Following the success of THPS 1 + 2, developer Iron Galaxy steps in to give us the long-awaited Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3 + 4. Reimagining, more than remaking, Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3 (2001) and 4 (2002) for a modern audience, we are treated to updated graphics, a stacked roster, new maps, expanded creation tools, and smoother gameplay than ever. This is our second love letter to skate culture, and while there have been some controversial changes, it balances the grind well.

Two minutes of glory

First and foremost, THPS 3 + 4 feels amazing. If you played THPS 1 + 2, you won’t notice many changes, but you’ll be right at home here. Everything is tight and snappy with flips, manuals, grinds, reverts, lip tricks all flowing into each other in the right hands. As before, the arcade-style skateboarding encourages creativity and huge combo numbers that end in that magic moment when you beat your old high-score.

Career Mode in THPS 3 + 4 kicks off with a two-minute timer, giving you a tight window to land tricks, chase combos, and complete objectives. Depending on the mode and map, you might be hunting for hidden tapes, racking up high scores, or collecting SKATE letters. Whether you’re going for 100% completion or just free-skating for style, the loop is all about mastering the terrain, learning the lines, and pushing your skills.

“Multiplayer returns with all the classics… the brand-new HAWK Mode is a standout…”

The controls are tight and intuitive, featuring classic trick chaining and a refined feel that honours the originals while smoothing out the bumps. Skating through LA’s streets or tackling the extravagance of the Zoo map, it’s always a good ride. I found myself leaning towards completing each map of the campaign before moving on to the next, and that was certainly challenging. There was plenty of reason for me to take a step back and practice a few lines to nail high scores or build a better understanding of the map.

Still, Career Mode isn’t without criticism. Rather than recreating THPS 4’s endless time limit approach, Iron Galaxy opted to fold both games into the same two-minute challenge structure used in THPS 1 through 3. Purists may be disappointed that THPS 4’s unique design has been trimmed down for consistency’s sake. That said, this unified structure does make the experience more streamlined and less confusing for newcomers. As a result, I welcome this change and think it’s a smart design decision.

Multiplayer returns with all the classics: Trick Attack, Combo Mambo, Graffiti, and more. The brand-new HAWK Mode is a standout, blending hide-and-seek mechanics with the old-school HORSE mode. Players take turns to hide four letters (H, A, W, K) and find the four letters while landing the right combos to reach tough locations. It’s surprisingly tense and a real highlight when playing with friends.

Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3 + 4 Review – New-school flair

Legends and locals

If you’re chasing value for money, Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3 + 4 delivers big. It’s not just the polished skating mechanics or visuals, it’s the sheer amount of stuff to unlock and mess around with, including Michelangelo from TMNT doing a 900. The roster alone is one of the strongest and most inclusive in the series’ history, with over 30 skaters representing a mix of legends and fresh blood. Longtime fans will recognise icons like Rodney Mullen and Elissa Steamer, while newer players can shred as today’s skating icons like Rayssa Leal, Yuto Horigome, and Margielyn Didal.

It’s especially great to see the inclusion of Australian skaters like Shane O’Neill and Chloe Covell, a rising star at just 14 years old who competed in the 2024 Olympics. We also have returning queer representation with Leo Baker, who is a trans skater based in New York. It feels genuine, not tokenistic. Like a snapshot of where skate culture is now and where it’s going. This diverse lineup brings diverse backgrounds and identities into the spotlight, making the game feel more now than ever.

“It feels stupid in the fun way it used to back in the early 2000s trying to unlock Darth Maul or Wolverine.”

Then there are the bonus characters. The Doom Slayer and a Revenant from the modern DOOM games are both playable with the Deluxe Edition upgrade, accompanied by a handful of iconic tracks from Mick Gordon’s DOOM soundtracks. You can unlock the literal Birdman by completing every objective and getting feathers from the secret shop, or even play as Jack Black (Constable Richard). It feels stupid in the fun way it used to back in the early 2000s, trying to unlock Darth Maul or Wolverine.

