The 6th-generation versions of the game (PlayStation 2, Xbox) as well as the PlayStation Portable version utilize the engine of the previous installment, Tony Hawk's American Wasteland, and the games that preceded it. The 7th-generation versions (PlayStation 3, Xbox 360) feature a completely new game engine and gameplay to accommodate the more advanced hardware. The PSP version is the only version of the game to include an additional Classic Mode featuring goals in levels from past Tony Hawk games on a two-minute timer.[2]
For the 7th-generation versions, Project 8 features an open world, which contains various skate parks and hidden sections. The open world is linear and visibly connected, in contrast to the loading tunnels in American Wasteland. In the 6th-generation version, the levels are separate and have to be manually selected. There are 45 skaters in the game, including unlockable characters, who each have a unique mo-cap style, providing a different experience and no recycled animations.