Skater XL now has a multiplayer component on PC via Steam through the Multiplayer Free Skate beta. Developer Easy Day Studios launched the beta for desktop players on April 9 and said that it would be coming to PlayStation and Xbox One sometime “soon.”
The mode allows up to 10 players to skate together in a sandbox-like experience. Skaters can create sessions and invite other players or drop in with randoms to create what could be a more organic skate-park experience.
Those hoping to take part in the beta will need to opt in to the multiplayer component by accessing the open beta branch in Steam. There are instructions on how to do so in this devlog over on the game’s Steam forum page.
Easy Day also said that the players can “replay and save [their] party lines with the same replay editor functionality found in the single-player mode.”
Skater XL was released for PC, PS4, and Xbox One in December 2020. In our review of the game, we cited the lack of multiplayer at launch as one of the game’s biggest flaws. For something as communal as skateboarding, leaving multiplayer out seemed inconceivable.
But now it’s great to see that Easy Day is working to implement multiplayer in Skater XL, working with the community to create something the fans will truly (hopefully) enjoy. There are a few wrinkles to be ironed out, sure (the developers know of a handful already they’re working to fix), but the PC beta is acting as a “stress-test” for the console versions. Stay tuned for more.
