15 Best Skateboarding Games, Ranked - The first knowledge sharing application in Vietnam

Skateboarding games are pretty scarce nowadays. The once prominently popular genre of video games, reaping its popularity in the late ’90s and early ’00s by the likes of the Tony Hawk’s series, has since dwindled into a ghost town – far from what it once was, and not for lack of fans asking.

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The renowned Skate series from EA was fantastic, and fans had been asking for a fourth entry in the franchise for over a decade before it was eventually announced. Despite the lack of games, there are still those that fans of the sport hold dear – both old and new.

Updated on January 4, 2023, by Sam Hallahan: With some classics, some modern, and plenty of refreshing experiences floating around with more on the horizon – cough, skate., cough – skateboarding games are more popular than ever. Sure, the ’90s and early 2000s were prime for the genre and specifically Tony Hawk games, but there’s something for everyone out there nowadays. Here are some more of the best skateboarding games available.

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Shaun White Skateboarding

This is a bit of an old one, but a fun game nonetheless. Shaun White Skateboarding takes a DeBlob approach to skating around, as you return color and life to the dreary and grey cityscape.

This game holds up well, still boasting a unique style and flare to the gameplay as you flip and trick your way into a beautifully vibrant city. Unfortunately, the game is not backwards compatible or on any modern platforms, so you’ll have to return to some beloved old hardware in order to play this one.

Skate City

A bit of a simpler game across the board, Skate City is sure to accommodate those looking for a more casual experience – but one you can still put the time into if you wish. The game is a side-on scroller where you perform tricks as you travel along the linear levels.

You can take on specific challenges, in which you must complete tricks or objectives within time limits, or you can go for an endless skate – the level will loop indefinitely while you roll through pulling off all the tricks you could dream of. In this sense, the game is much more of a relaxing experience, rather than an adrenaline rush that most others aim for.

SkateBIRD

On the sillier side of the spectrum, SkateBird has you play as a small bird with the goal to becoming the best skateboarder around. Of course, there are other amazing skate birds too, so there will be some competition in this clunky arcade-feeling game. Think TH Pro Skater, but with more feathers.

The environments are charming, allowing you to skate around a large house, doing some gnarly tricks over conveniently placed half-pipes, or kickflipping over a pencil. Whatever it is, you can’t go wrong with having some fun here.

The Ramp

Taking skating – and gaming – to its simplest form, The Ramp is a game with a simple premise: you go up the ramp, you do a trick, you come back down, and repeat. With simplistic controls and a minimalistic art style, this is pick-up-and-play fun at its best.

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There are a few different levels, including a halfpipe, a big ramp, and some empty pools to skate around in. One way or another, you’ll be going up ramps and doing little spins non-stop, and it can be such a relaxing way to pass the time with some virtual skating.

Tony Hawk’s American Wasteland

Tony Hawk games are going to pop up multiple times when looking at skateboarding titles, but which ones are the question. American Wasteland is by no means the most popular, but it’s a great game that is just as much silly fun as the rest of them. There is a BMX in the game too, which is pretty fun, but this here is a skateboarding list.

The skateboarding is pretty similar to the rest of the Tony Hawk games, as they generally share mechanics. The maps are fun to explore though, and there’s a lot to get lost in. Also, the BMX is great, so chuck that board and use that sometimes.

Session: Skate Sim

Featured in a few Xbox showcases and developed by crea-ture Studios Inc., Session: Skate Sim aims to do exactly what it says – simulate skating as realistically as possible.

This does make for a challenging experience, but one that fans of the sport will adore and appreciate greatly. Explore varying maps and locations as you try and try again to pull off those difficult tricks. The feeling of finally doing what you wanted to do is exhilarating, and that’s what skating is all about.

Skater XL

Developed by indie dev Easy Day Studios, Skater XL is an ambitious project to create a game that fans of the Skate series and the sport, in general, can love. It focuses on realism and simulation rather than an arcade aesthetic, and has been a work in progress with fans behind it for quite some time.

