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The 6 Best Skiing Games To Play in 2025

Originally posted on Powder | By Ian Greenwood | Last updated Jun 7, 2025 7:29 AM ET

Skiing, probably more than anything else, is about spending time outside. Enjoying the company of good friends comes in a close second, and, finally, there’s the act of sliding down snow. Ski video games can only capture this last bit, so no matter how faithfully they recreate our favorite mountains, they’ll pale in comparison to the real thing.

Video games can still be fun, though, and, when the snow melts away, provide a way to waste some hours. Admittedly, when it comes to digital depictions, snowboarding and, for that matter, skateboarding have seen more love than skiing. Those sports have standout, classic franchises like SSX, Amped and Skate. Sadly, we skiers haven’t been treated to anything that scratches the same itch as those games (aside from the ability to ski in a few SSX entries).

Some options get quite close, though. And, in recent years, a number of independent development studios have released refreshing digital renditions of skiing that mix up the usual action sports video game model.

Keep reading for some modern ski video games worth checking out in 2025, ranked from the lowest to the highest.

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6. SNØ

Platforms: Steam

Crafted by a small team of Norwegian developers and set in an endless, procedurally generated mountainscape, SNØ is, like your favorite low-angle glade, chill. Players can choose from a number of modes of transportation, including skis, a snowboard, a sit-ski and a deployable hang-glider. Thanks to the procedural generation system, no two mountains you’ll encounter look the same (although if you’re fond of one mountain, you can save it and visit it later).

While players can throw simple tricks, earn points, and dodge obstacles in the game, competing isn’t necessarily the focus of SNØ. Instead, the calming minimalism—and the ever-changing beautiful scenery—is the draw. One mode, aptly called “Zen,” capitalizes on this notion, turning off the pressure of scoring points entirely.

SNØ isn’t a big game with tons of features. But the mechanics are solid and soothing, making it a great way to unwind, relax and kill some time.

5. Grand Mountain Adventure 2

Platforms: Mobile, coming soon to Steam

Good things can come in small packages. Grand Mountain Adventure 2 is a phone game, but it doesn’t seem like one. Within it, players will find explorable, carefully crafted mountain dioramas filled with crowds of skiers, chairlifts, and plenty to jump off. If you’re not careful, you can get hit by a car, too.

Across the different mountains in Grand Mountain Adventure 2 are loads of little details and various challenges to tackle. Ropeway fans, for one, will be pleased to know that the chairlifts available are diverse, ranging from T-bars to gondolas.

The challenges are similarly varied, covering racing, basic freestyle, and other entertaining forms of mountain merriment. The best part, though, may just be picking a direction, pointing your skis downhill, and seeing what you find—just like you would in the real mountains.

4. Lonely Mountains: Snow Riders

Platforms: Steam, Xbox

Lonely Mountains: Snow Riders will probably piss you off at first. The fast-paced game is all about racing down the mountain as fast as you can. If the obstacles and looming cliffs weren’t enough, it ratchets the difficulty higher with a unique, sweeping camera angle. In one moment, the camera is facing downhill. In another, it might slide alongside the skier so players can’t see what’s coming next. This makes successfully completing Snow Riders’ races a two-piece challenge that requires rote memorization and fast reflexes.

Don’t let running into the same tree over and over again dissuade you—if you can—because when everything comes together, zipping through Snow Riders’ picturesque, stylized winter landscapes in pursuit of a new best time delivers a serious dopamine hit.

The audio design makes the action more tangible. Skis scrap on ice, and the snow crunches. Impacts after landing a large jump produce a gratifying thud. Similar to SNØ, Snow Riders offers a zen mode that releases the pressure valve, but this game is at its best when it makes you feel like a whimsical version of Marco Odermatt or Lindsey Vonn.

3. Rider’s Republic

Platforms: Steam, PlayStation, Xbox

Rider’s Republic is a borderline overwhelming smorgasbord of action sports, including mountain biking, BMX, multiple modes of aerial travel (there’s a rocket-powered wingsuit), snowboarding, and, yes, skiing. When you add a vast open world to the mix, it’s all a bit to take in. But like Steep, its spiritual predecessor, the skiing fundamentals of Rider’s Republic are good, successfully mimicking the feeling of sliding through deep snow.

The options within the mini ski universe in Rider’s Republic are varied. They cover races and freestyle-focused fare, with specific types of skis catered to on or off-piste charging. All of this is surrounded by a penchant for silly extravagance that harkens back to Amped 3, a snowboarding game that featured wacky stop motion cutscenes and a plotline that involved mind control. Okay, Rider’s Republic doesn’t take it quite that far, but those rockets aren’t just for wingsuits—they can be attached to the back of your skis, too.

Similar to Steep, the freestyle controls in Rider’s Republic are a bit floaty, but that minor drawback doesn’t detract from the adrenaline rushes too much.

2. Shredsauce

Platforms: Browser, Mobile

Cloaked in an endearing layer of jank, Shredsauce has been a freeskiing cult classic for over a decade. A word of warning, though—the game isn’t initially user-friendly and doesn’t have that “pick up and play” ethos that other entries on this list do, which could turn off someone expecting to boot up Shredsauce and be able to ski like Tom Wallisch right away.

But behind the simple graphics and tricky controls is a remarkable amount of depth. Thanks to the game’s open-ended systems, Shredsauce players can (and have) recreated popular ski movie sequences shot-for-shot. Getting to that point, though, requires effort. Newcomers to Shredsauce will quickly become familiar with landing on their heads.

Since the game first hit the internet in 2012, its features have slowly expanded. Players can now build their own mountains, design grabs, and customize their avatar, further establishing Shredsauce as a true freeskiing sandbox. Plus, it doesn’t cost a cent and you can play it in browser.

1. Steep

Platforms: Steam, PlayStation, Xbox

Steep encapsulates an impressive digital take on freeride and big mountain skiing. Thick plumes of powder follow the player’s character, towering peaks loom in the distance, and as you gather speed, the wind howls. It’s not unlike being inside Markus Eder’s Ultimate Run.

Compared to other snowsports games—particularly the SSX series—Steep’s physics feel somewhat grounded even amidst the 200-foot cliff drops. Yes, you can still do all kinds of tricks that no human on earth could possibly land, but in between each flip or spin, the skiing is believable. That weighty realism makes it easy to get lost in Steep and, maybe for a brief moment, imagine that you’re actually on the mountain rather than playing video games in your basement.

Yet, for hardcore fans of freestyle and tricks, Steep’s controls are a bit lacking. As an example, you might try to throw a slow, styled-out 360 and accidentally send your avatar into a double-cork 2160. Given the game’s realistic bent, it would have benefited from a more precise take on catching air.

Even with the freestyle control quibbles, though, Steep is, in 2025, the most full-fledged ski game around. For something a bit more modern and arcade-y, give Rider’s Republic a try, which was created by the same developer as Steep.