Gamers hit the slopes with the Renaissance man of the extreme sports world for some open-mountain exploration in Shaun White Snowboarding. Players have free reign to skirt the edge of an avalanche in extreme peak conditions, carve new routes through untracked backcountry powder, and join other riders for competitive events in terrain parks spread throughout mountains in Alaska, Utah, Europe, and Japan. Each mountain is peppered with downhill enthusiasts, including fellow online gamers, and players can join races at any time, hike to secret locations, film their friends pulling off tricks, or ambush other snowboarders in giant snowball fights.

Shaun White Snowboarding is built using the same game engine as Assassin's Creed, and the graphics are designed to offer players stunning vistas that express a large amount of playable area each mountain offers. Gamers can use environmental obstacles to execute tricks and catch massive air as they explore craggy mountain tops and dense, tree-lined paths, and players have thousands of different character customization options thanks to unique ride-styles and hundreds of different gear and board offerings. The game soundtrack lets riders carve up the slopes while listening to 40 licensed songs from artists as diverse as Bob Dylan, Run-DMC, and Modest Mouse.