I bought a PS5 just to play the new Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3+4 remake — and I have no regrets

Tom's Guide

2 days ago

Platforms: PC, PS5 (reviewed), PS4, Xbox One, Xbox Series X, Nintendo SwitchPrice: $49Release Date: June 11, 2025Genre: Sports
The Bird Man is back, with a single-game remake of the classic Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3 and 4 games, originally released in 2001 and 2002, respectively. Having put away thousands of hours playing those games in my youth (with no regrets), my expectations for the new THPS 3+4 were sky-high.
Thankfully, 2025's Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3+4 largely follows the same formula as the 2020 remake of THPS 1+2, despite being worked on by a different developer.
Long story short, if you loved the original THPS games or the COVID-19-era remake, you'll likely find this new version deeply satisfying. The latest installment is available for a wide range of systems and PC, and features the same general game dynamics, objectives, and controls as most THPS games before it.
Reworked levels look highly detailed while still feeling deeply nostalgic, new skaters join the OGs crew, the updated soundtrack is a mix of classic tunes and modern bops, and the gameplay is just as addictive as I remember.
The first time I played Tony Hawk's Pro Skater was probably in 2001. I was in the seventh grade and got my initial taste for the now quintessential high-energy skateboarding game at a friend's house — shout out to Jon Mindas — because my parents weren't big on gaming at the time.
The epic soundtrack, mind-melting trick combos, and objective-oriented single-player 'Career Mode' had me hooked. Some months later, I conspired with my brother to pool our money and buy a secondhand PlayStation 1 off of a friend — shout out to Ryan Monahan — something we kept secret from our parents for a comically long time. This was all to get my THPS fix (though the PS1 game, 2Xtreme, was another favorite).
I played countless hours of THPS 2 on that system. However, when the third iteration of the game dropped in late 2001/early 2002, I knew I wanted to play it on the latest/greatest. While I settled for the PS1 version upon the game's launch, Tony Hawk Pro Skater 3 was a major reason I ultimately upgraded to a PS2 (my folks were thankfully cool with gaming by this point).
Fast-forward roughly twenty years. We're in the middle of the COVID-19 crisis. Life is boring/terrifying, but wait… a shred of good news: A remastered version of Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 1+2, approved by the Bird Man himself, was set to launch. And so, I bought a used PS4 from a homie and beat the game in a few nights. I've been playing it on and off ever since.
Are you noticing a theme here? Well, with this year's release of the latest THPS remaster, Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3+4, I figured it was high time to jump to a PS5... I'm now the proud owner of a Sony-certified model (much to my girlfriend's vexation).
In the week since its release, I've logged just over eight hours of gameplay. While I still have a small handful of levels to unlock and objectives to check off, my mind is 100% made up about this game. With that, here's everything you need to know about the new 2025 version of Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3+4.
For better or for worse — I can't decide — the gameplay in the new THPS 3+4 is essentially unchanged from the original series launched all the way back when. While there are updates to the graphics and refinements to the dynamics, the objective of the latest release remains essentially the same, i.e., rather arcade-y.
At the start of each level, you're presented with a list of challenges to check off: A mix of trick and point-based objectives, along with sillier task-based goals.
While the developer could've easily expanded on the complexity of tasks like 'tear down the posters,' or 'save the painter,' or 'fix the satellite dish,' — all of which require little more than exploring the level and knocking/grinding over things — they kept these non-trick-based objectives especially simple.
That's a good thing for younger gamers who might just be getting into the series. But as an old-fart gamer fueled largely by nostalgia, I'm yearning for a fresh challenge. After all, if I were able to 'find the lost packages' with ease as a 13-year-old, completing essentially the same task 25 years later feels rather uneventful.
As always, runs in Career Mode are two minutes long. Need more time to explore the level uninterrupted? Head to the main menu and choose a 'Free Skate.' Of course, you'll need to knock out some of the objectives on each level to unlock additional ones.
To improve your skaters' skills, scattered throughout each level are 'Stat Points.' You'll need to collect these, just like in the original game, to upgrade your character's various skill specs like speed, hang time, rail balance, and air.
While checking off the various objectives on the level list and unlocking new areas to skate is part of the fun, the real appeal of Tony Hawk's Pro Skater is stringing together impossibly long lines (trick combos) for big, big points.
