Nostalgia is a wonderful thing, especially when it involves Tony Hawk.

Fans of the pro skater turned video game icon rejoiced in 2020 with the launch of Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 1+2, a remake of the beloved PlayStation titles that defined a generation.

It was only a matter of time before the second set of games on PlayStation 2 received the same treatment, and on July 11, 2025, the newest bundle was released.

Developed by Iron Galaxy (replacing Vicarious Visions after the studio merged into Blizzard Entertainment), the game has been met with generally favourable reviews on Metacritic, with a score of 83 based on 28 critic reviews.

Critics were wary as to whether Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3+4 could recapture the magic of the original games, but as The Guardian’s Keza MacDonald noted, as soon as Motorhead’s ‘Ace of Spades’ kicked in they were immediately transported back to the early noughties.

“It’s almost insulting how easily this remake pushes my millennial nostalgia buttons,” wrote MacDonald, who gave the game four out of five stars.

“The second that ‘Ace of Spades’ comes on over a montage of skaters on the title screen, I am forcefully yanked back to the early ’00s, when I spent untold hours playing one Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater game or another in the gross bedrooms of my teen-boy friends.”

MacDonald felt that Pro Skater 3+4 followed the same formula as Vicarious Visions’ reimagining of the first two games, in that the titles expertly utilise “consistent controls [with] a new look that preserves the grungy feel of the original.”

However, Game Informer’s Wesley LeBlanc pointed out that though the remakes are innately faithful to the originals, it potentially comes at the detriment of introducing new players to the series.

“It’s almost insulting how easily this remake pushes my millennial nostalgia buttonsKeza MacDonald, The Guardian

“Part of the appeal of Pro Skater has always been its ease of access into skateboarding culture, the way MTV and Jackass influences it and vice versa, and the way it shaped music and fashion sense for players around the world,” LeBlanc wrote in his review, scoring the title an eight out of ten.

“Despite enjoying the gameplay, I struggled throughout my time with the game to see that approachability. If you aren’t already aware of the series’ place in pop culture, this remake does nothing to bring you up to speed. I’d argue a remake, specifically, doesn’t need to do that, but given that Iron Galaxy has included additional, more modern songs, updated brands, new skaters and more, it’s clear it wants [the remake] to fit into 2025.”

He continued: “Despite including these touchstones of modern culture, they feel like an inclusion built on brand deals and quick visits to stores like Vans and Zumiez rather than a deeper understanding of a once alt-culture’s rise into a worldwide phenomenon, or why these games were so impressionable in the early aughts.”

On the other hand, PC Gamer’s Kara Phillips considered that the remake was developed with people unfamiliar with the series in mind opposed to lifelong fans.

“In a way, it feels like Pro Skater 3+4 has been designed around new players, rather than honouring the experiences held by old ones,” Phillips wrote. “One thing that made the remake of 1+2 so successful was the nostalgia factor, but with 3+4, it definitely feels like the novelty of that has worn off.”

Speaking of new players, Junkee’s Lia Kim acknowledged that while she never played the originals, the lack of nostalgia didn’t take anything away from the experience.

“It did remind me that there are countless [games] I’ve yet to play – and significant gaming skills I’m low-key lacking,” Kim wrote. “But hey, diving into a remake of one of the most successful video game franchises of the early 2000s that continues to have an incredibly dedicated fanbase is a pretty good way to fix that.”

She added: “After finishing Pro Skater 1+2, I had a newfound appreciation for the game – and high hopes for 3+4. And it felt good. The controls were comforting and familiar, while the range of parks were completely fresh to my eyes.”

The level designs in Pro Skater 3+4 were a major highlight among reviewers, with Inverse’s Trone Dowd calling them “the star” of the game.

“Whereas the first remake featured levels that were built around a much simpler, limited scoring system, Pro Skater 3+4 were made for big elaborate combos,” Dowd noted. “It feels like the full potential of how these remakes play has finally been realised. Even the new original levels created by Iron Galaxy, like Movie Studio and Waterpark, fit this style of gameplay like a glove.”

Nintendo Life’s Ollie Reynolds agreed, appreciating how Iron Galaxy “leans into the whole MTV/Jackass influence” to include “some truly ridiculous missions that make use of the additional NPC characters”.

“It gives me hope that Activision could green-light a brand new Tony Hawk game, but I’m not going to hold my breath,” he wrote in his eight out of ten review.

Reynolds also commended the game’s performance on the Nintendo Switch 2, with the remake being one of the latest third-party releases for the new console.

“Looking at how the game runs on Switch 2, I’m mostly impressed,” he wrote. “In handheld mode, there can be a little bit of aliasing, but by and large the game is remarkably on par with the likes of PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S, hitting what feels like a solid 60fps with some gorgeous reflection technology on display with puddles.”

“It feels like the full potential of how these remakes play has finally been realised”Trone Dowd, Inverse

As for overall gameplay, The Guardian’s MacDonald highlighted that while it can take a while to build up a particular set of virtual skateboarding skills, the payoff is worth it.

“My first few hours with these games were a humiliation, as I grappled with the controller and baled over and over again trying to meet even the minimum required scores for each two minute run,” she recalled.

“There are more complex moves and traversal tricks to keep in mind here than there were in Pro Skater 1+2, which is a more arcadey experience, and a better place to start if you weren’t there for these games the first time around.”

One of the major criticisms with the remakes, however, is with how Activision Blizzard and Iron Galaxy approached Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 4.

