Crash Bandicoot 4: It's About Time revives the series' demanding platforming while adding masks with clever powers. The level design is inventive and the alternate modes stretch things endlessly. The difficulty bites, and that's precisely the point.
Your verdict
Category
Platformer4 players7+
Description
Crash and Coco chase a mad scientist across dimensions with the help of quantum masks. Published by Activision, released worldwide in 2021. Demanding platforming, mask powers that alter the scenery, dense levels, multiplayer play and deep collecting.
Crash Bandicoot 4: It's About Time review
4/5
Art direction
★★★★★
"Striking"
4/5
Music
★★★★★
"Excellent"
2/5
Story
★★★★★
"Classic"
Gameplay
"Masterful"
Pinpoint jumps, breathless dashes and power masks that rewrite the rules of physics give every move a satisfying weight, and the pad responds instantly. The levels deepen the classic platforming without watering it down, and the difficulty feels fair enough to make you retry rather than quit. That kind of millimetric precision hasn't aged a day for challenge lovers.
Fun
"From the very first seconds"
Pinpoint jumps, time-bending Quantum masks and trap-laden stages revive the punishing platforming of old with modern readability. Razor-sharp controls make every clear feel earned, and hunting gems or no-death runs stretches the urge to perfect it all. Colourful, biting and generous, it weds retro challenge to today's comfort without watering anything down, daring you again and again.
Addictiveness
"Captivating"
Difficulty
"Difficult"
Lifespan
"Average"
Technical info
💾16 GB📅12/03/2021
Published by Activision
Crash Bandicoot 4: It's About Time (Nintendo Switch) price, value & rarity
The platformer pushes precision to its peak in these tightly patterned showdowns, where every jump, slide and Quantum Mask use must land just right. Pinpoint readability, escalating difficulty and gleefully unhinged staging give these chases and duels an intensity that rekindles the series' pure arcade soul.
Better with friends
Crash Bandicoot 4 offers pass-and-play and competitive modes where players scrap over best times and completion scores. You hand the controller around while commenting on every fall, gloat at the next runner's wipeout, and the rivalry stays good-natured. Be warned, the platforming is brutally demanding, which spices up the mockery as much as the admiration. Quick to relaunch for a round, it sharpens the jabs between friends.
Is Crash Bandicoot 4: It's About Time still worth playing in 2026?
Crash Bandicoot 4: It's About Time rises to the demanding-platformer challenge with flair. True to the classics' spirit, it unfurls dense levels, mask powers that reshape the scenery and a fearsome difficulty that spares no one. Its colourful, inventive production bursts with creativity, but the full collectible hunt can grow frustrating, even punishing. For fans of old-school challenge and pixel-precise jumps, it is a treat that hasn't aged a day. More casual players, though, may stumble on its demands. An ambitious, generous and still formidable sequel that holds up superbly on Switch.
