How To Add Friends In Skate

EA’s long‑awaited reboot of the Skate franchise rolled into early access this September, and players are already building their dream lines across San Vansterdam’s sprawling cityscape. The new title – simply called skate. – is a free‑to‑play, always‑online sandbox that brings new tricks, new neighborhoods and a new community‑focused design. One of the biggest selling points of this iteration is its cross‑platform support and cross‑progression, allowing you to skate alongside friends on different hardware and take your progress wherever you go. If you’re new to the game or returning from earlier entries, this guide will walk you through how to add friends in Skate, how cross‑play works, and what cross‑saves/cross‑progression actually mean.

Skate is all about community. The city is designed as a shared world where you can bump into other players, spontaneously session a spot or spectate somebody else’s run. To fully enjoy that social aspect you’ll want to build a friends list. In early access the process isn’t spelled out in‑game, so here’s how to find and add

friends across platforms.

Skate’s social functions live inside the Social & Spectate menu, which you can find under the Hub tab. To add someone as a friend, open the menu, select Search, and type your friend’s EA username or ID. When their profile appears, highlight it and choose Add EA Friend. An invitation will be sent to them automatically. They can accept the request from the Requests tab of the Social & Spectate menu. Once accepted, that person appears on your friends list and you can join each other’s sessions regardless of your platform.

This system is platform‑agnostic. Friends you already have through the EA app, other EA games or your console’s native friends list will automatically appear in Skate. The game also tells you which platform each friend is using, which makes it easy to coordinate sessions. Conversely, if you add someone from within Skate, they’ll show up as a friend in other EA titles too. It’s a unified EA friends system, so you only have to make the connection once.

Because Skate is cross‑platform by default, you don’t need to adjust any settings to play with someone on a different device. However, if you’re on Xbox and want to double‑check your cross‑play settings, those options are controlled by your console’s global multiplayer preferences rather than the game itself.

Cross‑Play Platforms and

Settings

Cross‑play means players on PC, PlayStation and Xbox can all session together. Skate supports cross‑play across PC (EA app, Steam and Epic Games Store), PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One and Xbox Series X|S. When you boot the game up for the first time cross‑play is switched on automatically. There’s no barrier to skating with friends on other systems, and the entire San Vansterdam world is shared.

Adding friends is the only step needed to start cross‑play. To invite them into your session, use the in‑game party system. Friends can join your party from their friends list or through a party invite. Once grouped up, you’ll all see each other in the open world. You can also choose to spectate another player, which lets you watch their run with cinematic camera angles and share lines for inspiration.

For those who don’t want to interact with random players, Skate lets you limit who can send you friend or party invites. From the Settings tab of the Social & Spectate menu you can toggle Allow Party Invites or Allow Friend Requests between Everyone, Friends Only, or No One. If you’d rather skate solo or just with a tight crew, those options will be useful.

Cross‑play can be disabled entirely if you prefer to stick to your platform’s ecosystem. On console or PC, open the main menu or map, press X, select General, scroll to Cross‑Play and switch it off. Note that turning cross‑play off will limit the pool of players you can meet and may increase matchmaking times for certain activities.

Cross‑Saves and Cross‑Progression Explained

Cross‑save (also called cross‑progression) means your progress is stored on EA’s servers rather than tied to a single device. Skate fully supports cross‑progression across all of its launch platforms. Whether you start skating on PC, then pick up your PlayStation later, or switch from Xbox Series X to your laptop on the go, your character, gear and unlocks carry over automatically. You can bounce between platforms without losing tricks, items or progress.

Cross‑saves are especially important now that Skate is a free‑to‑play live service game. The early access roadmap promises seasonal updates, new neighborhoods and challenges. With cross‑progression you’re not locked to one device if your friends play on something else or you upgrade hardware. Simply log in with your EA account on the new platform, install the game and your skater will be waiting for you.

It’s worth noting that cross‑progression currently covers PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One and Xbox Series X|S. Mobile versions are planned for the future, but cross‑play and cross‑progression support for mobile hasn’t been finalized yet. When the mobile release arrives players will likely be able to sync progress there too, though official confirmation is still pending at the time of writing.

Tips for Building a Skate Crew

Beyond the basics of adding friends and enabling cross‑play, there are a few community‑driven tips to make the most of Skate’s social features:

Use the map to find active sessions: San Vansterdam is huge. Check the social map to see where players are congregating, then fast‑travel to those skate spots if you’re looking to meet new people or join events. You can spectate other skaters to learn new lines or just vibe.
Create parties for private sessions: If you and your friends want to avoid randoms, form a party and use the private session option. This loads you into a version of the world where only your party exists. Perfect for filming lines, practicing combos or just chatting without interruptions.
Stay respectful and inclusive: Skate’s developers emphasize community. Use the in‑game reporting and muting tools if you encounter toxic behavior, but also remember that you’re part of a growing community. Encourage and support other skaters; share tips, show up for community challenges and create a welcoming space.
Follow updates on official channels: The game is evolving fast during early access. Follow the official Skate news feed for announcements about new features, bug fixes and seasonal content. You can also sign up for the The Grind newsletter to get updates directly from Full Circle. For a deeper dive into Skate’s cross‑play settings, check out GameSpot’s cross‑play guide.

Final Thoughts

Skate’s long‑awaited revival is built around community. With cross‑play turned on by default and cross‑saves built in, you can hang out with friends no matter what platform they’re on and take your progress with you everywhere. The process of adding friends is simple: open the Social & Spectate menu, search for their EA ID and send an invite. Once they accept, you’re free to explore San Vansterdam together, discover new spots and make memories that echo the real‑world skate culture the series celebrates. As the game grows through early access and beyond, these cross‑platform features will keep the community united and thriving.