While you’re practically required to purchase PlayStation Plus if you want to play your PS5 online, Sony’s subscription service does regularly delight by including a surprising new release.

The latest is Skate Story, which arrived day one on the PlayStation Plus Game Catalog, and is off to a blistering start with reviewers. Our own Screen Rant review says the “sublime paean to the pastime was worth the wait.” Developer Sam Eng has created “skateboarding gameplay [that] is nuanced, responsive, and outright exciting at certain junctures.” Skate Story is included in PS Plus Extra and Premium subscriptions, and is otherwise available for just $20 on PS5, Nintendo Switch 2, PC, and Mac.

Skate Story Is Getting Great Reviews

The glass skater coasts into a portal through red columns under a massive moon in Skate Story

Skate Story‘s PS5 version is sitting at a more than respectable 81 on Metacritic, but its Switch 2 and PC versions are interestingly polling a bit higher – 85 and 89, respectively. Even one of the slightly more critical reviews, GamesRadar‘s 3.5/5-star verdict, begins with a compelling elevator pitch: “If ever you needed an example for the ‘games as art’ debate, look no further. As a creation, Sam Eng’s startling Skate Story is a monumental achievement.“

While GamesRadar has some beef with how the controls feel, the review concedes that Skate Story “does a great job of teaching you, trick by trick, drip-feeding complexity pretty damn perfectly until you’re nollieing, reverting, and chaining your moves with pleasing fluidity.“

A similarly celebratory lede is provided by CGMagazine; its review calls Skate Story “one of the most fun and standout experiences [of] 2025.” CGMagazine notes that the “deliberate pretentiousness to Skate Story’s narrative” verges on “feeling forced or cringeworthy,” but instead, “Skate Story just comes off as charming, or even cool, particularly […] towards the end of the game.“

Our review had some glowing remarks about Skate Story‘s audiovisual design. The game’s “gleaming hallucinatory aesthetic is almost always pleasing to the eye,” and “its soundtrack is one of the year’s best.” There appears to be a consensus that Skate Story has delivered something truly special, particularly in its fever dream aesthetic, even if the slightly directionless gameplay or obtuse storytelling may turn certain players away.

PlayStation Plus Got A Hit With Skate Story Day One

The glass skater grinds a rail over a spiked chasm in an orange-hued downhill session in Skate Story

Skate Story‘s $20 price tag is more than reasonable, but being available day one on PlayStation Plus is likely to benefit both the game and on-the-fence players. Reviews are unanimous in espousing Skate Story‘s artistic value, and the wide availability via PS Plus is sure to attract many players who aren’t willing to open their wallet for what is, admittedly, a bizarre-looking game.

As triple-A games continue to balloon in budget and development time, the indie scene seems to only be growing. Contracts to release day-one on subscription services like PlayStation Plus seem to still be a compelling offer for small, independent developers like Sam Eng. Theoretically, it helps cover development costs and gets a lot of eyes on your game.

Of course, great reviews help, and Skate Story is getting those in spades. Sony isn’t quite as ambitious as Xbox with its subscription service (first-party exclusives take a while to become available), but it’s routinely lining up unexpected hits. Skate Story is just the latest PlayStation Plus success.