Crash Bandicoot is a video game series created by Naughty Dog as a main game for Sony's PlayStation console. The series started in 1994, inspired by new features of 3D consoles and games like Donkey Kong Country (1994). The main character was first named "Willy the Wombat" but later became Crash Bandicoot, a funny, genetically changed eastern barred bandicoot who escapes the evil scientist Doctor Neo Cortex. The first three games—Crash Bandicoot, Cortex Strikes Back (1997), and Warped (1998)—along with the racing game Crash Team Racing (1999), were praised for their colorful graphics and smooth gameplay. After Naughty Dog left the franchise in 1999 due to creative challenges and ownership issues, the series became available on multiple platforms, developed by companies like Universal Interactive, Vivendi Games, and Activision.
Gameplay focuses on 3D platforming, with levels that are either linear or connected through a central hub. Players control Crash through obstacle-filled levels, mostly viewed from a third-person angle, with some side-scrolling views and levels where Crash runs away from dangers on screen. Key actions include jumping, spinning to defeat enemies, collecting Wumpa fruit for extra lives, breaking crates for rewards, and gathering crystals, gems, and relics to unlock new content. Later games added abilities earned by defeating bosses. The series takes place in a fictional island with different environments, and later games include time-traveling and multiversal themes. Characters include Crash, his sister Coco, allies like the protective spirit Aku Aku, and villains such as Cortex, Uka Uka, and mutant henchmen.
After a period of less positive reviews during the 2000s and a break in the early 2010s, the series returned with success starting in 2017, when Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy remastered the original three games. This was followed by a remastered version of Crash Team Racing Nitro-Fueled (2019) and a new game, Crash Bandicoot 4: It's About Time (2020). Crash Bandicoot helped make Naughty Dog a major game developer and became an unofficial symbol of the PlayStation console. By 2007, the series sold 40 million copies worldwide and influenced merchandise, media adaptations, and scientific names for species.
History
Naughty Dog was started in 1984 as JAM Software by two childhood friends, Andy Gavin and Jason Rubin. Their first game was the educational title Math Jam (1985). Later projects included Ski Crazed (1987), Dream Zone (1988), Keef the Thief (1989), and Rings of Power (1992). After completing Way of the Warrior (1994), Gavin and Rubin moved from Boston to Los Angeles to work with publisher Universal Interactive. During this move, they decided to create a 3D platformer to take advantage of new console technology, inspired by the computer-generated images in Donkey Kong Country (1994). They chose to develop the game for Sony’s PlayStation because Sony did not yet have a popular symbol character.
Production of the new project began in October 1994. To design the characters and setting, Naughty Dog hired cartoonists Charles Zembillas and Joe Pearson. The main character was first called "Willy the Wombat" and was imagined as a silly, Zorro-like Tasmanian marsupial. However, the character was later changed to a bandicoot because the species was less well-known and had greater appeal. During development, Naughty Dog showed the game to Sony Computer Entertainment to secure a publishing deal.
Crash Bandicoot was introduced at E3 1996, where it received attention for its colorful visuals. The game was released on September 9, 1996, and sold over 1 million copies worldwide by the end of the year. Its sequel, Crash Bandicoot 2: Cortex Strikes Back (1997), sold 1 million units in the United States by February 1998. The third game, Crash Bandicoot: Warped (1998), sold over 5.7 million units globally by 2002. Crash Team Racing, a kart racing game, was released on October 19, 1999, and sold 1.9 million units in the United States.
Crash Team Racing was the last Crash Bandicoot game made by Naughty Dog. The developers felt tired and frustrated with limited control over the Crash Bandicoot brand and began working on Jak and Daxter: The Precursor Legacy (2001). During this time, Sony bought Naughty Dog, while Universal kept the Crash Bandicoot property. Crash Bash, a party game made by Eurocom, was the first Crash Bandicoot game without Naughty Dog’s involvement. It was released on November 8, 2000, and was the last Crash Bandicoot game made exclusively for a Sony console.
