The original game that redefined skateboarding with physics-based controls. A little rough by today's standards but the foundational gameplay is excellent and the fun remains intact after all these years.
Your verdict
Category
Sports4 players12+
Description
Skateboard simulation by EA Black Box revolutionizing the genre with analog stick control. Published by Electronic Arts, released in September 2007 in Europe, Korea, North America and Japan. Anonymous skater climbing back from major injury to become a legend in fictional San Vanelona city, open world reproducing San Vanelona Old Town inspired by San Francisco and Vancouver, simulation gameplay with revolutionary Flick-It Controls on analog stick for realistic tricks with skate feel, over forty career objectives including magazines, videos and competitions, online multiplayer mode in Online Free Skate for up to six players, over eighty avatar and board customizations, English voice-over with pro skater voices including Danny Way.
Skate. review
4/5
Art direction
★★★★★
"Striking"
MAX
Music
★★★★★
"Legendary"
2/5
Story
★★★★★
"Classic"
Hip and authentic, the licensed selection blends hip-hop, indie rock and punk to match the culture of street skating. Each session pulses to the rhythm of cool, laid-back tracks, perfectly in tune with the ride. This musical identity, polished and credible, gives the game an irresistible urban soul.
The founder of EA's series, Skate imposes its stick-based controls that broke from arcade play and revived realistic board simulation for the generation. Still common in the West, its interest lies in this origin role of an influential formula rather than scarcity. An affordable piece for fans of demanding skating wanting the starting point.
Better with friends
A skateboarding game of demanding simulation, where stick-based trick control rewards patience and creativity over button-mashing. The competition plays out in the elegance of lines and a trick one-upmanship, each trying to top the other with a more stylish combo. The original online leans on uncertain servers, but tackling challenges together stays a convivial, inventive rivalry.
Is Skate. still worth playing in 2026?
The first Skate redefined the skateboarding game by replacing button inputs with a system based on the analogue stick, genuinely miming the motion of the feet on the board. This idea, both demanding and exhilarating once mastered, established a feel of riding of unprecedented realism, a world away from Tony Hawk's arcade stunts. The open world, ripe for the search for the perfect trick, and the authentic tone of skate culture still charm. A few technical roughnesses betray its age. But as a founding milestone of a revolutionary approach, this title keeps an intact interest and pleasure.
