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Subscribe to the world's #1 PC gaming mag Try a single issue or save on a subscription Issues delivered straight to your door or device From£35.99View Amazon Prime Day Deals Essential Hardware PC Gaming Show Recommended reading Iron Galaxy has explained why Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3 + 4 won't feature the career mode: 'Our goal here is to make the ultimate package' 'The soundtrack to skate parks was punk rock music': Tony Hawk on the Tony Hawk's Pro Skater soundtracks, and how they shaped a generation of videogame skate kids The Elder Scrolls Oblivion Remastered review: The old magic still works Elden Ring Nightreign's best feature is its extra mobility—but it's not even that good, and Sekiro does it better Death Stranding 2 is too damn easy Splitgate 2 review: A fine F2P time waster, but not a revolution F1 25 review: Commendable upgrades, but this is fundamentally the same game as before Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3 + 4 I would've loved Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3 + 4 a lot more if it hadn't made the mistake of rolling out time limits for every level Kara Phillips 11 July 2025 This isn't the "ultimate package" I was promised. When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works. (Image credit: Iron Galaxy) Every time a game you loved when you were younger gets a remake, you're bound to feel a bit concerned about whether or not it'll be any good, and Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3 + 4 definitely struck that worry in me when it was announced. I grew up spending a decent amount of time playing skateboarding games before finally being brave enough to stick on some kneepads and pick up the hobby for myself. So, it's no surprise that the Tony Hawk games, alongside Skate and eventually Session: Skate Sim, became part of my gaming rotation. This continued through my love of the remakes of 1 + 2, so I was hopeful that 3 + 4 would have the same mix of novelty and nostalgia with a shiny new coating. Luckily, the remaster of Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3 is a fantastic recreation of the original. Each time I drop in and attempt to pull off some whacky trick I'd spent an embarrassingly long time rehearsing, I'm still met with the same satisfaction (frustration, for the most part) when I inevitably bail and have to start over. Each level feels like you're playing for the first time again, and this feeling really sticks around from Foundry all the way to Tokyo. I don't feel the same for the remake of Pro Skater 4. Related Articles Iron Galaxy has explained why Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3 + 4 won't feature the career mode: 'Our goal here is to make the ultimate package' 'The soundtrack to skate parks was punk rock music': Tony Hawk on the Tony Hawk's Pro Skater soundtracks, and how they shaped a generation of videogame skate kids Oblivion Remastered review: The old magic still works Both games have individual levels with unique challenges for you to work through, but outside of that, everything is the exact same. You work with the same skaters, and you'll try to nail the same tricks, which means a lot was shared between the two to make the whole package feel so united. These more subtle changes aren't the problem. In fact, 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. However, there's one feature from Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 4 which was changed entirely, which has definitely altered the experience in a bad way. Image 1 of 3 (Image credit: Iron Galaxy ) (Image credit: Iron Galaxy) (Image credit: Iron Galaxy) In the original Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 4, you could roam around freely and accept missions at your own pace. Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3 + 4 has basically stripped this freedom and implemented the two minute timeframe to every level, which has changed a few of the goals in the THPS4 maps. Or should I say, the maps that actually made the cut. A few classics were exchanged in favour of shiny new parks and settings, but that's a different rant for a different time. I understand that having this timeframe gives you the necessary push to complete the goals and challenges you're set, and I'm sure it's got some sort of benefit to your skills as a virtual skater. But free roaming was one of the main appeals of Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 4. With such a restrictive time limit now, it makes the remake of THPS4 feel like a bolted-on map pack, rather than its own experience. The biggest gaming news, reviews and hardware deals Keep up to date with the most important stories and the best deals, as picked by the PC Gamer team. Contact me with news and offers from other Future brandsReceive email from us on behalf of our trusted partners or sponsorsBy submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over. Some may argue that the original had too many goals, and it's nice to have a neatly packed, streamlined skating experience. But for me, that's just not true. I don't want to skitch the back of the van trying to open it, I want to meticulously skate around the zoo trying to free the elephant like the original goal asks you to, and in my own time might I add. The compromises made in order to cram Pro Skater 4 goals into the Pro Skater 3 format let the entire experience down. Before you start, yes, I know you can extend the time up to 60 minutes. 60 minutes is more than enough time to complete every goal and have a good mosey around each and every area. Which makes it all the more baffling that the original goals have been altered to best suit the two minute format. At that point, you might as well just remove the limit altogether. I would've at least appreciated the option at the very least, and I don't doubt an army of Pro Skater 4 players will probably feel the same. As a result of my upset with these restrictions, I found myself gunning for free skate more than the traditional levels in the end. It's nice to have the aim of goals, but sometimes you just want to cruise around and do tricks in your own time. That's all I ever want to do in skateboarding games, to be entirely honest. Sure, I still spend most of my time in one small area of a map desperately repeating the same moves over and over until I'm confident enough to migrate to a different patch. But that's half the fun. In a way, it feels like Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3 + 4 has been designed around new players, rather than honoring the experiences held by old ones, and these time trials are a significant enough change to keep these fans from returning. 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. I think I'll happily stick to my free skate and a 60 minute time limit for the time being. Kara Phillips Evergreen Writer Kara is an evergreen writer. Having spent four years as a games journalist guiding, reviewing, or generally waffling about the weird and wonderful, she’s more than happy to tell you all about which obscure indie games she’s managed to sink hours into this week. When she’s not raising a dodo army in Ark: Survival Evolved or taking huge losses in Tekken, you’ll find her helplessly trawling the internet for the next best birdwatching game because who wants to step outside and experience the real thing when you can so easily do it from the comfort of your living room. Right? You must confirm your public display name before commenting Please logout and then login again, you will then be prompted to enter your display name. Iron Galaxy has explained why Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3 + 4 won't feature the career mode: 'Our goal here is to make the ultimate package' 'The soundtrack to skate parks was punk rock music': Tony Hawk on the Tony Hawk's Pro Skater soundtracks, and how they shaped a generation of videogame skate kids Oblivion Remastered review: The old magic still works Elden Ring Nightreign's best feature is its extra mobility—but it's not even that good, and Sekiro does it better Death Stranding 2 is too damn easy Splitgate 2 review: A fine F2P time waster, but not a revolution Latest in Sports How to unlock every Secret Skater in Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3 + 4 Rematch players are still crashing out over 'self-absorbed' ball hogs, and while I do get it, I can't help but wonder if some zen is in order Rematch plans to add an in-game report system, punish own-goal griefers with 3 days in the slammer, and slap cheaters with indefinite bans Rematch's developers expected players to develop new tech fast, but 'not nearly as fast as it is going right now' Rematch devs talk balls—specifically, how to balance the ball's feel with function: 'It's the basic brick of the game, it's like an atomic component' No more dolphin swimming or flying in Rematch—in a bug fix, Sloclap very seriously explains why levitating soccer players aren't part of its vision for the game Latest in Features Lies of P isn't my favourite soulslike, but Overture is one of the best DLCs in the whole genre If Marvel Rivals doesn't want to reward me with fancy skins for my hard work, then I hope it'll at least give me some of Season 3's new customisation features Can you guess the PC game based only on the health bar? 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