When it comes to the Skate 4 release date, it could be as soon as the end of this year. Despite there being some Skate 4 gameplay and even closed playtests, EA’s upcoming revival is a rare case of a triple-A studio showing off very early in-development footage of a game – and we love it. However, this does mean that although we’ve seen plenty of Skate 4, we can also clearly see it’s not ready yet. It’s already been over a decade since the last Skate game, we can hold on a little longer.
The first Skate was among the most innovative skateboard games around, from its analog control scheme and semi open-world game structure to its more realistic, less edgy representation of the skating scene. The development team behind Skate 3 was disbanded after its release in 2010, and the series’ community has been consistently bombarding EA message boards with questions about the series and its potential return ever since.
Skate 4 release date speculation
There’s no known Skate 4 release date and judging from the early footage we’ve seen of the skateboard game, it’ll be a while before we get any concrete launch date. That said, EA CEO Andrew Wilson said in an earnings call that the game’s “coming soon”. Sure, “soon” is doing a lot of work there, but as we’re speculating, our best guess is that the Skate 4 release date will be in late 2023 at the earliest.
Whilst playtesting has been ongoing since early 2022, its most recent, and last, round concluded in June 2023, suggesting a release date announcement could be around the corner.
Skate 4 gameplay
It’s early days, but there’s actually quite a bit of official Skate 4 gameplay available. However, the gameplay that is out is all with incomplete character models, animations, and environments, so it certainly isn’t the finished product. We’ve embedded the latest Skate 4 gameplay highlights below.
So, what does this tell us? Quite a bit actually. The main thing is that Skate 4 is going to look pretty familiar in terms of the types of tricks you can pull off and how you execute them. You can see grabs, grinds, flips, and rotations – the way the character models transition between them all looks relatively smooth and very familiar.
There are a lot of off-board traversals, too. We can see players running around, jumping, climbing ladders, and even using grind rails like balance beams. The physics engine clearly allows for some weighty ragdolls, so expect the Hall of Meat to return. There also appears to be multiplayer, but with expanded lobby sizes; we can see nine players in one scene above. And if you’re looking for some snippets of what the final product will look like, then there are some more polished sections in the trailer below:
Beyond what the footage tells us we also know that Skate 4 will place greater emphasis on community-created content. Skate has had powerful level editing tools before, but the new Skate game will have collaborative building areas where co-op players can join together to start hurling different things together before trying to skate it.
Skate 4 insider playtest
You can sign up for the Skate insider playtests over at EA’s website. There’s no promise you will get into any of the playtests as a Skate insider, but it appears the game is only playable on PC right now. All Skate insiders must sign an NDA to confirm they will not share any videos, captures, or screenshots from the playtests. EA releases bi-monthly videos showing some of the community-designed parks and their skating lines.
Skate 4 or Skate?
Technically, it’s not even called Skate 4 – it’s Skate. But let’s face it, everyone is looking at this as Skate 4, so that’s what we’re going with until Skate catches on again.
Is Skate 4 free to play?
Yes, Skate 4 is a free-to-play game and it’s live service to boot. As you might expect, the F2P model means there are microtransactions. Developer Full Circle says there will not be any gameplay-altering items you can purchase – or loot boxes for that matter – which pretty much leaves cosmetics on the table as the main thing players might be able to spend their money on.
Skate 4 setting
We’ve visited a few skateboarding metropolises throughout the series, but Skate 4 is set in a whole new location: San Vansterdam. And yes, that’s quite an obvious reference. It’s hard to read too much into the footage we’ve seen as it’s all pre-pre-alpha, but Cuz Parry refers to it as a sister city to San Vanelona, the setting from the first two games. It was confirmed in a recent Board Room episode that there will be an ongoing story for the player and the city of San Vansterdam throughout Skate 4 but, as you can probably guess, they’re just not ready to talk about it yet.
Skate 4 activities
In a recent Board Room episode on YouTube, the developer team working on Skate 4 detailed new activities in San Vansterdam. Activities will constantly evolve and change giving you something new to explore. They’re grounded in Skate 4’s reality meaning they can be out of the ordinary. Activities are also designed to support the community and involve all players regardless of skill level.
Some activities currently being worked on and tested are challenges – which players will be familiar with if they’ve ever set foot in a Skate game before. Challenges are short, solo experiences that will rotate in and out of the game with minor changes.
Pop-ups are dynamic events situated around the city that bring people together, which are not “super long or super hard”. An example is a requirement of gaining a 50,000 score as a group, and aim to attract players to one area of the game.
Throwdowns encourage people to gather at any time to show tricks and show off. This enables players to put an activity wherever they find a cool space to have light, competitive fun.
Community Events are the final type of activity being worked on currently and allows for “pretty crazy” things to happen. The developer team wants players to think of these as games at a carnival. They’re light-hearted and fun events.
Is Skate 4 coming to PC?
Yes, in August 2021 the official Skate Twitter account confirmed the new game is coming to PC. As for crossplay and cross-progression, those have also been confirmed, so plenty of good news.
And that’s all you need to know about the Skate 4 release date. If you’re looking for thrilling experiences, check out our best sports games list to find something extreme. We also have a list of excellent free PC games just like Skate 4 if you’re low on cash.
