Almost every gamer born in the 90s and 00s has a certain affinity for the Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater franchise. Whether it’s the sensation of executing that perfect trick line to nail a massive combo, the thumping soundtrack, or the design of the various skate parks, there is a lot to look back on fondly. Soon, however, that nostalgia will manifest in a new way when Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3 + 4 hits 7 different platforms this summer. The Best War Games went hands-on with Iron Galaxy’s remake to see how Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3 + 4 captures the spirit of, improves, and refines arguably the series’ most popular entries.
As part of the Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3 + 4 preview, we were given access to a handful of skate parks from both games’ campaign modes as well as one new park, Waterpark. Almost the full roster of skaters was available as well, showcasing the diverse group of athletes that are either returning from THPS 1 + 2 or being added this time around. With minimal preamble, we were let loose in the parks and tasked with tackling each level’s objectives within the 2-minute time limit, as well as given time to explore the parks in free skate mode.
Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3 + 4 is an Upgrade in Many Ways
Although it’s been a while since I last played Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3 or 4, this remake felt exactly as I remember. The graphics are updated for modern platforms, of course, but loading up Foundry as the first park and letting loose instantly brought that muscle memory back. It wasn’t long before I was chaining grinds, grabs, flips, and manuals to build multiplier, while also seeking out S-K-A-T-E along the way. This is the Tony Hawk experience that you know and love, realized with stunning graphics and running buttery smooth.
There have been accessibility options added, like lengthening each 2-minute timer and even a half-speed option to help nail combos, but Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3 + 4 feels as precise and challenging as ever. Chaining together a series of tricks in quick succession, finding what rails are best to connect, and using manuals/reverts to keep momentum going even further is not easy, but it’s as satisfying as ever to pull off.
In a preview setting, you mostly want to see what the game has to offer during the few hours of a play session, but I’ll admit those first few minutes were humbling when I realized my skills were not what they once were. Nevertheless,Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3 + 4 isn’t looking to deliver a dumbed-down version of its gameplay, and that is exactly what fans should want to hear.
Iron Galaxy Focused on Preserving the THPS Experience
Iron Galaxy’s goal with Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3 + 4 seems to be taking the baton from Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 1 + 2 developer Vicarious Visions and running without missing a beat. Although there is clearly a lot of love and care put into making the experience better, Iron Galaxy hasn’t fiddled with the foundation of the two games. There are smart additions like bringing over Skitchin from THPS 4 into 3, but the tinkering with the formula is minimal. For fans, that’s likely all you need to know to be sold on Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3 + 4.
That isn’t to say this is a pure carbon copy of Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3 + 4. In addition to the revamped skater roster, the game also features new skate parks created from the ground up by Iron Galaxy. While there is more to be revealed, the one we saw is Waterpark. It’s such an obvious setting for a Tony Hawk game that you wonder why it hasn’t been featured in a game until now. Perhaps that's because of Waterpark's scale, which Iron Galaxy says is so big that it could be seen from space if it existed in the real world.
If nothing else, Waterpark is a testament to the thoughtfulness that Iron Galaxy brings to the table. The studio understands what fits right into this franchise as if it were already there. Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3 + 4’s game director, Kurt Tillmanns, says that when fans of the franchise first tried out Waterpark as part of a playtest, they were convinced that it was originally in the game. One tester was even eager to consult YouTube to find the best path for a combo they remember originally doing, despite no such content existing.
While we could listen to the Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3 + 4 soundtrack, we were encouraged to stick to non-licenesed music for capture purposes.
All the Classic Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3 + 4 Pieces are Here
The key components of Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3 + 4 are also well represented in the game (based on what we played), from the stat boosts scattered around the parks to the multistep Easter Egg objectives. While chasing those high score thresholds is certainly the most popular objective in the THPS franchise, the remakes have not lost the series’ eagerness to be weird either. It’s a nice respite for the thumbs when you can spend a run or two trying to grind valves or find that elusive secret tape.
And while we didn’t get to test any of the multiplayer, Iron Galaxy has come out swinging with Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3 + 4. Crossplay for 7 different platforms (including the upcoming Nintendo Switch 2 version) avoids any concerns about segmentation of player population and Iron Galaxy has put performance at the top of its list when it comes to the experience. With how fast-paced and precision-focused Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater is, it’s crucial that the game feels responsive, and it runs flawlessly. During our preview on PCs with settings that favored performance, I can say that I experienced no issues. Any fails were due to either mistiming a grind, coming at a platform/rail at a bad angle, or foolishly trying to squeeze just one more trick into a combo.
There’s nothing quite like chaotically chaining everything together in a Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater game and Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3 + 4 has that feeling down to a T. It’s immensely satisfying to finally nail a line filled with variety and sneaking in a special trick or two.
Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3 + 4 Final Impressions
When it comes to a remake like Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3 + 4, the challenge is making the experience feel like you remember, even if changes have been made. Iron Galaxy has effectively brought two of the most beloved sports games into the modern era with care and respect, and that’s all fans could ask for. The skate parks look better and are visually upgraded in every conceivable way, but they still have the same personality, including the sense of humor. Waterpark fits right in with the likes of Suburbia, Foundry, and Alcatraz and offers its own playground of fun.
Choosing to forgo THPS 4’s career mode in favor of the 2-minute runs of the earlier entries is arguably the most controversial thing about Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3 + 4, but Iron Galaxy felt the time-based runs were the best representation of the spirit of the franchise. Mileage may vary on whether that’s true, but this iteration of two classics looks and plays great. Based on our time with Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3 + 4, fans have plenty of reasons to be excited to once again hop on their board.
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OpenCritic Reviews
- Top Critic Avg: 83 /100 Critics Rec: 88%
- Released
- July 11, 2025
- ESRB
- Teen / Lyrics, Mild Blood, Mild Violence
- Developer(s)
- Iron Galaxy
- Publisher(s)
- Activision
WHERE TO PLAY
- Engine
- Unreal Engine 4
- Genre(s)
- Sports
Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3 + 4 releases July 11, 2025 for PC, PS4, PS5, Nintendo Switch, Switch 2, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S. The Best War Games was provided hotel accommodations for this preview event.