Best Nerf Crossbows | 5 That Are ACTUALLY Worth Buying

Although you can have plenty of fun using traditional Nerf blasters, sometimes we all need a little variety in our lives.

Crossbows are a great way to get this variety because they have the novelty of a new toy but still contain the power of a Nerf gun.

If you’ve been looking for a good crossbow to buy, take a look at some of the suggestions below.

The Best Nerf Crossbows That are Worth Buying

Our Top Pick
Nerf Cross Bolt
9.7
  • It's the first-ever high-capacity Nerf crossbow
  • The blaster comes with a 12-dart clip for clip-fed blasting
  • Experience real crossbow action
  • Insert the clip, pull the slide back, and fire
  • The blaster fires darts up to 90 feet / 27 meters
Fun to Shoot
Nerf Rebelle Guardian Crossbow
9.5
  • Guardian crossbow blaster fires darts up to 75 feet
  • 6-dart rapid blasting with flexing bow arms
  • Auto-rotating 6-dart launcher
  • Pull slide back and pull trigger to fire
  • Includes 6 darts
Realistic Feel
Star Wars Sidekick Alien Blaster
9.1
  • Create adventures and scenes from star wars entertainment
  • Collect the wide range of articulated star wars action figures that are each sold separately
  • Most of the star wars vehicles have realistic action features
  • Pretend to be favorite characters with the role-play gear
  • Battle as a jedi or a sith, a rebel or imperial trooper, a battle droid or clone trooper

Here are the Crossbows that I will review below:

1. Nerf N-Strike Elite CrossBolt Blaster

2. Nerf Rebelle Guardian Crossbow Blaster

3. Nerf Zombie Strike Crossfire Bow Blaster

4. Nerf Zombie Strike Dreadbolt Blaster

5. Star Wars Nerf Episode VII Chewbacca Bowcaster

Best Nerf Crossbow

Nerf Crossbow Buyer’s Guide

Here are some things that you should take into consideration before you begin searching for a crossbow.

1. Range

While it’s nice to have a Nerf blaster that has a unique look and a fresh design, it won’t be worth your money if it’s only able to launch a dart 5 feet toward your target.

Range is important in any type of blaster because it allows you to better attack your opponents in whatever environment you may find yourself in.

The minimum range for most Nerf blasters is currently 75 feet. Use this as a standard when you are searching for your crossbow and accept no blaster that shoots darts less than 75 feet.

If you can find one that shoots 90 feet like some of the Nerf Elite blasters, go for that one instead.

Some blasters have a tendency to never reach their full range and it is better to have a more powerful crossbow in the event that this happens to you.

2. Dart Capacity

It’s very rare to find a Nerf crossbow that has a detachable ammo clip on the market.

Instead, many of the crossbows that are currently available have rotating drums or are only able to handle one bullet at a time in their barrel.

Obviously, choose the crossbow with the ammo clip as it will give you the ability to modify your gun with better ammo clips so you will be able to hold more bullets during a battle.

If you can’t purchase a crossbow with an ammo clip, choose one with a rotating barrel instead.

These rotating barrels can typically hold up to six bullets or more, depending on the size of the crossbow.

Single-bullet barrels aren’t necessarily bad but they usually aren’t useful for Nerf battles.

3. Ease of Use

As a general rule, do not pick a crossbow that is oversized, takes excessive force to load, or requires you to dedicate most of your time to reloading.

Many of the Nerf crossbows do not have any of these problems. However, it depends on how well you are able to handle the crossbow.

Unless it comes with an ammo clip, expect to reload your crossbow from the front and know that this will take time, especially if you’ve purchased a crossbow that is only able to hold one bullet in the chamber at a time.

Also, crossbows usually use a loading mechanism that needs to be pulled back in order to prepare the dart for launch.

This type of blaster may be better suited for adults and teens rather than young kids as it can be difficult to pull back this part of the blaster. 

Keep these things in mind when shopping for your crossbow.

4. Accessorizing

Accessories will become your best friend after you purchase your Nerf crossbow.

Nerf crossbows are rather limited in use and require accessories so that you can hold more bullets and fire darts more accurately. 

Make sure that your crossbow is compatible with a variety of Nerf accessories so that you’ll have plenty of options to choose from when it comes time to modify your gun.

5. Style

Crossbows are great because a lot of them don’t sport the normal blue and orange colors that you find on some of the original or elite blasters.

If you’re into having a blaster that is unique from your opponent’s blaster, research each of the Nerf blaster lines and find out the options you have before making a purchase.

