Steep puts players on top of the mountain and asks them to move fast down it. The game is built around free climbing, skiing, snowboarding, paragliding and wingsuit flying, all tied to a large open world that spans the Alps and lets players pick their path across it. Ubisoft Montreal built the game as a playground for movement, and it mostly delivers on that promise, even when the systems beneath it struggle to keep up.
Trailer, via IGDBcom.
The Mountain
The Alps in Steep are the star of the show. They are dense, varied and packed with vertical drops that reward players who push the edges of the physics model. A climb that takes ten minutes can drop in seconds once the slope opens up, and the sense of speed is real. The game tracks the best runs, fastest times and biggest jumps, giving players a reason to push harder each time they start over.
Free Climbing
Climbing is where Steep shows its ambition. Players can hold onto rock faces, scramble up walls and jump from ledge to ledge, turning a simple route into a route that feels earned. It is slower than skiing or gliding, but it gives the mountain a sense of scale that a flat track would miss.
Skiing and Snowboarding
Skiing and snowboarding are where the game finds its balance. The controls are tight, and the courses are designed to reward smooth lines and quick turns. Tricks are easy to perform and easier to chain together, which makes the early hours feel like a snowboard game first and a simulation second. That is a fair trade when the goal is fun.
Paragliding and Wingsuits
Paragliding and wingsuit flying are the riskiest parts of Steep, and also the most thrilling. Wingsuit runs let players fly through narrow valleys and over waterfalls at full speed, and the game rewards players who dare to push the limits of the physics model. The sensation of weightlessness is strong, and the game’s best moments come when a wingsuit run connects with a steep drop and a landing that just barely holds.
The Open World
The open world in Steep is generous with content, but it is also thin in places. Side activities, like ski competitions and exploration challenges, fill out the hours between main objectives, but they rarely rise to the level of the core movement. The story campaign is thin, and the characters are forgettable, which leaves the game feeling more like a toybox than a narrative-driven experience.
Technical Struggles
Steep’s technical issues are the clearest sign of its unfinished state. Load times are long, and the frame rate dips during busy sections, especially when several friends join in online play. Some slopes feel unfinished, with gaps in the terrain that break the illusion of being in the Alps. These problems do not ruin the experience, but they undercut the confidence the game builds through its better moments.
What Works
The best moments in Steep come when the systems line up: a climb that leads to a wingsuit run that leads to a landing that leads to a downhill run. Those sequences are rare, but they are unforgettable. The game’s strongest quality is its willingness to let players move in any direction they choose, and that freedom is what keeps Steep from feeling like a standard sports title.
Key Facts
- Developer: Ubisoft Montreal
- Platforms: PS4, PC, XONE, Switch
- Genre: Action sports, open-world
- Release: 2016
- Critical score: 7.3/10
Steep is a game about movement, and it gets that movement right most of the time. The technical rough spots are real, but they are outweighed by the joy of moving fast down a mountain. Players who want a playground for skiing, snowboarding, climbing and flying will find plenty to love here, even if the world around them feels less complete than the movement itself.
