Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 4 ditches the timer for free missions. More narrative, more generous and still thrilling gameplay. Probably the absolute series peak.
Your verdict
Category
Sports2 players12+
Split screen
Description
A Neversoft and Activision sports game released in 2002, the fourth Tony Hawk's Pro Skater franchise entry and absolute franchise peak. The player skates through nine massive stages (San Francisco, Hawaii, Alcatraz, Tokyo) in signature Free Skate mode without timer. Innovative Spine Transfer and Skitch mechanics, scripted narrative career mode. Considered one of the best skating games of all time. Historic genre peak.
Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 4 review
4/5
Art direction
★★★★★
"Striking"
MAX
Music
★★★★★
"Legendary"
2/5
Story
★★★★★
"Classic"
As eclectic as ever, the selection blends punk, rock and hip-hop to electrify the skate sessions. The tracks, perfectly locked to the rhythm of the tricks, keep up a constant adrenaline. This frantic musical melting pot extends the series' unifying spirit with brio.
Gameplay
"Masterful"
Dropping the timer for objectives doled out in free roam gives more breathing room to exploring vast levels brimming with ideas. The combo system stays gloriously rich, carried by snappy, precise controls. A few missions age less gracefully, but the freedom to trace your own lines and the flow of skating remain a very much living pleasure.
Fun
"From the very first seconds"
The levels open up like little playgrounds where you take on challenges on the fly, with no menu or imposed timer: this new freedom energises an already perfect formula. Chaining sprawling combos remains a joy of precision and flow. More generous, more clever, this entry extends the joy of arcade skating with flair and overflowing replay value.
Addictiveness
"Obsessive"
Roaming each spot freely to take on its challenges at your own pace renews the formula without losing any of the combo pleasure. Lining up tricks and perfect lines to beat your score brings you back to the controller without downtime. The more open structure dilutes the tempo a bit, but this loop of short objectives and scores to pulverize keeps a solidly stubborn pull.
Difficulty
"Balanced"
Lifespan
"Massive"
Dropping the timer for open-world levels riddled with missions turns skating into a vast playground to explore. Completing the objectives, aiming for scores and unlocking skaters and stages fills long hours. That new freedom, paired with strong replay value, founds a longevity skating fans savour.
The Western release of Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 4, which swaps the timed-objective structure for a freer, more open park, the last iteration of the classic formula before Underground's narrative turn. Still common, its interest lies in this hinge status within a cult skate series rather than scarcity. A solid piece for an extreme-sports set on the console, accessible in a complete box.
Better with friends
A generous installment of arcade skateboarding, fleshing out spots, tricks and multiplayer modes for endless one-upmanship evenings. The competition blends style, daring and creativity, where improvising a fresh line is worth as much as chasing the big score. Accessible and packed with content, it favors immediate fun and guarantees duels where you vie in panache, punctuated by hilarious falls that loosen up the whole table.
Is Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 4 still worth playing in 2026?
Released in 2002 on PS2, Neversoft's project pushes the formula to its zenith by dropping the two minute countdown in favour of open levels where you trigger challenges on demand, by approaching characters. This freer structure, the richness of the combo system and the addition of new tricks clearly enrich the experience. The feel of the glide, the ingenious level design and the cutting soundtrack stay at the top. The difficulty of some objectives climbs high. A culmination of the Pro Skater line, recommended for fans of demanding scoring and of chiselled gameplay in a semi open world.
