Skateboard games: the best on PC

The founding father of modern skateboarding games: Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 1 + 2 is a remake of the two legendary games that redefined the whole skateboarding genre. Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 1 + 2’s arcade gameplay is timeless, with the remake impressing newcomers and oldtime fans alike. By introducing elements from THPS 3 and 4, the remake plays even better than the originals.

We could talk about how Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 1 + 2’s gameplay brought a greater sense of balance and skill to the rough and tumble of skateboarding, but first we’d like to single out the music. The extreme sport has always rolled hand-in-hand with a particular spirit of rebellion, and Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 1 + 2 taps into that wonderfully with its soundtrack.

As you ollie and grind, you’re spurred on by tracks such as You by Bad Religion and Guerilla Radio by Rage Against the Machine – various artists featured in Tony Hawks have even gone on to say that being featured in the game made them famous. The music wouldn’t land without quality gameplay to support it. Much like its predecessor, Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 2 retains its arcadey feel as you roll off lengthy button combinations to pull off elaborate tricks that occasionally defy physics. If you’re feeling like Superman, you can thread in some grinds and manuals to test your sense of balance. But it’s the precise controls of Pro Skater 2 that make it so satisfying to play even now.

Okay, this one isn’t technically a skateboarding game, but it demands your attention nevertheless. Like a lot of the best skateboard games, Jet Set Radio is head-over-heels in love with the fluid movement and balletic combos. Mastering it isn’t easy though, and you’ll have to put in some grind in to get to grips with it.

It also shares a particular spirit with other skating games in embracing the spirit of youth culture and rebellion. You play as an inline skater who tags a fictional version of Tokyo with graffiti while gliding away from figures of authority. Stringing all this together is the DJ of the Jet Set Radio pirate radio station, who broadcasts a thumping soundtrack to you. When you tune in, expect music that combines everything from J-pop and hip hop to funk and electronic dance.

If any game best represents skater culture in the mid-2000’s then it has to be Tony Hawk’s Underground 2, which eschews a great deal of the extreme sports trappings in exchange for style and Jackass-inspired stunts. THUG2 came out when Avril Lavigne’s Sk8er Boi and the off-board and the antics of stunt and prank TV show Jackass, which features cameos from skateboarders like Tony Hawk and Bam Margera, were popular. Tony Hawk’s Underground 2 feels like Neversoft’s attempt at infusing that humour and personality with the series tight controls and endless combos.

You play as your own up-and-coming skateboarder who ends up tagging along with Tony Hawk and Bam Magera on their World Destruction Tour. That tour takes you through an eclectic mix of locales from Barcelona and Berlin, to Philly and New Orleans, although this time around you’ll spend a great deal more time setting up ludicrous stunts and pranks then stringing together combos.

Skater XL is one of the newer skateboarding entries on the list, and it’s in early access right now. It comes from Easy Day Studios, which developed the surprisingly realistic Skater for mobile.

Easy Day Studios’ pitch is all about realism. That means no more triple kickflips while somersaulting through the air, instead pulling off tricks feels more considered, making even the humble ollie feel satisfying to land. You can position your feet how you like and place the board how you want, too. A swathe of legendary spots also inspires the map so you can shred on the same ramps, grinds, and gaps as the greats.

Easily the most wholesome entry on this list, this game-to-be is about a bird on a small board with a big heart. The pitch is that your Big Friend has bailed on their skateboard for good and is stuck in a dead-end job they hate.

To cheer them up, you’ll build a makeshift park out of staplers, rulers, and other bits and bobs you can find around a room. The more your skills improve, the more your following on Tweeter (geddit?) grows, which leads to more skater birds coming to your park.

Arguably the most chill game on this list, Skate City takes players on a journey through Oslo, Barcelona, and Los Angeles for the perfect skate session. In this 2.5D skateboarding game, players can spend hours jamming to lo-fi beats as they make their way through each city. Though Skate City was originally made for the iPhone, pulling off tricks with a flick of your joystick feels perfect for a game like this.

It’s universally agreed that the best part of skateboarding comes from showing off your highlights. Skate City has in-game recording tools to ensure your best moments are captured; control the speed of clips, zoom in using the camera, and even switch to the classic fisheye lens to get the best view of the action. Whether you’re looking to complete challenges, or you want to relax in the free skate mode, Skate City gives you the freedom to enjoy the basics of skateboarding.

Everything we’ve seen of Skate Story has been psychedelic, to say the least. This game isequal parts skateboarding and art – every scene looks like it could be part of an arthouse movie. Skate Story is very secretive at the moment, we’ve only seen a few glimpses of the game since its initial reveal last year, but every time it has managed to impress.

The fluid, satisfying movement in skateboarding games is what makes these games so appealing, but what if you combined that with the mechanics of a shooter? Meddling Kids, the developers behind TrickShot describe their game as “Tony Hawk & Jet Set Radio skate movement meets Doom & Unreal Tournament gunplay”. Set to be released in Winter 2024, TrickShot looks like it’ll bring something very different to both shooter and skateboarding games.

You can rack up a high score while skating on your futuristic hover skates or hoverboard – earn bonus points by adding some frags into the mix. TrickShot wouldn’t be a modern day skateboarding game without customisation options: change your outfits, tricks, and emotes as you blast your way through enemies. In addition to the multiplayer modes (Team Deathmatch, Capture the Flag, and Hack Attack), the game also features a PvE horde mode.

OlliOlli World is the evolution of Roll7’s prized series, giving players a larger sandbox filled with a diverse cast, side quests, and sick trick opportunities. The world of Radlandia is ready to be ripped up by new and experienced skaters. There are over 100 tricks to learn, a Leagues system for competitive players, and a brand new sandbox mode that gives you plenty of room to express yourself.