Crash Team Rumble - What We Know So Far

After years of lying dormant, the "Crash Bandicoot" series has returned in a big way. Back in 2017, Activision published "Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy," a remastered collection of the franchise's first three games. Following that, the franchise continued to gain momentum, releasing the racing-centric spin-off "Crash Team Racing Nitro Fury" and the mainline sequel/retcon "Crash Bandicoot 4: It's About Time" in 2019 and 2020, respectively. As both games were well received and proved popular, the series seems to be now firmly back in the public eye. In turn, Activision and developer Toys for Bob have decided to add another fun title to series' catalogue.

Known as "Crash Team Rumble," this new title promises to take the series into uncharted territory. Whereas past titles have explored the platformer and racing genres, "Crash Team Rumble" will be a battle arena-style game in which two teams face off against each other. But when can players expect to play this new "Crash Bandicoot" title and what will it play like when gamers finally get their hands on the final product? Here's everything we know right now about "Crash Team Rumble."

As of right now, there isn't an official release date for "Crash Team Rumble." However, as detailed on the Activision blog. the new "Crash Bandicoot" title is expected to drop sometime in 2023. "Crash Team Rumble" will be a multi-platform and cross-generation release and will be available for the PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X|S, and the Xbox One at launch. There is currently no word on whether or not the game will eventually make its way over to the PC or the Nintendo Switch. Both the Switch and the PC have featured the previous three "Crash Bandicoot" titles.

In addition to being supported on a multitude of consoles, "Crash Team Rumble" will also be a cross-platform title. This means that, regardless of the hardware they're playing on, players will be able to team up with or fight against their friends.

Prior to the 2022 Game Awards, "Crash Bandicoot" fans were looking forward to the event after some mysterious pizza boxes made references to the franchise's next entry. Sure enough, the announcement trailer for "Crash Team Rumble" was unveiled during the award show. 

The trailer sees Crash Bandicoot and his pals terrorize the IP's iconic villains. Of the discernible characters that have already featured in past "Crash Bandicoot" titles, the trailer shows Crash joined by Doctor New Cortex, Coco, Brio, Tawna, and Dingodile. Featuring a high-energy hip-hop track, the trailer for "Crash Team Rumble" intercuts small sections of gameplay with CGI-generated set pieces that show Crash and his team taking on Cortex and his gaggle of antagonists. The trailer also seems to expand upon previously released "Wumpa League" footage from November.

Though "Crash Team Rumble" isn't a mainline entry in the series, much of its most recognizable imagery can be seen. This includes wooden crates, Crash's signature tornado attacks, and Cortex's ray gun. At the time of this writing, the trailer had amassed over 100k views on YouTube and sparked conversation amongst the franchise's fanbase.

As laid out by Activision, "Crash Team Rumble" is a battle arena game that will pit two teams of four "Crash Bandicoot" characters against each other. One team controls Crash Bandicoot and his friends, while the other controls Doctor Neo Cortex and his minions. Each team must then collect more Wumpa fruit than the other to claim victory. Simultaneously, each team must target their opponents' drop-off zone to prevent them from collecting Wumpa fruit with various attacks and special abilities.

In line with its battle arena style, "Crash Team Rumble" is a multiplayer-only title. Therefore, seasoned "Crash Bandicoot" fans shouldn't go into the game expecting it to contain a single-player experience like the series' main entries. At this time, only surface-level information is known about the gameplay style in "Crash Team Rumble." However, more information can be expected to be disclosed as its 2023 launch draws closer.