Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3+4 Demo Proves It’s a Solid Remaster with One Big Flaw

During Xbox Games Showcase 2025, Activision and Iron Galaxy announced that the Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3+4 Foundry Demo was finally available to play for those who pre-ordered or subscribed to Xbox Game Pass. This gives the general public their first taste of gameplay from the upcoming remaster, which features two playable skaters (Tony Hawk and Rayssa Leal) and two levels (Foundry and College). Fans who pre-order the Digital Deluxe Edition get an additional playable skater in the form of the Doom Slayer from the lauded Doom series.

I’ve played roughly three hours of the THPS 3+4 demo, using each playable skater and skating through the available levels. As expected, this seems like it’s going to be a solid follow-up to its predecessor, Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 1+2. On a gameplay level, THPS 1+2 was closer to Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3, so essentially bringing that exact gameplay to this remake makes the most sense. However, there is one glaring flaw that may prove detrimental to what should otherwise be a slam dunk.

Before getting into the cons of THPS 3+4, let’s talk about the pros. Arguably, the most important facet of a THPS game is gameplay. As I mentioned, this plays identically to THPS 1+2, which means it’s exceptional on that front. I felt right at home playing as Tony, Rayssa, and the Doom Slayer, pulling off combos around the newly renovated levels.

My only qualm is that it seems like there aren’t many new tricks added. Iron Galaxy did add in skitching, which was introduced in the original THPS 3. However, one trick I was hoping would get added is the space walk, a manual trick that gives the skater some momentum if they find themselves in a stationary manual. Unless the button combination to execute it changed – it used to be left-right-flip trick button – then it does not seem to be present. However, that is such a small qualm in what is otherwise a great playing iteration of the two classics.

The graphically improved levels in THPS 3+4 are also a welcome sight. This is especially true of Foundry, which should be the first level where players will skate in the new remake. Seeing the contrasts of the environment’s blueish hue against the fires of the molten metals looks awesome. Although not as visually stunning considering it’s less outlandish, but the College level from Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 4 looks great as well.

The look and feel of THPS 3+4 were the least of my worries. As long as Iron Galaxy followed the formula Vicarious Visions laid out in THPS 1+2, this was going to be a solid remake. However, as I started skating through the College level, it dawned on me that maybe this game will have one fairly major flaw.

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Anyone who has been following THPS 3+4 knows that the remake will have a Career Mode similar to THPS 1+2. This means each level will have goals players will need to complete within a two-minute time limit. This isn’t necessarily a problem for the THPS 3 levels, as the original game had the goal-oriented Career Mode. It is the THPS 4 portion of the game that has me worried.

For those unaware, THPS 4 was the first game to deviate from the two-minute, session-based Career Mode. Instead, it was the first game in the series to let players free skate each level and pick up goals from individual NPCs scattered throughout the level. This became the foundation for what would become the beloved Tony Hawk’s Underground, and the rest of the titles that followed. It was a turning point for the franchise, and one that fans love to this day.

When it was revealed that every level in THPS 3+4, including those from the fourth entry, would feature the two-minute, goal-oriented Career Mode, fans looking for a faithful recreation were disappointed. At first, I thought the reaction to the change was a bit overblown. Sure, it’s not exactly what players were looking for, but it’ll still play great. I did not see it as a big deal. That changed after playing the College level in the THPS 3+4 demo.

Part of this thought stems from me recently playing the THPS 1+2. One thing I’ve noticed is that my favorite levels to play through in Career Mode are the smaller levels. Levels like Warehouse, Mall, and Hangar are so fun to play. Even some of the bigger levels, like School, School II, and Philadelphia, are a fun challenge. However, it’s when those levels get a bit too open is where problems emerge.

It’s not necessarily the size of these levels that is the problem. It’s how the level is designed and how the goals are placed throughout the levels. For example, Minneapolis is probably one of the most annoying levels to go through in Career Mode because the placement of each goal abruptly interrupts the flow of gameplay; it plays more like a scavenger hunt, unlike Warehouse, where players can find a way to combo through every single goal without any issues. These issues also extend to other levels, like San Francisco and New York. It’s just hard to find a rhythm in those levels because of how goals are placed.

This doesn’t mean that these levels are bad. San Francisco from THPS 1 is one of my all-time favorite levels from the series. But the goal design of these larger levels from the early iterations just doesn’t flow as well as the small to mid-sized levels.

When I started playing the College level in THPS 3+4, I started getting that familiar feeling when beginning a run in Minneapolis. The park feels segmented in a way that seems purposely designed for THPS 4’s unique Career Mode, where you’re picking up goals one by one. Each section doesn’t transition into the other smoothly. Again, it’s not necessarily bad in THPS 4; it’s just different, and the levels feel purposely created to fit that design.

With the two-minute timer being integrated into the THPS 4 levels in THPS 3+4, it feels like there is a chance they won’t hold up like THPS 3 levels, which are designed for that Career Mode format. It’s hard to say now, as I’ve only played the demo, which just includes the Single-Session mode. So, I’ll have to reserve actual judgment until I get my hands on the actual game. It just seems like it’ll be an uphill battle for Iron Galaxy to integrate the classic Career Mode format into the fourth entry in a way that feels as satisfying as its predecessors.

With that being said, I am optimistic about THPS 3+4. From what I’ve played of the demo and what Iron Galaxy and Activision have announced since its reveal in March, it seems like they are creating a remake that most fans of the series will enjoy. I just hope the changes the developers make to these lauded games feel warranted rather than implemented for the sake of change.

Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3+4 launches for PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, Nintendo Switch, Nintendo Switch 2, and PC on July 11th.