These surfing games are totally tubular.

It’s easy but equally upsetting to see why surfing games haven’t quite taken off. Water physics are hard enough to portray realistically and responsively in video games that are somewhat ocean-based, let alone one that commits wholly to dynamic waves and nothing else. To make the ocean feel weighty, unpredictable, and ever-changing is a hefty challenge for even the most sophisticated studios.

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However, different stylistic approaches wouldn’t necessarily demand the utmost realism to make it fun; imagine a 2D scroller surf game in the style of Limbo, or perhaps an outrageously ethereal concept in the vein of the Katamari series? Though our fingers are still crossed for a Skate or Riders Republic-style equivalent for the art of surfing, there have been plenty of fun gems over the years.

Regarded by many as the pinnacle of surfing games, Pro Surfer 2002 was one of the most effective efforts in making the sport into a series. The titular pro-surfer was marketed by Activision as the Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater equivalent to the water sport, and it shared many similarities. From a roster of real surfers and kooky characters, including Surfreak and Tiki God, players could hit the world’s best surf spots to max out high scores, challenge local groms, and compete in competitions.

The game was fuelled by a responsive control system, impressive wave physics, and cheeky humor, rewarding players for knocking pesky windsurfers out of the way of your perfect combo.

Though the oldest on this list by far, that barely impacts the enjoyability of this charming throwback. The 1987 Commodore 64 game encompassed not only surfing, half-pipe skateboarding, roller skating, and more, but riding big waves was the most fun. The 8-bit game gave players a minute-and-a-half to ride the perfect barrel, with sharper carves enabling players to gain more air.

Even if you couldn’t quite get the knack of the finicky controls to perform air tricks, just cruising up and down the infinite blue barrel, humming along to the typically surfy earworm soundtrack was satisfying enough. You could even get a trophy courtesy of Santa Cruz.

Released around the same time as Kelly Slater’s Pro Surfer 2002, Sunny Garcia Surfing also implemented a similar style of gameplay. An alike game engine allowed players to ride large and continuous waves, entering barrels and grinding crests, though players had to be wary of things that could throw them off.

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Set off the coast of the island country of Fiji, all manners of obstacles, including sharks, could pose a blatant threat, adding a dangerous element to the trick-based game. The obvious highlight of the game, however, was the fact that you could play as a dog. If riding a wave into the sunset as a boardshorts-wearing canine doesn’t do it for you, we don’t know what will.

This 2001 forgotten gem is a nostalgia trip for nineties and noughties kids alike. Thrashy rock music, real surfing clips playing behind the menu, and a spinning 3D globe to illustrate where you’ll be surfing next perfectly set the tone for the game.

Paddling out toward waves before performing immense freestyle runs on never-ending waves was the perfect formula for replayability and skill progression. The game also featured a unique karma system, ensuring that you surf with etiquette, and that you don’t steal anyone else’s wave. Punishments include shark attacks. Sounds fair.

Sony Picture’s Surf’s Up was a rare example of a mainstream film tapping into a subculture and not sabotaging or misrepresenting it entirely. The game tie-in was also pretty great as well, given the experimental nature of both the barely explored gaming category of surfing whilst making it accessible and enjoyable for younger kids.

The tale of Cody Maverick, the teenage penguin aspiring to become the next great surfer was made into a great combo-scoring action sports game. With outrageous SSX-style maneuvers and relentlessly energetic courses filled with unique obstacles ranging from icebergs to small islands, this is by far one of the better movie tie-in sports games and outright surf games out there.

Taking a vastly different approach to other predecessor surf games, True Surf attempted new levels of innovation. The most notable of these gameplay mechanics included the real-time element, in which the game would synchronize data from real-life forecasts in weather and wave conditions.

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This meant that gameplay could somewhat accurately attempt to emulate reality, which is a genuinely innovative concept that would be great to see implemented in other games. The Android and iOS game utilized the touchscreen to enable players to carve in different directions and sharpness. For a mobile game, the minimal visual style and an array of boards to ride made for a relaxing and highly replayable experience.

In the modern age where everything from farming, bus driving, power-washing, and a goat is made into a simulator game, it only makes sense that surfing was too. That’s exactly what Virtual Surfing attempts to articulate with its visually awesome wave-riding experience. Though criticized by some for being too difficult, it’s argued that this could essentially be the point of the game, that the sport is about perseverance and learning through every failure, as is the case in real life.

A first-person mode strengthened this sense of immersion, making trial-and-error wipe-outs either too frustrating to repeat or all the more inspiring for the next wave.

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