Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3 + 4 Reintroduces Classic Games to New Generation of Skaters

Pre-order customers for Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3 + 4 now gain exclusive early access to a playable demo titled The Foundry. Moreover, fans can get their hands on the demo, a full three days ahead of the game’s official July 11, 2025, release. Nearly five years after Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 1 + 2, the new game faithfully recreates the iconic skateboarding action originally experienced in the 2001 and 2002 releases. So, can this early demo access strategy effectively drive additional pre-orders in its final days before launch?

Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3 + 4 pre-orders

Ultimately, players who secured pre-orders for the PlayStation, Xbox, or PC versions of Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3 + 4 were granted access. After eagerly anticipating this remastered bundle for years, Dedicated fans receive a significant reward for their commitment. Furthermore, the franchise achieves a major milestone with the games’ imminent release, bringing two beloved classics back to modern platforms with updated visuals and gameplay. As a result, players can finally preview the highly anticipated remaster firsthand, simply accessing The Foundry demo this week.

The Xbox Games Showcase 2025 announcement on June 8 stated that players who pre-ordered Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3 + 4 can immediately access the exclusive Foundry Demo. According to an official blog, the demo is confirmed to be live, specifically featuring playable levels set in The Foundry and College skate parks. In the demo, players can control multiple skaters, including Tony Hawk, the iconic skateboard legend; Rayssa Leal, who showcases her street style and goofy stance; and the beloved Doom Slayer from the Doom franchise.

Gaining Fans Outside of Skating Culture

While the inclusion of the horror-action game Doom is bizarre, it could be a way to reach players beyond the traditional skateboarding audience. What’s more, The Foundry demo grants early access to a portion of the full game’s curated soundtrack, significantly shortening the wait ahead of the official July 11, 2025, release. Unfortunately, gamers on the Switch and Switch 2 didn’t receive any good news, as the demo notably excludes Nintendo platform users. Whether the demo will notably exclude Nintendo platform users remains to be seen due to the official blog post and Xbox Games Showcase’s lack of information in their demo announcement.

Since Switch and Switch 2 players lack access to The Foundry, they must wait until the official July 11 launch. Who knows what this platform-specific exclusion could represent, as it could be a strategic partnership choice or a technical limitation. Meanwhile, the game’s official launch trailer, featuring several significant roster reveals, dropped along with the demo announcement. Following a reported personal request from Tony Hawk late in development, Bam Margera was confirmed as the late addition in the game.

Additionally, special appearances by Michelangelo from Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and The Revenant from the Doom franchise were a surprise as well. With The Revant making a brief but impactful appearance to showcase his memetic “Doot-Doot” ability, the anticipation ahead of its release is significantly amplified among the fanbase. For many players seeking authentic extreme sports gameplay during its original release era, the Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater series holds significant appeal. Despite other X Games-inspired titles like Dave Mirra and Shaun White games failing to capture the same audience,  the series’ ability to land iconic tricks, such as the 900, resonated powerfully.

Utilizing Nostalgia for Modern Audiences

While players were deeply connected with the first game, its subsequent entries, including THPS3 and the Underground series on PlayStation, gained popularity. Now, thanks to Activision and Iron Galaxy Games, the classic PlayStation 1 titles are reintroduced to a newer audience through Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3+4. Ultimately, many new players and hardcore fanbase can enjoy the exciting blend of familiar nostalgia with entirely new content.

The story modes present in later series entries are absent from the collection, though the signature two-minute sessions are significantly expanded. Specifically, players can choose to extend runs to three or four minutes or pursue endless combo challenges. Additionally, they can use the gameplay mods and accessibility options to tackle hidden pro goals within each level. Given early indications about Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3 + 4, these levels may have five or six additional objectives per location after initial completion. If the preview trailer is seen correctly, the most substantial gameplay change observed involves backporting THPS4‘s mechanical innovations—including grind extensions, leveling out, and skitching—into all THPS3 levels like Foundry and Airport.

With this integration of both games, they unify under a single launcher and menu system within the $49.99 package. Additionally, brand-new features such as Photo Mode, HAWK mode, and custom goal creation within Create-a-Park were confirmed by Activision. However, thorough testing of these specific additions was prevented due to this limited preview time. Ultimately, Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3 + 4 promises fans an original arcade-style skateboarding that introduces meaningful quality-of-life enhancements for modern platforms.