With any luck, the early access launch wont be far behind (EA)EAs long awaited new Skate game should be out this year, as the studio announces plans to begin playtesting the console versions.After years of fan demand, EA finally announced a new Skate game back in 2020 (officially titled skate.), but it and developer Full Circle have otherwise been very quiet about it ever since.There were a handful of leaks from insider playtests for the PC version, but these came from pre-alpha builds, so they werent necessarily indicative about how the game will look and play.Fortunately, it seems more people will be getting to try out the new Skate in the near future, as EA and Full Circle have announced the start of console playtesting.How to sign up for the Skate console playtestEA and Full Circle have been running PC playtests for a couple of years now, but these have never been public ones that anyone can just hop into.To participate, you have to register as a Skate insider via the games official website. While it doesnt guarantee an invite, it is your only chance for gaining access to future playtests.Being a Skate insider also means youll unlock an exclusive skateboard and stickers as a participation award in the full game upon its launch.It sounds like console playtests have already begun and should be available on both PlayStation and Xbox platforms. As a reminder, the new Skate is slated for Xbox One, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X/S, and PlayStation 5, although there are also plans for a mobile port later down the line.If you are already registered and havent received an invite yet, EA and Full Circle are asking you to be patient, since the plan is to invite new players who are registered as we go.When will Skate be released?With any luck, everyone will be able to play the new Skate sometime this year, but at the moment it doesnt have a set release date. Back in September, EA and Full Circle announced an early access launch should be ready to go in early 2025.More TrendingIf console playtesting has just started, the early access version should be available in a couple of months. At the very least, unless EA says otherwise, we should be seeing Skate become publicly available before the end of June.This will be the first Skate game in over a decade (Skate 3 came out in 2010), but EA and Full Circle have stressed this is not a sequel, hence why its not called Skate 4, but nor is it a reboot.It is being designed as a live service game, meaning it will be free-to-play with microtransactions. EA has promised there will be no paid-for loot boxes, although some playtesters claim to have found evidence of their existence in a previous beta. With no new Tony Hawks Pro Skater anywhere to be seen, nows the perfect time for Skate to make a comeback (EA)Emailgamecentral@metro.co.uk, leave a comment below,follow us on Twitter, andsign-up to our newsletter.To submit Inbox letters and Readers Features more easily, without the need to send an email, just use ourSubmit Stuff page here.For more stories like this,check our Gaming page.GameCentralExclusive analysis, latest releases, and bonus community content.This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. Your information will be used in line with our Privacy Policy