PLAYSTATION Sports Action 2001

Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3

Reviewed by Marcus Webb & Elena Castillo · Updated June 2025

Neversoft's 2001 PS1 skateboarding game and the peak of the Pro Skater formula — Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3 adds the revert mechanic that turns landings into combo continuations, introduces online play on PS2, and delivers the most mechanically refined THPS entry with a roster of 13 skaters across 10 levels.

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💡 Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3 — Key Facts

→ Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3 was developed by Neversoft and published by Activision
→ Released in 2001 on PLAYSTATION
→ Genre: Sports, Action
→ We rate it 9.1/10 — an absolute classic
→ Neversoft's 2001 PS1 skateboarding game and the peak of the Pro Skater formula — Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3 adds the revert mechanic that turns landings into combo continuations, introduces online play on PS2, and delivers the most mechanically refined THPS entry with a roster of 13 skaters across 10 levels.

Overview

Land from the vert ramp. Press the button. Instead of ending the combo, the skater rolls out in a manual.

The revert changed everything.

Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater had tricks. Pro Skater 2 added the manual — a balance on two wheels between obstacles that allowed combo continuation from grind to trick to grind without stopping. Pro Skater 3 added the revert — a landing conversion that turned the end of one vert combo into the beginning of the next.

Together, all three mechanics made the entire level a single potential combo.

The Combo Architecture

THPS1’s combos were bounded by obstacles. One grind, one trick, one landing — the combo ended where the skateable surface ended.

THPS2’s manual extended this — a skilled manual could bridge two obstacles, continuing one trick chain into another. But the vert ramp still ended things: landing from air ended the combo regardless of manual skill.

THPS3’s revert removed the last boundary. Now the vert landing fed into a manual, the manual fed into the next obstacle, and the combo could continue until the player chose to stop or ran out of skateable space. Players who understood the chaining system could now string together runs that covered an entire level without the score registering a single combo end.

The Roster

Rodney Mullen’s flatground trick set was unique in the series — flip tricks invented by the actual skater, executable in game because Mullen invented them in physical skating first. The skater who created the kickflip and the heelflip and dozens of other tricks was in the game, doing them.

Thirteen skaters with genuinely different statistics and different special moves. Choosing a skater changed how the game played, not just how it looked.

The Music

The THPS3 soundtrack is a time capsule of 2001 alternative music — Alien Ant Farm’s smooth criminal cover, N.E.R.D., Motorhead. Players who were teenagers in 2001 remember which song was playing during which combo attempt.

The music was the atmosphere that made the mechanical achievement feel like more than a score-attack game.

Our Review

9.1

Outstanding / 10

🎮

Gameplay

★★★★★

🎨

Graphics

★★★★★

🎵

Audio

★★★★★

🔄

Replay

★★★★★

Gameplay

Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3 is a score-attack skateboarding game where players execute tricks across 10 levels under two-minute time limits. The defining new mechanic is the revert — pressing a button upon landing from a vert ramp converts the landing into a manual, allowing trick combos to continue instead of ending at the ramp. This chaining mechanic makes extended combo lines possible across entire levels. The roster includes 13 pro skaters (Tony Hawk, Bam Margera, Rodney Mullen, Steve Caballero, Chad Muska, Geoff Rowley, Elissa Steamer, Eric Koston, Rune Glifberg, Kareem Campbell, Andrew Reynolds, Jamie Thomas, Bucky Lasek) each with unique stats and special tricks. Career mode requires completing specific objectives in each level to unlock further content.

Graphics

THPS3 on PS1 delivers solid skateboarding environments — the Foundry, Airport, Canada, Tokyo, and other settings provide varied obstacles and trick lines. The PS1 version has visual limitations vs the PS2 version but maintains the game's essential visual clarity.

Audio

Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3's licensed soundtrack is among the series' best — featuring rock, hip-hop, and punk tracks including Alien Ant Farm, CKY, N.E.R.D., Redman, Motorhead, Millencolin, and others. The soundtrack defined early 2000s alternative music for a generation of players.

