A free game calledSurfsUpis making waves onSteam, with players branding it a must-play. It’s a full game based on thesurfing maps popularized byCounter-Strike, with plenty of features to keep fans of the game mode engaged.
SurfsUpwas recently released on July 7, and appears to be a solo development effort by Mark Arneman. In the user reviews onSurfsUp’sSteam page, players like MrGreen call it “Excellent,” giving it a score of “10/10.” Rose says,“This is the surf community we have been waiting for.“SurfsUpis gaining some traction with a Very Positive rating based on its reviews, and appears to be a destination for veteran surf players.
SurfsUp Impresses Fans
CS Surf Has Come A Long Way
SurfsUpmay appear niche at first, building on a modder-created game mode fromCS, butit’s getting some great attention from longtime players while simultaneously being approachable for newcomers. One reviewer says, “finally a dedicated game for surfing and bhop courses. done by people who clearly understand surfing. plenty of classic maps.”
Similar sentiments are seen throughout the reviews: “feels correct;” “really gives the best surf experience;” and “very close to actual source surf mechanics.” That last quote refers to the Source engine, whereCounter-Strikesurf maps originated.CSremains eternally popular, butCounter-Strike 2doesn’t support the same physics quirks that made surf so popular in the first place.
DespiteSurfsUpappealing to veterans,the game boasts a surf tutorial and a friends-only leaderboard, letting newcomers enter in a less competitive scene. It tracks personal best times and world records, while featuring multiplayer lobbies with voice chat and a spectator mode.
A Steam Freebie Worth Checking Out
Hang 10
There’s really no barrier to entry forSurfsUp; reviews even say it worksgreat on the Steam Deck. It’s worth a look simply because it’s free-to-play, but you also get a chance to check out the surf community if you’re unfamiliar.
Surf and, by extension,SurfsUpare easy to pick up but difficult to master, with tons of movement tech involved. It’s also a really neat corner of gaming, growing almost entirely organically by players simply messing around with the Source engine.SurfsUpis gaining some attention on Steam, and will likely only grow in popularity since it’s available for free.
Steam
Developed by Valve and released in 2003, Steam is a popular video game distribution service originally used by the company to provide updates for Valve games. In 2005, Steam expanded to distribute third-party titles. Steam users can not only browse games for purchase, but they can also post reviews and upload self-made content.
