The first Tony Hawk, reinventing skateboarding games and laying the foundations of an entire genre. A miraculously well-judged trick and combo system, realistic parks and a rock soundtrack that fits like a glove. The N64 cut is slightly trimmed musically, but the revolution stands.
Your verdict
Category
Sports1 player3+
Description
Revolutionary skateboarding game with Tony Hawk and real pro skaters across parks and urban environments. Published by Activision/Neversoft, released in 1999 in Europe and North America. Trick and combo system, urban levels to freely explore, timed objective quests, and an iconic punk rock soundtrack.
Tony Hawk's Pro Skater review
4/5
Art direction
★★★★★
"Striking"
MAX
Music
★★★★★
"Legendary"
1/5
Story
★★★★★
"Anecdotal"
From Goldfinger's "Superman" to the punk of the Dead Kennedys, the selection redefined what a game soundtrack could be. Ska, punk and hip-hop charge every trick combo with a cocky energy. This founding melting pot, copied a thousand times, remains one of the most influential in video game history.
Gameplay
"Masterful"
Holding a trick, picking up a grind, stretching the combo to the very last second: the controls turn every board into an instantly addictive scoring machine. The compact levels brim with lines to discover and invite repetition. The handheld version trims the smoothness a little, but that exhilarating flow in the hands has lost none of its bite.
Fun
"From the very first seconds"
Chaining grinds, ollies and tricks in one flow, chasing the combo that blows up the score: the formula hits home from the very first session. The freedom to carve your own path through compact levels and the cult soundtrack create an addictive alchemy. Immediate, snappy and fiercely replayable, the game that brought skating into the living room.
Addictiveness
"Obsessive"
Chaining ollies, grinds and flips while swelling a combo without ever touching the ground sets off a hunt for the perfect run that replays each level for two minutes of grace. Nailing the hidden objectives and beating your score keeps the session restarting endlessly. The controls take some getting used to, yet this heady flow and its cult soundtrack stay wildly gripping.
Complete: box, manual and disc/cart very clean. Lightly handled.
Q1 damagedQ6 completeQ10 new
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Collector interest
American Rev 1 revision of Tony Hawk's Pro Skater, which tweaks several half-pipe collisions and fixes an unintended combo behavior on the Mall ramp. This Rev 1 is more accessible than the initial US run and remains the version recommended by speedrun communities for its finalized timing adjustments. For Activision enthusiasts, it is the stabilized version to compare with the initial run for documenting technical feedback from the skating community.
Is Tony Hawk's Pro Skater still worth playing in 2026?
The first Tony Hawk's Pro Skater reinvented the skating video game and laid the foundations of an entire genre. A trick and combo system of miraculous precision, realistic parks finely modelled and a rock soundtrack that fits like a glove. On N64, the version is slightly trimmed musically and the rendering shows the cart, but the revolution is fully present, and every two-minute session begs to start again. For fans of accessible retro sports and seminal game design, still a strongly recommended detour today.
