I love how games have evolved as much as the next person but sometimes you just need a good, solid reminder of what we played in the 90s.

It was such a different time as 3D gaming was in its infancy, making that transition from 2D and it created all sorts of possibilities and potential. Tomb Raider. Resident Evil. Silent Hill. Just the start of all new trends that remain iconic brands in 2025.

And of course, Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater. A series of games that took on an entirely new sport and completely revolutionised the industry as well as our gaming habits. It may have taken a long time to get back to the promised land, with 1+2 only getting remastered in 2021, but it’s so great to have these games back in our rotation.

Just as 1+2 was a great port and recreation of the classics, 3+4 picks the mantle back up and does another fantastic job with the source material. From the visual recreation of the character models, to the smooth animations, the beautiful courses, all in full HDR. It looks and plays great and is the absolutely perfect summer game, wherever you want to pick it up.

For me, I played a combination on Xbox Game Pass and Switch 2, both to compare differences but also to see just how the game plays handheld and maximising the potential in 4K. The verdict is however you choose to play, you’re going to get a seamless, enjoyable ride that just oozes style, charisma and variety between the cast, the tricks, playlist and free skating opportunities. Competing with friends online or just trying to get the best score you can, Tony Hawk’s is perfect for that.

Combining two games together as well means doubling the amount of content, with 17 from the main game, plus a couple of nice surprises which you may have already heard about.

There’s even a shop to pick up more boards, apparel and characters and little challenges you can strive for across all games, along with additional skater tricks and tactics.

Having cross-play added in out of the gate also adds some much more long term variety and potential as like never before, you can prove your Tony Hawk’s skills against the rest of the world. A daunting proposition.

But as a game the flow is great, you can be pulling off all kinds of tricks with ease right out of the gate and learn the ropes pretty quickly, even if you’re not very good at them. This is the most obvious example of a game that’s easy to pick up but extremely difficult to master. And those Pro Scores you see on courses, at first you’ll wonder how you’ll ever accumulate the score needed, but by the end, being completely obliterating it and striving for even higher heights.

I think that’s the thing I always appreciated about Tony Hawk’s games is the refined perfectionism that you demand from yourself. The quick two minute runs don’t always give you a lot of time to express yourself but you try to cram so much into each run, to try and tackle as many goals as you can, and by the end, you’re either feeling a little underwhelmed or thinking that maybe you can do a little better.

It’s so infinitely replayable because of that. The game sets its goals and has an expectation of you to progress, but ultimately you are the one who sets the standard for yourself and the game gives you options to decide how you want to play.

From the very first park – Foundry – a staple for the series that gives you just the right amount of playground to explore and pull off what you need, providing goals that anyone can at least grab one or two, enough to unlock the next stage, and then gradually set you up to succeed throughout the other courses that follow.

Each course has great variety too, from getting a guy’s tongue unstuck from a pole because it was so cold outside to free’ing an elephant! All of them, of course, task you with getting a High, pro and Sick Score, as well as a high combo and collecting S-K-A-T-E. But each also house little secrets that let you level up your skater and cash that can be spent in the shop. You need to save up every cent for that Michaelangelo costume, right?

And that’s the great thing with this series, it could crossover with anything – even the random marketing that’s seen it cross with DOOM and adding the Slayer and Revanant in as skaters. Tony Hawk’s games are versatile and open to the wild collaborative possibilities and that’s what I love about it.

The games just have this great sense of humour and never take themselves too seriously, but also are unafraid to pull jabs at the player – saying you’re washed up if you fall in the drink or hearing people heckle you on the parks if you fumble and fall. All while blaring out a track that asks you to ‘wash your ass’.

From a style point of view, whether you play on Xbox, PlayStation or Switch, the detail in the courses is remarkable and the full HDR really allows things to pop and flourish as never before, from lava streams to the blinking lights of London and even a few of the special stages which are an absolute treat. Unquestionably, the Tony Hawk’s games have never looked better and it’s clear the 2025 look really suits them, even if some of the character models do look a little blurred and washed.

Of course, the other elephant in the … um … park, is the decision made on Tony Hawk’s 4, specifically to remove the game’s original career mode and go back to the 2 minute timed challenges. So rather than going to talk to characters and perform tricks and fulfil objectives, they’ve kept it to maintain with THPS3. This has definitely divided people and it’s a bit of a shame to see them move away from the core experience like this, but I also understand why.

From a gameplay flow perspective, it would feel a bit jarring since these games have been packaged together and the objectives make sense and do work very well, the courses are recreated as in much the same way as they were before. For instance, skitching the Professor’s car is still there but you now watch the car zoom off down the car park and have to chase it around the course to catch up. But obviously for those expecting the sort of less linear, more open world style, this will be a tough bullet to bite.

A lot of the original soundtrack is also out, but again it’s slightly understandable as licenses change and some titles may not feel like the right fit for the intended remade vision / be entirely befitting in 2025. What is here is great, groovy and completely my vibe. Though as much as I love Mick Gordon’s score for DOOM, still not entirely sure about it being the right fit here.

And ultimately, if you don’t like what’s here that much, you can always go back to the OGs, they’re still very playable and enjoyable on the PS2.

Personally, I really loved what I played and had a great time with Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3+4, even if I’m awful at it! This is beautifully remade, it still maintains the sense of style and substance the series is renowned for, and I rarely feel as satisfied at completing in-game goals as I do here. Finally finding that elusive letter or having an incredible scoring run that unexpectedly takes me past my target. Discovering the cool little easter eggs the game has hidden, it’s delightful!

There’s just so many little personal goals and achievements to fulfil, and each course really does deliver something different and unexpected. I even loved the hype videos to kick off the game showing off the different skaters in action with unique footage, some of it super raw and old school cam-corder recorded. It’s a lovely homage to how influential these games have been to generations new and old, and how awesome some of these tricks look for real. Absolutely gets you in the mood.

And when you’re all done with all the goals and unlocked everything – of which there’s quite a chunk – there’s also competitive multiplayer that supports cross-play where you can play classic modes or even a HAWK mode where you basically hide letters around the park and your goal is to find your opponent’s letters before they find yours. Pretty cool!

The thing I really loved was Free Skate, though, where I could roam around the parks with other folks, no matter which system I was playing on, and just take it easy, no pressures or goals. Switch 2 definitely lags a little when loading in multiplayer and there were some occassional frame rate dips when panning through the parks and loading in some assets, but as mentioned in our piece a few days back, once the action begins, the game is rock-solid.

Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3+4 is just a damn good time. Whether you’re a newcomer to the series or you’re a vet, there’s something for you here and you will definitely find yourself coming back to this one time and again. Some controversial design choices aside, I hope this sets up even more Tony Hawk’s games to come in the years ahead. They’ve been dearly missed and still remain an absolute vibe!

Verdict

Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3+4 is the perfect summer game, whether you want the full blown 4K TV experience or something to take with you to the parks and jam with. This game is a delight that continues to thrill with a kick-ass soundtrack, fun-filled objectives, fantastic environmental variety and a deep roster with compelling cross-platform multiplayer. Removal of some beloved songs and THPS 4 Career Mode may upset some folks, but what’s been added here is an awesome package that will suit series newcomers as much as vets who have been craving a bit of something old with something new. 

Pros

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Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3+4 is out now on PC, PS, Switch, and Xbox

Played on Nintendo Switch 2 and Xbox Series X

Code kindly provided by Activision for review purposes