Ready to Shred? Skate 4 Early Access Starts Soon — Here's How to Join and What to Expect

Get ready to shred! The highly anticipated return of the Skate series is nearly here, with early access to the game kicking off soon.

If you're eager to hit the streets of San Vansterdam before anyone else, you'll want to know how to get involved and when the full release is planned.

Skate 4 Early Access: Hitting the Streets Soon

Get your decks ready, because Electronic Arts (EA) has announced that early access for Skate will arrive by the end of summer for PlayStation, Windows PC, Xbox, and mobile users. The latest playtest, Update 0.27, became available on 2 July.

Skate, often referred to as the Skate reboot, is set to launch in early access later this year. If you were hoping to register for the Insider Playtesting program, those registrations are now closed as EA gets ready for the Early Access launch at the end of Summer 2025.

Players who wanted to get in on early Skate sessions around San Vansterdam had until 27 June to sign up as a Skate Insider, according to Polygon. Participating in early access grants players exclusive rewards such as unique skateboards, gear, and stickers for in-game use. However, there's a critical detail about the Skate reboot that future players should be aware of.

Skate: An Online-Only Experience

According to EA, Skate 4 will launch into its planned early access mode, requiring a constant online connection. That's right: you'll only be able to play Skate when you're online.

'No. The game and city are designed to be a living, breathing massively multiplayer skateboarding sandbox that is always online and always evolving,' the first The Grind blog post from EA and Full Circle noted.

'You'll see bigger things evolve, like changes to the city over time, as well as smaller things, like live events and other in-game activities. To deliver on our vision of a skateboarding world, the game will always require a live connection. That is probably not much of a surprise if you've been in our playtest.'

Players can explore a world that is still being built, and skaters will consistently earn rewards simply for being in the digital environment. As a result, EA and Full Circle believe that Skate will require an internet connection, allowing players to experience ongoing updates and live events.

In the blog post, the developers also confirmed that the controversial microtransactions seen in the game's playtest will carry over into early access. Players will be able to use a virtual currency, San Van Bucks, to buy exciting gear and boards for their online avatar within the virtual city of San Vansterdam.

Understanding In-Game Purchases

For those wondering whether players will need to shell out money to acquire the 'cool stuff,' EA and Full Circle have confirmed the presence of a paywall. The game will feature an 'earnable' virtual currency called Rip Chips.

With all these upcoming changes to the franchise, EA and Full Circle plan to continue extensive testing for the game, having sent out playtest invitations in June. The developers will use this playtest to refine the gameplay and virtual world, as well as to gather feedback on the microtransactions.