Crash Bandicoot is a video game series created by Naughty Dog as an important game for Sony's PlayStation console. The series started in 1994, influenced by the new abilities of 3D consoles and games like Donkey Kong Country (1994). The main character, originally named "Willy the Wombat," became Crash Bandicoot, a funny, genetically changed eastern barred bandicoot who escapes the mad scientist Doctor Neo Cortex. The first three games—Cortex Strikes Back (1997) and Warped (1998)—along with the kart racing game Crash Team Racing (1999), were praised for their bright visuals and smooth gameplay. After Naughty Dog left the franchise following Crash Team Racing due to creative challenges and ownership issues, the series expanded to other platforms and was developed by different companies, including Universal Interactive, Vivendi Games, and Activision.
Gameplay involves 3D platforming with levels that progress in a straight path or connect to a central area. Players control Crash through levels filled with obstacles, mostly seen from a third-person view, with some parts using a side-scrolling view or having Crash run away from dangers on the 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 includes time-traveling and multiversal themes in later games. 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 decline in popularity during the 2000s and a break in the early 2010s, the series returned successfully with the remastered original trilogy, Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy (2017), followed by the remastered Crash Team Racing Nitro-Fueled (2019) and the new game Crash Bandicoot 4: It's About Time (2020). Crash Bandicoot helped make Naughty Dog a major game developer and made Crash an unofficial mascot for the PlayStation. By 2007, the series sold 40 million copies and inspired merchandise, media, and scientific names.
History
Naughty Dog was started in 1984 as JAM Software by 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 Universal Interactive. During this move, they decided to create a 3D platformer game to take advantage of new console technology, inspired by the computer-generated visuals of Donkey Kong Country (1994). The game was made for Sony’s PlayStation because Sony did not yet have a popular mascot character.
Production of the new project began in October 1994. To design characters and settings, 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. The character was later changed to a bandicoot because the species was less well-known and more appealing. During development, Naughty Dog showed the game to Sony Computer Entertainment to secure a publishing deal.
Crash Bandicoot was introduced at E3 1996 and quickly gained attention for its bright visuals. It was released on September 9, 1996, and sold over 1 million copies worldwide by the end of the year. The sequel, Crash Bandicoot 2: Cortex Strikes Back (1997), also sold strongly, reaching 1 million units in the United States by February 1998. The third game, Crash Bandicoot: Warped (1998), sold over 5.7 million units worldwide 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 creatively tired and frustrated with limited control over the Crash Bandicoot intellectual property, so they began working on Jak and Daxter: The Precursor Legacy (2001). During this project, Sony bought Naughty Dog, while Universal retained the Crash Bandicoot rights. Crash Bash, a party game made by Eurocom, was the first Crash Bandicoot game not developed by Naughty Dog. 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 made by Traveller’s Tales and released on October 30, 2001. Crash Bandicoot: The Huge Adventure, developed 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. This was followed by Crash Bandicoot 2: N-Tranced (2003). Vicarious Visions also released Crash Nitro Kart (2003) for home consoles and a handheld version at the same time. Crash Bandicoot Purple: Ripto’s Rampage, a crossover with Spyro, was released on June 1, 2004. Traveller’s Tales made another Crash Bandicoot game, Crash Twinsanity, on September 28, 2004.
On March 23, 2005, Universal Interactive, now Vivendi Universal Games, bought Radical Entertainment, which released Crash Tag Team Racing on October 21, 2005. Japanese developer Dimps released Crash Boom Bang! (called 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 features 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 the same date.
In December 2007, Activision bought Vivendi Games, including the Crash Bandicoot rights, and 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. Crash Bandicoot: Mutant Island, a mobile game, was released by Vivendi Games Mobile in July 2009. In February 2010, Activision laid off about 90 employees at Radical Entertainment, half the studio’s staff, due to cost-cutting and project reviews. After releasing Crash Bandicoot Nitro Kart 2 on May 27, 2010, the series was put on hold.
The Crash Bandicoot series was revived with the announcement of Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy at Sony’s E3 2016 event. The trilogy, developed by Vicarious Visions, was a remastered version of the first three PlayStation games with updated graphics and new content. It launched on PlayStation 4 on June 30, 2017, and later expanded to Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, and Windows in 2018. By June 2024, the trilogy had sold over 20 million copies worldwide. Crash Team Racing Nitro-Fueled, a remastered version of Crash Team Racing, was developed 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 to the original trilogy. It returned to 3D platforming and included new mechanics from the Quantum Masks. The game 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 on February 16, 2023. Crash Team Rumble, a 4v4 multiplayer game by Toys for Bob, was released on June
Gameplay
The Crash Bandicoot series focuses on 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 perspective, while others require Crash to move toward the screen when escaping large obstacles like rolling boulders, angry polar bears, or dinosaurs. Some levels involve Crash riding animals that move uncontrollably, requiring him to avoid obstacles and enemies. Throughout the series, Crash uses various vehicles, such as a rocket surfboard, jet pack, motorcycle, and biplane.
