The new Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3+4 demo is now live on PC, Xbox, and PlayStation. And folks, after playing it, I’m really excited to check out the full game next month. And I’m excited to see people set new records in it.
THPS 3+4 Does Away With The OG 4’s Career Mode, Here’s Why
Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3+4 is nearly here. In case you missed it, the game was announced earlier this year and combines THPS 3 and THPS 4 into one big package. This is a similar setup to 2020’s excellent Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 1 + 2, and THPS 3+4 is even built on the same tech as that last game. This new release includes all the old skaters (even Bam Margera) and the classic levels, as well as new levels, skaters, tricks, and more. And ahead of the remake’s release in July, Activision has put out a demo for people who pre-ordered the game. I’ve put an hour or so into the demo, and I’m happy to report it’s very, very good.
The key to a good Tony Hawk game isn’t the music, the maps, or even the skaters. Those are important parts of the formula, for sure, but the real core of any good THPS game is how it feels. You gotta nail that snappy, arcadey, precise, but still fun and exaggerated skateboarding feel that people have loved since the first game launched back in 1999. And THPS 3+4 feels wonderful.
It definitely helps that developer Iron Galaxy has built this new remake on top of the old THPS 1+2 foundation. But if it ain’t broke (and THPS 1+2 wasn’t), don’t fix it. Within ten minutes, I had my THPS legs back under me and was effortlessly flipping, grinding, manualing, and hopping around the two maps included in the demo. I had a big grin on my face the whole time. And the moment CKY’s “96 Quite Bitter Beings” kicked in as I was in the middle of a combo, I was sold on this game. I want to play the whole thing right now.
Meanwhile, much better digital skaters than I are already pulling off sick high-score combos in the demo’s levels. Here’s someone nailing an insane 219 million point combo in Foundry.
And here’s another person pulling off a sick 105 million combo in College. In both cases, the players are using lines and tricks that worked back in the original games, a testament to how perfectly THPS 3+4 has nailed the feel of the old games, as well as making sure the fancy-looking levels still play (mostly) like you remember.
Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3+4 launches July 11 on *deep breath* PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, Switch, Switch 2, and PC.
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