After Sony and Universal ended their partnership, Crash Bandicoot: The Wrath of Cortex was developed by Traveller’s Tales and released on October 30, 2001. Crash Bandicoot: The Huge Adventure, made by Vicarious Visions, was released for the Game Boy Advance on March 13, 2002, and was the first Crash Bandicoot game for a handheld console. It was followed by Crash Bandicoot 2: N-Tranced (2003). Vicarious Visions also released Crash Nitro Kart (2003) for home consoles, with a handheld version released at the same time. Crash Bandicoot Purple: Ripto’s Rampage, a crossover with Spyro, was released on June 1, 2004. Traveller’s Tales later made Crash Twinsanity (2004).
On March 23, 2005, Universal Interactive (now Vivendi Universal Games) acquired Radical Entertainment, who released Crash Tag Team Racing on October 21, 2007. Japanese developer Dimps released Crash Boom Bang! (titled Crash Bandicoot Festival in Japan) for the Nintendo DS in Japan on July 20, 2006, with a North American release on October 10.
Radical Entertainment’s next game, Crash of the Titans (2007), introduced new combat mechanics and redesigned characters with a "punk" style. Handheld versions for the Nintendo DS and Game Boy Advance were made by Amaze Entertainment and released on October 2, 2007.
In December 2007, Activision announced it would buy Vivendi Games, including the Crash Bandicoot brand. The merger was completed on July 10, 2008. A mobile kart racing game, Crash Bandicoot Nitro Kart 3D, was released by Polarbit on April 29, 2008. Crash: Mind over Mutant was released by Radical Entertainment on October 7, 2008, with a Nintendo DS version made by Tose. A mobile game, Crash Bandicoot: Mutant Island, was released by Vivendi Games Mobile in July 2009. In February 2010, Activision laid off about 90 employees at Radical Entertainment due to cost-cutting efforts. After Crash Bandicoot Nitro Kart 2 (2010), the series stopped being developed.
The Crash Bandicoot series returned in 2016 when Sony announced the Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy at E3 2016. The trilogy, made by Vicarious Visions, was a remastered version of the first three PlayStation games with updated graphics and controls. It was released for PlayStation 4 on June 30, 2017, and later for Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, and Windows in 2018. By June 2024, the trilogy had sold over 20 million units worldwide. A remastered version of Crash Team Racing, called Crash Team Racing Nitro-Fueled, was made by Beenox and released on June 19, 2019. It sold 10 million copies by June 2025.
Crash Bandicoot 4: It’s About Time, developed by Toys for Bob, was announced on June 22, 2020, as a sequel returning to 3D platforming. It was released for PlayStation 4 and Xbox One on October 2, 2020, and later for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, Switch, and Windows in 2021. Crash Bandicoot: On the Run!, an endless runner game made by King, was released globally in March 2021 for Android and iOS but was discontinued in February 2023. Crash Team Rumble, a 4v4 multiplayer game by Toys for Bob,
Gameplay
The Crash Bandicoot series features 3D platforming gameplay, where players control Crash in levels filled with obstacles, enemies, and environmental dangers. Crash can move in all directions, and the controls remain the same no matter where he is. Most games show Crash from a third-person view, with him moving toward the screen. Some levels use a side-scrolling view, while others, such as those where Crash escapes a rolling boulder, polar bear, or dinosaur, show him moving into the screen. Some levels require Crash to ride animals that move quickly, forcing him to avoid obstacles and enemies. Throughout the series, Crash uses various vehicles, including a rocket surfboard, jet pack, motorcycle, and biplane.
Crash’s main actions are jumping and sliding. His signature move is the spin attack, a spinning motion that can defeat enemies by sending them off-screen. Enemies knocked off-screen may hit others in their path. Starting with Crash Bandicoot: Warped, Crash can gain new abilities by defeating bosses. Crash of the Titans and Crash: Mind over Mutant include combat and a "jacking" system, allowing Crash to control large mutant enemies called Titans.
Bonus areas are reached by finding a platform with a question mark. In these areas, Crash must collect items while navigating paths. Dying in a bonus area does not cost a life and returns the player to the bonus platform. In the original game, bonus levels are accessed by collecting tokens shaped like Crash’s girlfriend Tawna, the villain Cortex, or Cortex’s assistant Doctor Nitrus Brio. Tawna’s bonus rounds are simple and allow saving progress. Brio’s rounds are harder, with more obstacles. Cortex’s rounds are the most difficult and give Crash a key to unlock a secret level.