Replayability

Ten levels with multiple objectives per level, 13 skaters with different stats, online play on PS2, and the revert mechanic's extended combo possibilities create enormous replay depth. Career completion percentage drives continued engagement.

Historical Significance

Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3 (2001) is widely considered the mechanical peak of the original THPS formula. The revert mechanic resolved the previously arbitrary combo-ending at vert ramp landings. THPS3 sold approximately 8 million copies across platforms, making it one of the best-selling sports games of its era. Online multiplayer on PS2 via the network adapter was pioneering for console gaming in 2001. Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 1+2 (2020, Vicarious Visions) remade the first two games but not THPS3 — making the original still the definitive version of the third game.

✅ Pros

+ Revert mechanic enables extended combo lines across entire levels
+ 13-skater roster with distinct stats and special tricks
+ Licensed soundtrack defining early-2000s alternative music
+ 10 levels with diverse environments and trick lines
+ Mechanical peak of the original THPS formula

❌ Cons

- PS1 version visually inferior to PS2 counterpart
- Two-minute time limits still create time pressure tension
- Career objectives can feel arbitrary vs score freedom
- No THPS3 included in 2020 THPS 1+2 remake

Also Known As

THPS3Tony Hawk 3Tony Hawk Pro Skater 3 PS1

Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3 FAQ

What is the revert mechanic in Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3?

The revert is THPS3's defining addition to the formula. In THPS1 and THPS2, vert ramp tricks ended when the player landed at the top of the ramp — the combo would complete, score would register, and the player had to build a new combo. THPS3 added the revert: pressing the trick button as the skater lands from a vert trick converts the landing into a manual (balance trick). From the manual, the player can skate into the next obstacle and continue the combo — turning what would have been a combo ending into a combo continuation. The revert made combo lines theoretically limitless in length, since every vert landing could become a manual leading into more tricks. Skilled players combined reverts with manuals and grinds to create multi-obstacle trick chains that covered entire levels in a single combo.

Who are the 13 skaters in Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3?

THPS3's roster includes the 13 professional skaters: Tony Hawk (vert specialist), Bam Margera (street style, all-around), Rodney Mullen (flatground technical tricks, highest tech stat), Steve Caballero (balanced vert-street), Chad Muska (street heavy-hitter), Geoff Rowley (street power), Elissa Steamer (the series' prominent female pro skater), Eric Koston (street technical), Rune Glifberg (vert specialist, Danish), Kareem Campbell (street speed-focused), Andrew Reynolds (street power), Jamie Thomas (street with gap focus), and Bucky Lasek (vert specialist). Each skater has different stat distributions in speed, ollie, air, hangtime, manual, lip, grind, and switch — creating meaningful play style differences. Rodney Mullen's flatground trick set includes moves not available to other characters.

How does THPS3 compare to Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 1 and 2?

Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 1 (1999) established the formula — two-minute runs, trick combos, licensed music, career objectives. THPS2 (2000) added the manual, allowing ground-based combo continuation between obstacles. THPS3 added the revert, completing the trio of core mechanics. The progression — tricks, manuals, reverts — built the combo system across three games. Many players consider THPS3 the mechanical peak precisely because all three mechanics are present together. THPS4 (2002) removed time limits in career mode in favor of mission-based gameplay, which divided the fanbase. The 2020 remake Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 1+2 (Vicarious Visions) confirmed the first two games' status but didn't extend to THPS3 — leaving it as the last unremastered peak entry.

Is Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3 available on modern platforms?

Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3 has not been officially remastered or re-released on modern digital platforms. Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 1+2 (2020) by Vicarious Visions remade only the first two games. The licensed music in THPS3 creates complications for re-releases — maintaining music licenses is expensive, and some original tracks may have lapsed. Original PS1, N64, Game Boy Advance, and GameCube versions are available through retro game stores. The PS2 version (considered the definitive home version due to online capability and visual fidelity) is available through PS2 retro channels. Demand for a THPS3+4 remake similar to 1+2 has been expressed by fans and the franchise's original creators.