If you want better crash stability
Choose Mario Kart World. It scores 5.0 vs 2.0 for crash stability, with a 3.6 overall score.
Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3 + 4 Review
Bottom Line
Choose it for tight, joyful Tony Hawk skating, strong levels, and lots to unlock. Skip it if THPS4’s original career mode, classic soundtrack preservation, or polished Switch stability matters most.
Best for
Best for Tony Hawk fans who value tight arcade skating, THPS3 nostalgia, new levels, multiplayer, creator tools, and long-tail challenges more than strict preservation.
Not for
Not for purists who want THPS4’s original open career, NPC mission structure, full classic soundtracks, or a uniformly polished Switch experience.
Verdict
Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3+4 lands because the skating still feels fast, responsive, and deeply replayable, and reviewers repeatedly praised the rebuilt THPS3 levels, new stages, multiplayer modes, and generous unlock structure. The tradeoff is preservation: THPS4’s open career format, several goals, levels, and much of the original soundtrack are gone or reshaped, which made the package feel compromised to longtime fans. Technical impressions also depend on platform, with strong current-gen performance but notable Switch and crash complaints.
Feature Scorecards
Summary
48 reviewed features-
Very positive 4.5-5.011 (23%)
-
Positive 3.5-4.420 (42%)
-
Neutral 2.5-3.415 (31%)
-
Negative 1.5-2.42 (4%)
Pros
-
Controls were one of the strongest points, with reviewers calling them responsive, precise, smooth, and central to why the game still works.
-
Level design was broadly positive, especially THPS3 classics and the new Waterpark/Pinball/Movie Studio stages, though some THPS4 conversions drew criticism.
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Core skating mechanics were consistently praised as smooth, tight, polished, and satisfying, even by reviewers disappointed in other remake choices.
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Fun factor was one of the strongest themes: even critical reviewers often admitted the game was fun, addictive, or joyful to play.
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Graphics were praised across most reviews for modernized stages, strong lighting, and nostalgic reconstruction, with some platform and art-choice caveats.
-
Community features were praised through Create-A-Park, custom goals, shared parks, and creator tools that could extend playtime.
Cons
-
Crash stability was a concern mainly on Switch versions, where reviewers reported multiple crashes or home-screen returns.
-
Character customization was one of the weaker areas, with several reviewers criticizing Create-A-Skater as limited or disappointing despite unlockable clothing.
-
Open-world design scored poorly overall because multiple reviewers disliked or mourned the removal of THPS4’s freer career structure, even when they accepted the compromise.
-
Cross-save support was only discussed as a missing/wanted feature, so it scored poorly.
-
Art direction was usually strong, but some darker or altered level presentations, especially Zoo/London comments, were criticized.
-
Camera behavior had isolated criticism due to a stuck-camera issue.
Compared With Category Average
Compared with other Video Games, this product is above average in matchmaking quality, HUD clarity, controls responsiveness, near average in graphics quality, content variety, below average in art direction, cross-save support, environmental detail.
Comparison summary
48 compared features-
Above average 0.4+ pts higher19 (40%)
-
Same as average within 0.3 pts13 (27%)
-
Below average 0.4+ pts lower16 (33%)
Largest category differences
| Attribute | This product | Category average | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| art direction | 2.5 | 4.4 | -1.9 |
| cross-save support | 2.0 | 3.9 | -1.9 |
| environmental detail | 2.5 | 4.4 | -1.9 |
| character customization | 2.6 | 4.1 | -1.5 |
| matchmaking quality | 4.5 | 2.9 | +1.6 |
| soundtrack quality | 3.3 | 4.3 | -1.0 |
| atmosphere | 3.0 | 4.5 | -1.5 |
| open-world design | 2.5 | 3.9 | -1.4 |
Consider This Instead
If you want better open-world design
Choose Forza Horizon 6. It scores 5.0 vs 2.5 for open-world design, with a 4.2 overall score.
If you want better art direction
Choose Forza Horizon 5. It scores 5.0 vs 2.5 for art direction, with a 4.3 overall score.
If you want better fun factor
Choose Nioh 3. It scores 4.8 vs 4.4 for fun factor, with a 4.0 overall score.
Compared in Reviews
Products reviewers directly compared with this model, grouped into quick takeaways.
Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 1+2
- Compared: Switch 2 version desire XTgamer says a Switch 2 version of the prior remake would also be appreciated.
- Compared: remake precedent The earlier 1+2 remake is used as the benchmark for bringing the skating experience back.
American Wasteland
- Better: content breadth The reviewer says older games such as American Wasteland offered broader story, creation, and classic-goal content.
EA’s Skate
- Compared: arcade versus simulation feel Press Start contrasts Tony Hawk’s arcade style with EA’s Skate.
FAQ
Is Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3+4 fun to play?
Yes. Across positive and critical reviews, the skating itself was repeatedly described as smooth, tight, responsive, and highly replayable.
Is THPS4 faithfully remade?
Not fully. Reviewers repeatedly noted that THPS4’s open career structure was replaced by the two-minute classic format, which some liked and many purists disliked.
Are the new levels good?
Mostly yes. Waterpark, Pinball, and Movie Studio were frequently praised, with Waterpark in particular often singled out as a strong fit for the franchise.
How is the soundtrack?
Mixed. Some reviewers liked the new selections, but many longtime fans criticized the large number of missing original tracks.
Does the game have much replay value?
Yes. Reviews cite Pro Goals, solo tours, challenges, speedruns, unlocks, multiplayer, and Create-A-Park as reasons to keep playing.
Are there technical issues?
It depends on platform. Current-gen versions often ran well, but Switch versions, crashes, screen tearing, and split-screen frame-rate drops appeared in several reviews.
Sample Expert Reviews We Analyzed
These are a few of the reviews included in our analysis.
Video Reviews
YouTube - GamingBolt
- Review score
- 3.7
YouTube - DreamcastGuy
- Review score
- 1.7
YouTube - One Hip
- Review score
- 4.0
Article Reviews
monstervine.com
- Review score
- 3.8
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