The 'hidden combos' for turning some tricks into slight variations in Pro Skater 3 turned into a standard feature, albeit not as advanced as the system would turn out in the next game in the series, where it was finalized.

The game also features skitching, which lets skaters hang off the back of moving vehicles. New to the game is the spine transfer, in which the player can press the shoulder button to transfer between quarter-pipes connected back-to-back, or otherwise self-right themselves to exit quarter-pipes or prevent bailing should they fly off them. All of the combos from the previous game make an appearance, as well as some new tricks that can be performed to better navigate parks and areas. The game builds on the success of the gameplay in the previous games in the series. This Career mode would be later seen as the Story modes of the Underground series, American Wasteland, Project 8 and Proving Ground.

4 instead featured a Career mode more similar to Free Skate mode, in which there was no time limit to explore the level, the goals are usually offered to the player to attempt by characters found in the level. Pro Skater 4 is a departure from the previous three games' Career mode, in which the player had a set amount of time in order to find and complete goals.

See also: Gameplay in the Tony Hawk series

Tony hawk pro skater 3 metacritic