It was the perfect plan. After Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 1 + 2 smashed records in 2020, selling a million copies in just ten days, everyone assumed the sequel was a lock. It just made sense. Why wouldn't you keep the momentum going? Tony Hawk himself eventually confirmed that Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3 + 4 was actually in the works. The developers at Vicarious Visions were ready. The fans were vibrating with excitement.
Then, the corporate gears ground everything to a halt.
Activision decided to fold Vicarious Visions into Blizzard. One day they're the kings of the skate park, the next they're a support studio for Diablo and Call of Duty. It felt like a punch to the gut for the community. Tony even mentioned during a 2022 Twitch stream that Activision tried to find another studio to take over, but they didn't trust anyone else to nail the "feel" the way VV did. For years, the project sat in a dumpster.
But things changed. Now that it's 2026, we’ve seen the impossible happen.
The Long Road to the Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3 + 4 Launch
The journey from "cancelled" to "pre-order now" is a wild one. Honestly, most of us had given up. We figured the Birdman was headed for retirement, at least in the digital sense. But the Microsoft acquisition of Activision Blizzard changed the math. Suddenly, the mandate wasn't just "make more Call of Duty skins."
Microsoft loves legacy IP. They saw the hole in the market.
In early 2025, the rumors started bubbling again. A countdown website appeared. Iron Galaxy—the folks who handled the Killer Instinct revival—were listed as the new developers. People were skeptical. Could they match what Vicarious Visions did? Could they handle the transition from the arcade-style goals of THPS3 to the open-world mission structure of THPS4?
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The official reveal on March 4, 2025, put a lot of those fears to bed. The trailer showed off the Foundry and Canada from the third game, looking absolutely crisp in 4K. But the real shocker was seeing the THPS4 levels like Alcatraz and the Zoo. Iron Galaxy wasn't just slapping a coat of paint on it; they were unifying two very different styles of games into one cohesive experience.
What’s Actually in the Remaster?
Basically, they kept the core mechanics that made the 2020 remaster so good. The wall plants, the reverts, the manuals—they’re all there. But Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3 + 4 had to solve a big problem: how do you combine a game with a two-minute timer (THPS3) with a game where you walk up to NPCs to start missions (THPS4)?
Iron Galaxy’s solution was pretty elegant.
- Two Separate Tours: You can play the "Pro Skater 3 Tour" with the classic timer.
- The Open Tour: The "Pro Skater 4 Tour" keeps the free-roaming vibes.
- Unified Progress: Your stats and unlocks carry across both.
The roster is a mix of the legends and the new school. You’ve got the original crew—Tony, Kareem Campbell, Elissa Steamer—but they’ve added modern icons like Yuto Horigome and Rayssa Leal. It feels like a bridge between the 90s skate culture and what we see in the Olympics today.
Why This Remaster Almost Didn't Happen
We have to talk about the "CoD Mines." For a while, Activision’s strategy was to take every talented studio they owned and turn them into support staff for their biggest shooters. Toys for Bob, Raven Software, and Vicarious Visions all got sucked in.
Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 1 + 2 was the fastest-selling game in the franchise's history. It didn't matter. In the eyes of the old Activision leadership, a few million copies sold wasn't enough compared to the billions Warzone was raking in. They literally walked away from a guaranteed hit because it wasn't a "billion-dollar pillar."
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Tony Hawk was pretty vocal about the frustration. He knew the demand was there. He spent years answering the same question on Twitter: "Where is 3 and 4?"
It took a total shift in leadership and a new developer taking a swing at the pitch to get the wheels moving again. Iron Galaxy reportedly spent a lot of time working on the physics engine to make sure the transition between THPS3’s tight levels and THPS4’s massive environments felt seamless.
The New Content: Waterpark and Beyond
One of the coolest things about the 2025 release is the addition of "Waterpark." It’s an entirely new level designed by Iron Galaxy that fits the THPS4 style. It's an abandoned Mojave Desert theme park with massive rusted slides and a drained lazy river.
It's huge.
You can spend twenty minutes just exploring the lines in the wave pool area. It shows that the developers weren't just looking at the past; they wanted to see what a "modern" Pro Skater level could look like. It’s definitely more technical than the old school maps, with a lot of verticality that requires precise wall-running and transfers.
The Soundtrack: Keeping it Real
You can't have a Tony Hawk game without the music. It’s literally half the experience.
The team managed to license almost every track from the original games. "96 Quite Bitter Beings" by CKY is back. "Ace of Spades" by Motörhead is there.
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But they also added about 20 new tracks. They leaned into the modern "skate-punk" and "cloud-rap" scenes. It sounds like a weird mix on paper, but when you're hitting a 500k combo in the Tokyo level, it just clicks.
Is It Better Than the First Remaster?
That's the big question. Honestly, it’s different. THPS 1 + 2 was pure nostalgia. It was simple. Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3 + 4 is a much deeper game.
THPS4 was the first time the series tried to be an "RPG-lite." You have to talk to people, earn cash to buy new clothes, and find hidden gaps that aren't just listed in a menu. Some people might miss the simplicity of the two-minute timer, but the "Pro Skater 3" side of the package is there for them.
The graphics are a noticeable step up too. Since this was built specifically for the current-gen consoles (PS5, Xbox Series X, and the Switch 2), the lighting in levels like the Shipyard is incredible. The puddles reflect the neon signs, and the board scuffs look painfully realistic.
Moving Forward with the Birdman
If you're jumping back into the series for the first time since the early 2000s, there's a lot to take in. The game is finally out as of July 11, 2025, and it’s been hovering near the top of the charts ever since. It proves that there's still a massive audience for arcade sports games.
Don't expect this to be the last one, either. With the success of this collection, the rumors of a "Tony Hawk’s Underground" remake are already starting to swirl. But for now, we have the definitive version of the two best games in the series.
Next Steps for Players:
- Start with the Tutorial: Even if you’re a vet, the new "Wall Plant" mechanics in the THPS4 levels take some getting used to.
- Check the Deluxe Content: If you're a fan of guest characters, the Doom Slayer and the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles are actually fun to play as, and they have unique special moves.
- Focus on Stat Points: In THPS4, the difficulty spikes quickly. Don't skip the early "manual distance" challenges or you'll be struggling by the time you reach the Carnival.
- Dive into Create-A-Park: The community has already remade half of the Underground levels using the new building tools; it's basically free DLC if you know where to look in the browser.