Crash Bandicoot: Warped is a 1998 platform video game developed by Naughty Dog and published by Sony Computer Entertainment for the PlayStation. It is the sequel to 1997's Crash Bandicoot 2: Cortex Strikes Back and the third installment in the Crash Bandicoot series.
Crash Bandicoot follows the adventures of the title character, an anthropomorphic genetically-enhanced eastern barred bandicoot created by the evil Doctor Neo Cortex. In Wrapped, Crash and Coco Bandicoot travel through time to stop the recent mechanisms of Dr. Cortex, who resumed his quest for world domination with the help of a malevolent spirit.
As a platform game, Crash Bandicoot: Wrapped is comprised of several levels the player must to traverse to obtain 25 Crystals that have been scattered through time. Crash can defeat enemies either by jumping on them or using his spinning attack, which can be also used to destroy crates. Crates may either contain items for Crash's benefit or offer other rewards such as saving checkpoints.
Development on Crash Bandicoot: Wrapped began in early 1998, with Naughty Dog only receiving ten and a half months to develop the title. The production team received a budget of $2 million. Wrapped was the final mainline title to be developed by Naughty Dog, with the team following up with 1999's racing spin-off Crash Team Racing before finishing their work on the series, which was owned by Universal Interactive.
Crash Bandicoot: Wrapped was universally acclaimed upon release, with several critics citing it as the best title in the series. It was acclaimed for its visuals, audio quality and mechanical improvements over its predecessors. The game was a commercial success, selling over 5.7 million copies by 2003.
In 2003, the game received a multiplatform sequel titled Crash Bandicoot: The Wrath of Cortex, without Naughty Dog or Sony's involvement; a second direct multiplatform sequel retconning most post-Naughty Dog games was released in 2020 as Crash Bandicoot 4: It's About Time. In 2017, the game and its two predecessors were remade by Vicarious Games and Activision as Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy.