Tony Hawk Pro Skater 4 on GBA, fourth skate entry in portable form. Open world without timer introduced in this episode. Honest mechanics even if the formula starts to feel repetitive.
Your verdict
Category
Sports1 player12+
Description
Skateboarding game developed by Activision and published in the USA and Europe in October 2002. Tony Hawk and professional skaters explore open urban environments to complete mission objectives and chain tricks. First THPS with open world levels to explore freely rather than limited arenas, new tricks and characters. Fourth episode of the series marking a significant game design evolution.
Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 4 review
4/5
Art direction
★★★★★
"Striking"
MAX
Music
★★★★★
"Legendary"
1/5
Story
★★★★★
"Anecdotal"
The last of the series on this machine concentrates its effort on the tricks: every manoeuvre has its own airborne silhouette, recognisable despite the small sprites, with rotations rendered through successive frames rather than distortion. The environments, more open than in earlier episodes, leave more room for those chains.
As eclectic as its predecessors, the entry blends punk, rock and hip-hop in nervy chiptune versions that electrify every skate session. The themes, perfectly locked to the rhythm of the tricks, charge the chaining of combos. This frantic sonic melting pot faithfully extends the series' infectious energy.
Gameplay
"Excellent"
Fun
"From the very first seconds"
Challenges are taken on the fly, with no menu or imposed timer: this freedom breathes new life into an already perfect formula. Chaining sprawling combos stays a joy of precision and flow, where every line calls for the next. More generous and more open, this entry extends on a handheld the exhilarating joy of arcade skating.
Addictiveness
"Obsessive"
Freely roaming each spot to take on its challenges at your own pace renews the formula without losing any of the combo's pleasure. Lining up tricks and perfect lines to beat your score brings you back to the controller without a dull moment. The handheld version pares down ambition and readability, but this loop of short objectives and scores to smash stays solidly addictive.
Complete: box, manual and disc/cart very clean. Lightly handled.
Q1 damagedQ6 completeQ10 new
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Is Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 4 still worth playing in 2026?
Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 4 adapts Activision's flagship skate series to GBA, with open urban environments to roam, stringing together tricks, lines and objectives. The isometric conversion keeps the combo grammar that is the series' essence surprisingly well, and the content stays plentiful. The handling takes some getting used to and the perspective makes some jumps less readable. For fans of arcade skateboarding and high-score hunting, it is an excellent representative of the genre on the handheld.
