Parents' Guide to

Steep

By Chad Sapieha, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 10+

Exhilarating extreme sports game has dangerous stunts.

Game PlayStation 4, Windows, Xbox One 2016
Steep Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this game.

  • Steep game screenshot #1
  • Steep game screenshot #2
  • Steep game screenshot #3

Community Reviews

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age 10+

Based on 2 parent reviews

MasterBenedict
MasterBenedict Adult
January 26, 2019
age 10+

Great Game!

I just downloaded this game and was immediately impressed, the graphics are stunning and so is the gameplay! The only concerns that a parent could have is the fact that the stunts are dangerous and if you fail them you see them fall down the mountain p, however there’s no blood. The other possible concern would be swearing, however this is very mild and after playing the game for 5 hours I only heard 3 instances of very mild swearing.
BayvilleDad
BayvilleDad Parent of 9-year-old
January 19, 2017
age 9+

Fun game but has high risk sports situations

The first thing you notice in this game is that it is absolutely beautiful - the mountain scenes in the snow are breath taking. That said there are a few things you should know and why I rated it for 9 years old rather than 13: T for teen. I will also say that my child never plays any video games alone - just a house rule. 1 - Dangerous Sports: It is a game of extreme winter sports (Snowboarding, Skiing, Para Sailing and Wing Suit) the crashes are jarring. I am clear with my child that this is a fantasy game that would result in much worse outcomes in the real world than a simple game-reset. There is no blood but there is the sound of a body hitting rocks (you can turn down this in settings). As you might imagine learning the wing suit is most intense. 2 - There is some language issues when he player takes a big fall they swear if it is a great fall. There is no direct way to turn this off yet so I just switched the language to French. Since we dont speak french and all the words are in French we dont know which is a swear ;-) Not great but a good workaround. Hoping the Developer can update this in future versions as it does not add to the UX. There are also some audio clips a player can trigger with "X" button that include some mild negative jabs at other players - the French also cures this. 3 - Other Players - there is an option to challenge others (strangers and friends) but only if you are logged into that aspect of the game. There is no live chat where another player could curse and you just see their user name and ranking (I guess the user name could be an issue but i havent seen it yet) Overall a really fun challenging game in an stunning open-world if your child can separate game fantasy from the reality of hitting rocks in a wing suit.
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What’s It About?

Players get to feel what it's like to engage in some of the world's most exhilarating and dangerous sports in STEEP, an open-world game set in the Alps that allows players to switch among skiing, snowboarding, paragliding, wingsuit diving, and hiking. Hundreds of events, base camps, and points of interest are scattered at locations all around the mountains, and players can instantly transport to any of them once discovered. Barriers -- such as the player's experience level -- block access to some activities, but there's not really a specific order for events and objectives to be accomplished. This allows players to freely explore the mountain and do whatever they like whenever they like. They can even take helicopter rides to otherwise inaccessible locations simply to have a look around. Players will find the avatars of other players on the mountain with them and can group with each other at the tap of a button. A large array of goals and rewards spanning multiple categories, including exploration, tricks, and extreme wipeouts, encourage players to experiment and take risks on where they can go and how they can get there.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (2):
Kids say (20):

This sports sim rewards the adventurous explorer across the Alps with an expansive trip across the slopes. Think of this game as the winter/extreme sports version of Forza Horizon. Steep is all about doing what you want, when you want, where you want, however you want. The characters rarely talk, but when they do, it's about how they feel free and invincible. They want to conquer the mountain and see things no one else has seen, and they fear nothing. It's a liberating experience for the player and a very fresh take on the decades-old genre of winter sports games.

But whether you actually have fun will depend greatly on just how much you enjoy the sports on offer. The paragliding and wingsuit events tend to be short and pretty straightforward (though not easy), while some of the skiing and snowboarding activities can become a bit frustrating until you get a feel for the terrain in the locations where they're set. It's easy to go off-trail and get a bit lost on your way to finding a rocky gap you're supposed to ski through and to catch jumps at the wrong angle. Mistakes mean you need to head back up the mountain and try again. Perhaps the most rewarding activity of all is simply exploring and finding new base camps. You can get to camp beacons through any combination of transportation methods -- say, skiing down a steep slope, then paragliding over a deep crevice and hiking up the last few hundred yards to a rocky summit. It can be exhilarating. If you have a passion for extreme winter sports, Steep is definitely worth a look.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about screen time. It's easy to lose yourself in an open-world game like Steep, where activities naturally roll into each other, but how do you make sure quick play sessions don't turn into marathon game events resulting in sore eyes and stiff limbs?

  • Talk about knowing your limits. Sports are fun, but they can also be dangerous, so if you ski or snowboard, what sorts of rules do you follow to stay safe while on the mountain?

Game Details

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