Every Tony Hawk skating game ranked from worst to best
By Dave Aubrey
Tony Hawk became a household name, and it’s not because of skateboarding as much as it is because of video games. The Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater series was one of the biggest franchises on the planet in the late ‘90s and early ‘00s, and the recent remakes, 1 + 2 and 3 + 4, prove that Tony Hawk is back and here to stay.
To celebrate the occasion, we’ve gone back and ranked every single game ever to bear Tony Hawk’s name. This ranking is based partially on the impact of each game when it originally launched, and how good they are to return to now. Weird mobile releases that got soft-launched and cancelled, disappointing sequels, pitch-perfect remakes, even a unique Xbox exclusive that was never seen on any other platform — this is every Tony Hawk game ranked from the very worst to the very best.
Shred Session, the worst Tony Hawk’s game
Tony Hawk’s Shred Session is an endless runner in the same vein as Temple Run, and it soft-launched in some territories in mid-2014. By November of the same year, it had been cancelled and pulled from stores. I haven’t played it, but I assume that means it’s bad.
Skate Jam
Tony Hawk’s Skate Jam is still downloadable, but not if you search for the man’s name. This was released in a short period where Activision let go of the Tony Hawk license, and Maple Media jumped on the opportunity. Skate Jam is still playable as Skate Jam - Pro Skateboarding, but it’s not recommended.
Motion
The original Nintendo DS units had a Game Boy Advance slot on the bottom of the system that developers could utilize as an accessory port when playing DS games. Tony Hawk’s Motion makes use of a simple gyro sensor, and it works very, very badly. There’s no reason to go back and play this one.
Vert
In 2009, the simple Java game Tony Hawk’s Vert was probably great for the pre-smartphone era. Should you play it now? No.
Ride
When Guitar Hero was at its height, Activision went all-in on oversized plastic peripherals and games built around them. Tony Hawk: Ride is one such example, and the motion-controller plastic skateboard sucks. It barely works as intended, and while it might’ve resulted in some laughs for kids or their parents after a few drinks at Christmas, it’s not worth actually playing.
Pro Skater 5
Pro Skater 5 mimics the Tony Hawk games you like, but with physics and mechanics that quite simply do not work. The audio can break, skaters ragdoll awkwardly for no reason, and in general it’s just not very fun. It might be better than the previous games we’ve mentioned, but it feels far more insulting.
Pro Skater HD
Pro Skater HD certainly wasn’t well-received on launch, but the nostalgia for the classics did a lot of heavy lifting. Like Pro Skater 5, the physics are a mess, the end product feels buggy, and the combos are inconsistent. There are a handful of interesting game mode ideas here, at least.
Shred
Well, once you’ve made all of those plastic skateboards, you need to sell them, and if one game won’t do it, then the second might. Tony Hawk: Shred is basically more Ride, using the same skateboard, and it worked far, far better. It’s a more on-rails experience, but that’s exactly what it needed in order to make the skateboard controller feel like it worked. It’s still not up to the standards of a traditional Tony Hawk game, but this is the only one using a dodgy skateboard controller that can be considered playable.
Downhill Jam
Tony Hawk’s Downhill Jam isn’t really a skating game in the same way most Tony Hawk titles are. Instead, it’s a skateboard racing game, focusing on speed above all else. You can grind on rails and pull off tricks for points, but like Mario Kart World, these abilities are more about taking tight lines to get ahead of the competition. It’s not a terrible game, but not what fans want from a Tony Hawk game.
Project 8
The first Tony Hawk game of a new generation, Project 8 introduced new ways to perform tricks and more realistic, grounded physics. At the time this felt like a genuine generational leap for the series, but looking back it feels like one of the strangest – and most unique – games in the series. Not a bad game, but incredibly forgettable, and disappointing for anyone that valued the series’ arcadey controls and combos.
Proving Ground
Tony Hawk’s Proving Ground is Neversoft’s last-ever game, and it feels like a sad end to a legendary studio. It’s even technically a sequel to Tony Hawk’s Underground, bringing back the traitor friend, Eric Sparrow. Again, it’s not a bad game, but the new innovations feel as if they’re trying to keep pace with EA’s Skate.