6. Types of Ammunition

This isn’t too big of a concern but it should be addressed. There are only a handful of Nerf crossbows that use a different type of ammunition than the regular foam darts.

Try to stay away from these as special ammo can be expensive and you may have difficulty loading and shooting this special ammunition.

The only type of ammunition that we’ve stumbled across when it comes to Nerf crossbows is the whistling arrow.

The problem with this type of ammunition is that it is heavier, more likely to break, and only one of the arrows are included with each purchased crossbow, which can be a problem once you fire it and have to retrieve it after each shot.

Our Top Pick
Nerf Cross Bolt
9.7
  • It's the first-ever high-capacity Nerf crossbow
  • The blaster comes with a 12-dart clip for clip-fed blasting
  • Experience real crossbow action
  • Insert the clip, pull the slide back, and fire
  • The blaster fires darts up to 90 feet / 27 meters
Fun to Shoot
Nerf Rebelle Guardian Crossbow
9.5
  • Guardian crossbow blaster fires darts up to 75 feet
  • 6-dart rapid blasting with flexing bow arms
  • Auto-rotating 6-dart launcher
  • Pull slide back and pull trigger to fire
  • Includes 6 darts
Realistic Feel
Star Wars Sidekick Alien Blaster
9.1
  • Create adventures and scenes from star wars entertainment
  • Collect the wide range of articulated star wars action figures that are each sold separately
  • Most of the star wars vehicles have realistic action features
  • Pretend to be favorite characters with the role-play gear
  • Battle as a jedi or a sith, a rebel or imperial trooper, a battle droid or clone trooper

The Top 5 Nerf Crossbows

Best Nerf Crossbows

If you’re looking for a crossbow that can be modified and is easy to use, then you should purchase the Nerf N-Strike Elite CrossBolt Blaster.

The Nerf N-Strike Elite CrossBolt Blaster comes with an ammo clip that can hold up to 12 foam darts, uses a simple loading mechanism that is pulled back in a similar fashion to a real crossbow, and has a range of up to 90 feet.

While this is one of the best Nerf crossbows that you will be able to find, it also seems to be the one with the biggest problem.

When firing, the dart bullets have a tendency to get lodged in the barrel and can be difficult to get out.

Luckily this problem can be avoided by making sure that you pull the loading mechanism back all the way before firing.

Nerf Cross Bolt
  • N-Strike Elite blasters fire up to 75 feet for the ultimate in dart blaster performance
  • Vortex disc blasters Bend the Rules of Battle with discs that can curve, bank, and ricochet
  • FireVision sports gear glows bright, day or night, with blazing Microprism Technology
  • Nerf Sports raises your game with essentials like the Pro-Grip Football and Nerfoop basketball set
  • Achieve the impossible with all the most awesome gear from Nerf

Things We Like:

  • Can Be Modified With Larger Ammo Clip to Store More Bullets
  • Good Ammo Capacity
  • Long Range Works Well for Indoor and Outdoor Use

Affordable Price

  • Things We Don’t Like As Much:
  • Has Reputation of Jamming
  • Known to Be Difficult to Get Bullets Out of Jam

Best Nerf Crossbows

For those who don’t mind having a bit of a feminine design on their blaster, purchasing the Nerf Rebelle Guardian Crossbow Blaster is the way to go.

Besides the awesome design that this crossbow has, the Nerf Rebelle Guardian Crossbow Blaster has a rotating barrel that can hold up to 6 bullets, comes with its own specially designed bullets that match the look of the gun, and can fire its custom darts up to 75 feet.

This model is a little more expensive than the previous blaster.

Some of the common complaints about this gun are that it is a little difficult to load and it can be broken rather easily if it is mistreated, so it isn’t a crossbow that is recommended for children who are not as strong or who do not take care of their Nerf blasters.

If you do not meet these criteria, however, then this is a great option for you and you should look into the Nerf Rebelle Guardian Crossbow Blaster.

Nerf Rebelle Guardian Crossbow Blaster
  • Guardian Crossbow blaster fires darts up to 75 feet
  • 6-dart rapid blasting with flexing bow arms
  • Auto-rotating 6-dart launcher
  • Pull slide back and pull trigger to fire
  • Includes 6 darts

Things We Like:

  • Rotating Drum Allows You to Fire Bullets in Quick Succession
  • Good Ammo Capacity
  • Long Range Works Well for Indoor and Outdoor Use
  • Affordable Price
  • Cool Design
  • Bullets Match Design of Gun

Things We Don’t Like As Much:

  • Lacks Durability
  • Difficult to Load

Best Nerf Crossbows

Although the Nerf Zombie Strike Crossfire Bow Blaster doesn’t have the same capabilities as some of the other blasters on this list, almost everyone is happy with this crossbow and has great things to say about it.

