If you grew up with Crash Bandicoot or simply enjoy its fast movement, colourful worlds, tricky jumps, and satisfying collectibles, there are plenty of games like Crash Bandicoot worth trying. The best alternatives aren’t necessarily copies of Crash. Instead, they capture different parts of what makes classic 3D platforming enjoyable: precise movement, exploration, colourful level design, hidden collectibles, memorable characters, and a steady increase in difficulty.
Some games lean heavily into traditional platforming. Others add open exploration, combat, puzzle-solving, or collectathon mechanics. That means your best choice depends on which part of Crash Bandicoot you enjoy most.
For players looking for a strong starting point, Super Mario Odyssey, Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart, A Hat in Time, and Spyro the Dragon are among the most interesting places to begin.
What Makes a Game Feel Like Crash Bandicoot?
Before choosing an alternative, it helps to understand what makes Crash distinctive.
Crash Bandicoot combines relatively straightforward controls with levels that demand timing and attention. You run, jump, spin, avoid hazards, defeat enemies, collect items, and learn the layout of increasingly difficult stages.
That creates a particular style of fast-paced platforming.
A good Crash alternative therefore doesn’t need to copy its story or characters. Instead, it should offer some combination of:
● Responsive movement
● Platforming challenges
● Collectibles
● Hidden areas
● Colourful environments
● Enemy encounters
● Increasing difficulty
● Memorable level design
● Exploration or replay value
With those qualities in mind, here are some of the strongest options.
Super Mario Odyssey – Best for Exploration
If you’re looking for a more open-ended version of 3D platforming, Super Mario Odyssey is an excellent choice.
Rather than placing Mario in mostly linear stages, Nintendo gives you large kingdoms to explore. You can search for Power Moons, discover hidden areas, interact with objects and enemies, and experiment with Mario’s movement abilities.
Nintendo describes it as a globe-trotting 3D adventure where Mario uses Cappy to capture and control objects, animals, and enemies while searching for Power Moons.
You can explore the official Super Mario Odyssey 3D platforming adventure to see how its movement and exploration approach differs from the more structured level design of Crash.
Why Crash fans may enjoy it
Crash is often about learning how a level works and finding the right route through it. Mario takes that idea in a more exploratory direction.
Instead of simply asking, “Can I finish this stage?”, Odyssey often encourages you to ask, “What is hiding over there?”
Best for:
Players who want platforming combined with exploration and collectibles.
Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart – Best for Platforming Plus Action
If you enjoy Crash’s colourful worlds but want more combat, Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart is an excellent alternative.
The game combines platforming with shooting, exploration, gadgets, dimensional travel, and fast-paced action. You play as Ratchet and Rivet while travelling between different worlds and dealing with an interdimensional threat.
The official PlayStation description highlights its dimensional rifts, movement abilities, gadgets, weapons, and different worlds.
The official Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart platforming and action adventure is particularly interesting for players who want something more action-heavy than traditional Crash gameplay.
Why Crash fans may enjoy it
Both games combine colourful environments with movement challenges and enemy encounters. The difference is that Ratchet & Clank gives you a much larger combat system and more elaborate traversal tools.
Best for:
Players who want 3D platforming mixed with weapons, gadgets, and action.
A Hat in Time – Best for Classic 3D Platforming
If what you really want is that classic 3D platformer feeling, A Hat in Time deserves a place near the top of your list.
You play as Hat Kid, a small space-travelling girl whose Time Pieces are scattered across a nearby planet. The game focuses on jumping, exploration, collectibles, and discovering different environments.
Steam describes it as a 3D platformer with large worlds to explore and Time Pieces to collect.
The official A Hat in Time 3D platformer listing also highlights its exploration, collectathon elements, colourful worlds, and platforming mechanics.
Why Crash fans may enjoy it
This is probably one of the easiest recommendations if your main goal is to recapture the feeling of classic 3D platformers.
It has collectibles, distinct worlds, platforming challenges, character abilities, and plenty of reasons to explore beyond simply reaching the end.
Best for:
Fans looking for a traditional 3D platforming experience with modern presentation.
Spyro the Dragon – Best for Classic Collecting
Spyro is another obvious choice for anyone searching for Crash Bandicoot alternatives.
While Spyro’s gameplay is more exploration-focused, both franchises come from the same era of colourful 3D platforming and share a focus on memorable characters, collectibles, enemies, and imaginative environments.
Spyro gives you more freedom to explore each area, search for hidden items, rescue characters, and complete objectives.
If Crash’s collectible hunting is one of your favourite parts of the series, Spyro is particularly worth considering.
