EA's highly anticipated revival of Skate will necessitate an "always on" internet connection. This was confirmed in an updated FAQ on the official blog by developer Full Circle, who provided a straightforward "No" when asked if the game could be played offline. They elaborated: "The game and city are designed to be a living, breathing massively multiplayer skateboarding sandbox that is always online and always evolving. You’ll see bigger things evolve, like changes to the city over time, as well as smaller things, like live events and other in-game activities."

The "always on" requirement means that Skate cannot be enjoyed offline, regardless of whether players engage in multiplayer modes or prefer solitary gameplay. Full Circle emphasized that an internet connection is essential to fulfill their vision of a dynamic skateboarding world. They noted, "That is probably not much of a surprise if you’ve been in our playtest."

This statement refers to the Always-On Playtest that began in September 2024, designed to evaluate the game in a continuous live environment with servers running 24/7.

Skate is slated for an early access launch in 2025, though no specific date has been set. Initially announced at EA Play in 2020, the game was described as being in the very early stages of development. Since then, Full Circle has engaged the community with closed community playtests of early builds and, most recently, introduced microtransactions.

Players can use real money to purchase a virtual currency called San Van Bucks (SVB), which can then be used to acquire cosmetic items. Full Circle is keen on testing Skate’s microtransaction system to ensure a "positive experience when purchasing items from the Skate store." They acknowledged the unusual nature of using real money during a playtest but believe it's crucial for fine-tuning the system before the official launch. "If you see prices or other things changing over time, please understand that this is normal. And of course, you will receive the amount you spent during playtesting in San Van Bucks (SVB) when we reset for Early Access launch," the team added in their latest blog update.