Levels in the original game follow a linear path on a map. Crash Bandicoot 2: Cortex Strikes Back introduces five hub areas, each offering access to five levels that can be played in any order. Crash must collect a crystal and defeat a boss to advance. This system returns in later games like Crash Bandicoot: Warped and Crash Bandicoot: The Huge Adventure. Later games use branching maps, such as in Crash Bandicoot 2: N-Tranced and Crash Bandicoot 4: It's About Time, or open-world exploration, as in Crash Twinsanity and Crash: Mind over Mutant.
Wumpa fruit is the main collectible item. Collecting 100 fruits gives an extra life. In Crash of the Titans and Crash: Mind over Mutant, Wumpa fruit restores health. Golden Wumpa fruit gives an extra life in the first game and a permanent health upgrade in the second. These games also include magic Mojo orbs, earned by defeating enemies or destroying objects, which unlock upgrades like extended spins or combo attacks. Aku Aku masks protect Crash from enemies and hazards. One mask gives a single-hit shield, two offer double protection, and three provide temporary invincibility. Crash Bandicoot 4: It's About Time adds Quantum Masks, which grant special powers like time control and gravity reversal.
Gems are rewarded for completing levels after breaking all crates or finding them in secret areas. Most gems are clear and colorless, while some colored gems appear in special levels and lead to hidden areas. Crash Twinsanity features colored gems that unlock bonus content. Crash Bandicoot 4: It's About Time increases gem rewards for objectives like collecting Wumpa fruit or completing levels with limited lives lost. Crystals, introduced in Crash Bandicoot 2: Cortex Strikes Back, are essential to complete games, with one needed per level. Crash Bandicoot: Warped adds Relics, earned by completing time trials. Relics are awarded based on speed: sapphire, gold, or platinum. Crash Bandicoot 4: It's About Time introduces N. Sanely Perfect Relics, earned by collecting all level gems without losing a life.
Crates are a key feature since the original game. Wooden crates break with one spin attack and often contain Wumpa fruit. Arrow crates improve jumping ability when jumped on. Crates with Aku Aku or Crash printed on them give a mask or an extra life. Metallic crates marked with an exclamation point change the environment when hit. Checkpoint crates let Crash return to that spot if he loses a life. TNT crates explode when spun into but can be safely destroyed by bouncing on them, starting a three-second fuse. Nitro crates explode immediately on contact and require a special crate to detonate all at once. Crash Bandicoot: Warped adds "slot crates" that switch between crate types rapidly and must be broken before becoming unbreakable. Time trials include "time crates" that pause the stopwatch for seconds shown on them. Some crates are reinforced and require stronger moves, like body slamming, to break.
Setting and characters
The Crash Bandicoot series takes place on a group of islands 300 miles (480 km) west of Tasmania. These islands have many different environments, such as sandy beaches and snowy areas, and are filled with ruins from the lost continent of Lemuria. The largest island is where the villain Doctor Neo Cortex lives. In Crash Bandicoot 2: Cortex Strikes Back, it is explained that the islands' ancient people built "Warp Rooms" that allow instant travel to places around the world. The game Crash Bandicoot: Warped introduces time travel, showing settings from prehistoric times, the Middle Ages, and the future. Crash Bandicoot 4: It's About Time explores different versions of the universe, including parallel worlds and alternate timelines.
Crash Bandicoot is the main character in the series. He is a human-like eastern barred bandicoot created by Doctor Neo Cortex to be a leader for his army, but he escaped from his lab. Crash is described as a clumsy, non-speaking hero who often finds himself in difficult situations but solves them in a heroic way. His younger sister, Coco Bandicoot, is a tech-savvy ally who first appears in Crash Bandicoot 2: Cortex Strikes Back. She later becomes a playable character in some games. Aku Aku, a floating wooden mask containing the spirit of an ancient witch doctor, protects and guides Crash. Tawna, Crash's girlfriend and lab partner, is the main character in need of rescue in the original game. In Crash Bandicoot 4: It's About Time, an alternate version of Tawna is playable. Crunch Bandicoot, introduced in Crash Bandicoot: The Wrath of Cortex, is a strong, genetically modified bandicoot created by Cortex to fight Crash. After being defeated, he joins the heroes. The Quantum Masks—Lani-Loli, Akano, Kupuna-Wa, and Ika-Ika—are extra-dimensional masks that appear in Crash Bandicoot 4: It's About Time. They give Crash and Coco special abilities.
