Reviews for the new skate are out, but the game lacks the edge, culture, and content that made the series so great. Reactions are mixed, and complaints are piling up

It’s been 18 years since the first skate launched, and back then it instantly set itself apart from the more arcade-y Tony Hawk games. Instead of just mashing buttons for combos, Skate introduced the “Flick-It” system, using the analog sticks to actually mimic how tricks are done. It felt more realistic, physics-driven, and definitely tougher, but that challenge was part of the magic. Now, almost 15 years after Skate 3, the series is back with a free-to-play release in Early Access, and with only 42% of Steam reviews positive, it’s safe to say this isn’t the reboot anyone was hoping for.

It's still Skate, just without the Skate vibe

First teased back in June 2020, skate. (which a lot of us still think of as Skate 4) is finally here. The hype was already a bit shaky when we learned it’d be a free-to-play multiplayer game, meaning always online, and yes, with our beloved microtransactions. But now, it looks like the problems go way beyond that. Let’s take a look at what Steam reviews are saying.

And here’s my favorite line that keeps popping up in reviews:

To sum things up, the new skate is a huge disappointment compared to what we wanted from Skate 4. Except for the “Flick-It” system, there’s very little that feels like it belongs to Skate series. Instead of a content-rich, nostalgic experience, it’s a free-to-play, multiplayer-only game with a cartoony style, battle passes, XP grinds, and heavy monetization. It lacks the skate culture and edge of the original games, and being online-only means players can get stuck in server queues even if they just want to skate solo.

There’s some positive feedback too, people are reminding everyone that the game is still in Early Access, so missing content was expected. But let’s check out the roadmap the developers shared a few weeks ago.

Source: Electronic Arts

The focus seems to be on seasonal events, which mostly looks like time-limited challenges with lots of cosmetics. Co-op would be a nice addition, and the new game modes sound promising, but without details, it still feels like the devs aren’t fully listening to fans or giving us what we truly want. If their goal was to make a different kind of game within the Skate series, they really missed the mark.

skate.

September 16, 2025

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• Overview

• EA / Electronic Arts
• free-to-play
• Early Access