Tony Hawk is a pro skateboarder who was a household name in America during the late eighties for his ground-breaking moves on the board. As a revolutionary figure in the spreading of an energetic youth subculture, Hawk soon transcended the sport into super stardom. In 1999 the first installment of Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater was released, catapulting this underground champion to worldwide fame while introducing countless people to a new sport and way of life.
There was a time in the early nineties when it felt like an increasingly worse Tony Hawk game was being released every year. With the re-emergence of a decent Tony Hawk game in 2020, it is worth re-evaluating some of the series’ best entries. Putting aside the other Hawk gaming brands – Underground, American Wasteland, Ride & Shred – here is a list of the top Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater games.
8 THPS 1, THPS 2 & THPS 3 (Game Boy Color)
These versions of THPS were released alongside their more powerful (and entertaining) counterparts on home consoles in 1999, 2000 and 2001 respectively. While these games do get increasingly better, the limitations of the Game Boy Color make for some difficult gameplay.
Including all the characters present on the PlayStation, Nintendo 64 and Sega Dreamcast versions of the game, the complexity of THPS was difficult to model on the Game Boy Color. Replicating any of the stage or moves to a sufficiently satisfying degree was always going to be a challenge.
7 THPS 2, THPS 3 & THPS 4 (Game Boy Advance)
With the release of the Game Boy Advance at the turn of the century, it was only right that Nintendo upgraded the previous entries and add another. Released in 2001 and 2002, it might be fair to suggest that THPS 2 and 3 contained the same lackluster gameplay as their Game Boy Color Counterparts. But, the same can’t be said for the reception of the GBA’s version of THPS 4.
While the first two GBA THPS games lacked the same adaptive qualities as the Game Boy Color versions, the fourth installment made many improvements on its predecessors.
6 Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 5
When Robomobo announced a return to the original Tony Hawk’s series title, Pro Skater, fans were excited. Release in 2015 on the Sony PlayStation 3 and 4 and Microsoft Xbox 360 and ONE, Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 5, is truly a let-down.
With a couple of exceptions, there were 10 increasingly worse Tony Hawk’s games over the course of 13 years from 2002 to 2015. The return to the Pro Skater title seemed like it would reinvigorate the series, but, it did not. Unlike 1,2,3 and 4 in the THPS series, No 5 took what was good about its predecessors and made them worse.
5 Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater
The original 1999 Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater is a barnstorming innovative piece of art that will one day find itself in a museum. Responsible for introducing entire generations to skateboarding while making the sport a household name, THPS’s impact cannot be understated.
Introducing the world to an all-new, near-seamless open-level skateboarding game, THPS, is perhaps one of the most addictive games of the last century. On top of introducing an entire new style of gaming genre, the original THPS brought once obscure characters from an extreme sport subculture into the limelight. Hailed as the genesis to one of the best sporting game series ever, THPS is a classic that is still worth experiencing.
4 Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 2
The 2000 follow-up to the cultural innovator, Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 2 did what all good sequels ought to do and improve on the original. As well as adopting all the hallmarks that made the first the instant classic it was, No 2 introduced better graphics, smoother gameplay and the all-important manual trick.
With a familiar pattern of stages, such as warehouses, the school, and a skate park and a city or two, THPS 2 introduced a host of new moves such as wall riding and the ability to transfer nicely between ramps.
3 Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3
This game hit the scene in 2001 and was, like its two predecessors, an instant classic. While fans sit and ponder whether the world will see a Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3 remake, they are able to pick up the original version on the PlayStation 2, Xbox and GameCube. And, not to forget, the extremely lackluster version on the Game Boy Advanced.
GBA version aside, THPS 3 is recognized by many as the best of the original series. Like the others before and those after, this game sees Hawk and other skaters on a quest to complete levels by racking up a high score, collecting items and winning competitions.
2 Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 4
Keeping with the pattern and standard set by its predecessors, Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 4 is an improvement on the previous trilogy of games. Released in 2002, with this release, Neversoft performed what is a near-impossible feat, four years with four consecutively improving games. Impressive!
Before being blessed with a remade and revamped version of the original, No 4 was undisputedly the best in the THPS titles. It could be argued that THPS 4 is the best in the lost list of Tony Hawk games, with perhaps Underground and Underground 2 challenging that status.
1 Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 1 & 2 (Remake)
Perhaps a cheat entry given that it is two games in one. But, as this release hits the sweet spot in so many ways it is hard not to consider it the very best Pro Skater game. Firstly, it is a great game! The gameplay, steadily attainable skills and variety of landscapes to skate make for a splendid experience.
Additionally, these entries come with banging soundtracks that are slightly altered from the original games. Other than being a good game, these remakes are a nostalgic blast from the past that reminded fans that the franchise is still alive.
Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 1+2 is available for PC, PS4 and 5, Xbox One and Series X/S, and Nintendo Switch.