Why Crash fans may enjoy it
Crash often makes you want to replay a level to collect something you missed. Spyro builds more of that exploration directly into the structure of its worlds.
Best for:
Players who enjoy collectibles, exploration, and classic PlayStation-era platformers.
Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze – Best for Precision
If your favourite part of Crash is the challenge rather than the 3D perspective, Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze is worth considering.
It is a side-scrolling platformer, so it doesn’t replicate Crash’s camera or movement style. What it does share is an emphasis on timing, precision, hazards, enemy placement, and learning from mistakes.
The levels can become demanding, particularly when you’re chasing collectibles or trying to complete sections without mistakes.
Why Crash fans may enjoy it
The perspective is different, but the mentality is similar: observe the level, understand the pattern, time your movement, and try again when something goes wrong.
Best for:
Players who want challenging platforming rather than specifically 3D platforming.
Sackboy: A Big Adventure – Best for Family-Friendly Platforming
Sackboy: A Big Adventure takes a more relaxed and colourful approach to platforming.
The game combines platforming, exploration, collectibles, creative environments, and cooperative play. Its accessible presentation makes it a good option for players who enjoy platforming without wanting every level to feel brutally difficult.
It is also a good pick if you’re looking for a game that can be enjoyed with another player.
Why Crash fans may enjoy it
The colourful environments and straightforward platforming provide some of the same appeal as classic mascot platformers, but the tone is much more relaxed.
Best for:
Families, casual players, and anyone wanting colourful 3D platforming.
Which Crash Bandicoot Alternative Should You Play?
The easiest way to choose is to focus on the specific part of Crash that you enjoy.
| If you like Crash for… | Try… |
| Classic 3D platforming | A Hat in Time |
| Exploration and collectibles | Super Mario Odyssey |
| Action and combat | Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart |
| Classic PlayStation-style collecting | Spyro the Dragon |
| Difficult precision platforming | Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze |
| Accessible colourful platforming | Sackboy: A Big Adventure |
This is more useful than simply ranking every game from “best” to “worst.”
For example, someone who loves Crash’s linear level structure may prefer A Hat in Time, while someone who loves discovering hidden collectibles may get more enjoyment from Super Mario Odyssey.
3D Platformers vs. Crash Bandicoot
One thing to remember is that not every great platformer is going to feel exactly like Crash.
Crash has a distinctive balance between linear movement, environmental hazards, enemy encounters, and precision.
Super Mario Odyssey gives you more freedom.
Spyro gives you more exploration.
Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart adds much more combat.
A Hat in Time comes closer to the traditional 3D collectathon structure.
That’s why choosing based on gameplay mechanics is more useful than choosing based only on genre labels.
What Should You Look For in a Crash Alternative?
If you want a game that genuinely scratches the Crash itch, pay attention to five things.
Movement
Good platformers need movement that feels predictable and responsive. If jumping or changing direction feels awkward, even beautiful levels can become frustrating.
Level Design
Look for levels that reward observation and practice. The best platforming stages teach you their mechanics through play rather than simply throwing random obstacles at you.
Collectibles
Collectibles give you a reason to return after completing a level. If you enjoy Crash’s boxes, gems, relics, and hidden areas, choose alternatives with a similar replay structure.
Difficulty
Crash can be demanding, particularly when you’re aiming for complete level mastery. If that’s what you enjoy, don’t automatically choose the easiest platformer.
Exploration
If you prefer discovering secrets over repeating difficult sections, a game such as Super Mario Odyssey or Spyro may be a better fit.
Are There Modern Games Like Crash Bandicoot?
Absolutely.
Modern 3D platformers have moved beyond the strictly linear structure that defined many older games. Some now combine platforming with open environments, combat, puzzle-solving, collectibles, and character progression.
That’s good news if you’re searching for games like Crash Bandicoot, because you can choose an experience based on the exact element you miss.
Want classic platforming? Try A Hat in Time.
Want exploration? Try Super Mario Odyssey.
Want action? Try Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart.
Want nostalgic collecting? Try Spyro the Dragon.
Want a more challenging platforming experience? Explore games such as Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze.
Final Thoughts
Finding the right Crash Bandicoot alternative isn’t about finding a game that copies Crash exactly.
The better approach is to identify what you enjoy about the series.
If it’s precise platforming, look for games that reward timing and movement. If it’s collecting, choose a game built around exploration and secrets. If you want more action, Ratchet & Clank offers a natural next step. And if you simply want another colourful 3D platforming adventure, A Hat in Time and Super Mario Odyssey are strong choices.
Crash may have introduced you to the world of fast-paced platforming, but it doesn’t have to be where the journey ends.
There are plenty of worlds left to jump into.