And the newest installment gives you all the tools to do that, including manuals (duh), reverts-to-manual when landing air tricks, wall plants, customizable 'Special Trick' button combos, and more.
So far, my highest trick combo in THPS 3+4 — roughly ~200,000 points — was achieved at the Movie Studio, one of several entirely new levels added to the game. Another new level, the Waterpark, is worth mentioning as one of the most visually stunning and enjoyable maps to explore (kudos to Iron Galaxy).
That said, my highest-scoring two-minute session to date, ~690,000 points, occurred in the Shipyard level, where the rail tracks are perfectly greased for epic combos.
While you'll need to manually select a 'Special Trick' button combination from the menus to perform a 540-flip, each and every trick looks immersive and gorgeous in 4K, even a simple acid drop. Moreover, the gameplay is smooth yet responsive, and load times on PS5 are lightning fast (not the case on PS4).
The levels are mostly the same in the new version of the game as they were in the originals, with a few exceptions, but everything has been thoroughly overhauled from its pixelated, spartan state to something much more detailed and immersive with dynamic shadows and realistic textures.
Some of the levels, like San Francisco in THPS 4, feel like revisiting a long-lost, yet joy-filled location from my youth. Other levels that similarly felt like stepping into a time machine include the Airport and the College.
You never forget how to ride a bike, and you never forget how to do a 360-flip to Rowley Darkslide to nose manual to hardflip crooked grind… You get the point.
Having mostly only played Tony Hawk's Pro Skater on the PlayStation system my entire life, I love the fact that the buttons and trick combos remain exactly the same decades later.
Of course, to get the most out of THPS 3+4 in Career Mode, you'll want to customize your Special Tricks as noted above — these are the ones you can only perform when your 'Special Bar' hits the max and glows orange — to post the biggest point combinations.
The new Tony Hawk game offers no fewer than 31 skaters to choose from. That may sound like a lot, but the reasoning behind the overwhelming selection is sound. In addition to all the OG pros — most of whom are now in their late forties or fifties and long retired — you can also select from a contemporary cast of world-class skaters.
From Bam Margera to Rayssa Leal, it's awesome to have such a wide range of shredders to choose from. Of course, my favorite THPS skater always has and always will be Andrew Reynolds. Not only did I own countless pairs of his official Emerica sneakers back in my teenage years, but I still love his oh-so-clean style on the board, both in the game and IRL.
The soundtracks from the original Tony Hawk's Pro Skater games have risen to near-mythological levels with folks (including myself) citing them as the springboard to their modern taste in music. (Thank you, Tony, for introducing me to punk rock).
Unfortunately, the developers were only able to secure the rights to ten songs from the original games out of roughly 55. Sorry, no Ramones 'Blitzkrieg Bop' for you, though Motorhead's 'Ace of Spades' did make the cut.
Still, I commend those behind the updated soundtrack for substituting in songs from a wide range of awesome modern musicians, all of which fit the vibe of the game beautifully.
While there are a handful of 'skips' which I'll keep to myself, some of my favorite new tunes featured in the remake include 'yankee and the brave (ep. 4)' from Run the Jewels, Turnstile's 'Realthing,' and 'Gift Horse' by Idols.
The 2025 remake of Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3+4 is a faithful update to a classic Millennial video game franchise: The graphics are impressive, the original levels have been recreated with stunning detail, the controls are familiar, smooth and responsive, the music slaps, and the gameplay is just as addictive as I remember.
However, there's a notable absence of new features and objectives. This is to say, the developers played it safe and kept this remake as true to the original as possible.
That's better than botching the whole thing.
Ultimately, I can't wait to beat the game — something I anticipate happening within a week or so — and have no doubt that THPS 3+4 will keep me mentally stimulated for months, if not years to come.
That said, as I continue playing the latest THPS release, I can't help but think to myself, 'This is nice, but a remake of Tony Hawk's Underground is what I really want.'
Less arcade-y and more storyline-based than the four THPS games before it, 2003's 'Underground' was ultimately the most engaging installment in the original series, IMHO. (The first level is also set in suburban New Jersey, something I find all too relatable.)
Given past timelines, I reckon I can expect a Tony Hawk's Pro Skater Underground remake to drop sometime around 2030. Notably, this is also when I plan on upgrading to the PS6.