Crash’s main moves are jumping and sliding. His signature ability is the spin attack, a spinning motion that can defeat enemies by launching them off-screen. Enemies knocked off-screen can hit other enemies 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" feature, where Crash can ride and control large mutant enemies called Titans.
At certain points in levels, bonus areas become accessible through a platform with a question mark. In these areas, Crash must collect items while navigating to the end of the path. 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 easy and allow players to save their progress. Brio’s rounds are harder, with more TNT crates and precise jumps required. Cortex’s bonus rounds, which are two in number, are the most difficult and reward Crash with a key to unlock a secret level.
Levels in the original Crash Bandicoot follow a linear path on a map. Crash Bandicoot 2: Cortex Strikes Back introduces five hub areas, each with five levels that can be played in any order. Crash must collect a crystal and defeat a boss in each level to advance to the next hub area. This system appears again in Crash Bandicoot: Warped, Crash Bandicoot: The Wrath of Cortex, and Crash Bandicoot: The Huge Adventure. Later games use branching maps, like 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 in the series. Collecting 100 Wumpa fruits gives an extra life. In Crash of the Titans and Crash: Mind over Mutant, Wumpa fruit restores health, with golden versions granting an extra life in the former and a permanent health upgrade in the latter. These games also include magic Mojo orbs, earned by defeating enemies or destroying objects, which unlock upgrades like longer spins, headbutts, 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 introduces Quantum Masks, which grant special powers like time manipulation 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 includes colored gems that unlock bonus content. Crash Bandicoot 4: It's About Time adds more ways to earn gems, such as collecting a certain number of Wumpa fruit or clearing a level without losing more than three lives. Crystals, introduced in Crash Bandicoot 2: Cortex Strikes Back, are essential to complete a game, with one needed per level. Crash Bandicoot: Warped adds Relics, earned by completing time trials. Players touch a stopwatch near the start of a completed level and race through it quickly to earn sapphire, gold, or platinum Relics based on their performance. Crash Bandicoot 4: It's About Time includes N. Sanely Perfect Relics, earned by collecting all a level’s gems without losing a life.
Crates have been a key feature since the original game. Basic wooden crates require one spin attack to break and often contain Wumpa fruit. Arrow crates boost Crash’s jumping ability when jumped on. Crates with Aku Aku or Crash printed on them grant an Aku Aku mask or an extra life. Metallic crates marked with an exclamation point change the environment when struck. Checkpoint crates let Crash return to that spot if he loses a life. TNT crates explode when hit with a spin attack but can be safely destroyed by bouncing on them, triggering a three-second fuse. Nitro crates explode immediately on contact and require a special crate to detonate all at once. Crash Bandicoot: Warped introduces "slot crates" that rapidly switch between crate types and must be broken before becoming unbreakable steel. Time trials feature "time crates" that freeze the stopwatch for the number of seconds printed 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 located 300 miles (480 km) west of Tasmania. These islands have many different environments, such as sandy beaches and snowy areas, and are covered with traces of the lost continent of Lemuria. The largest island is where Doctor Neo Cortex, the series' main villain, lives. In Crash Bandicoot 2: Cortex Strikes Back, it is explained that the islands' ancient civilization built "Warp Rooms," which allow instant travel to places around the world. The game Crash Bandicoot: Warped introduces time travel, showing settings from ancient times, the Middle Ages, and the future. Crash Bandicoot 4: It's About Time explores the multiverse, showing different dimensions and timelines.
Crash Bandicoot is the main character in all the games. He is a genetically engineered eastern barred bandicoot created by Doctor Neo Cortex to lead his army to world domination but escaped from his lab. Crash is described as a funny, non-verbal hero who often finds himself in dangerous situations but saves the day. His younger sister, Coco Bandicoot, is a tech-savvy ally and sometimes plays a role in the games. She first appears in Crash Bandicoot 2: Cortex Strikes Back and later becomes a playable character. Aku Aku, a floating wooden mask, protects and guides Crash. Tawna, Crash's girlfriend and a lab subject, is the main character in need of rescue in the first game. An alternate version of Tawna appears as a playable character in Crash Bandicoot 4: It's About Time. Crunch Bandicoot, introduced in Crash Bandicoot: The Wrath of Cortex, is a genetically engineered bandicoot created to fight Crash but later 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 and give Crash and Coco special powers.
Doctor Neo Cortex is the main villain. He is a mad scientist who wants to control the world using genetically modified soldiers. He first teams up with Doctor Nitrus Brio, the creator of the Evolvo-Ray, but their partnership ends. They later reunite in Crash: Mind over Mutant and Crash Bandicoot 4: It's About Time. Uka Uka, Aku Aku's evil twin, helps Cortex with his plans. He was locked underground by Aku Aku but was freed when Cortex's space station crashed. Cortex's loyal henchman is Doctor N. Gin, a crazy cyborg engineer with a missile stuck in his head. Other enemies include Tiny Tiger, a large, wild 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, works with Uka Uka and Cortex to create the Time Twister, a device that lets them travel through time. He returns in Crash Bandicoot 4: It's About Time to help Cortex control space-time rifts. 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 antagonist in Crash of the Titans.
