Illustration: Nikolai Barkats
Ever since Activision launched the genre with the aptly titled Skiing way back in 1980, skiing and snowboarding video games have become a gaming staple. Nearly every console generation has had its defining ski or snowboard title, each pushing the genre forward in new ways.
Generally, these games fall into two main categories: big air games and technical games. Big air games prioritize thrill and spectacle, with players launching off massive jumps and pulling off impossible tricks via an ungodly amount of exaggerated air time. Button-mashers rejoice: these games often feature arcade-style mechanics that reward showmanship and creativity. Technical games, on the other hand, aim to emulate a bit more of the real-world nuances of the sport (though video game physics still apply). Success depends on mastering edge control, anticipating terrain changes, and executing precise movements to maintain speed and flow.
The best of them have found ways to innovate within these styles, pushing the genre forward while delivering unforgettable downhill thrills. Taking art direction, sound design, mechanics, and gameplay into account, here’s a breakdown of 12 notable ski and snowboard video games, painstakingly categorized from worst to best.
12. Alpine Racer (1995)
Platform: Arcade Console
It’s hard to say if Alpine Racer is responsible for the third-person camera perspective that came to define the genre, as it was developed roughly around the same time as two other games that employ the same trick (Tommy Moe’s Winter Extreme, and Val d’Isere Skiing and Snowboarding, respectively). Nevertheless, this arcade staple moved the needle for the genre through buzz and popularity alone. Iconic for its gimmicky control system, the game requires players to stand on a swaying swivel-board and hold a pair of pole-like handle controls.
The lack of tricks and big air thrills land this game on the bottom rung. Still, Alpine Racer is a fun, novel challenge that undoubtedly paved the way for contemporary virtual skiing outposts, and showed the gaming world that the ski and snowboard genre was a commercially viable one.
11. Cool Boarders (1997)
Platform: PS1
Cool Boarders is a PS1-era classic that more or less plays like a home console update to Alpine Racer (albeit without the full-body control gimmick). The game introduces elements that other titles on this list would come to employ, like a surfer-dude announcer/narrator egging the character on (a la Cruisin’ USA), timed checkpoints, multiple boards with varied stats (speed, response, and stability), and a board selection room before you hit the slopes.
Still, the game is bare bones. It’s a low-poly romp where the player skids along a downhill track to tinny surf rock. There are jumps and tricks, but a lack of defined characters, story elements, and the clunky, rushed 3D art early PlayStation games were notorious for make Cool Boarders a fun but mediocre experience. The game lacks the thrills later titles provide. No big air moments, no NPC competitors, and no two-player mode here.
10. SNØ: Ultimate Freeriding (2025)
Platform: Steam, PC, Mac
Newly released from an indie Norwegian developer, SNØ is a zen, minimalist freeride skiing game. Players ride through randomly generated courses, tree skiing through thick powder, going airborne for tricks, or deploying a paraglider to enjoy some hangtime. It’s not quite a big-air game or a technical game – instead, the game feels like it offers something new. Players choose from three play modes: an infinite runner-style ride, where you score as many points as possible, a score-attack mode with distance limits, and a score-free zen mode. Arcade-style online leaderboards in mode one and two provide the thrill of competition, both with your personal high score and worldwide competitors. The turn mechanics require a bit of patience to master, but the game is beautiful to look at. There’s a subtle twinkle on the snow’s surface, clumpy particle effects that jet out from behind the player’s skis, and surreal painterly colors that adorn the environment. The options the game provides are nice too. You can switch from third to first person at will, and complete challenges tethered to each camera mode.
9. 1080° Snowboarding (1998)
Platform: N64
Developed by some of Nintendo’s best programmers (including Giles Goddard of Super Mario 64 fame), 1080° Snowboarding set a new standard for the genre, offering a robust experience that emphasized speed, precision, and board control. The game’s board physics system feels more successful and nuanced than Cool Boarders. The varied stats among the game’s board options feel truly distinct, a notion the SSX series later adopted and ran with. The sound design is equally sharp, with crunchy ice, soft powder, and techno-laced alt-rock tracks that bring the slopes to life. With eight levels, five playable snowboarders, three unlockable characters, a mix of multiple trick and race modes, and difficulty settings that push even veteran players, 1080° Snowboarding feels complete. Even with its ample features, the gameplay is easy to master, and the objectives are clear. 1080° is undoubtedly one of the most technically demanding and rewarding snowboarding games ever made.
8. Steep (2016)
Platform: PS4, Xbox One, Steam, PC
Eons ahead of early genre entries in terms of graphics and scope, Steep is an ambitious, open-world, extreme sports game that swaps arcade simplicity for sprawling, alpine exploration. The game trades fictional locales for real-world settings like Mont Blanc and Denali, and offers four main activities (wingsuiting, paragliding, skiing, and snowboarding). While Steep opts for relatively realistic physics (compared to titles like 1080° or SSX), thrills still hit as players launch off steep cliffs, glide through the air in wind-whipped wingsuits, paraglide over sunlit ridgelines, and carve through deep powder, switching sports at will via a radial menu. The semi-realistic physics favor technical precision and immersion over exaggerated thrills, while a GoPro-style camera adds to the extreme sports aesthetic. Its online focus encourages friendly competition, with shared trails, ghost challenges, and social replays. Thoughtful sound design, a radio dispatcher that guides the player, and contemporary game design panache make Steep feel real and concrete. One strike against the game, though, is the fact that you must engage in online play for the bulk of it. Still, while the game might lack the pick-up-and-play immediacy of flashier titles, it offers a vast, immersive take on extreme winter sports.