The developers are still putting out updates and hoping to expand the game more and more as they go, and it’s exciting to see what they can achieve. It’s still a little rough around the edges, so bear that in mind if you’re looking to jump in – that said, it’s shaping up to be a grand project and it keeps getting better.

Skate

The original Skate, while missing some things introduced with the follow-up games, remains a classic and a high point of the genre. It hit that perfect point between realism and video game, and the series is known throughout the industry – not only by fans of the sport.

Coming off the back of the arcade-y Tony Hawk games, Skate began something a little more grounded. Still ridiculous in ways, especially in the later games, but it’s a refreshing experience. Skate is also playable on modern Xbox consoles, so there’s no reason not to jump into this one.

Skate 2

As we mentioned, one of the most known series in the skateboarding world is Skate, aptly named, and 2009’s Skate 2 took things much further. The game offered an expansive map and incredible gameplay for players to get completely immersed in, attempting to pull off the grandest stunts imaginable.

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A standout feature of Skate 2 was the ability to customize different spots around the map to set up cool tricks and stunts. Move that rail or that dumpster, line them up, and then pull off a combo of tricks to score as high as you can.

OlliOlli2: Welcome To Olliwood

Back to the side-scrolling, arcade-esque skaters out there – the OlliOlli series owns it. These games take a simple approach and flesh it out to make for an incredibly fun experience. With fast-paced skating and fantastic music to accompany it, you’ll be hooked on this one in no time.

OlliOlli2: Welcome To Olliwood makes great improvements over the original, and will push you to get the highest score possible. While the aforementioned Skate City offered a more relaxed approach to the genre, OlliOlli2 will have you memorizing each level and pulling off the perfect runs – even better, there are Pro levels to conquer too.

Tony Hawk’s Underground

The Tony Hawk series of skating games is the biggest one around. The series dominated consoles in the late ’90s and into the ’00s, offering an intense arcade experience like no other. The games varied greatly, with some being straightforward skateboarding, and others being a little more on the silly side.

That said, Tony Hawk’s Underground is a beloved game that embraces the weirdness. It’s still fantastic for fans of the sport and doesn’t push the bizarre in any way – it just offers a cool story, some strange characters, and fantastic customization options that can keep you occupied for hours.

Tony Hawk’s Underground 2

Following off the back of Tony Hawk’s Underground, the sequel is more of the same – and that’s perfect. It remains just as fun, and if you enjoyed the first game, you’ll find so much more to love here.

That said, the original Underground may appeal to you more as it has a better overall story, whereas the sequel gets weird for the sake of being weird. Still, weird can be fun, and who doesn’t love some chaos to go with your skating now and then?

OlliOlli World

The third entry for the series, OlliOlli World takes the fast-paced skill-based side-scroller into 3D, with layered environments, colorful graphics, and a whole lot more style.

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If you’re a fan of the previous two games, or even if you haven’t played them before, you’ll more than likely love OlliOlli World. With extensive character creation and just as great music to listen to while you master each and every track in the game, it’s definitely worth jumping in.

Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 1+2

Speaking of the more straightforward games, Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater is a side series that first drew in fans in 1999. These games are beloved by players all over, and make for an engaging and hectic arcade experience that keeps you coming back to pull off even greater stunts.

The first two games received a recent remake as well, by way of Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 1+2. If you haven’t played them before, then consider this re-release – you get two fantastic games with so much content that will keep you coming back for hours on end.

Skate 3

If you as a fan of skateboarding video games what their favorite is, they will usually have one of two answers: Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater, or Skate. Both games strive in different directions, with Pro Skater tackling an arcade aesthetic, while Skate opts for a balance of realism. Whatever your favorite, you can’t deny the quality of each.

Skate 3 is a timeless game, and since its release in 2010, fans have been begging EA to reveal a sequel – something that only came to be about ten years later. With Skate 3 available via Xbox Backwards Compatibility, there’s still every reason to play this fantastic game. Explore each of the maps and play around with how you can customize them. Or just play in the Hall of Meat mode and see how many bones you can break, it’s your call.

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