Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3 + 4 Review

Welcome to the skate park, Iron Galaxy. Hoping you stick around longer than the last mob...

3 + 4 + 3 = the best iteration of the Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater series yet. The additional (heh) three in that ‘sum’ above? Those are the fresh levels introduced by who now feels like this franchise's new custodians, Iron Galaxy (read our “Would you like to know more?” box out for… MORE!). And while you’ve likely heard all the positives around the inclusions of Iron Galaxy’s three hand-crafted new playgrounds -- Waterpark, Movie Studio and Pinball, this reviewer feels it’s the more homogeneous design of the overall ‘twofer’ with 3 + 4 that actually elevates it above what Vicarious Visions did with 1 and 2.

Don’t get us wrong, Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 1 + 2 is still fantastic, but there’s a genuine sense of progression in IG’s effort where the end result is more an indication things aren’t going to be finished here, rather, this might just be the true beginning of the franchise’s legit next chapter.

There’s some griping among fellow reviewers and members of the community that this entry doesn’t go far enough in the nostalgia stakes, though, and while that is wholly true given it’s missing heaps of music, actual levels and some skaters, it more than makes up for those lost elements elsewhere. This reviewer personally wanted 1 + 2 to show more than just a visual and performance update (the inclusion of revert was very welcome), and while it added some new-ish stuff, it still felt mostly just like a shiny re-release. 3 + 4, however, options itself as a triple threat in being a remake, a reimagining and a repositioning. That last one is pertinent because Iron Galaxy’s effort has scope for, well, more. A lot more, actually. We’ll get to what that could and should look like in a bit, but for now it’s important to just know that for the first time in many, many years, Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater not only feels relevant, but capable of a future not tied to an overly nostalgic past.

Drop in and let us explain.

Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3 + 4

Genre: Action Sports/Skating
Developer: Iron Galaxy Studios
Publisher: Activision
Release Date: July 11, 2025
Classification: PG
Author: Stephen Farrelly
Date: July 28, 2025

Spine Transfer

The first major difference between IG’s entry over VV’s is progress. We played both games, THPS 3 and THPS 4, using only our created skater. To unlock pro video parts in the OG 1 + 2 you needed to complete both ‘chapters’ as each pro -- a monumental task. In 3 + 4 that’s not the case. You only need to get a certain combo score with each pro featuring their signature trick. We cheesed this between Foundry and Canada as each of these levels feature easy opps to create combo lines for the task and pulled off every video part from every pro pretty much in just a few hours. (Yep, that’s a bit of a flex.) Moreover, after completing each ‘chapter’ and gaining every Stat Point in the game, you can immediately carry those over to any available skater in your pro livery, making the video task that much easier.

It’s kind of a small thing, but made the second part of pushing through the game feel more meaningful. This is where you gain additional “Pro Challenges” across all levels, such as higher scores, collecting the C-O-M-B-O letters in a single combo (front or back), performing certain tricks over specific gaps, and more. This is across the whole two games, and these are all on the relatively difficult end of the spectrum. Little-to-no cheese among them, which also gives both experiences a more significant target in terms of skill fulfillment.

"The dual nature of Career progress here; attainable and almost-out-of-reach being their basic scope, keeps the game and its levels both engaging and interesting..."

Lots of shared player-created parks are being designed to help Trophy and Achievement hunters get the seemingly impossible, which is either a design oversight or fully endorsed, but by and large the dual nature of Career progress here; attainable and almost-out-of-reach being their basic scope, keeps the game and its levels both engaging and interesting. In basic Career, for example, Foundry is fairly easy, in Pro, however, it becomes a whole new beast with new lines, gateway grinds, gaps and more all needing to not just be learnt, but even discovered.

Would you like to know more?
A little about Iron Galaxy, maybe your new favourite skateboarding developer, depending on how you like to ride in videogame form. Despite being at the helm of the subject of this review, Iron Galaxy is actually - as of posting - a wholly independent studio. It also has very little by way of original IP out in the world, having istead cut its teeth more or less as a studio capable of porting games to platforms other studios can't, or might not have the time or scope for. That doesn't mean it doesn't have serious chops, the studio has worked on the likes of Street Fighter, Marvel Vs Capcom and Killer Instinct in the fighting game space, the Batman: Arkham series, The Elder Scrolls and Diablo in the action and action-RPG space and even worked as a support studio for the brilliant Metroid Prime: Remastered. Hopefully there's more in its future around this series after such a valiant effort...

Mixtape

Similarly to revert and manuals in 1 + 2, all skills and abilities found in 3 + 4, such as spine transferring, are played across both ‘chapters’. Essentially, what you can do in one, you can do in the other. It’s all part of that homogenous thing we’ve leveled so far and it’s another area this collection stands out more because of, though there’s an argument there that both THPS 3 and THPS 4 were designed with a more expansive approach in mind (THPS 1, for example, certainly wasn't designed with revert ever in mind). Still, it might seem small or even like something you wouldn’t think about, but acquired skills from the last collection and now this are all meaningfully available in the player-arsenal, which again opens up new and fresh possibilities for aficionados, newcomer savants or those who just saw other types of potential in each release all those years ago.

"Some bands allegedly weren’t even given the opportunity to say “fuck yeah, we want back in, why wouldn’t we!?”..."

It’s a weird one to segue on, though, but nostalgia permeates the above, in unity with the new. What’s a real shame, however, is that a huge portion of the music from both THPS 3 and THPS 4 is missing from this collected reimagining. Some bands allegedly weren’t even given the opportunity to say “fuck yeah, we want back in, why wouldn’t we!?” and while we love a lot of the new tracks from the likes of Denzel Curry or Vince Staples the soundtrack for these games is almost sacrosanct, and required, to a degree. And it’s not like Activision doesn’t have Activision money, buffed by Microsoft money… we’re obviously not entirely across the reasons why outside of licensing red tape here and there, or just in wanting to bring in fresh tunes for fresh audiences, which we get, but it all could have just been the old with the new, making everyone happy. Us included.