7. Amped 2 (2003)
Platform: Xbox
Taking a page from the Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater playbook, the Amped series featured real-world pros. Amped 2 improved on its predecessor and featured playable versions of pros like Jeremy Jones, Travis Parker, Torah Bright, and Janna Meyen. Career mode is packed with challenges – players chase top scores, land tricks for photographers, and track down hidden snowmen, all feeding into a stat system that sharpens spins, flips, and balance. With a deep trick system, multipliers for stylish execution, and a pop-punk soundtrack that screams 2003, Amped 2 might be more time capsule than standout snowboarding sim, but it still holds up.
6. Shaun White Snowboarding (2008)
Platform: Wii, Nintendo DS, Playstation 2, Playstation 3, PSP, Xbox 360, Windows, Mac
For a time, Shaun White was synonymous with snowboarding. However, this Ubisoft-developed game feels like it pulls more from Skate than THPS. Instead of tight, trick-based courses, it leans into open-mountain exploration across six locations, including Alaska, Japan, and Park City. The game starts relatively grounded, with a focus on carving and finding lines, but as players unlock new abilities (like speed boosts and the power to smash through obstacles) it becomes a big air game through and through, emphasizing massive jumps and long airtime. Online multiplayer is offered here, too, though it doesn’t improve the experience too much, unless you’re playing with real-world friends. The Wii version of the game also hearkened back to the likes of Alpine Racer, by making use of the platform’s Balance Board controller (a motion-tracking device players stand on). The platform’s motion-control features make carving feel novel, intuitive and fun.
In the history of snowboarding games, Shaun White Snowboarding sits in an interesting place: it was relatively successful at launch but never quite achieved the staying power of franchises like 1080, SSX or Amped. Still, as an open-world take on the genre, featuring real (albeit fictionalized) locales, it remains an ambitious, unique title that’s especially fun to play if you’ve still got a Wii Balance Board lying around somewhere.
5. Alto’s Adventure (2015)
Platform: iOS, Android, Kindle, Steam, PC, Mac, Xbox One, PS4, Nintendo Switch
Sometimes, less is more. Alto’s Adventure stands out for its innovative approach to gameplay, and its stunning style and design. It’s the only 2D game on this list, the only platformer on this list, and one of few ski or snowboarding games to cross into the platformer genre. A side-scrolling endless runner, it strips snowboarding down to its essentials. The game features single button or tap controls for jumping and tricks, procedurally generated landscapes, and a smooth difficulty curve that eases players into its rhythm. It’s mellow, intuitive, and fun. The game’s lack of in-your-face bells and whistles lets players achieve a zen flow-state (a sensation the developers hoped would emulate what it really feels like to ride down a mountain). Players chase high scores by chaining tricks, grinding rooftops, and outrunning fantastical NPC fauna, all while dynamic weather and lighting effects make each run feel fresh. The addition of a wingsuit later in the game introduces new layers to movement and strategy. The game features a soothing soundtrack and its moody, simple 2D worlds are beautiful to behold. Without bombastic set pieces or over-the-top physics, Alto’s Adventure proves that great snowboarding games don’t always need big air to make a big impact. Rest assured, it’s thoroughly fun to play.
4. SSX On Tour (2005)
Platform: GameCube, Xbox, PS2, PSP
With its innovation, impact on the genre, staying power, and sheer volume of entries, the SSX series could have a best-of list of its own. Helmed by creative lead Steve Rechtschaffner, the original SSX game combines airborne tricks with the downhill thrill of snowboarding, taking the real-world sport of Boardercross (also invented by Rechtschaffner) to new heights. The franchise defines big-air snowboarding games and On Tour improves on the original, via a single open-world mountain players can either explore in freeride mode, or complete career missions on.
On Tour is also the first game in the series to introduce skiing, adding a visually dynamic array of tricks and maneuvers to the franchise. The tactile click of skis shifting and clashing mid-trick sure is satisfying. A trick-meter is present (as introduced in the original) but SSX Tricky’s uber-tricks are subbed for monster-tricks, which require less skill and precision to achieve. Here, big air is pushed to the next level. On certain sections of the mountain, players can fall for nearly a full minute, as performing a monster-trick brings the game (and its eclectic alt-punk soundtrack) into a world of slow motion. For music lovers, the game offers a handful of playlists players can control via the game’s settings. Hidden halfpipes throughout the mountain allow for endless, mindless fun, and infinite strings of impossible tricks.
