Comparison

Snowboard Hero vs PureSkate 1+2

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both games, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

Snowboard Hero

Experience an exhilarating snowboarding adventure with console-quality graphics and intuitive controls. Perform insane tricks, achieve massive air time, and race down challenging slopes. Customize your character and unlock new gear to become the ultimate snowboarding champion.

Highlights
  • Six playable characters with special tricks
  • Eight diverse tracks
  • Customizable boards and outfits
  • Multiple game disciplines (time trial, freestyle, slalom, race)
  • Online leaderboards
  • Modifiable character characteristics
  • AirPlay support for TV
Features
Read full description

Snowboard Hero™, dual-winner of the prestigious IMGAwards in the categories “Best Sports Game” and “Operators' Choice”, brings an unrivalled snowboard experience with wicked tricks, insane air time and super fast downhill speed to your iPhone and iPad. Experience console-quality graphics, intuitive controls and top-notch sound in a stunning alpine setting and show the world that you are the undisputed Snowboard Hero. GAMEPLAY Snowboard Hero™ is an action-packed fun sports spectacle which brings high-speed racing action, sensational air manoeuvres and break-neck tricks to your Apple smartphone or tablet. In the game, you take over the role of one of six freaky characters with individual boards, clothes, skills and special moves and race down a total of eight windy slopes consisting not only of hillsides and open alpine areas, but also of half pipes, ski jumps and glacier tunnels. The game’s intuitive controls allow you to perform even the most dare-devil stunts at ease and make for an exciting high-speed ride down the sharpest curves and steepest scarps! Jump over kickers, pass through gates, race as fast as you can or grind whatever obstacle is on your way! Make sure you collect the power-ups to get an extra boost, trick bonus or cash. Unlock a huge number of stylish jackets and pants to customize your character and invest your earned cash to buy new boards and improve your character’s abilities. FEATURES • Six playable characters with six standard and four individual special tricks to unlock • Eight tracks with multiple runs in three different settings: Piste, halfpipe and open alpine area • Individual boards and outfits for each character • Five disciplines: time trial, freestyle, slalom, race, gate-time bonus • Eight combination disciplines, including speedrun-slalom and race-speedrun-freestyle • Record Chaser with online leaderboards in OpenFeint and Game Center • Modifiable characteristics such as agility, speed, boost and jumps • A total of 66 events • High resolution support for retina display, as well as native support of the iPad’s 768p resolution • Full support of AppleTV AirPlay: Race down the slope on your TV screen in 720p (Wi Fi) or Full HD (HDMI) • Synchronization of save games via iCloud SNOWBOARD HERO - IN THE PRESS "With more tricks than your average magician, Snowboard Hero offers frenetic fun on the slopes, held together by an intuitive career mode that keeps you on track from start to finish." PocketGamer.co.uk - 8/10 (Silver Award) "Snowboard Hero's fun, easy to grasp gameplay and lengthy Career Mode make it far and away the best handheld snowboarding game, full of snow-stuffed challenges and visual style." AppTudes.com - 4/5 EXTERNAL Official Snowboard Hero™ Trailer: http://bit.ly/sbh-ipad-tr Official Fishlabs Website: http://www.fishlabs.net IMGA 7th Annual Award Winners Announcement: http://goo.gl/sqD2z

About

PureSkate 1+2

Experience a realistic skateboarding simulation that combines the best elements of previous titles. Master intuitive fingerboard controls to perform stylish combos and tricks in a 3D world. Earn your way to unlocking new levels and challenges.

Highlights
  • Realistic skateboarding simulation
  • Intuitive fingerboard controls
  • Dozens of flip, rail, and grab tricks
  • Link tricks with manuals for combos
  • Dozens of goals to accomplish
  • Full 3D skater and world
  • Game Center leaderboards
Read full description

Get ready to skate your heart out in the most realistic and intuitive skateboarding simulation ever made! 2011: PureSkate 2015: PureSkate 2 2024: PureSkate 1+2 !!! Millions of downloads, and millions of sessions later, it’s time to take the best of the two and mash 'em together. Never heard of it? No surprise, we’re an indy studio. Made by skaters, for skaters, with a focus on mechanics, stylish combos, all in homage to the great console skate games of the 90’s. Enter PureSkate 1 PLUS 2. PureSkate 1 levels, with PureSkate 2 gameplay. And some bonuses thrown in for fun. Free to play. No bucks, no gouging. An optional one-time purchase forever that allows you to unlock all levels. NOTE - it doesn’t unlock em all at once! You gotta earn that. Oh ya, this is no walk in the sketch park either. But it’s worth it. Natural fingerboard control combined with a rich 3D view of your skater's world creates a fun and addictive skateboarding experience that is the first/second/and now third of it's kind. 'Your fingers are your feet' - watch as you control the skater by pushing, ollieing, and performing kicks, turns, grinds, slides, spins, and more! The control you have will blow you away, and will challenge you to think like a skater to combine big tricks and create killer, clean lines. Features: - Fine control over the skaters feet - Full 3D skater and world - Dozens of flip, rail, and grab tricks - Link tricks together with manuals for sick combos (no reverts, those were just silly) - Build your skills accomplishing dozens of goals (including collect the letters P U R E) - One awesome level to explore and master - Bonus points for gaps - Awesome soundtrack, real sound effects - Game Center leaderboards - Bonus points for gaps -------------- PureSkate is written with passion and care by Orbi Labs, a (very) small independent software studio in Ottawa, Canada. We are supremely eager for your feedback or questions or flames, please let us know what you think! contact@orbilabs.com

