Skate 4, stylized as skate., is finally here. After fifteen long years of waiting, EA's skateboarding simulation franchise has been reanimated as a live-service, free-to-play title—concerning buzzwords for many, but Skate 4 seems to have the basics down-pat. Indeed, solid controls and an expressive, ridiculous physics engine make Skate 4 a blast to play, even if its current server issues and live-service formula paint an uncertain picture of its future.
But EA and developer Full Circle are staying the course, drawing back the curtain on their plans for Skate 4 in a roadmap released a few weeks ago. As one would expect, Skate 4 requires a steady stream of content to stay fueled up and appealing to the masses, though whether this upcoming content is enough to keep the game relevant remains to be seen. One of the biggest potential problems facing this content-release strategy is its timing: the roadmap in question was revealed before Skate 4's early access launch, and before its playerbase came out of the woodwork with myriad complaints. It follows that the Skate 4 roadmap won't address every major shortcoming of the game, but will it be enough to keep the momentum going in the coming months?
Skate 4's Roadmap Details Its Next Three Seasons
Skate 4's Season 1: Begins October 2025
Per the roadmap, Skate 4's first season will feature:
- 2 seasonal events
- skate.Pass
- Skate-O-Ween and 7-Ply Maple Harvest
- Quality of life improvements
Despite being listed as a separate item in the official roadmap, it would appear that "2 seasonal events" is in reference to the Skate-O-Ween and 7-Ply Maple Harvest events, which are presumably themed around Halloween and Thanksgiving, respectively. It would be reasonable to assume that these events will feature all manner of holiday-centric cosmetics, world changes, and in-game festivities; here's hoping that they will provide enough novelty to be worthwhile detours from Skate 4's current content offerings.
The big headliner here is skate.Pass, a "battle pass" of sorts that will grant players access to a premium progression path for new cosmetics and the like. It appears to be similar to premium battle passes in live-service games like Halo Infinite and Call of Duty Warzone. The skate.Pass will be available starting October 7.
Skate 4's Season 2: Begins December 2025
Season 2 is where Skate 4 will start introducing more substantial changes:
- New co-op game mode
- 2 seasonal events
- Party voice chat
- New tricks: impossibles and "improved handplants"
- Replay editor improvements
Once again, this season will add themed events to Skate 4, presumably based on the winter holidays. Looking deeper than that, a new cooperative game mode will be added, which should appeal to fans of the classic Skate games, and the arrival of in-game party voice chat ought to bolster that corner of the gameplay as well. Season 2 will also introduce impossible flips and "improved handplants," which could mean more variations of the handplant tricks already available. Finally, tweaks to the replay editor could greatly bolster Skate 4's user-generated content—something that Season 3 will double-down on.
Skate 4's Season 3: Start Date TBA
Season 3 is the most loosely defined season in the roadmap, but it's also the most enticing. Presumably starting in January 2026, Skate 4's third season will add:
- Leaderboards
- Open world collection
- More character customization (e.g. Tattoos)
- Player-created parks
- New game modes
- New tricks: darkslides and "improved footplants"
On top of adding even more game modes, tricks, and improvements to existing tricks, Skate 4's third season will bring player-created parks, a returning feature from Skate 3. Season 3 will also introduce leaderboards and greater character customization, with tattoos being listed as an example, though why such basic features are only being introduced in the third season is anyone's guess.
- Released
- September 16, 2025
- ESRB
- Teen / Crude Humor, Lyrics, Mild Violence, In-Game Purchases, Users Interact
- Developer(s)
- Full Circle
- Publisher(s)
- EA
- Engine
- Frostbite
WHERE TO PLAY
The next evolution of the award-winning skate.™ franchise is here. Your new favorite hangout awaits.
PLAY TOGETHER IN A DYNAMIC SOCIAL WORLD
Drop into the dynamic, ever-evolving city of San Vansterdam - a city with a new lease on life, building its growing skate scene alongside its new residents. In San Van, no two days are alike, and fun waits around every corner in this online multiplayer world fueled by skateboarding, self expression and community.
EXPERIENCE TOTAL CONTROL
Skate through San Vansterdam’s streets, parks and plazas with improved Flick-It controls, play with physics to experience “only in skate.™“ moments or hop off your board to explore on foot and climb to discover new spots at all heights across San Van. From the rails and ledges to the rooftops and ramps, San Van is your canvas to find endless spots and fun as you immerse yourself in the city’s budding skate culture.
PAVE YOUR OWN PATH
Earn rewards, show-off and progress no matter how you want to play as you take on activities, challenges and events while exploring the city to develop your own style, favorite tricks and favorite spots. There are countless possibilities to personalize and express yourself in San Vansterdam with a rich and growing suite of character customization options to create your own skater and an extensive inventory of hats, clothes, footwear and accessories, featuring some of the biggest brands in skateboarding and street fashion. Make your board an extension of you and show off your style by building out your collection of decks, grip tape, wheels, trucks and stickers.
CREATE YOUR OWN FUN
Build new spots by placing skateable objects in the world in-real time with your Quick Drop items, create your own challenges against other skaters with Throwdowns across the city or roll into one of San Vansterdam’s many Community Parks to get the session going with your friends and fellow San Van residents. Capture your biggest tricks, slams and moments on film with the Replay Editor to create your collection of photos and clips and then share them to highlight what you’ve been getting up to across the city.
CROSS-PLAY, CO-OP AND CROSS-PROGRESSION*
Skate with friends and the wider community across supported platforms with cross-play and 150 player servers. Want to party up? Take on cooperative challenges together for greater rewards. Cross-progression allows you to keep earning rewards and finding the fun no matter what platform you want to drop in on.
*Conditions & restrictions apply. See https://go.ea.com/Ln65Q for details.
- Multiplayer
- Online Multiplayer, Online Co-Op
- Cross-Platform Play
- Yes - All Platforms
- Cross Save
- Yes
- Franchise
- Skate
- Number of Players
- Single-player
- Steam Deck Compatibility
- Unknown
- Early Access Release
- September 16, 2025
- Genre(s)
- Sports, MMO, Open-World
- Platform(s)
- PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, Xbox One, PC
