CRASH BANDICOOT 4: IT'S ABOUT TIME, AND IT IS ABOUT PAIN
8.5 of 10 bananas. The first true new Crash in over twenty years: gorgeous, inventive, and packed with mask powers and new characters. Strong with a clear flaw: the difficulty and the completion hunt can turn a party into punishment.
By the Alpha. PS4 disc listing. Updated Oct 28 2026.
Honest note: This is not a fresh hands-on playtest. I built this verdict from launch reviews, critic consensus, update history, and what is known about the game today. If I put real hours in on stream, I will update the score and say so.
Platforms: PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, Nintendo Switch, and PC (developed by Toys for Bob, published by Activision, released October 2 2020 on PS4 and Xbox One, later on the others). The Amazon button is the PS4 disc, which also plays on a PS5 with a disc drive. At my Oct 28 2026 check it was sold by a third-party seller named GAMES R US and shipped by Amazon. The listing photo shows a European PEGI 12 box, so this may be an import copy. PS4 discs are not region locked. Look at the seller and the box before you pay.
Get Crash Bandicoot 4: It's About Time for PS4 on AmazonStore check, Oct 28 2026: new copies on offer from a third-party seller, GAMES R US, shipped by Amazon. The listing photo shows a European PEGI 12 box, so this may be an import. PS4 discs are not region locked. Prices and sellers change, so look before you pay.
Sit with me a moment. I have broken my calm exactly three times in this canopy. One of them was a Crash level, a crate I missed, and a box counter that said 99 percent. Crash Bandicoot 4 gave that feeling back to me, twenty years later, in better graphics and with more crates.
What It Wants To Be
Crash Bandicoot 4 is a linear 3D platformer and a direct sequel to the original PlayStation trilogy. Crash and Coco hunt four Quantum Masks across broken dimensions, while Neo Cortex and N. Tropy try to rule the multiverse. Each mask grants a power, like slowing time or flipping gravity. New playable characters, including Tawna, Dingodile, and Cortex himself, get their own levels. A Modern mode drops lives for beginners, and N. Verted mode mirrors every level with a visual filter.
What Works
Critics put it in the mid 80s on Metacritic. The animation is cartoon quality, the level ideas keep coming, and the mask powers change how you think about a jump. The new characters are a smart way to revisit stages from another angle. For a Crash fan, this is the sequel they waited for: true to the feel of the trilogy, but bigger.
What Breaks
Listen well. It is hard, and the 106 percent completion demands perfect runs, no deaths, and every gem, which many reviewers called too much. Some of the playable side characters slow the pace down. Late levels are long, and checkpoints feel stingy. A family wanting a gentle platformer will hit a wall.
Who Should Play
Play it if you grew up on the PlayStation trilogy or love tough, precise platforming, and you have patience. Skip it if a kid or a casual player will be holding the pad; Spyro Reignited or Kirby will be friendlier.
STRENGTHS
- Gorgeous cartoon animation
- Inventive mask powers
- Fresh playable characters
- Modern mode helps beginners
HONEST COSTS
- Punishing 106 percent completion
- Some side characters drag
- Long late levels, stingy checkpoints
- Possible import box on Amazon
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