# Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 5
**Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 5** is a skateboarding video game developed by Robomodo with additional development by Disruptive Games and published by [Activision](https://www.edgepedia.org/activision), released on September 29, 2015 for [PlayStation 4](https://www.edgepedia.org/playstation-4) and [Xbox One](https://www.edgepedia.org/xbox-one), with PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 versions expected the following November.[1](https://www.mobygames.com/game/75293/tony-hawks-pro-skater-5/releases/) • [2](https://blog.activision.com/more-games/archives/tony-hawks-pro-skater-5-now-available) It was the fifth main entry in the Tony Hawk's Pro Skater series and the first numbered sequel since 2002's Pro Skater 4, and it became one of the worst-reviewed games of its console generation, with a Metacritic score of 32 on PlayStation 4.[3](https://www.engadget.com/2015-08-27-tony-hawks-pro-skater-5-preview.html) • [4](https://www.metacritic.com/game/1300427415/critic-reviews/) • [5](https://time.com/5885793/tony-hawks-pro-skater-remaster-review/)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Release | September 29, 2015 (PS4, Xbox One); PS3 and Xbox 360 versions expected November 2015[2](https://blog.activision.com/more-games/archives/tony-hawks-pro-skater-5-now-available) |
| Developers / publisher | Robomodo and Disruptive Games; published by Activision; engine by Epic Games[1](https://www.mobygames.com/game/75293/tony-hawks-pro-skater-5/releases/) |
| Content | Over 80 missions across 8 environments; 10 playable pros including Tony Hawk, Nyjah Huston, and Aaron "Jaws" Homoki[6](https://www.activision.com/uk/en/games/tony-hawk/tony-hawk-pro-skater-5) |
| Online | Drop-in/drop-out multiplayer for up to 20 players; no local multiplayer[2](https://blog.activision.com/more-games/archives/tony-hawks-pro-skater-5-now-available) • [7](https://www.gamesradar.com/tony-hawks-pro-skater-5-review/) |
| Create-a-Park | Skatepark builder with more than 250 obstacles, with uploads shared online[6](https://www.activision.com/uk/en/games/tony-hawk/tony-hawk-pro-skater-5) |
| Metacritic | 32/100 on PS4 (0 positive, 5 mixed, 38 negative of 43 reviews); 39/100 on Xbox One; 1.6/10 user score on PS4[4](https://www.metacritic.com/game/1300427415/critic-reviews/) • [8](https://www.metacritic.com/game/tony-hawks-pro-skater-5/critic-reviews/?platform=xbox-one) • [9](https://www.metacritic.com/game/tony-hawks-pro-skater-5/user-reviews/) |
| Aftermath | Robomodo became inactive after the game's failure[10](https://www.mobygames.com/company/11497/robomodo-inc/) |
## Design and development
The game was announced in May 2015, when [Game Informer](https://www.edgepedia.org/game-informer) revealed that Activision and Robomodo were working on an official successor to the original Pro Skater series for Xbox One and PlayStation 4.[11](https://tonyhawkgames.fandom.com/wiki/Tony_Hawk%27s_Pro_Skater_5) Robomodo, a Chicago studio founded in January 2008, had taken over the franchise from longtime series developer Neversoft, and review scores for the series had fallen after that handoff.[10](https://www.mobygames.com/company/11497/robomodo-inc/) • [5](https://time.com/5885793/tony-hawks-pro-skater-remaster-review/)
**A back-to-basics pitch.** Lead designer Patrick Dwyer described the intent as treating everything released after 2002's [Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 4](https://www.edgepedia.org/tony-hawks-pro-skater-4) as if it never existed, including the peripheral-based [Tony Hawk](https://www.edgepedia.org/tony-hawk): Ride and Shred that Robomodo president Josh Tsui had worked on.[3](https://www.engadget.com/2015-08-27-tony-hawks-pro-skater-5-preview.html) Dwyer said many decisions were made to make the game more approachable for players without years of franchise experience: balancing manuals and grinds was made easier, and players no longer had to move directly through the "S-K-A-T-E" letters, which are collected at close range.