Honestly, the way people talk about the early 2000s skateboarding boom is usually through rose-tinted glasses that smell like Ax Body Spray and old skate wax. But for those of us who lived it, Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3 + 4 isn’t just a video game. It’s a time capsule. When Iron Galaxy finally dropped the 2025 remake of these two titans, it felt like the gaming world collectively held its breath. Could they actually pull it off after Vicarious Visions got absorbed into the Blizzard machine?
The result? It’s complicated.
Basically, you’ve got a flawless recreation of the third game married to a radical, almost sacrilegious restructuring of the fourth. If you grew up with the original PlayStation 2 versions, the first thing you’ll notice is that the "open-world" soul of Pro Skater 4 has been surgically removed. They replaced it with the classic two-minute timer. Some fans are calling it a "butchered" career mode, while others are just happy to be hitting 900s in 4K.
The Revert That Changed Everything
When Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3 originally launched in 2001, it was the first real "killer app" for the PlayStation 2. It introduced the revert. That one mechanic changed the series from a game about individual tricks into a game about endless, flowing lines. If the original THPS1 was the foundation, THPS3 was the skyscraper.
In the 2025 remake, Iron Galaxy didn't mess with that formula. They knew better.
The Foundry looks incredible. Those orange sparks flying off the rails and the way the water reflects the industrial lights in Suburbia—it’s peak nostalgia. It runs at a buttery 60 frames per second on the Series X and PS5, and frankly, it feels better than it did twenty years ago. The move set has been modernized to include wall plants and spine transfers from the later games, making the THPS3 maps feel bigger than they ever were.
But then you hit the Pro Skater 4 side of the menu. And that's where the arguments start.
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Why THPS4 is the Odd Man Out
The original 2002 version of Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 4 was a massive risk for Neversoft. They killed the timer. You could just skate around, talk to NPCs, and start goals whenever you wanted. It was the blueprint for Tony Hawk’s Underground.
In the new Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3 + 4, that’s gone.
Instead, Iron Galaxy turned the THPS4 levels into a "level pack" for the THPS3 engine. You get two minutes. You get a list of ten goals. Go.
"It feels like they took a game designed for exploration and forced it into a box that’s too small for it," says one Reddit user in a massive thread about the remake's mixed Steam reviews.
And they aren't entirely wrong. Maps like the Zoo or Kona are sprawling. Trying to collect "S-K-A-T-E" in two minutes on a map that was designed for free-roaming is... stressful. Iron Galaxy tried to fix this by adding an optional "Extended Timer" that lets you skate for up to an hour, but it’s a band-aid on a deeper design shift. It doesn't bring back the "quest-giver" vibe of the original.
The Soundtrack: A Choice Was Made
Let’s talk about the music. For a lot of us, THPS3 was our introduction to CKY and AFI.
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The 2025 remake includes most of the heavy hitters. Motorhead’s "Ace of Spades" is there. Del the Funky Homosapien’s "If You Must" is there. But Pro Skater 4 fans got the short end of the stick. Out of the original soundtrack for the fourth game, only about four songs made the cut.
Tony Hawk himself came out and said the soundtrack changes were his choice, aimed at blending the old vibe with modern artists like Denzel Curry and 100 Gecs. It’s a bold move. It mostly works, but when you’re skating through College and you don’t hear "TNT" by AC/DC, something feels slightly off. It’s like eating a burger without the bun. It’s still a burger, but your hands are getting messy.
The Missing Maps and New Additions
Not every level made the jump. Fans noticed pretty quickly that Carnival and Chicago from THPS4 are missing.
To make up for it, Iron Galaxy added three brand-new levels:
- Waterpark: A vertical nightmare of slides and bowls.
- Pinball: Exactly what it sounds like—a giant, playable machine.
- The Museum: A weirdly technical level that feels like a nod to the old Skate series.
These are fun, sure. But for the purists, the loss of the Carnival map is a bitter pill. Iron Galaxy has hinted at DLC, but in 2026, we all know how that goes. You’re likely going to be paying extra for the stuff that was in the $50 disc you bought in 2002.
How to Actually Play Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3 + 4
If you're picking this up on PC, you don't need a supercomputer. Even an old GTX 970 can handle the recommended specs, which is honestly refreshing in an era where every new game requires a 4090 and a prayer.
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If you want the best experience, here’s the move:
Go into the options and turn on "Pro Goals." These are harder challenges that Iron Galaxy added to the THPS4 levels to make use of the larger maps. They involve longer, more complex lines that actually require you to know the layout of the park. It’s the closest you’ll get to the original feel of the fourth game.
Also, don't sleep on the "Skitch" mechanic. In the remake, they let you combo into a skitch (grabbing onto the back of a vehicle). In the original THPS3, skitching wasn't even a thing. Using it to bridge gaps in the Tokyo level is a total game-changer for high scores.
What Most People Get Wrong
The biggest misconception about Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3 + 4 is that it’s just a "graphics update." It isn't. It’s a fundamental reimagining of how the fourth game is played.
If you hated the timer in the first three games, you’re going to find the THPS4 portion of this remake frustrating. But if you’re a high-score chaser who loves the arcade-style "2-minute drill," this is arguably the best the series has ever felt. The physics are tighter than THPS 1 + 2, and the addition of modern skaters like Rayssa Leal and Yuto Horigome brings a fresh energy to the roster.
Even Bam Margera made it in as a secret skater after some behind-the-scenes drama and an intervention by Tony himself. It’s the kind of chaotic, "everyone's here" vibe that made the series a cultural phenomenon in the first place.
Actionable Next Steps:
- Check your settings: If you find the 2-minute timer too restrictive for the large THPS4 maps, look for the "Extended Session" option in the career menu—it allows for up to 60-minute runs.
- Master the Wall Plant: Unlike the original THPS3, you can now use wall plants to reverse your direction mid-grind, which is essential for hitting the new "Platinum" score thresholds.
- Unlock the Secret Skaters: Keep an eye out for the hidden icons in the Suburbia and Shipyard levels; they’re the key to unlocking the classic secret characters like Officer Dick and Bam Margera.