The Nerf Zombie Strike Crossfire Bow Blaster has a single chamber that can hold and fire one bullet at a time, has additional storage at the front of the blaster located below the chamber that can hold three additional bullets, uses an easily grippable loading mechanism to prepare the bullets for firing, and is said to shoot relatively far (the range information is not featured on the packaging.)

There are virtually no complaints about the design of this model or how it functions, making it a safe purchase for those who want a crossbow that will work.

Nerf Zombie Crossfire Bow Dart Blaster
  • N-Strike Elite blasters fire up to 75 feet for the ultimate in dart blaster performance
  • Vortex disc blasters Bend the Rules of Battle with discs that can curve, bank and ricochet
  • FireVision sports gear glows bright, day or night, with blazing Microprism Technology
  • Nerf Sports raises your game with essentials like the Pro-Grip Football and Nerfoop basketball set
  • Achieve the impossible with all the most awesome gear from Nerf

Things We Like:

  • Cool Design
  • Extra Storage Space for Ammo in Front of Gun

Things We Don’t Like As Much:


Best Nerf Crossbows

In the beginning of this article, I stated that you should avoid any type of crossbow that uses whistling arrows.

However, you can make an exception with the Nerf Zombie Strike Dreadbolt Blaster.

The Nerf Zombie Strike Dreadbolt Blaster can hold one arrow in its chamber and an additional four arrows on a section above the barrel, it comes with its own scope that you can use for better accuracy and a lever mechanism to prepare the bullets for firing that is much simpler than the loading mechanism of other crossbows. 

Much like the previously mentioned crossbow, there do not seem to be any complaints about the Nerf Zombie Strike Dreadbolt Blaster’s functionality.

If you don’t mind using arrows rather than darts, this could be the crossbow for you.

Nerf Ner Zombiestrike Dread Bolt Toy
  • N-Strike Elite blasters and Elite darts deliver the ultimate in blaster performance
  • Mega series blasters feature Mega Whistler darts that scream through the air
  • Defend against a zombie invasion with ZombieStrike blasters
  • Ignite the night with FireVision sports gear that glows when thrown
  • Raise your game with the Pro-Grip football and Nerfoop basketball set

Things We Like:

  • Has Storage on Top of Gun for Additional Arrows
  • Simple Loading Mechanism
  • Comes With Scope

Decent Price

Things We Don’t Like As Much:

  • Low Ammo Capacity
  • Uses Different Type of Ammo Than Most Other Crossbows

Best Nerf Crossbows

For all the Star Wars and Nerf lovers out there, the Star Wars Nerf Episode VII Chewbacca Blaster is for you.

The Star Wars Nerf Episode VII Chewbacca Bowcaster can hold and fire one dart in its chamber and has storage on the side of the gun that can hold an additional four darts.

It comes with a detachable scope that can be used to improve accuracy and is able to fire darts up to 65 feet, which is one of the downsides. 

Besides the lack of range, this model is also said to have a problem with jamming and its trigger.

Still, this is one of the better guns from the Nerf crossbow collection and should be considered when you are looking for crossbows.

Star Wars Sidekick Alien Blaster
  • Create adventures and scenes from Star Wars entertainment
  • Collect the wide range of articulated Star Wars action figures that are each sold separately
  • Most of the Star Wars vehicles have realistic action features
  • Pretend to be favorite characters with the role-play gear
  • Battle as a Jedi or a Sith, a Rebel or Imperial trooper, a Battle Droid or Clone Trooper

Things We Like:

  • Storage Space on Side for Additional Bullets
  • Comes With Detachable Scope

Things We Don’t Like As Much:


Out of these five Nerf crossbow recommendations, we believe that you should purchase the Nerf N-Strike Elite CrossBolt Blaster.

Despite its reputation of jamming, this gun can be easily modified to accommodate more bullets and is rather affordable for the quality of the gun.

Jeremy A
Dart Dudes

About the Author

Jeremy is the founder of Dart Dudes, the leading resource for parents looking to pick up a Nerf toy for a child. He grew up with his four brothers and two sisters where there was always a Nerf war taking place.

With a focus on safety, Jeremy has helped thousands of parents help chose the right Nerf toy for their kids or grandkids. He lives in California with his wife and family. Learn more about me. - You can email me jeremy@dartdudes.com