Championship Bowling is a standard 10 frame ten-pin bowling game where the objective is to knock down as many pins with the bowling ball as possible.
The game starts with the player choosing a lane, character, and weight of the bowling ball. Once all these options have been chosen, the player takes their place on the lane.
After taking position, the player must time it correctly to stop the ball at the desired angle using the ‘Control’ panel. The player also needs to time the correct power for the ball's impact.
The game features four different characters and five different lanes. It is possible to play with up to four players using the NES Four Score accessory, where all players take turns bowling.