Every skater can be upgraded with Stat Points hidden across each map to level up abilities like air, speed, ollie height, rail balance, and spin. This system isn’t too complex, but it gives you a reason to go back and hunt for those hard-to-reach gaps or ledges. You can respec at any time, too. If you’re chasing a specific challenge that requires ridiculous air, you can pump stats into jump height, finish the objective, and then reallocate your points later. It’s flexible, and it means you’ll never lock a character into weird stats.

The only downside is that you need to grind these stats per character. For casual players, it might feel like a chore if you want to try every skater without starting from nothing each time. Still, it’s not overly punishing and suits the kind of “one more run” mindset this game encourages.

Unlock it and style it

You’ll earn in-game cash by completing challenges and just being a menace in every level. It’s used at the Skate Shop, which is stacked with customisation options. Boards, clothes, shoes, wheels, and decks. The best part? No microtransactions. This is all earned-it-yourself progress. On top of standard cosmetics, you can also unlock visual FX, which a very fun to boast. Effects like fire trails, spark grinds, or even comic-book-style pop art effects that add style to your skating. They’re a small touch, but they make big combos look even cooler.

A mode I admittedly never really used to play around with, Create-a-Park, is better than it’s ever been. It now includes custom goal creation, adding a whole new layer of opportunity and content to play with. Want to build a vertical-only map with floating rails and a time trial? Go nuts. The community has already flooded the servers with maps, some weird and some brilliant.

Uploading and downloading is seamless, and the cross-platform sharing means the pool of content is massive from day one. It’s an endless stream of new challenges. Everything from near-perfect recreations of THPS 2 levels to DOOM arenas. If there’s anything we know, user content is always a surefire way to breathe extended life into a game, and I’m happy to say it’s executed excellently in THPS 3 + 4.

New noise

This is the best the series has ever looked. Played on PS5, the game boasts slick 4K visuals, superb lighting and smooth animations that match the tone of this modern reenvisioning and faithfully remade maps. The pinball machine level is a creative standout and a lot of fun for its surreal and bouncy space, packed with clever nods to Neversoft and THPS history. Sound design is equally sharp. Bails hit with crunch and trick landings pack the kind of oomph that makes you wince in all the right ways. But let’s talk music. Because this is where things become debatable.

“…slick 4K visuals, superb lighting and smooth animations that match the tone of this modern reenvisioning…”

The soundtrack is packed with 59 songs from punk, hardcore, hip-hop and more. It’s objectively a banger collection of music that fits the game perfectly. The issue is that many fan-favourite songs didn’t make it back in comparison to the THPS 1 + 2 game. Whether that’s due to licensing or creative direction, it’s hard not to feel the absence of certain iconic tracks.

On reflection, Iron Galaxy are embracing diversity and discovery. Having newer bands alongside legends offers the best of both worlds, and to be honest, that’s the whole point of the Tony Hawk game soundtracks. We discovered bands through the original games, that’s how we came to love and become diehard fans of artists like Bodyjar and CKY. That’s the purpose of focusing on new music in THPS 3 + 4. I think it’s a smart move to highlight new bands, more diversity, and allow us to find new favourites.

I’m also very excited to see our Aussie psych-rock heroes King Gizzard and The Lizard Wizard and Maryland current-day hardcore leaders End It on the tracklist, among music icons Adolescents and Gang of Four. Surreal and well-deserved.

9

Amazing

Positive:

Responsive gameplay
Diverse skater roster
Tons of unlockables
Create-a-Park is improved
Excellent new soundtrack

Negative:

THPS4 purists won't be happy
Missing fan-favourite songs

Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3 + 4 sticks the landing with a clean kickflip and a modern twist. Iron Galaxy may have sanded off some of THPS4’s open-ended charm, but what’s left is a fine-tuned tribute to skateboarding. With excellent controls, deeper creation tools, and a diverse music and character roster (shoutout to our Aussie legends), the game is accessible and ridiculously fun. Even with a few bails, Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3 + 4 proves the Birdman’s legacy can still shred.