Epic Wins, Epic Fails
Ever wondered which extreme sports games actually delivered the thrills they promised? Some titles became legendary for capturing that perfect rush of non-stop thrills and landing impossible tricks. Others crashed harder than a failed halfpipe attempt. Gaming history is littered with both masterpieces and disasters. To begin with, let's look at 10 games that nailed the formula and became instant classics.
Riders Republic: Game Preview Trailer | Ubisoft Forward 2020 | Ubisoft [NA] by Ubisoft North America
1. Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 2
Landing on PlayStation in 2000, Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 2 quickly carved its path across multiple platforms, including Windows, Dreamcast, and Game Boy Color. The game revolutionized skateboarding gameplay with innovative features like manuals and a level editor.
TONY HAWK'S PRO SKATER 2 | Full Game (PC Gameplay 4K UHD) by BenedictPlays
2. SSX Tricky
SSX Tricky exemplifies how gaming evolved beyond simple sports simulations in 2001, blending entertainment elements into a complete package. This snowboarding sequel merged Run-DMC's iconic "It's Tricky" soundtrack with Hollywood talent like Lucy Liu and David Arquette.
SSX Tricky - Full Gameplay Walkthrough Full Game - PS2 SSX GAMES 🎮 by The Ladslade
3. Skate 3
Turning catastrophic skateboarding fails into an art form, Skate 3's Hall of Meat mode rewarded players for their most spectacular wipeouts. This quirky feature complemented the game's skater-friendly Port Carverton cityscape when EA Black Box launched their 2010 release for PS3.
SKATE 3 | PS3 Gameplay by BenedictPlays
4. Riders Republic
Seven majestic U.S. national parks merge into one breathtaking playground in Riders Republic, but these protected areas aren't just for peaceful contemplation. Ubisoft's 2021 release lets 50 players tear through on bikes, skis, snowboards, and wingsuits in heart-pounding mass races.
Riders Republic - PS5 Gameplay | 4K 60FPS by Ozone
5. Amped 3
Starting with deep character customization that lets players deck out their riders in endless gear combinations, Amped 3 builds into a full-fledged Xbox 360 snowboarding experience unlike any other. The 2005 exclusive truly peaks with its story-driven campaign.
Amped 3 - Gameplay Xbox 360 (Release Date 2005) by JohnGodgamesHD
6. Wave Race 64
Wave Race 64 is a 1996 racing video game published by Nintendo for the Nintendo 64. It centers on racing personal watercraft (Jet Skis) on various courses featuring dynamic wave and weather conditions. The gameplay involves maneuvering around buoys.
Wave Race™ 64 - Nintendo 64 - Nintendo Switch Online by Nintendo of America
7. Freekstyle
Pro motocross legends Mike Metzger and Clifford "The Flyin' Hawaiian" Adoptante bring their extreme sports expertise to Freekstyle, validating its wildly exaggerated physics and stunt-focused gameplay. Their presence anchors the over-the-top track designs and point-scoring aerial spectacle in this 2002 release.
Freekstyle PS2 Gameplay HD (PCSX2) by xTimelessGaming
8. Descenders
Since its 2019 debut, Descenders has built vibrant team communities through its three-faction reputation system. Here, riders forge their competitive identities. The game's procedurally generated tracks provide endless fresh challenges for teams to master. Liquicity's drum and bass soundtrack is also noteworthy.
Descenders - Launch Trailer by Xbox
9. Kelly Slater’s Pro Surfer
When surfing legend Kelly Slater and skateboarding icon Tony Hawk joined forces in this masterpiece, it resulted in an ultimate board-sport crossover. Released across PlayStation 2, Xbox, GameCube, and Game Boy Advance, the game lets players shred legendary breaks.
Kelly Slater's Pro Surfer - PS2 Gameplay (4K60fps) by igcompany
10. Steep
Steep's sprawling open-world mountains give gamers complete freedom to tackle the Alps however they choose. Released by Ubisoft in 2016, this extreme sports playground lets adventurers seamlessly switch between skiing, snowboarding, paragliding, and wingsuit flying across authentic alpine terrain.
STEEP - Random & Awesome Moments #1 by GameSprout
Now for the other side of the coin—10 games that missed the mark.
1. Tony Hawk: Ride
The skateboard-shaped motion controller promised to revolutionize Tony Hawk's gaming franchise by offering an immersive experience. However, this ambitious peripheral proved to be the game's downfall, with unresponsive controls and frustrating gameplay alienating players. It got a harsh 48/100 Metacritic score.
Tony Hawk Ride Video Review by GameSpot by GameSpot
2. BMX XXX
Originally slated as a Dave Mirra title, BMX XXX took an unexpected detour when Z-Axis and Acclaim Entertainment decided to spice things up with adult content and crude humor in 2002. The controversial pivot backfired spectacularly as Mirra quickly distanced himself.
BMX XXX - PS2 [HD] Gameplay by World of PlayStation
3. Shaun White Snowboarding: World Stage
Despite being a sequel, the game offered only minimal improvements over its predecessor, with reviewers noting that "the controls, graphics, and most of the sounds remain the same.” One of the biggest disappointments was "the lack of an online multiplayer" mode.
SHAUN WHITE SNOWBOARDING: WORLD STAGE | Wii Gameplay by BenedictPlays
4. Skate Or Die: Tour De Thrash
As gaming went portable in 1991, Skate or Die: Tour de Thrash attempted to bring skateboarding action to the Game Boy by reimagining the popular franchise in side-scrolling form, rather than its signature top-down view. However, this handheld spin-off stumbled with problematic controls.
||Simple Skating|| Skate or Die: Tour de Thrash (GB) by BioLyze
5. MotionSports: Adrenaline
In the middle of the Kinect craze, Ubisoft tried to capitalize on the fad of the Xbox 360 accessory. The activities failed to simulate any of the extreme sports in a way that felt particularly entertaining, especially given the Kinect's unreliable responsiveness.
MotionSports Adrenaline -First Ten Minutes by Console Creatures
6. Cool Boarders (Later Entries)
Gamers mention that this game featured a new control scheme that was fundamentally broken. Besides, the addition of "Road Rash-style punching on the course" was out of place. Everything after Cool Boarders 2 suffered from poor development decisions.
Cool Boarders 3 PS1 Gameplay HD by igcompany
7. Razor Freestyle Scooter
While not universally panned, Razor Freestyle Scooter planned to cash in on both the scooter and extreme sports video game craze. The problem was that a scooter video game just wasn't as marketable as skateboarding. It was a shameless ploy to extract money.
||Simple Skating|| Razor Freestyle Scooter (GBA) by BioLyze
8. Grind Session
When it comes to extreme sports, this one was the skateboarding game your mum tells you that you have at home. Given that THPS came out months before Grind Session, it made people feel like this creation was just a pale imitator.
Grind Session (PS1) - Demo Playthrough/Longplay by Retro Pixel Lizard's Retro Game Dungeon
9. Stoked Rider
Stoked Rider suffered from overly complex, unresponsive controls that required "octopus-like" coordination. The steep learning curve, poor tutorials, sparse open worlds, and inconsistent trick recognition made it frustratingly inaccessible. Looks like realism was prioritized over fun gameplay.
Stoked Rider : "Extreme Freeriding Simulaiton" v2.09 (Windows game 2001) by The Rarest Gamer
10. Transworld Surf
On paper, at least, you would have assumed that this would be the best option to appeal to actual snowboarders. However, a fantastic cast was ultimately disappointed by the game's terrible physics and endless, rock-filled terrain settings.