We mean, everything else in the game pays a huge amount of homage to the foundational firsts while sharing and flirting new and enticing concepts and futures for the brand, so this one just sits weirdly and feels a bit… off.

Would you like to know more?
The community around this series is seriously very good, and also very accommodating. Whole maps are being made in the Create-a-Park mode designed to help punters get ridiculous combo scores for Trophies and Achievements. The mode mentioned is also the most robust it's been and there's a sense that it could reach the sort of creative peak the likes of those made by the Trials community did. If anything, though, all of this just proves our point that there's a thirst for this series, its makeup and, more importantly, its potential.

Water Sliiiiiiide

Mentioned in our opening salvo, the fresh and new stuff dropped into this ‘grind down memory lane’ is genuinely the actual standout. It paints an obvious picture suggesting the bones (heh) of this original setup aren’t at all brittle and, really, we probably need more.

Waterpark is the hero and just sits so well on so many fronts, it could be the focus for a single feature on its own design merits (still thinking about writing that, actually). Not only is the space itself a perfect playground for this type of game, it also allows the developer to go big. In fact, outside of Downhill and Mall in 1 + 2 (and the OGs), it’s the most vertical-friendly map ever, and across two fronts in both actual vert skate opps, and in its vertical scale. It’s also arguably the best-looking level in the game, which might be an Iron Galaxy flex, but also doesn’t feel out of place (neither do the other new additions). A pressure valve also feels released with this and the other levels in the game, suggesting a fresh future for this format of Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater as, let’s face it, from 4 onwards it started to go downhill, and not in a fun way.

"And while we’re stoked with IG taking up the mantle so emphatically, it’s not without woes..."

Against the above, however, we can’t stress enough how well Iron Galaxy has just handled the whole product. 1 + 2 was fantastic and we saw back then a world in which VV was now in charge of all things Birdman, but it wasn’t to be (though Blizzard won a great studio in that whole deal). And while we’re stoked with IG taking up the mantle so emphatically, it’s not without woes; online MP is not nearly as smooth as it should be, some UI and UX design could have been sharpened (why we can’t also see “Grinds” as part of a Skater’s tricks alongside “Grab”, “Flip” and “Lip” is beyond us), the music, level and skater stuff riddled throughout as well… it all feels like it could just be handed a youbeaut update to sate us all, or we might just need more of that fresh new stuff.

Would you like to know more?
After THPS 4, the series went through myriad rounds of reinvention. There were some legal things leveled around Tony Hawk's name and the THPS brand also, but it felt like it just fell off its own map, clipped out of fun reality. Both Underground and Underground 2 were kind of commendable for trying to tap into the anarchistic side of skateboarding and for trying to be more 'open', but just failed to capture what EA's skate eventually did. The less said about any of the rest, however, the better. If there is a new game made, it will definitely need a clever title to help maintain that distance. It doesnt mean we don't want it, it means everything moving forward will need to be a clean slate.,

Skatemap?

It’s BLATANTLY obvious at this point, but we either want a host of DLC -- seasonal or in planned post-release update form -- or a fresh announcement of a “from the ground up” new entry in the franchise. 

"Making games is expensive and this series has big personalities, bands, brands and more, so we also get that nothing is a simple kickflip away from being doable..."

The further Acti stays away from the likes of Underground, Underground 2, American Wasteland, Proving Ground, Project 8 and Pro Skater 5, the better (read our third “Would you like to know more?” box out for… MORE!), but the foundation for how this all works now exists and both the community and devs get it. From a personal level, we think there’s heaps of life in 3 + 4 to test the waters with rolling content drops but there’s also almost no reason IG couldn't initially marry 1, 2, 3 and 4 into one giant, also homogeneous dealie, in addition to the hopes (and desires) above. But making games is expensive and this series has big personalities, bands, brands and more, so we also get that nothing is a simple kickflip away from being doable. At least not until it’s proven there’s genuine taste for it again.

The good news: It appears there is and hopefully our score below reflects that. We’ve loved every minute of the game to this point and continue to chip away at it for completionist (read: OCD) reasons, but just now want… MORE!

Make it so, Activision.

What’s Boss?

  • Homogeneous game design that makes two products feel more like chapters, than originally separate games
  • New skaters, new music and new levels;
  • The new levels are fantastic, actually, particularly Waterpark
  • New ways to play and consider the OG games (and their respective levels) with newer skills
  • Less of 'grind' to enjoy unlocks, but still reeking with tiered challenge and a high skill-ceiling for the good stuff

Not Boss Enough?

  • Lost levels and lost music
  • Lost skaters, too
  • Why not just have it all and make it even bigger?
  • No option to just use your earnt skill points across the whole roster in a single button press
  • Want longer video parts
  • Online is still a mixed affair around connectivity and stability

More than just a re-release of Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3 and 4, this "Plus" collection adds new levels, a homogenous design principle, speed and sharp visuals to an already great series. The potential for a fresh future for this IP, from here, now looks very real.

Learn about our reviews

About the Author

Written By Stephen Farrelly
Stephen Farrelly is a veteran journalist and editor with more than two decades experience in the worlds of gaming, entertainment, lifestyle and sport. He is a proud pug dad, loves art in all forms (particularly street and tattoo culture), and is the director of Swear Jar Editorial and Media Pty Ltd, this site's owner and publisher. When not dispensing words, he's also dispensing boutique beers as a taproom fixture at Bracket Brewing in Marrickville, NSW...
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