On December 8, 2025, a glass-bodied demon with a skateboard and a grudge against the Moon will drop into the PlayStation Plus Game Catalog — free for subscribers. Skate Story, the bizarre, beautiful, and brutally weird indie title from solo developer Sam Eng, arrives as a day-one release for PlayStation Plus Extra and Premium members on PS5. Meanwhile, it’ll cost $20.00 USD on Steam and Nintendo Switch — and won’t be coming to Xbox at all. This isn’t just another skate game. It’s a dream logic nightmare wrapped in pixel art and DualSense haptics, where you grind across floating skulls and beg for soul currency from a ghostly rabbit named Rabbie.
How a Glass Demon Became a Gaming Phenomenon
Sam Eng, known previously for the cult hit Zarvot, spent five years building Skate Story in near-silence. Announced in 2020, the game quietly grew a cult following through cryptic trailers and a playable Steam demo that’s been live since early 2025. The premise? A nameless entity, made of shattered glass and exhaustion, strikes a deal with the Devil: a skateboard in exchange for the power to consume the Moon. Why? Because its light won’t let him sleep. That’s not metaphor. That’s the plot. And it works — astonishingly well.
Early hands-on reports from the PlayStation Blog and Engadget described the opening level as a surreal Lyceum filled with giant stone heads, each silently contemplating existence while you ollie over their eyebrows. The controls are deceptively simple: hold Square for a power slide, Circle for an ollie. But the deeper you go, the more the physics warp. Gravity bends. Surfaces breathe. Your skateboard visibly cracks and wears down after each failed trick — a quiet, brilliant touch that makes every grind feel earned.
The Underworld Is a Playground
Between levels, you return to a shifting, shapeless void — the soul space — where Rabbie the ghostly rabbit hovers, offering upgrades. Earn soul currency by landing tricks on glowing surfaces, chasing the Devil’s floating socks, or grinding across the backs of giant frogs. Missions aren’t about speed or score. They’re absurd: collect 17 floating skulls while avoiding a talking trash bag. Survive a hallway lined with screaming statues. Jump through a portal that turns your skateboard into a saxophone.
It’s David Lynch meets Tony Hawk, as Twisted Voxel put it. The soundtrack shifts with your mood — from eerie choral hums to distorted punk riffs — and the DualSense controller’s light bar pulses like a heartbeat when you’re low on health. You can even customize your board with stickers bought from gift shops run by sentient puddles. It’s not just a game. It’s a haunted art installation you control with your thumbs.
Devolver Digital’s Oddball Masterpiece
It’s no surprise Devolver Digital published this. The studio built its reputation on games that make you say, ‘Wait, you made a game about...?’ Cult of the Lamb, where you feed poop to followers. Ball x Pit, where you control a ball in a pit of screaming faces. Skate Story fits right in — maybe even better. Devolver doesn’t chase trends. They chase weird. And they’ve got the guts to release it on day one of a subscription service.
That’s the real story here. Sony isn’t just adding games to PlayStation Plus. It’s adding statements. This isn’t a third-party port or a re-release. It’s a $0.00, high-concept indie gem from a single dev — and it’s free to 47.4 million subscribers worldwide. That’s a quiet revolution in game distribution. While Xbox sticks to its first-party lineup, PlayStation is betting big on the power of the unexpected.
What’s Next? The Moon Is Waiting
December 8, 2025, is the deadline. That’s when the glass demon starts his climb. For PlayStation Plus subscribers, the game drops at midnight, no extra cost. For others, $20 gets you the same experience on PC or Switch. But here’s the twist: the Steam demo is already live. Play it now. You’ll understand why this game made journalists whisper, ‘It’s been a long road to get here.’
There’s no sequel announced. No DLC planned. Just this one, strange, perfect journey — from pavement to lunar surface — and the quiet, haunting question: What happens when you finally eat the Moon?
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Skate Story really free on PlayStation Plus?
Yes — but only for PlayStation Plus Extra and Premium subscribers on PS5. It launches as a day-one title on December 8, 2025, meaning no extra cost beyond your subscription. It won’t be available on the Basic tier, and there’s no plan to add it to Xbox Game Pass or other services.
Who developed Skate Story, and why is it so unusual?
Sam Eng, a solo developer previously known for Zarvot, spent five years creating every aspect of Skate Story — code, art, sound, and narrative. Its surreal tone comes from Eng’s personal vision: a dreamlike world where pain, exhaustion, and skateboarding collide. The game’s logic follows emotion, not realism, making it feel more like a poem than a traditional title.
What platforms can I play Skate Story on?
Skate Story releases on PS5 (via PlayStation Plus), Steam, and Nintendo Switch on December 8, 2025. It will not be available on Xbox Series X|S or any other Microsoft platform. The PS5 version includes DualSense-specific features like adaptive triggers and haptic feedback synced to the shifting soundtrack.
Is there a demo I can try before buying?
Yes. A full playable demo is available now on Steam, letting you experience the Lyceum level and early tricks with the same controls and art style as the final game. Many players who tried it reported being hooked within minutes — especially by the way the skateboard reacts to environmental damage.
Why is this game significant for PlayStation Plus?
Skate Story represents a shift: PlayStation is now prioritizing unique, high-concept indie games as core catalog content — not just as bonuses. Adding a $20 indie title from a solo dev for free to 47 million subscribers signals a bold strategy to differentiate PlayStation Plus from competitors and attract niche audiences who crave originality over sequels.
What’s the story behind the Moon in Skate Story?
The Moon isn’t just a goal — it’s the source of the protagonist’s torment. According to the game’s lore, its light is so overpowering it prevents sleep, driving the glass demon to madness. The Devil offers the skateboard as a tool to reach it. The Moon’s presence looms in every level — glowing, silent, and always just out of reach — making the final climb feel less like a victory and more like a surrender.
