sorry for the issues!
I updated the Mac version, so please give it a download and let me know if you have any more issues. Thanks!
Update: I updated the Mac version to try and resolve the newer OS issue. Please try the new version and let me know how it works.
“ERROR! cannot write to Info.plist, there are permission problems, or you are on a read-only volume.
This cannot run from within a read-only dmg file”
any help? I can’t find this original anywhere else.
thanks so much for putting this up. I had a hard copy of that first one and the second one and cannot find them. I love them and was a little sad so thanks for doing that.
I’ll try to look into the problem this weekend. In the meantime, have you tried dragging the game from the DMG to your Desktop and then running it from your Desktop?
I’m new to using a mac. I’ve downloaded the file and keka and have extracted the files. When I click on the elf bowling icon nothing happens. Am I missing something?
Sorry for the inconveniences! When you double-click the icon, does it show any sort of “expanding” animation? That will let you know that it’s trying to open the application. If the app doesn’t seem to want to open, please let me know what version your Mac is. You can find this by clicking Apple -> About This Mac and looking at the Version number.
Works like a charm!
I’ve updated the game to fix the error you mentioned. Please redownload and let me know if it’s working for you!
I’ve updated the game to fix the error you mentioned. Please redownload and let me know if it’s working for you!
Can I download this game on my android phone. We played the game years ago and totally love it. Super awesome playing woth my family. At this time our computer is not working. Thanks
the link for mac isn’t working. Do you still have the download for mac or did I miss the boat. I loved this game as a kid!!!
I’ve reuploaded it to another site. Please try the link again and let me know if you have any troubles.
Thank you for uploading it again, On my Mac I get the “ERROR! cannot write to Info.plist, there are permission problems, or you are on a read-only volume.
This cannot run from within a read-only dmg file”
I dusted off my old windows laptop and tried and it worked great, so that’s good enough for me.
Thank you for the memories relived!!!
I know to throw a left gutter ball intentionally to kill the deer, and it takes lucky timing to hit the frog. But I’ve never, ever hit the rabbit. Has anyone else, and if so, are there any tricks to it like the gutter ball for the deer?
scammer
Font index out of range.
No bowling with elfs for me.
Which operating system are you using? I can try to see if I can reproduce the error so I can help you find a fix.
ERROR! cannot write to Info.plist, there are permission problems, or you are on a read-only volume.
This cannot run from within a read-only dmg file.
Mac OS Mojave 10.14.6
Was able to download the PC .exe file and get to play it using Wine Bottler. Will see if I can package w/ wineskin and share a link to the file.
Doesn’t work with Mojave 10.14.6. I hope the developer updates the game – we all have to play Elf Bowling at Christmas!!
Hi! Font out of range error with Linux Mint 18.3, running WINE…. Nstorm screen comes up, then an error…. Arrrggghhhh! So close! PLEASE help! :)
Hm, a font error? I haven’t heard of this one before. Not sure how much help I can provide at the moment, but I may be able to take a look.
anyone know where i can play/download elf bowling 2? also thanks op for this one!
Have elfbowl on linux 19.3, running wine. keep getting the fint index out of range error. Did anyone figure a way around this?
“font” index….oops.
HEY! Fix found for “font index out of range” error in linux 19.3
go to: https://linuxconfig.org/configuring-wine-with-winetricks
install winetricks and run as page instructs, install corefonts, then elfbowl runs fine!
ive been playing elf bowling ever since the creator gave mom a copy when this game was first created and now they have a movie, cant wait to see it, but elf bowling is awesome
It says the Mac version is no longer available whan I try to download. Is this correct or is there an issue with the link? Thanks in advance- miss that Elf Bowling!!
I’ll work on getting a new version uploaded. Thank you for the heads up!
Thanks for the tip!
when will this be back
this was my favorite game as a kid at my dads office
i used to play this so long ago at my moms work.
thank you so much