[3](https://www.engadget.com/2015-08-27-tony-hawks-pro-skater-5-preview.html) Each level had 10 normal challenges that unlocked harder pro-level challenges, such as a 150,000-point combo without manuals.[3](https://www.engadget.com/2015-08-27-tony-hawks-pro-skater-5-preview.html)
Several levels deliberately recalled earlier games: "Bunker" combined elements of "Hangar" from Pro Skater 2 and "Warehouse" from the series debut, "School 3" kept direct callbacks to its predecessor, and an original "Asteroid Belt" level used moon physics.[3](https://www.engadget.com/2015-08-27-tony-hawks-pro-skater-5-preview.html) The soundtrack, hand picked by Tony Hawk, included [Ratatat](https://www.edgepedia.org/ratatat) and Death from Above 1979 among dozens of artists.[2](https://blog.activision.com/more-games/archives/tony-hawks-pro-skater-5-now-available)
## Gameplay and features
Activision marketed the game as combining classic combo-driven skateboarding with objective-based single-player action and seamless online multiplayer.[6](https://www.activision.com/uk/en/games/tony-hawk/tony-hawk-pro-skater-5) The online component supported 20 players at once in drop-in/drop-out sessions, and the Create-a-Park tool let players build parks from more than 250 obstacles and upload them for the community.[2](https://blog.activision.com/more-games/archives/tony-hawks-pro-skater-5-now-available) • [6](https://www.activision.com/uk/en/games/tony-hawk/tony-hawk-pro-skater-5)
Reviewers found the execution fell short of the pitch. GamesRadar noted there was no local multiplayer whatsoever, and [Giant Bomb](https://www.edgepedia.org/giant-bomb) recorded that the game was missing series multiplayer modes such as "horse" and "graffiti".[7](https://www.gamesradar.com/tony-hawks-pro-skater-5-review/) • [12](https://giantbomb.com/reviews/tony-hawks-pro-skater-5-review) Push Square reported that the online-focused structure inflated load times so severely that its reviewer disconnected the PS4 from the internet to play.[13](https://www.pushsquare.com/reviews/ps4/tony_hawks_pro_skater_5) Technical problems were widespread: Game Informer cited an inconsistent framerate, texture pop-in, and physics quirks that launched skaters into the sky, and Gamereactor warned that a disc copy played without the day-one patch had major problems.[8](https://www.metacritic.com/game/tony-hawks-pro-skater-5/critic-reviews/?platform=xbox-one) • [14](https://www.gamereactor.de/tony-hawks-pro-skater-5-kritik/) Eurogamer published a video titled "Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 5 is a glitchy mess" showing the game's broken physics, which reinforced the negative perception.[11](https://tonyhawkgames.fandom.com/wiki/Tony_Hawk%27s_Pro_Skater_5)
## Reception
The game received overwhelmingly negative reviews. On Metacritic the PlayStation 4 version scored 32 out of 100, labeled Generally Unfavorable, with 0 of 43 critic reviews positive, 5 mixed, and 38 negative; the Xbox One version scored 39, with 0 positive, 7 mixed, and 11 negative of 18 reviews.[4](https://www.metacritic.com/game/1300427415/critic-reviews/) • [8](https://www.metacritic.com/game/tony-hawks-pro-skater-5/critic-reviews/?platform=xbox-one) User scores were lower still: the PlayStation 4 user score of 1.6 out of 10 drew 44 positive, 19 mixed, and 406 negative ratings.[9](https://www.metacritic.com/game/tony-hawks-pro-skater-5/user-reviews/) Time later described Pro Skater 5 as having one of the lowest aggregated review scores of any game in the current console generation according to Metacritic.[5](https://time.com/5885793/tony-hawks-pro-skater-remaster-review/)
A minority of critics were milder. Game Informer and GameCritics each scored the Xbox One version 65, with GameCritics calling it a decent installment that lived up to its predecessors but failed to exceed them, more than a decade after the series' fourth entry.[8](https://www.metacritic.com/game/tony-hawks-pro-skater-5/critic-reviews/?platform=xbox-one) GameSpot wrote that the game momentarily recalls the greatness of earlier games in the series.[15](https://www.gamespot.com/reviews/tony-hawks-pro-skater-5-review/1900-6416265/)
