Crash Bandicoot

Crash Bandicoot is the first installment in the Crash Bandicoot series that established Naughty Dog's reputation in the video game industry. Its premises chronicle the creation of the titular Crash, a…

75 9 September 1996

Platform Action Science fiction

Crash Bandicoot is a platform developed by Naughty Dog, released 9 September 1996 on PlayStation Vita, PlayStation 3, PlayStation Portable and PlayStation. The main story takes about 38 hrs to finish.

Verified 18 Oct 2026 Sources: IGDB , Wikipedia

What Crash Bandicoot is

Crash Bandicoot is a platform game developed by Naughty Dog and released in 1996. It was published by Sony Computer Entertainment. It is available on PlayStation Vita, PlayStation 3, PlayStation Portable, PlayStation and Android.

The premise, in the publisher's words

Dr. Neo Cortex and Dr. Nitrus Brio, two evil doctors determined to take over the world, create two devices to turn innocent creatures into genius destroyers of the world. One particular animal, a Bandicoot, is chosen to be the leader of the pack, but when the devices fail in their attempts, the animals are turned into crazy monsters. Only Crash Bandicoot survives with brain intact, now knowing that Neo Cortex is the real bad guy. Cortex notices the threat that Crash may cause, and banishes Crash to another island. So it is up to Crash to find his way through the islands monster population and stop Cortex from destroying the world, as well as saving his girlfriend who is next on the devices…

Description from the publisher · source

How it plays

It is played from a third person perspective. Its themes are action and science fiction. It is a single-player game with no multiplayer component.

Where it sits in the Crash Bandicoot series

Crash Bandicoot is the first of 72 entries we hold in the Crash Bandicoot series. The next entry was Crash Bandicoot 2: Cortex Strikes Back in 1997. Its critic score of 75 is 7 points above the series average of 68. The highest-rated entry is Crash Bandicoot 4: It's About Time at 86.

See all 72 Crash Bandicoot games in release order →

How it was received

Crash Bandicoot holds a critic score of 75 out of 100. That places it above 49% of the 2,372 rated platform games in our database, which average 72. Games released in 1996 averaged 70, so it scored 5 points above the year average. Player ratings track closely with critics at 78, across 720 votes.

How long it takes, and what that costs

The main story runs about 38 hrs.

What it launched against

Crash Bandicoot launched on 9 September 1996, within three weeks of The Elder Scrolls II: Daggerfall, Wipeout XL, Die Hard Trilogy and Death Rally. It reviewed better than 1 of the 4.

Released around the same time: The Elder Scrolls II: Daggerfall, Wipeout XL, Die Hard Trilogy, Death Rally.

Cheats and codes

We have not confirmed any working cheat codes for Crash Bandicoot yet. Rather than reprint a list we have not tested, this section stays empty until one is verified.

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