What is Skate Labs?
Play SKATE with any friend, anywhere. Film a trick, send it, and they answer on their own time. How the free Global SKATE app works, and how to join the testers.
Got a friend who moved away? Or one who skates a totally different schedule than you? With Skate Labs you can still play SKATE with them. Film a trick, send it, and they've got days to answer from their own spot, even on the other side of the world.
That's the main thing, honestly. Skate Labs says everything it builds is "an excuse to get you and your friends outside," and the Global SKATE app is the heart of it. Below is how it works, how to get in as a tester, and what else is on skatelabs.app (plus how each one is labeled).
The center of it: Global SKATE
Global SKATE is a Game of SKATE you play by video. The site puts it simply: "Your friend can be on the other side of the world. You still get a game." You pick a friend and set a trick. You film one official try in the app and send it. Your friend gets days to match it, not seconds, so the game fits around school, work and rain. Miss and you take a letter. Spell S.K.A.T.E. and you're out, then you run it back.
A few details that make it work:
- One official take. Attempts are filmed in the app. No retakes, nothing from your camera roll.
- People make the calls. Your opponent calls your clip. If you disagree, a person reviews it, never an algorithm.
- You pick the clock. 24 hours, 72 hours (the default) or 7 days per trick.
- It isn't a feed. No followers, no likes, no open DMs. Chat only exists inside a match.
Global SKATE is in testing on iPhone (through TestFlight) and Android (through Google Play testing), and it isn't in the public stores yet. To play you need, in the site's words, "a board, a phone and you." You can join the testers at skatelabs.app/testers.
And the game is free. The site says it over and over: the account, the challenges, the games and the spots map are free, forever.
The spots map
Inside the app, the SPOTS tab is a map of around 30,000 skateparks, built from OpenStreetMap data plus spots skaters add. You can switch on water fountains, free Wi-Fi and skate shops near your spot. New spots get checked before they're published.
Learning stuff: tricks, the ARK and gear
The website isn't just a landing page. There's a lot to dig through:
- Tricks. A library of 505 tricks, each with what it is, how it works, and video lessons from creators. Some are animated with a pixel skater drawn from real footage.
- The ARK. Skate culture, catalogued: skaters, decks, magazines, books, videos and spots. The site says the videos, pages and photos "stay with the people who made them." It links out rather than hosting them.
- Gear. A 3D board builder that uses real decks, grip, trucks and wheels from shops, so you can see a setup before you buy it.
The Dash (your account on the web)
The Dash at dash.skatelabs.app is the same account you use in the app, so you get the same handle and the same record. You sign in with email or phone (a six-digit code from Coinbase, no password), or with Google, Apple or X.
The Dash is also where the optional Solana wallet lives. Global SKATE doesn't need a wallet, and the app never creates one. We break that down in "Do you need a crypto wallet to use Skate Labs?"
What's planned (and clearly labeled that way)
One thing we like about the docs: "Every product says exactly where it is. Planned things are called planned." So here's the honest status list, straight from docs.skatelabs.app:
| Thing | What it is | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Global SKATE | The Game of SKATE app | Testing |
| The Dash | Your account and optional wallet on the web | Live |
| MONGO | The sensor | Prototype |
| $SESH | The token | Planned |
| PIXELBOARDS | Digital decks | Planned |
MONGO has not shipped, and no pre-order has been taken. No $SESH token exists yet. Nothing in PIXELBOARDS is minted. Skate Plus, the paid tier, is planned too, and there is no subscription to buy.
Skate Labs is fully on Solana. If this table and the docs ever disagree, docs.skatelabs.app is the one to trust, not a screenshot.
If you see someone hyping a "Skate Labs coin" in your DMs, that isn't us. The site says nothing gets announced by DM. More in "Wallet safety basics for skaters".
Where to start: join the testers
If you skate, the move is simple. Join the testers at skatelabs.app/testers, get the test build, send a challenge to the friend you miss skating with most, and set something you can actually land. The site asks testers to play a whole game, "all the way to somebody spelling S.K.A.T.E.," and then tell them what broke.
Want to help shape it beyond that? The tester program at skatelabs.app/testers gives you short guided tasks: try a feature, then report Yes, No or Skipped and say what happened. You can start with website tasks without installing anything. The app tasks are optional.
Not ready for the app yet? The tricks library and the ARK are open on the web.
Questions go to support@skatelabs.app. The site says a real person reads it, in English, Spanish or Portuguese.
A worked example: your first week as a tester
- You join the testers at skatelabs.app/testers and install the test build on your phone.
- You sign in and send a challenge link to your old crew's best skater, who lives in another city now.
- You set a pop shove-it on your one official take and leave the window on 72 hours.
- She matches it two days later on her lunch break, then sets a fakie kickflip you miss. Letter for you.
- The game runs all week until somebody spells S.K.A.T.E., and then you tell the team what broke.
Common mistakes
- Treating it like a feed. There's nothing to scroll. The game only works if you send a challenge to someone you actually skate with.
- Setting your hardest trick first. You have to land it on one official take before your friend has to match it.
- Trusting a DM about Skate Labs. Announcements live on skatelabs.app. A message that says otherwise is fake.
FAQ
Does Global SKATE cost anything?
No. The account, the challenges, the games and the spots map are free.
Do I need a wallet to play?
No. The wallet on the Dash is optional, and the app never creates one.
Where do I get the app?
Through the tester program at skatelabs.app/testers. It's in testing on iPhone and Android, not in the public stores yet.
Next: Do you need a crypto wallet to use Skate Labs? (Solana wallets 101)
Join the testers at skatelabs.app/testers and play a Game of SKATE with your friends. Global SKATE is free and in testing on iPhone and Android.
