Right as the extreme sport of skateboarding reached a zenith in popularity in the late ‘90s and early 2000s, Tony Hawk Pro Skater paralleled its real-life counterpart by becoming one of the most influential video game series ever. Even 18 years removed from its somber conclusion, we regularly see popular games like Mario Kart World and Riders Republic borrowing a thing or two from the simplistic risk/reward-style fun of Neversoft’s seminal series.
Five years after the success of 2020’s Tony Hawk Pro Skater 1+2, Activision is taking another stab at bringing back its successful legacy franchise once more. It may have taken five years too long, but there’s still reason to be very excited. While the first two games are incredible in their own right, Tony Hawk Pro Skater 3 closed the loop on the original, arcade-y format with the series' highest-rated entry, before turning it all on its head for Tony Hawk Pro Skater 4. And despite representing two divergent paths for what Tony Hawk games are, both games feature some of the best levels, best songs, and best overall vibes in the series.