Other media
A short comic promoting Crash Team Racing was published in the Winter 2000 issue of Disney Adventures. It 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 information about the game's story. 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 ending. These scenes were also intended to be used for a potential animated series if the game was successful. However, after Sony Computer Entertainment acquired the game, they decided to focus on the PlayStation’s 3D computer graphics, and the cutscenes were not used. In 2015, producer David Siller uploaded the cutscenes to YouTube. Sega senior vice president Shuji Utsumi proposed the idea of a Crash Bandicoot film to several studios, but the idea was not accepted. Crash appears in the animated series Skylanders Academy (2016–2018), where he is transported from his world into the world of Skylands. In this series, Crash speaks fluent English with an Australian accent, provided 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 Bandicoot. Earlier reports suggested 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 tied 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 related 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, created by Naughty Dog for the PlayStation, was well-received by critics. Review scores for the games ranged between 80 and 90, and the trilogy is now considered among the best PlayStation games. The first game in the series was praised for its graphics, which were said to be the best of the fifth generation of consoles, and for its challenging gameplay. Its gameplay was described as standard but enjoyable and well-designed. Crash Bandicoot 2: Cortex Strikes Back was praised for improvements in gameplay and vibrant graphics, which were considered some of the best on the console. Crash Bandicoot: Warped received acclaim for its variety of gameplay and presentation, and it is now considered one of the best video games of all time. Crash Team Racing, the final game in the series by Naughty Dog, was described as a well-made kart racing game that improved on earlier games like Mario Kart and Diddy Kong Racing in some areas.
After Naughty Dog, other developers worked on the series, but the games received lower scores, often in the 60s. Eurocom’s Crash Bash, a party game, was criticized for lacking originality but was considered fun for multiplayer. Crash Bandicoot: The Wrath of Cortex, the first mainline game after Naughty Dog, was seen as a repeat of the original trilogy’s formula and criticized for its fixed camera angles and long loading times. Vicarious Visions’ Game Boy Advance games were praised for their graphics but criticized for not being innovative. Their racing game, Crash Nitro Kart, was praised for its visuals but criticized for not improving much on Crash Team Racing. Crash Bandicoot Purple, a crossover game, was praised for its variety of minigames but criticized for weak platforming, short length, and a weak trading card feature. Traveller’s Tales’ 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, humor, and genre-blending approach but criticized for lacking depth and having simple platforming. Crash Boom Bang!, a party game by Dimps, was criticized for dull minigames and repetitive board designs. Crash of the Titans and Crash: Mind over Mutant, two platformer games by Radical Entertainment, received mixed reviews. Critics liked the visuals, humor, and jacking mechanic but disliked the fixed camera, repetitive combat, and backtracking. Polarbit’s mobile racing games, Crash Bandicoot Nitro Kart 3D and Crash Bandicoot Nitro Kart 2, were praised for their visuals and gameplay but criticized for missing multiplayer features, simplistic designs, and unforgiving mechanics.
The series saw a return to popularity with new and remastered games. The Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy, a remastered version of the first three games, was praised for its improved visuals while staying true to the originals. Crash Team Racing Nitro-Fueled, a remastered version of Crash Team Racing, 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 improving visuals and audio. Crash Bandicoot: On the Run!, a mobile endless runner, received mixed reviews. It was praised for its visuals and ease of play but criticized for repetitive gameplay and reliance on microtransactions. Crash Team Rumble, an online multiplayer game, was praised for its gameplay and design but criticized for limited content and high prices.
The Crash Bandicoot series was commercially successful. By July 2000, Naughty Dog’s four games sold over 20 million copies worldwide. The series continued to sell over 40 million units 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. Crash Bandicoot: On the Run! had over 60 million downloads but earned 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 in Japan, and the PlayStation 2 version of Wrath of Cortex sold 212,000 copies. The original Crash Bandicoot was a flagship title for the PlayStation, and the character became the console’s unofficial mascot. The series helped Naughty Dog gain recognition, leading to success with other games like Jak and Daxter, Uncharted, and The Last of Us. Crash Team Racing inspired a boom in kart racing games in the early 2000s. The series has influenced other games, including Rayman 2: The Great Escape, Knack, PsiloSybil, and Antonblast. Games compared to Crash Bandicoot include Jersey Devil, Super Magnetic Neo, Walt Disney World Quest: Magical Racing Tour, Donald Duck: Goin’ Quackers, Woody Woodpecker Racing, Kao the Kangaroo, and Ty the Tasmanian Tiger.
A parody of Crash Bandicoot appears in a 1999 episode of The Simpsons titled “Lisa Gets an ‘A’.” A 1999 episode of Felicity features characters obsessed with completing Crash Bandicoot: Warped. In 2017, a fossil of an extinct bandicoot species found in Australia was named Crash bandicoot in honor of the game’s character. The character’s famous “whoa!” exclamation inspired internet memes that combined his yell with songs and game music.