SSX on Tour tries a skate-rock turn and adds skis. Indie rock vibe, slightly stiffer mechanics and uneven content. Less wild than its predecessors, but still a pleasant ride.
Your verdict
Category
Sports2 players7+
Description
An EA Canada and EA sequel released in 2005, the fourth main SSX entry. A world tour format across five global ski resorts (Whistler, Aspen), introduction of skiing alongside snowboarding, photo mode and skate-rock soundtrack. A mixed reception against SSX 3, but for fans the formula remains solid.
SSX on Tour review
4/5
Art direction
★★★★★
"Striking"
4/5
Music
★★★★★
"Excellent"
2/5
Story
★★★★★
"Classic"
The art direction adopts a hand-drawn punk sketch style. This entry abandons the futuristic flash for a sketchbook aesthetic: felt-tip outlines, ink blots, scribbles and collages that dress menus and transitions with a fanzine energy. The riders and settings keep a deliberately scrawled line, as if out of an underground skate-mag. This raw, young imagery, anchored in a punk-rock culture, reinvents the series' look.
The soundtrack weds the raw energy of punk-rock. True to its graphic turn, this entry trades the previous entries' festive electro for a selection of bristling rock: saturated guitars, fast tempos, raging pieces that match the fanzine aesthetic. The music pushes the descent with a young, rebellious aggression, keying the tricks to nervous riffs rather than dancing beats.
The Korean pressing of SSX on Tour, made in very low volume late in the PS2's life in a market where this Western snowboarder stayed niche. Its appeal lies in this pronounced local scarcity, making it one of the hardest variants of the entry to assemble, prized by specialists of Korean editions. A sharp target for collectors of Asian pressings.
Better with friends
A snowboard ride with assertive style, scattering its slopes with challenges and figures to chain for multiplayer shine. The competition blends speed, tricks and mountain exploration, where finding the perfect line sorts out the riders. More rock in its vibe, it favors expression and panache, and turns every descent into a style duel where you cheerfully rib each other over the slightest wipeout.
Is SSX on Tour still worth playing in 2026?
Released in 2005 on PS2, EA Sports BIG's project renews the series by adding skiing alongside snowboarding and adopting a hand drawn punk aesthetic, more rebellious than the previous entries. The open mountain, inherited from SSX 3, hosts a career mode that lifts a rookie rider toward glory. The sense of speed and the generosity of the slopes are still present. The new art direction and a more teenage tone divide longtime fans. A solid and accessible entry, recommended for fans of arcade boarding and of long term progression who enjoy building a rider from scratch.
