Review: Crash Team Racing Nitro-Fueled

Without a doubt, with the growing trend of game remasters, we can start by saying that this review isn’t exclusive to the current generation of consoles. Yet today, it remains a defining trend as virtually every major game company has revived one of its past titles for modern hardware. From its official launch to the present moment, I’ve spent many hours playing Crash Team Racing Nitro‑Fueled, and in this analysis I’ll tell you whether it’s worth buying and diving into the latest adventure of the world’s most famous marsupial!

Initially, very few companies and developers can reproduce with such fidelity and intensity as Activision has been standing out in recent times. They recently presented a total overhaul of two classic collections: Crash Bandicoot and the Spyro Collection. In practice, it wasn’t just a game—it was a completely remade trilogy with fully remastered graphics and slightly enhanced gameplay.

Given that level of excellence, it’s only natural that Crash Team Racing would generate massive hype. Expectations were met, and once again we have a game that feels like a brand‑new creation. For a longtime player like me, it’s a unique sensation to relive a PlayStation One classic with that fresh‑plastic smell when you pop the console’s lid. This game left a huge mark on my childhood when I used to play on my PlayStation 1 Slim with my mom and friends.

Another very important aspect to mention is the gameplay improvements—especially regarding frame rate. On the PlayStation One (PS1), dreaming of 60 frames per second was pure fantasy; on current consoles, that’s exactly how the game runs.

In my experience on Xbox One X, I found that the game runs smoothly even with many elements on screen—something that would normally cause FPS drops. Keep in mind I was playing in 4K resolution. The controls also feel a bit more fluid than in the original version—you can notice it in various maneuvers to collect hidden letters or take shortcuts in the track.

For newer players, the first thing you’ll notice is the graphical overhaul. Crash Team Racing Nitro‑Fueled brings a fresh look without losing its essence—it’s as if you gave your dusty ’90s car a thorough wash and polish.

Even so, the game delivers a more intense environment with highly detailed elements that feel interactive. The same goes for the characters, who now feature intricate details rather than looking like a jumble of polygons with sharp elbows.

For newcomers to Crash Bandicoot, I have a recommendation regarding some of Team Racing’s unique mechanics. The jump button, when your kart reaches significant height, fills a turbo meter that lets you blast off at absurd speeds.

So you need to be mindful of your timing, even if it feels a bit strange at first. The same applies to the famous drift mechanic, common in racing games. Mastering the drift not only improves your handling but can also give you a speed advantage.

Another major addition in Crash Team Racing Nitro‑Fueled is the ability to customize karts and characters, especially in Online Mode. Besides the classic models mentioned earlier, you can race as various versions of Crash and other characters. However, these changes are purely cosmetic—none of them confer any gameplay advantage.

Back in the PS1 days, online multiplayer was a distant dream; now you can gather friends and random opponents in fun matches across multiple modes, from standard races to small competitions. At launch, the connections were terrible, with high latency and bugs, but the developers fixed most issues within just a few hours.