As someone who proudly wears theirplatinum in Session: Skate Simas a badge of honor, I like to think that I know a thing or two when it comes toskating games.
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Whether it’s the hyper-realistic inputs of games like Session and Skater XL, or the more cartoonish take on skating found in arcade hits like THPS, I love every opportunity to tear it up on screen.
The THPS series is a juggernaut in this niche sub-genre, but it’s fair to say that it wouldn’t have managed this status without a litany of amazing maps for players to own.
So, to give the map designers their props, we intend to rank all the best maps in the THPS series.
To be completely fair to the more primitive THPS and THUG games, we will only be including bespoke levels and parks, rather than open-world areas found in games like Project 8, for example.
10Warehouse
Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater
Let’s kick things off with the map that set those polyethylene wheels in motion. THPS burst onto the scene, and the Warehouse map featured in the game’s demo was a huge part of this overnight success.
Players got a taste of what THPS was all about in a 2-minute rush to complete all the tasks in this tight but meticulously crafted space.
There’s the huge rolling drop to get speed, and then you’re right amongst it with destroyed taxi cabs to air over and a secret tape to find. Hint, it’s hovering over the half pipe.
It may not be as detailed and expansive as the others on this list, but credit where it’s due. It’s the reason whythis series is a household name.
9Manhattan
Tony Hawk’s Underground
Next up, we have a killer map brought to us courtesy of the original THUG, a game I still consider my personal favorite THPS game.
Maps like this are a huge part of this, as Manhattan captures everything about the Big Apple’s skating lineage. You can hit the Brooklyn Banks before heading over to the high rises and leaping off them with careless abandon, hoping there’s a ramp to acid drop into.
It’s a brilliant depiction of the city that never sleeps, and in THUG’s story, this represents your first taste of the big time after slumming in New Jersey. So catch that train and tear it up!
Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 2
When it comes to classic THPS maps, it doesn’t get much more iconic than School 1 & 2. However, despite the fact that both are excellent, the second iteration definitely stepped up in quality.
You still had all the staples of an American high school, with stair steps that would bring a tear to the eye of even the most stoic skater. But, School II is much less open, flows better, and has a bunch of memorable gaps and spots, like the Leap of Faith.
I also want to also give a quick mention to College, another map I graduated from with style. But when it comes to a place to educate yourself on grabs and flips, School II is the clear winner.
7New Jersey
While many will say that New Jersey is a map that reflects its muse, and it’s one that you’ll want to move on from quickly in the THUG story, I have a real soft spot for this map.
Mainly because this area captures the skater’s mentality that, no matter what, they will find something to skate. The place is run down with leaky gas pipes, dingy skate parks, and rooftops converted into DIY half-pipes.
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But that’s the beauty of New Jersey. It’s a DIY park carved out of nothing and showcases that if you want your face in Thrasher that much, you’ll find a way.
6New Orleans
Tony Hawk’s Underground 2
I would be the first to say that THUG 2 was the Tony Hawk’s game that effectively jumped the shark, offering a wildly over-the-top, Jackass-themed world tour. But, it has its moments, and New Orleans is a prime example of that.
New Orleans is effectively a two-in-one map, as you have the standard Mardi Gras vibes when you spawn in. But if you hit the cemetery and grind some crypts, you can give the city a more Day of the Dead sort of feel.
It’s a map with a lot of verticality, with rooftop boosts that will send you sky high, and plenty of ways to keep a combo going. But for the love of god, put your top down; we’ll just give you the beads!
5Skateopia
I’m honestly surprised I find myself giving THUG 2 multiple spots on this list, but I can’t help but give a spot to the game’s finale map, Skateopia.
This is a map that perhaps does the best job in the THUG series of emulating maps like Downhill Jam and Airport, but instead of a straight line, Skateopia is effectively a perfect loop with a motorized log mill to launch you back to the top again.
There are lots of secrets to be found here, including a certain mythical sasquatch, and the amazing combo run to win the whole world tour that takes place here is worth a spot on this list alone.
4Downhill Jam
I think I could have seen myself placing Downhill Jam at the top of this list if doing the challenges on this map wasn’t such a pain due to the endless loop format. However, it’s still a unique and incredible map to play.
This one sees you, surprise, surprise, launch yourself downhill at pace, leaping over huge chasms, rising high over the dam to get sick air, and when you reach the bottom, the game teleports you to the top so you’re able to do it all over again.
It’s a map that’s great for action but a little sketchy when it comes to putting together consistent combos. But all in all, for the novelty alone, it earns its place.
Traveling can be a task that fills even the most confident person with anxiety and dread, but THPS 3 ensures that heading to the airport is nothing but fun.
It’s an area that flows so well, with a wealth of fun areas hidden along luggage conveyor belts, open terminals with loads of benches and rails to grind, and gaps to find.
But unlike a lot of long looping levels, Airport feels just as satisfying to skate up as it does down, meaning there is no need for a harsh loop or teleport that can kill a fluid combo.
Sadly, you can’t skitch an airplane, but aside from that, this is a fantastic map that makes you wish for a flight delay.
2Skate Ranch
Tony Hawk’s American Wasteland
I know that I said I wouldn’t include open-world maps, and American Wasteland very much features one of those. However, I couldn’t in good conscience leave out the Skate Ranch.
This is a park that you gradually build from scraps during the punk-fuelled narrative of American Wasteland, and even though it takes a while to come together, the final product is outstanding.
It’s basically a DIY park that feels like a skateboarding theme park, with quintessentially THPS spots that simply couldn’t exist in reality.
It’s got the Hollywood Walk of Fame, limousines, and all the staples of a dream LA park. But really, what makes this one special is that with every successful quest, you pieced this one together yourself.
Our runner-up may not be the ideal place to go shopping, but it is the perfect place to rack up high scores and stoke the crowds of fellow skaters frequenting this dilapidated wreck.
Mall is another example of a straight-line looping map, but one with the freedom to stop and hit a particular spot if you like.
You can smash through shop windows, grind escalators, or simply take a moment to enjoy the fantasy of a mall covered in graffiti and molded by skaters.
I never get tired of looping around this map, and as long as you aren’t looking to make huge savings on big-name brands, I reckon you’ll feel the same.
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