The game is far easier to pick-up-and-play than nearly any other entry on this list. On Tour features funky level design, and its art direction feels deeply inspired by the Jackass-era of MTV. Menu screens are complete with a grungy, collage-style aesthetic. Most of the franchise’s iconic characters are back, though they take a backseat as gameplay focuses on the journey of your custom-made character. As a strange bonus (brought about by a rare deal between EA and Nintendo) you can play as Mario, Luigi, or Peach in the GameCube version of the title.
3. Lonely Mountain: Snow Riders (2025)
Platform: Steam, PC, Xbox Series X/S
Lonely Mountain: Snow Riders is a spiritual sequel to the similarly named mountain biking game Lonely Mountain: Downhill. Fresh, fun, and beautiful to look at, Snow Riders both improves on its predecessor and breaks new ground for the ski and snowboard genre. The game is wholly unique. Unlike the 2D side-scroller perspective of Alto’s Adventure, or the third-person perspective of every other game mentioned here, a fixed camera looks in on a diorama-like, low-poly world, tracking players as they rush through increasingly difficult runs. There are some big-air moments, but this is a technical game to a tee. Core gameplay centers around timed challenges, where players ride solo down eight runs across three visually distinct mountain environments – start on blue runs, unlock black runs. Patience and precision are rewarded as players navigate obstacles and discover shortcuts.
The replayability value is extremely high. Canvasing the run as you ski down it truly emulates what it feels like to take a run down a slope. You may find yourself thinking “oh shoot, look at that little tree line, I’m gonna hit that on my next run.” Players can unlock and upgrade equipment to achieve what they couldn’t before. Online multiplayer mode lets you race against others. Like SNØ, Snow Riders features a low-pressure zen mode as well. Shimmering snow, surreal painterly 3D graphics, and wonderful particle effects make up the game’s stunning, feel-good art style. It’s cozy as hell. Sound design elevates everything, complete with silly and visceral voice acting on wipeouts. The fixed camera perspective takes some getting used to, particularly considering how fiercely the genre leans on classic third-person perspective, but the game’s unique mechanics, tongue-in-cheek humor, and stunning aesthetic set a high standard for future genre releases.
2. SSX 3 (2003)
Platform: GameCube, PS2, Xbox, GBA, Gizmondo
For the first time in the SSX franchise, SSX 3 introduced a seamless open-world mountain, allowing players to freeride from summit to base without a single loading screen. This structure transforms the game into a more immersive experience, letting players explore, discover challenges, and build their skills between races and freestyle events. The boost bar or trick meter returns, powering both speed boosts and progressively flashier uber-tricks, which stack into massive combos across slopestyle courses, big air ramps, and endless super pipes. The newly introduced rival system adds intensity to races, with players battling through knockout-style heats before facing off in backcountry and peak races. The franchise’s eclectic cast of characters return, and are joined by some new faces, though the inclusion of wunderkind Griff feels Cousin-Oliver-adjacent. Still, with the game’s vibrant, stylized open-world, extensive customization options, introduction of real-world tunes, and the ever-present commentary of DJ Atomika on EA Radio Big, SSX 3 is a welcome genre entry that builds upon the franchise’s signature mix of speed, tricks, and personality.
1. SSX Tricky (2001)
Platform: GameCube, PS2, Xbox, GBA
This game has it all. It’s big, it’s bold, it’s loud, and endlessly fun. The second game in the franchise, released only a year after its predecessor (and complete with tweaked versions of earlier levels), SSX Tricky is less of a sequel and more of an update. If SSX is the proof of concept, SSX Tricky cements the idea and sticks the landing. The world is rich and vast, emboldened by thoughtfully fleshed out fictional riders brought to life by name-brand talent. The voice cast includes Billy Zane, Lucy Liu, David Arquette, Oliver Platt, and Macy Grey. Big personalities abound. Each character feels wholly developed and real, all of whom sport a signature fashion and trick style.
The setup improves on what 1080° Snowboarding laid out: players can compete in trick showoff challenges or downhill races. A world circuit competition sees players compete for gold medals, where they’ll unlock new courses and boards. Tricks earn points and fill your boost bar, earning you a letter. Fill your boost bar six times, spell out the word T-R-I-C-K-Y (cue the titular Run DMC track) and you can rock unlimited uber-tricks, fully detaching from your board mid-air and doing the worm on top of it like a madman. The game rewards ruthless ‘tude. Knockdown competitors mid-race and fill your boost bar instantly. In-game narration from former-Roots rapper Rahzel energizes the game and hammers-home its tone, while Mix Master Mike’s original score pulses in the background. Is the nostalgia rushing back yet?
Board customization, comprehensive trick books, challenging button combinations, in-game multiplier icons, and extreme big-air jumps define the genre. The brash and bold, heavily saturated, colorful levels ooze style. Tokyo Megaplex is an insane green-and-purple mess, in the best way. Shatter some glass (via iconic blue and red glass billboards peppered throughout the game) and uncover hidden, head-spinning shortcuts or detours. Classic split-screen multiplayer is offered here, too. You don’t need to watch the 45-minute BTS documentary to feel the hours of love the game makers poured into this title, but I recommend that you do so anyway. Nearly 25 years later, no game has yet to knock SSX Tricky off its perch.
