We’re So Back: Skate is What I’ve Wanted for 15 Years

EA’s Skate series is one I look back on fondly. So many weekends, I’d begin with watching Enjoi’s Bag of Suck, Pig Wood’s Slaughterhouse, or Foundation’s Cataclysmic Abyss, go out and skate with my friends, then finish the day playing one of the three Skate games. However, it’s not just nostalgia that fuels that fondness. They are all genuinely great skateboarding games that shook up the genre after years of Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater clones. You could pick up any of the three games and see why gamers have been asking for “Skate 4” for over a decade.

Which brings us to 2025, the year EA finally brings back its lauded skateboarding franchise. Simply titled Skate (stylized skate.), the newest iteration is the next evolution of the series, as it hops onto trends the series has missed over the past 15 years. The long-running publisher and Full Circle have made the controversial decision to make Skate a free-to-play game. While that sentence probably elicited an audible “ick” from gamers around the globe, it doesn’t seem to affect the gameplay. Its the game’s longevity where my concerns lie.

Skate’s Flick-It Controls Are Back

Recently, I had an opportunity to play a build of Skate’s Early Access version coming on September 16th. Overall, I’m excited for it. There are lots of facets to love about the upcoming skateboarding game. Namely, its gameplay.

In an unsurprising move, Skate’s flick-it control scheme is back and is truly better than ever. For the uninitiated, flick-it controls use the right thumbstick to control the skater’s tricks. For example, to perform an ollie, you’ll pull down on the stick, then quickly flick it up to register the trick. For a kickflip, if the skater is regular stance, you’ll pull down on the stick, and then flick it to the 10 or 11 o’clock position to perform the trick.

Flick-it controls are fundamental to Skate. It is what made the series stand out against the likes of Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater. And even after all these years, it remains the best happy medium between realism and arcade-style controls. It really isn’t much different from the previous games, but if it isn’t broke, then there is no reason to make too many significant adjustments to it.

What’s New in Skate

The small adjustments that Full Circle has made to Skate’s gameplay are very welcome. The animations are slick. I love when I have my skater do some trick down a huge stair set or gap, and he does a little Baker maker, having you feel the impact of the huge drop. The catch of the hardflip and inward heels look so good, it’s hard not to do them on every obstacle in San Vansterdam, the game’s setting. Style is integral to skating, and if I could perform any of these tricks like my fake digital skater in real life, I’d be happy.

Along with these adjustments are new tricks and gameplay features. Slappys are introduced in Skate, allowing you to seamlessly grind on a curb without ollie-ing into the grind. This allows you to keep your line going if you accidentally crash into a curb; rather than eating it after hitting the curb, the skater will just hop into a 50-50 slappy grind. It’s great and fun to do. Personally, I love doing slappy frontside crooks and then nollie backside shove it out.

Full Circle also added wallies, which essentially allow the skater to do a quick ollie off a wall. While I haven’t been able to make it look cool just yet, I definitely want to try to experiment with it, especially when trying to make filmed lines more “stylish.”

One feature that is so small, but feels so good, is the ability to slowly flip the board by inputting the trick slower. For example, if I wanted to have my kickflip land closer to the ground rather than near the peak of my jump, you could flick the trick slightly slower and the flip will end near the ground. It just adds a bit more style and looks especially great when doing treflips off of huge ramps or down stairs.

My only qualm with the gameplay is with vert skating. I don’t think any game in Skate’s style has ever made vert skating feel that great. Sure, jumping off a mega ramp is fun, but tricks like stalls, or even just the act of pumping, just don’t feel right. It’s not surprising because I’ve felt this way about this since the first Skate, as well as other skateboarding “simulators” like Session and Skater XL, but it would be nice if it wasn’t a hassle or nearly impossible to make a frontside feeble or bs smith in a pool look cool.

Skate’s San Vasterdam Could Flow Better

You’ll perform all of these tricks in the aforementioned San Vansterdam, the new fictional city skaters have invaded to skate and destroy. I think the map has some solid spots, but I’m not quite feeling the flow the series is known for. The original Skate’s San Vanelona would essentially let you skate through the entirety of the city without really any stopping points. You could just go. San Vansterdam feels more like four sectioned parks, each with its own unique feel. There is some overlap, but I wish the map flowed better together.

However, these maps are more vertical. There are spots on rooftops that many players might miss out on. Some of the missions given do end up leading you to some of these spots, giving you just a taste of what to expect. So, it is nice that Skate is promoting a bit more exploration. Luckily, its parkour controls actually feel pretty great. You can easily scale a skyscraper in a matter of seconds, put down a session marker, and attempt whatever crazy stunt to your heart’s content.

Skate Has a Great Foundation, But Can It Last?

All-in-all, I think 2025’s Skate has a really great foundation. The gameplay feels great, and the map has enough spots players will want to explore. Additionally, the ability to drop ramps or other obstacles to make a spot more skate-able really makes it feel like everything can be skated in some way. I have had a blast playing it, but there are a couple of facets of this game that leave me cautiously optimistic.

Many of my concerns are tied to the free-to-play nature of Skate. It is awesome that anyone can jump in and start skating and really not pay anything if they don’t want to, especially as Full Circle has stated that new skateable areas and tricks would not be behind a paywall. That would legitimately be insane if they decided to lock the impossible, a trick where you scoop the board around your foot on flat ground, behind some DLC pack.

It is the longevity of Skate that concerns me. There have been so many free-to-play and premium live-service games that have just come and gone over the years, some not even lasting a month. Games like Knockout City, Concord, MultiVersus, Marvel’s Avengers, and Anthem are just a few that come to mind.

Without a doubt, Skate has great gameplay and will keep players coming back, to an extent. But Full Circle will have to make money on this game to keep them going. I like that the microtransactions will only be cosmetic, but I don’t see people buying pairs of Vans or a pair of Dickies pants in droves. I also don’t care to have my skater wear a goofy outfit that makes them look like a grim reaper, or maybe even an EA character like Commander Shepard. It’s just not how I want to play Skate.

Then there are the brands that are there currently. Right now, Skate has Nike, Vans, Dickies, Thrasher, Girl, and Chocolate. Nike and Vans are probably among the most popular shoe brands in skateboarding, but it would be nice to have more skate-centric or skater-owned brands, like eS, Last Resort AB, and Warsaw. This notion extends to board brands. Yes, Girl and Chocolate are integral to skate history, but there are other legacy brands, as well as newer brands, that are just as popular or important, like Baker, FA, GX1000, Quasi, or Sci-Fi Fantasy. In terms of clothing types, there is variety, but when all the real branded stuff is plastered with Nike, Vans, or Dickies, those unlocks aren’t really exciting.

So, how could EA and Full Circle draw people in with just cosmetic microtransactions? It is this question that is the root of my concerns. Maybe releasing a cosmetic item on the same day as its real-life counterpart? For example, TJ Rogers’ is releasing a new signature shoe for eS. Putting that shoe in the shop on the day of release might be a way for players to get hyped for that release. Maybe adding skins of pro skaters so players can choose to skate as their favorite pro? I don’t know the answer, and I’m not sure if there is a good answer either.

Regardless of my reservations, I am really excited to play Skate when it launches in early access in September. Fundamentally, it is the best the series has played and features a fully unlocked map that is fun to explore. Arguably, that’s the best-case scenario for a free-to-play version of Skate. I look forward to seeing how the game evolves, and I hope Full Circle has found the secret sauce to keep this game afloat for the years to come.

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