American Wasteland
American Wasteland is often considered to be the “last good” Tony Hawk game, and while that’s not necessarily true, it certainly feels like the last one in the classic style. It was a launch game on Xbox 360, but was built for the previous generation, and it shows. It boasts an open world with long corridors that separate levels instead of a menu, and it’s more like a skating adventure RPG. And yes, it still has a classic two-minute mode. It’s nobody’s favorite Tony Hawk game, but it’s still a good one.
Pro Skater
The original, the game that started a skating phenomenon. Now, if I’m being honest, there’s no real reason to go back to the original game over many of the others in the modern day, especially since it’s missing some moves to extend combos that have become synonymous with the series. Still, it’s a classic, there’s no denying it, and if this was your first then it’s well worth returning to it for a burst of nostalgia.
American Sk8land
No, we didn’t already go over this one. American Sk8land is a Nintendo DS exclusive version of American Wasteland, and it’s quite unlike any other version of Tony Hawk, and that’s because it’s a genuine, full-fat, classic Tony Hawk game in 3D on a handheld. It has some unique DS features, but most importantly it controls well, performs amazingly for the system, and has the full Tony Hawk moveset. This is a fully-fledged Tony Hawk game with a totally unique vibe, and it was even one of the first Nintendo DS games to support online multiplayer. I know most of you didn’t play this one, but I did, and it felt like a revelation.
Pro Skater 4
Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 4 removes the series’ timer and introduces bigger stages for the first time. It has a few new tricks and mechanics to introduce, but overall it’s a similar experience to other classic Tony Hawk games. Unfortunately, the removal of a timer might give you more time to play around and explore, but it replaces the timed, dynamic challenges with less interesting missions. It might’ve been your favorite, but on reflection it’s not the best of the Pro Skater games.
Pro Skater 3 + 4
The latest remake deserves a spot on this list, and it’s a good one. Pro Skater 3 + 4 bundles both of those classic games into one package with modern visuals and controls, and it’s good. This is the game fans were begging for, and if you want more modern Tony Hawk, this is the game for you.
Underground
Underground was the first game to introduce a real story into the Tony Hawk series. This game has you creating your own skater and using your skills to work your way onto the skate tour with Tony Hawk and the rest of the gang. It’s a genuinely memorable journey that even features a few betrayals to raise the stakes, and shouldn’t be missed.
Pro Skater 2x
This might be the strangest Tony Hawk game on the list, but it’s arguably the original “remake.” Pro Skater 2x is Pro Skater 2, but it includes every stage from the original Pro Skater and five new original stages, and it’s exclusive to the original Xbox. This game was released alongside Pro Skater 3, and even includes several of the mechanical additions that game introduced. The new stages haven’t returned in any subsequent games – probably for a good reason – but Pro Skater 2x was the most content-filled Tony Hawk experience until the 1 + 2 remake launched. A surprising, underappreciated gem.
Pro Skater 1 + 2
This remake brought Tony Hawk games back into the zeitgeist, and was the first Tony Hawk game to actually be well-received in more than a decade. It’s a genuinely great remake and a welcome return to form for Tony and his pals. We have the first four Pro Skater games remade now, and I’m hopeful that we’ll see remakes of the Underground duology too.
Underground 2
On the subject of the Underground duology, Underground 2 puts Bam Margera into the spotlight and replaces a bunch of skating challenges with even more weird and wacky stunts inspired by the likes of Jackass and Viva la Bam. This is absolutely the peak of the Tony Hawk storyline, and while its sensibilities are a bit different to what we expect today, this is still a classic for all the young millennials that played it.
Pro Skater 2
This is the game that changed everything. The original Pro Skater was sensational, but Pro Skater 2 fully penetrated the mainstream and made skateboarding impossible to ignore for an entire generation. This game was as big as Mario, Pokémon, Call of Duty, and more. Pro Skater 2 made Tony Hawk a household name, and it’s incredible even now.
Pro Skater 3, the best Tony Hawk’s game
Tony Hawk’s final game with a forced timer is also the very best. The Tony Hawk games were better with a two-minute timer, and Pro Skater 3 retains that timer – along with the levels that are smartly designed around it – while perfecting essential mechanics like reverts, lip tricks, manuals, and more. The Tony Hawk games as you know them all use Pro Skater 3 as a blueprint, and that’s because there’s no fluff. This is a sublime gaming experience, and the best Tony Hawk game.