Doctor Neo Cortex is the main villain. He is a mad scientist who tries to take over the world using genetically altered soldiers. He first works with Doctor Nitrus Brio, the creator of the Evolvo-Ray, which mutates animals. Their partnership ends, but they later team up in Crash: Mind over Mutant and Crash Bandicoot 4: It's About Time. Uka Uka, the evil twin of Aku Aku, helps Cortex. He was locked underground by Aku Aku but was freed when Cortex's space station crashed. Cortex's loyal helper is Doctor N. Gin, a cyborg engineer with a missile stuck in his head. Other enemies include Tiny Tiger, a large, fierce thylacine, and Dingodile, a dingo-crocodile hybrid who uses a flamethrower. Dingodile is playable in Crash Bandicoot 4: It's About Time. Doctor Nefarious Tropy, a scientist who controls time, helps Cortex and Uka Uka in Crash Bandicoot: Warped by creating the Time Twister. He returns in Crash Bandicoot 4: It's About Time to work with Cortex. In Crash Twinsanity, Cortex's niece, Nina, joins the villains. She has bionic hands that let her reach distant places. She later becomes a main villain in Crash of the Titans.
Other media
A short comic promoting Crash Team Racing was published in the Winter 2000 issue of Disney Adventures. The comic was written by Glenn Herdling and drawn by Neal Sternecky. Strategy guides for the games were published by Dimension Publishing, Prima Games, and BradyGames. Some of these guides included interviews and additional stories about the game’s world. In 2018, Dark Horse Books released a hardcover book titled The Crash Bandicoot Files: How Willy the Wombat Sparked Marsupial Mania, which was the original developer’s bible for Crash Bandicoot. An official art book for Crash Bandicoot 4: It's About Time, titled The Art of Crash Bandicoot 4: It's About Time, was published on October 26, 2020.
During the development of Crash Bandicoot, Universal Animation Studios created two traditionally animated cutscenes for the game’s introduction and conclusion. These scenes were also considered for a potential animated series if the game was successful. However, Sony Computer Entertainment acquired the game and chose to use the PlayStation’s 3D graphics instead, leading to the cutscenes being removed. In 2015, producer David Siller uploaded the cutscenes to YouTube. Sega senior vice president Shuji Utsumi suggested making a Crash Bandicoot movie to several studios, but the idea was rejected. Crash appears as a recurring character in the animated series Skylanders Academy (2016–2018), where he is transported from his world to the world of Skylands. In this series, Crash speaks fluent English with an Australian accent, voiced by Eric Rogers in the first season and Rhys Darby in the third season. In January 2021, test footage from a canceled Crash Bandicoot animated series produced with Amazon Studios was leaked online. On October 27, 2025, it was reported that Netflix is developing an animated series based on Crash. Earlier reports claimed WildBrain was involved, but this was later proven false.
Merchandise from the Crash Bandicoot franchise includes a line of action figures made by Resaurus, which are connected to Crash Bandicoot 2: Cortex Strikes Back and Crash Bandicoot: Warped. The N. Sane Trilogy was promoted with licensed merchandise such as shirts, keychains, and other items from Activision and Numskull Product Design. Funko also released a series of vinyl figures tied to the N. Sane Trilogy, including special versions for retailers. In June 2023, a Crash Bandicoot-themed cosmetics bundle was added to Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II and Warzone to promote the release of Crash Team Rumble.
Reception and impact
The original Crash Bandicoot trilogy, made by Naughty Dog for the PlayStation, was well received by critics. Average scores from reviews were between 80 and 90, and the games are now considered some of the best on the PlayStation. The first game was praised for its graphics, which were said to be the best of their generation, and its challenging gameplay. The gameplay was seen as standard but fun and well-designed. Crash Bandicoot 2: Cortex Strikes Back was praised for better gameplay and bright, colorful graphics. Crash Bandicoot: Warped was admired for its variety of gameplay and presentation, and it is now considered one of the best video games ever made. The kart racing game Crash Team Racing, Naughty Dog's last game in the series, was praised for its polished design and was said to be better than similar games like Mario Kart and Diddy Kong Racing in some areas.