Screenshots

Snowboard Hero4 screens
PureSkate 1+24 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: PureSkate 1+2 at none against Snowboard Hero's 5. PureSkate 1+2 also leads on review sentiment (61% vs 40%) and rating (4.2 vs 3.9). Snowboard Hero's advantage is ratings volume (116 vs 5) and iOS requirement (4.3 vs 15.0). On price, ads, monetization model and device support there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Snowboard Hero sells 5 one-off in-app purchases. PureSkate 1+2 asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

PureSkate 1+2 holds the better App Store score, 4.2 against 3.9. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Snowboard Hero has 116 ratings behind it against 5, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 40% of Snowboard Hero's written reviews are positive against 61% of PureSkate 1+2's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Snowboard Hero ships an update every 4 months, PureSkate 1+2 every 5 weeks. The most recent releases landed on November 6, 2026 and November 1, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 4 level
Snowboard Hero versus PureSkate 1+2: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterSnowboard HeroPureSkate 1+2
PriceFreeFree
Rating3.9 (116 ratings)4.2 (5 ratings) — better
Positive reviews39.6% of reviews61.2% of reviews — better
Number of ratings116 — better5
Update frequencyEvery 4 monthsEvery 5 weeks — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS4.3 — better15.0
Further details — not scored
Size155 MB278 MB
Age rating9+4+
DeveloperPlaion GmbHOrbi Labs

Customer experience

Snowboard Hero

All ratings116 ratings
Positive67.2%
Neutral12.9%
Negative19.8%
Written reviews432 reviews
Positive39.6%
Neutral5.1%
Negative55.3%

PureSkate 1+2

All ratings3 ratings
Positive66.7%
Neutral0.0%
Negative33.3%
Written reviews196 reviews
Positive61.2%
Neutral6.1%
Negative32.7%

User reviews

Snowboard Hero

From 116 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 👍 Addictive gameplay
  • 👍 Great graphics and quality
  • 👍 Unique characters
  • 👍 Cool tracks
  • 👍 Awesome soundtrack

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Crashes on loading
  • 🐛 Unplayably slow on Apple TV
  • 🐛 Dull gameplay
  • 🐛 Limited tricks
  • 🐛 Lacking reality in tricks

PureSkate 1+2

From 5 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Fantastic game
  • 👍 Intuitive and polished
  • 👍 Realistic skating simulation
  • 👍 Challenging but fun
  • 👍 Great for skate fans

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Crashes frequently
  • 🐛 Controls can be unresponsive
  • 🐛 Difficult to master tricks
  • 🐛 Graphics could be improved
  • 💰 Full version may be overpriced

Bugs and requests

Snowboard Hero

Reported bugs

13 issues
  • Crashes when loading
  • Crashes after a few seconds
  • Collision detection issues
  • Controls not differentiating actions
  • Game closes immediately
Show 8 more
  • Doesn't load
  • Touch screen not registering
  • Crashes on iPod 4 touch
  • Laggy performance
  • Unresponsive controls
  • Slow frame rate
  • Game struggles to run
  • Crashes when attempting to turn music playlists off

Requested features

11 requests
  • Update for iOS 11
  • More new tracks and characters
  • Multiplayer functionality
  • 180 degree spins
  • Stunt park for practice
Show 6 more
  • More characters (equal gender representation)
  • Replays with cool camera angles and slo-mo
  • Universal update for iPad HD
  • More variety in outfits
  • Support for iPod Touch 2nd Gen
  • Finer tuning of controls for responsiveness

PureSkate 1+2

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Crashes on launch
  • Glitches that prevent progression
  • Incompatible with certain devices/OS versions

Requested features

4 requests
  • More skate parks and levels
  • Ability to customize character and board
  • Better tutorial and control explanations
  • Smoother control scheme and responsiveness

In-app purchases

5 purchases

Snowboard Hero

One-time5
  • 5000$0.99
  • 12000$1.99
  • 33000$4.99
Show 2 more
  • 75000$9.99
  • 200000$19.99
None

PureSkate 1+2

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Snowboard Hero free?
Snowboard Hero is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is PureSkate 1+2 free?
PureSkate 1+2 is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Snowboard Hero or PureSkate 1+2?
PureSkate 1+2 is rated higher. Snowboard Hero averages 3.9 out of 5 from 116 ratings, while PureSkate 1+2 averages 4.2 from 5 ratings.
Do Snowboard Hero or PureSkate 1+2 have ads?
Neither Snowboard Hero nor PureSkate 1+2 shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Snowboard Hero or PureSkate 1+2?
Snowboard Hero ships an update every 4 months, and PureSkate 1+2 every 5 weeks. Most recently, Snowboard Hero was updated on November 6, 2026 and PureSkate 1+2 on November 1, 2026.

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