The Birdman is back, soaring into my home and heart with another 540° Christ Air—like a Motörhead-fueled legend of manuals, methods, and madonnas. As the follow-up to 2020’s excellent remake of the first two Pro Skater games, Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3 + 4 may not have the same initial spark of novelty, and it certainly takes more creative risks in reviving these classics. Still, it’s impossible to deny how fun it is to be transported back to 2001 for some classic arcade skating action. “The pleasure is to play,” growls Lemmy Kilmister in the iconic speed metal track Ace of Spades, which once set the tone for the original THPS3 and returns to do so again in THPS3+4.
Five years ago, developer Vicarious Visions pulled off the near-impossible with Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 1 + 2. Even with the lingering disappointment of Robomodo’s disastrous Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 5 hanging in the air like a pair of swampy SB Dunks, they delivered one of the most accurate and beloved remakes of the modern era, earning the highest first-month sales in the franchise’s history. Their reward? A shutdown, and Tony Hawk himself later confirmed that plans for remaking Pro Skater 3 + 4 were scrapped. Thankfully, that decision was reversed, and the project found a new home with Iron Galaxy.
Even with a different studio in charge, THPS3+4 largely mirrors the visual style and structure of THPS1+2. The graphics remain sharp and vibrant, and the game runs with impressive stability. The skater lineup includes returning legends from the original games, familiar faces from THPS1+2, and a few newcomers to the series like Chloe Covell, Yuto Horigome, Rayssa Leal, and Zion Wright. And yes, Bam Margera makes an appearance too—while he may not feature in the intro reel, he’s tucked away among the game’s unlockable content.
The appearance and organization of THPS3+4 are largely consistent with those of THPS1+2, even if a different developer is in charge.
Both games in the collection are once again split into two separate sets of levels, but beyond that, everything feels unified. Tricks and moves—like spine transfers, which originally debuted in THPS4—are shared across both titles. Stat points earned in one game boost your skater in the other, and all the in-game currency you collect is pooled together to spend on gear for your custom skater, hidden characters, special effects, or visual filters. If you’ve played THPS 1+2, you’ll know the drill. If not, it’s easy to pick up the seamless two-in-one structure that defines the experience.
The real magic of THPS 3+4 lies in its levels. While a few expected maps are missing, the beautifully remade environments are the main attraction. Just like in THPS 1+2, there’s a real joy in revisiting these iconic spaces with a fresh coat of paint. Whether you’re grinding through the fiery interiors of Foundry or climbing the layers of Alcatraz, each level’s return is a thrill. Airport still delivers flawless lines for endless combos, and Cruise Ship remains a satisfying test of control, daring you to pull off massive tricks without plunging into the sea. It’s a fantastic ride from start to finish.
Kona still struggles with parts of its real-world-inspired layout feeling a bit too plain for the wild, arcade-style skating that defines a Tony Hawk game. Meanwhile, London’s shift to a nighttime setting dulls its visual appeal slightly. That said, aside from THPS4’s Zoo—which has been repurposed as a tournament level—there aren’t any outright flops. The Zoo now feels abandoned, lifeless, and empty, and the nighttime backdrop only adds to its lack of energy.
While THPS4’s Chicago and Carnival maps are missing, Iron Galaxy has added three brand-new levels to the THPS4 campaign. From a purist’s standpoint, that might raise eyebrows, but Waterpark and Pinball are standout additions. The former—an abandoned waterpark filled with drained pools and decaying slides—feels tailor-made for Pro Skater, as if it should’ve existed all along. Pinball is visually striking, with gleaming chrome elements and a towering Tony Hawk watching over the massive machine.
Most level objectives stick to the originals—I appreciate that hidden tapes haven’t been randomly relocated—but there are a few tweaks and new additions. These generally improve things, like replacing the simplistic “Trash the Museum” goal on Cruise Ship with a more challenging combo sequence that achieves the same comedic payoff. A few changes are less successful, though—swapping London’s iconic Stompy the Elephant for a strange man in his underwear is certainly a bizarre choice.
Most of the biggest changes are found in THPS4’s levels, which have been significantly trimmed down. Each has been reworked to fit the classic two-minute timer structure, meaning you no longer skate freely around to interact with pro skaters and receive goals through in-game conversations. Those moments are gone, along with a number of the original goals. Some that initially seem missing do show up later as part of the five extra “Pro Goals” unlocked after completing all main objectives in each park. For example, in College, the parade floats that appear to be static will eventually start moving once these goals are unlocked. But you won’t be scaring elephants or hard flipping over Kenny the Koala at the Zoo this time.
On the plus side, new C-O-M-B-O challenges have been added to THPS3 levels that didn’t originally include them, which is a nice upgrade. Still, it’s a trade-off—THPS4’s campaign ends up feeling less like a remake and more like a reimagining. While you can adjust the timer up to 60 minutes via a new gameplay mod (part of the returning cheat options from THPS 1 + 2), this only eases the pace—it doesn’t restore the original THPS4 structure.
On the subject of goals, the park editor has received a meaningful upgrade with the new “create-a-goal” feature. This is a huge improvement, turning user-made levels into more than just casual skate zones. Now, you can design full challenges—collecting S-K-A-T-E letters, hitting C-O-M-B-O lines, and smashing objects across fresh custom maps. It adds significant replayability. You can even include turbo pads, helpful or hostile NPCs, and death pits that reset the player to a spawn point, making it a smart and exciting evolution of the already solid editor from THPS 1 + 2.
Verdict
Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3 + 4 is a mostly successful revival of the beloved 2001 and 2002 classics, serving as another nostalgic time capsule from the golden era of early 2000s gaming—before battle passes and microtransactions took over. Like the 2020 remake of 1 + 2, THPS 3 + 4 proves once again that the series’ outrageous skateboarding formula is truly timeless. It’s approachable for newcomers yet incredibly deep for players with the skill or muscle memory to pull off massive combos. Still, forcing THPS4 into the original trilogy’s two-minute timer format may frustrate longtime fans who consider it the best in the series. And cutting nearly 80% of the iconic THPS3 and THPS4 soundtracks? That’s a baffling decision, especially for games so deeply defined by their music. No T.N.T.? That’s enough to make me blow a fuse.