Later, when other developers made games in the series, critics gave them lower scores, usually in the 60s. Eurocom's Crash Bash, a party game, was said to lack original ideas but was fun to play with others. Crash Bandicoot: The Wrath of Cortex, the first main game after Naughty Dog, was seen as repeating the style of the original trilogy and criticized for its fixed camera angles and long loading times. Vicarious Visions made platformer games for the Game Boy Advance, which were praised for their graphics but not for being creative. Their racing game, Crash Nitro Kart, was praised for its visuals but criticized for not improving much on Crash Team Racing. The crossover game Crash Bandicoot Purple was praised for its variety of mini-games but criticized for weak platforming, short length, and a weak trading card feature. Traveller's Tales's game, Crash Twinsanity, was praised for its humor and variety of gameplay but criticized for its uncooperative camera and repetitive platforming sections.
Radical Entertainment's first game, Crash Tag Team Racing, was praised for its unique mechanic, mix of game styles, and humor but criticized for being too simple, too easy, and poor platforming. Crash Boom Bang!, a party game by Dimps, was criticized for boring mini-games and tedious board designs. Crash of the Titans and Crash: Mind over Mutant, two platformer games by Radical Entertainment, had mixed reviews. Critics liked their visuals, humor, and jacking mechanic but disliked the fixed camera and repetitive combat or backtracking. Two mobile racing games by Polarbit were praised for their gameplay and controls but criticized for lacking multiplayer features and sometimes simple visuals and track designs.
The series' revival brought it back into favor with critics. The remastered version of the original three games, Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy, was praised for its improved visuals while keeping the original style. The remastered version of Crash Team Racing, Crash Team Racing Nitro-Fueled, was also praised for its presentation and content. Crash Bandicoot 4: It's About Time, a new platformer, was praised for keeping the series' classic style, adding new mechanics, and having bright visuals and sound. The mobile game Crash Bandicoot: On the Run! had mixed reviews, being praised for its visuals and ease of play but criticized for repetitive gameplay, lack of challenge, and many microtransactions. The online multiplayer game Crash Team Rumble had mixed reviews, with praise for its gameplay and design but criticism for limited content variety and high prices.
The Crash Bandicoot series was commercially successful. Naughty Dog's four games sold over 20 million copies worldwide by July 2000, and the series continued to sell over 40 million copies by 2007, earning over $1 billion. By 2025, the N. Sane Trilogy and Crash Team Racing Nitro-Fueled added 20 and 10 million sales, respectively. The mobile game Crash Bandicoot: On the Run! had over 60 million downloads between 2021 and its closure in 2022 but made only about $4 million from in-app purchases.
Crash Bandicoot was the first non-Japanese game to sell over 500,000 copies in Japan. Cortex Strikes Back and Warped sold 1.3 and 1.4 million copies there, and the PlayStation 2 version of Wrath of Cortex sold 212,000 copies.
The original Crash Bandicoot was a key game for the PlayStation, and the character became the console's unofficial mascot. The series helped Naughty Dog become well-known in the video game industry, leading to success with other games like Jak and Daxter, Uncharted, and The Last of Us. Crash Team Racing inspired many kart racing games in the early 2000s. The series has influenced other games, including Rayman 2: The Great Escape (1999), Knack (2014), PsiloSybil (2024), and Antonblast (2024). Games compared to Crash Bandicoot include Jersey Devil (1997), Super Magnetic Neo (2000), Walt Disney World Quest: Magical Racing Tour (2000), Donald Duck: Goin' Quackers (2000), Woody Woodpecker Racing (2000), Kao the Kangaroo (2000), and Ty the Tasmanian Tiger (2002).
A joke about Crash Bandicoot is a main part of a Simpsons episode's story. A 1999 episode of the WB TV series Felicity has a storyline where characters become obsessed with completing Crash Bandicoot: Warped. In 2014, scientists named an extinct bandicoot species "Crash bandicoot" after the game's character. In 2017, the character's famous "whoa!" yell inspired internet memes that used his sound in songs and video game music.