Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3+4: Best Config for High-Speed Trick FPS

The primary objective is to synchronize the game’s simulation thread ($S_{sim}$) with your monitor’s refresh rate while minimizing the input latency ($L_{input}$) during high-multiplier combos.

File Path & Setup

1. Navigate to: %LocalAppData%\VicariousVisions\THPS\Saved\Config\WindowsNoEditor\Engine.ini
2. Creation: If the file is blank, paste the headers below.
3. Pro Tip: In the 2026 “Pro Skater 3+4” release, the game has an internal “Trick Physics” tick rate. Setting your FPS to a multiple of 60 (e.g., 120, 240) provides the most consistent button-to-animation response.

Optimized “Combo Stability” Configuration Table

Parameter	Recommended Value	Technical Purpose
FrameRateLimit	144.0 / 240.0	The Core Fix. Unlocks the 60 FPS cap safely.
r.GTSyncType	1	Syncs the game thread with the render thread to stop micro-stutters.
r.OneFrameThreadLag	0	Reduces input lag by removing the 1-frame render buffer.
r.CreateShadersOnLoad	1	Prevents “stuttering” when performing special tricks for the first time.
r.Streaming.PoolSize	0.5 x VRAM	Allocates fixed memory for level textures to avoid mid-combo hitches.

[/Script/Engine.Engine]
bUseFixedTimeStep=False
FixedFrameRate=144.000000

[SystemSettings]
r.GTSyncType=1
r.OneFrameThreadLag=0
r.CreateShadersOnLoad=1
r.Shaders.Optimize=1
r.SceneColorFringeQuality=0
r.MotionBlurQuality=0
r.DepthOfFieldQuality=0
r.Shadow.Virtual.MaxPhysicalPages=2048

HowTo: Engineering the High-FPS Trick Pipeline

Follow these GameEngineer.net technical steps to ensure your million-point combos aren’t ruined by a frame drop:

1. Unlocking the Physics Gate: In the [/Script/Engine.Engine] section, setting bUseFixedTimeStep=False allows the engine to decouple physics from the frame rate. This ensures that a kickflip ($K_{flip}$) takes the same amount of “real time” regardless of whether you are running at 60 or 240 FPS.
2. The “Input Lag” Killswitch: By setting r.OneFrameThreadLag=0, you remove the safety buffer the engine uses to smooth out frames. While this can make the FPS look slightly more erratic, it shaves off ~16ms of input delay, which is critical for landing a “Revert” at the perfect millisecond.
3. Disabling Post-Process Noise: THPS 3+4 uses heavy Chromatic Aberration (r.SceneColorFringeQuality) and Motion Blur. Disabling these in the .ini clarifies the “Contact Point” where your board hits a rail, making it easier to time your balance meter.
4. VRAM Management: For modern 2026 GPUs, set r.Streaming.PoolSize to roughly half your VRAM (e.g., 4096 for 8GB). This prevents the “Level Streaming” hitch that occurs when skating quickly through dense maps like Tokyo or Suburbia.
5. DirectX 12 Protocol: Ensure you use the -dx12 launch option in Steam. Unreal Engine 4’s DX12 implementation provides better CPU-bound scaling, which is essential for maintaining 144+ FPS when the physics engine is calculating complex board collisions.

Technical Explanation: Game Thread Synchronization ($GTS$)

In a high-speed skating game, the “Game Thread” calculates your collision with the environment ($C_{env}$), while the “Render Thread” draws the pixels.

$$Latency_{total} = T_{physics} + T_{draw} + T_{sync}$$

By using r.GTSyncType=1, we force the engine to use a strict “back-pressure” sync. Instead of the Render Thread getting ahead of the Physics Thread (which causes the board to “clip” through rails at high speeds), the two stay locked. This results in a much more predictable “Pop” off the ramp and ensures that your inputs are processed in the same frame they are rendered.