Top 10 Most Gnarly Snowboarding Games

For anyone wanting their dose of snowboarding gaming on the go, Alto’s Adventure may be just what they’re looking for. The game is an ‘endless runner’ which means that it procedurally generates its environments…which means that one could hypothetically just keep on playing and playing for as long as they like. Performing tricks and jumps is all controlled by tapping the screen, making it more simplistic than other games on this list; however, this simplicity makes it very easy to get into. Meant to mix the addictive gameplay of the Tony Hawk series with the absorbing atmosphere found in games like Journey; Alto’s Adventure somehow manages to be soothing and breathlessly exciting all at the same time.

Since snowboarding is a sport about gaining high speed and grabbing lots of air; it only makes sense that the two video game characters who move quickest and jump highest would get in on the action. Since Snowboarding is an Olympic Sport you can find the Cross and the Halfpipe events as well as a special Dream Race event; The best way to summarize this particular game mode is that it is an amalgamation of the gameplay found within the Sonic Riders and Mario Kart series, all wrapped up within a shiny snowboarding aesthetic. The 2014 Sochi version would also get the Parallel Giant Slalom if you’re in the mood for more events.

Back in his heyday, Shaun Palmer was basically the Tony Hawk of the snowboarding world. Considering the success of the Pro Skater series, it made a ton of sense that this game would come out when it did – and on that note, you can probably guess what the gameplay is like. Play as the pros, do sweets, give high fives to the bros. It’s a shame a follow-up was never officially released as this game leaves us curious for a franchise that might have been.

Snowboard Kids is unlike any other game found within its genre, something made immediately obvious by its more lighthearted and cartoonish visuals. It doesn’t choose put a huge emphasis on 8 digit scores or focus on providing a realistic experience, but rather sticks to being more ‘video-gamey’ because PLOT TWIST…it is a video game! What’s wrong with being a little more traditional? Nothing in fact as this game stands out on our list for its colorful charm and unique gameplay. More focused on racing than snowboarding, players use a wide array of power ups to get ahead of other players and slide past the finish line. The game is also notable for its unorthodox race tracks, including an amusement park. It was the 90’s, we weren’t quite so picky back then.

As an exclusive title for the original Xbox, Amped 2 takes advantage of the console’s powerful hardware to render massive environments without breaking a sweat. This allowed players to perform free-style runs down large slopes as opposed to the more linear tracks of other snowboarding games at the time. Aside from that impressive technical achievement, players could race as fourteen different snowboarders, compete in a highly addictive career mode and even take the race online through Xbox live against other players. If that’s not enough, Amped 2 also boasts a fully customizable soundtrack so the player can listen to their favorite tunes while they shred through the snow. Oh, and you are encouraged to destroy snowmen for points. So that’s cool.

The original Cool Boarders was a sleeper hit that nobody saw coming, so developer UEP Systems took the time to craft a more complete sequel to meet everyone’s high expectations. Nearly everything was improved, including tighter controls, better level design and more vibrant visuals. In this title, the main championship campaign of the game is split between 2 modes, A racing section with time bonus checkpoints, and a Big Air section where players are judged on how well they perform a trick in front of a crowd.. Additionally, the game provided players with the option to fully customize their own snowboard with an expansive editing tool. Added bonus, the game is pure 90’s nostalgia thanks to it’s grungy soundtrack, so if you want to relive your teen angst glory days, pop this one in.

Getting its name from the popular Run DMC song (yes, we’re serious), SSX Tricky took all the strongest elements of its predecessor and built upon them for a much more refined snowboarding experience. Although the updated tracks and game modes were indeed a welcome addition, the most noteworthy inclusion in this sequel was the emphasis placed upon tricks and performing flashy special moves. Referred to as “uber moves”, pulling them off was a sensational and gratifying experience that just never got old no matter how many times we pulled them off while soaring down the slopes. All of these tricks full up your boost meter, which help you get down the mountain before your foes. With it’s added content, huge environments and rivalry system with other boarders, SSX Tricky is everything that a sequel should be. Bigger, better and ‘MORE TRICKY!’

The Wii version of this multiplatform release had to be built from the ground-up, as a direct port from the 360 and PS3 versions wouldn’t have worked considering the hardware limitations. However, this didn’t butcher the Wii version in any way as it was not only the best selling version but also most well received. We feel that has to do with how the game took advantage of the motion controls found within the systems to truly make you feel like you were snowboarding. The Wii balance board was used to simulate being on an actual snowboard, providing a much more immersive gaming experience as opposed to just pushing a bunch of buttons – and unlike some of the other games that tried something like this it actually worked. Just don’t get too excited and fall face first on the floor, okay?

Back in the late 90’s, gaming tech wasn’t quite proficient enough to render believable visuals and animations; which is why most games of the era focused on jumping around as cartoonish characters. Bucking this trend and blowing everyone’s minds was 1080 Snowboarding, going for a more real world art style – and largely pulling it off. It featured lifelike character models, who swerved across the tracks with smooth elegance at breakneck speeds. The game’s graphics were also unparalleled at the time, taking full advantage of the power within the Nintendo 64. Furthermore, 1080 had a stunning physics engine, lengthy tracks to race on and implemented the ‘trick’ system; all elements which were brought into it’s sequel 1080 Avalanche (XREF).

Shreddin’ into our top spot, is the third entry in the already mentioned SSX series. Immediately upon it’s release, SSX 3 received worldwide critical acclaim from both critics and gamers alike. Building upon it’s already excellent predecessor “Tricky”, the developers worked very diligently to up the ante and provide the total virtual snowboarding package. Well, mission accomplished as SSX 3 boasted a massive mountain that could be rode down in one shot during a ‘free mode’ option, beautiful audio/visual presentation and an even more robust trick system than ever before. Did we even mention the rocking soundtrack? Extremely addicting and exploding with replayability, SSX 3 is a furiously fun gaming experience that is easy to pick up and almost impossible to put down.

Do you agree with our list? What’s your favorite snowboarding video game? For more tubular Top 10’s published everyday, be sure to subscribe to WatchMojo.com.