Unlike the previous three games, it took the franchise in a different direction by ditching the two-minute session time limit and letting players skate the streets to complete missions from NPCs.

But in the remake, this aspect of Pro Skater 4 has been replaced with the time limit to seemingly connect the two games as a bundle, as PC Gamer’s Phillips realised.

“I enjoy the seamless transition between the two games and not having to log an entire new set of moves each time I want to skate around a different location,” she explained.

“I understand that having this timeframe gives you the necessary push to complete goals and challenges you’re set […] but free roaming was one of the main appeals of Pro Skater 4. With such a restrictive time limit now, it makes the remake feel like a bolted-on map pack rather than its own experience.”

“The compromises made in order to cram Pro Skater 4 goals into the Pro Skater 3 format let the entire experience down,” Phillips concluded.

Inverse’s Dowd felt the same way, noting that the decision to change the formula was “bold” and that while Iron Galaxy did a “decent enough job at translating” some of the NPC quests, the results were ultimately “awkward”.

“Some of the levels are simply too big and not designed with two-minute sessions in mind,” he wrote. “The disconnect between level design and career mode causes a strange divide in the remakes’ overall package.”

Game Informer’s LeBlanc had similar thoughts, writing that while the decision “makes for a better game” in some ways, it’s unclear whether it made for a better remake.

“Homogenising Pro Skater 4 strips away what made it different,” he wrote. “While it is easily a better experience to play in the remake with its more streamlined focus, it feels more like a Pro Skater 3 add-on than a remake of the fourth game. This is not a modern way to play Pro Skater 4; it’s a different way to play Pro Skater 4.”

“That said, turning Pro Skater 4 into essentially a level pack for Pro Skater 3, the best in the series, is incredibly satisfying from a pure gameplay standpoint,” LeBlanc countered.

“The two-minute run version of these games is the best way to explore and learn these levels, and new collectible placements, secret decks, secret shop unlocks, and skater stat boosts hidden throughout each breathe new life into these familiar hangs.”

Nintendo Life’s Reynolds said these changes were “a bitter pill to swallow for veterans”, but felt that it did make for “a more cohesive experience; one I’m certain newcomers will appreciate”.

Another point of contention critics had with the remake was cuts made to the game’s iconic soundtrack.

“Homogenising Pro Skater 4 strips away what made it different” Wesley LeBlanc, Game Informer

In Pro Skater 1+2, only three songs were omitted from the original soundtrack due to licensing issues, with an additional 37 new tracks for players to listen to. Whereas in Pro Skater 3+4, 46 songs from the original soundtrack are missing across both games.

Responding to fans on Instagram, Tony Hawk said it was his choice to include a variety of songs by the same artists, rather than the same tracks featured in the original games. “I’m hoping that the discovery is half the fun, and a big reason that these soundtracks resonated in the first place,” wrote Hawk. “So listen and enjoy the ride.”

But as Dowd notes, it does detract from the experience for returning players.

“When so much of the original game’s identity was tied to its revolutionary soundtrack, it’s a shame that these new tracks don’t get to exist alongside all the classics fans will remember.”

Reynolds echoed Dowd’s sentiments: “I want to reiterate that the soundtrack is really rather good, and ultimately many newcomers will discover some life-long favourites here, just like I did in the early 2000s. But why couldn’t Iron Galaxy appeal to both crowds? […] I wish that the collection included a few more nostalgic hits.”

Aside from these criticisms, critics praised Iron Galaxy’s adaptation of the original games. However, as Dowd noted, Pro Skater 3+4 has “just enough compromises to keep it from reaching the same legendary heights of the games it’s based on.”

“The end product is still a lot of fun, especially for those who didn’t experience these games 23 years ago. And it’s clear Iron Galaxy understands the series enough to carry on Neversoft’s touch. But several of the cuts and changes are too deep to consider this a definitive version of the games I love.”

Game Informer’s LeBlanc also praised the developer’s dedication in adapting Pro Skater 3 and 4 to a modern audience, but felt Iron Galaxy could have done more in retaining the game’s nostalgia.

“The Pro Skater series shaped my music taste, fashion sense, and more while also delivering an incredibly fun timesink on my PlayStation 2,” he recalled. “A perfect remake of these games would do the same all these years later, or at least remind me why they were so impressionable while I was growing up.

“While Iron Galaxy has excellently modernised the gameplay and graphics of these classics to feel right in 2025, I wish it had done a better job of highlighting the influence these games once had in their heyday.”

The Guardian’s Keza MacDonald and Junkee’s Lia Kim had more optimistic outlooks of the game’s overall influence.

MacDonald drew comparisons to the real sport, noting how “it’s all about perseverance and repetition”.

“When the combos started to flow again for me after a few hours, it felt so freeing,” she wrote. “I still don’t think there’s a better skating game out there than old-school Tony Hawk’s even after all this time – and there’s certainly no better time capsule of this pivotal moment in the sport.”

Whereas Kim concluded that Pro Skater and similar titles make her feel confident in learning and adapting to gameplay mechanics she’s unfamiliar with.

“I’m extremely grateful for games like Pro Skater that make me feel like I can learn some tricky gameplay skills in a low-stakes environment,” she explained. “On top of that, it’s also embedded in a culture that values failure as part of the process. With that knowledge in hand, I’m feeling more capable of tackling any gaming title that tickles my fancy, and not feeling like it’s not ‘for me’.”