## Legacy
The game's failure marked the end of the line for the main series for years. A PhD dissertation on franchise critical trends lists Pro Skater 5 (Metacritic 39) alongside Tony Hawk: Ride (47) as the low-scoring titles at "the end of the franchise".[16](https://www.e-bailey.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/1840008-Bailey_PhD-Dissertation_%E5%8D%B0%E5%88%B7%E7%94%A8.pdf) Robomodo became inactive after the failure.[10](https://www.mobygames.com/company/11497/robomodo-inc/) The franchise was later revived with the well-received [Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 1 + 2](https://www.edgepedia.org/tony-hawks-pro-skater-1-2) remake in 2020 and [Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3 + 4](https://www.edgepedia.org/tony-hawks-pro-skater-3-4) in 2025, with reviewers explicitly contrasting the remakes' quality with what Pro Skater 5 had suggested about the series in 2015.[5](https://time.com/5885793/tony-hawks-pro-skater-remaster-review/) • [17](https://www.techradar.com/gaming/tony-hawks-pro-skater-3-plus-4)
## References
1. [Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 5 Releases, MobyGames](https://www.mobygames.com/game/75293/tony-hawks-pro-skater-5/releases/)
2. [Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 5 Now Available, Activision Blog](https://blog.activision.com/more-games/archives/tony-hawks-pro-skater-5-now-available)
3. ['Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 5': something new, something borrowed, Engadget](https://www.engadget.com/2015-08-27-tony-hawks-pro-skater-5-preview.html)
4. [Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 5 Critic Reviews, Metacritic (PS4)](https://www.metacritic.com/game/1300427415/critic-reviews/)
5. [Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 1 + 2, a Nostalgia Trip With Plenty of Growth, Time](https://time.com/5885793/tony-hawks-pro-skater-remaster-review/)
6. [Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 5, Activision](https://www.activision.com/uk/en/games/tony-hawk/tony-hawk-pro-skater-5)
7. [Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 5 review, GamesRadar+](https://www.gamesradar.com/tony-hawks-pro-skater-5-review/)
8. [Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 5 Xbox One Critic Reviews, Metacritic](https://www.metacritic.com/game/tony-hawks-pro-skater-5/critic-reviews/?platform=xbox-one)
9. [Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 5 User Reviews, Metacritic](https://www.metacritic.com/game/tony-hawks-pro-skater-5/user-reviews/)
10. [Robomodo, Inc, MobyGames](https://www.mobygames.com/company/11497/robomodo-inc/)
11. [Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 5, Tony Hawk's Games Wiki](https://tonyhawkgames.fandom.com/wiki/Tony_Hawk%27s_Pro_Skater_5)
12. [Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 5 Review, Giant Bomb](https://giantbomb.com/reviews/tony-hawks-pro-skater-5-review)
13. [Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 5 Review (PS4), Push Square](https://www.pushsquare.com/reviews/ps4/tony_hawks_pro_skater_5)
14. [Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 5 Test, Gamereactor Deutschland](https://www.gamereactor.de/tony-hawks-pro-skater-5-kritik/)
15. [Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 5 Review, GameSpot](https://www.gamespot.com/reviews/tony-hawks-pro-skater-5-review/1900-6416265/)
16. [Bailey PhD Dissertation on franchise critical trends](https://www.e-bailey.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/1840008-Bailey_PhD-Dissertation_%E5%8D%B0%E5%88%B7%E7%94%A8.pdf)
17. [Pro goals make Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3 + 4 the best skateboarding game to date, TechRadar](https://www.techradar.com/gaming/tony-hawks-pro-skater-3-plus-4)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Sports, games, and recreation › Video games and digital play › Games and gameplay › Individual game titles*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 21, 2026 · Edited: Oct 15, 2026; Oct 21, 2026 · Last review: Oct 21, 2026*
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License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license