Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3 + 4: Reviving Skateboarding Glory with a Fresh Spin
Get ready to ollie, grind, and kickflip your way back to the early 2000s! Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3 + 4 is set to launch on July 11, promising a potent dose of nostalgia while introducing some significant changes. Activision and Iron Galaxy Studios are teaming up to deliver this highly anticipated remake, aiming to recapture the magic of two of the most critically acclaimed games in the series.
After the successful release of Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 1 + 2, fans eagerly awaited the continuation of the remake series. However, the project faced uncertainty when Vicarious Visions merged into Blizzard, leading to doubts about whether 3 + 4 would ever see the light of day. Thankfully, Iron Galaxy, known for their work on remaster collections like Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy and Spyro Reignited Trilogy, stepped in to helm the project.
"We apparently won them over with what we said we could do, what we pitched them on, and what we wanted to bring to the franchise," said design manager Mike Rossi. The team understood the pressure of living up to the legacy, especially considering Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3's impressive 97/100 Metacritic score.
One of the most notable changes in Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3 + 4 is the decision to unify the gameplay format. While Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 4 originally featured an open-world career mode with NPC quest givers, the remake opts for the two-minute session format found in the first three games. This decision, while potentially controversial among hardcore fans, was made to create a "cohesive package" that blends the best of both worlds.
"Our goal here is to make the ultimate package of 3 and 4. So ultimately, we felt that taking it into feeling more towards the 3 format, as opposed to what 4 did originally, was a better representation for a cohesive package that we were making," Rossi explained.
Despite the change in career mode, players can look forward to fresh content, including the first all-new THPS parks in over a decade. The Waterpark level aims to capture the magic of the original games while adhering to modern standards. "The big thing I told the level design team was that this needs to feel like it was left on the cutting-room floor, like Activision gave us some old hard drive from 4 and we found this unfinished Waterpark level, and we brought it up to modern standards," Rossi stated.
The upcoming remake promises not only a blast from the past but also some welcome modern flourishes, including quality-of-life improvements and, perhaps, cross-platform play down the line. The Digital Deluxe Edition even grants early access, letting players dive in three days before the official launch. Plus, who wouldn't want to shred as the Doom Slayer or Revenant skaters?
Beyond the revamped format, there are some new parks too. Old levels returning are Los Angeles, Foundry, Canada, Rio, Suburbia, College, San Francisco, and Alcatraz just to name a few.
With the release just around the corner, Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3 + 4 has become one of the most anticipated games of 2025. Will these changes resonate with long-time fans? Are you ready to relive the golden age of skateboarding games?
Share your thoughts in the comments below! Let us know which levels you're most excited to revisit and what tricks you plan on pulling off first.
