While the most famous Crash Bandicoot games may be the titular marsupial's single-player adventures, there have been many attempts at multiplayer Crash games over the years, with varying degrees of success. There have been multiple Crash Bandicoot kart racers, party games like Crash Bash, and the cooperative modes found in Crash Bandicoot 4, to name a few. The latest attempt at a Crash Bandicoot multiplayer game is Crash Team Rumble, an online-only competitive platformer that can be a lot of fun to play, but has questionable longevity.

Crash Team Rumble comes courtesy of Toys for Bob, the studio behind the critically-acclaimed Crash Bandicoot 4: It's About Time. Instead of sending Crash and company on another story-driven adventure, Crash Team Rumble sees the various members of the Crash Bandicoot cast compete against each other in two teams of four with the goal of collecting as much Wumpa Fruit as possible.

Crash Team Rumble features some of the most memorable characters from the main platforming series. Crash Bandicoot himself is accounted for, of course, but players can also play as Tawna, Dingodile, Coco, Dr. Neo Cortex, and more. The characters are split into three categories: Scorers, Blockers, and Boosters, though players are free to play how they want in any given match.

Scorers are meant to put points on the board by collecting the Wumpa Fruit spread across the map and bringing it back to their base, while Blockers are best hanging out on the opposing team's goal to stop them from scoring. Boosters are supposed to collect the relics found throughout the map and deposit them elsewhere to assist their teammates with power-ups. While the characters are slotted into one of these three categories, each character is distinct from one another and brings their own unique abilities to the table.

For example, Dingodile has a vacuum that he can use to suck Wumpa Fruit from enemies, while Dr. N. Brio can periodically drink potions to transform into a massive Hulk-like creature that can easily swat opponents away. Dingodile and N. Brio are Blockers, so their abilities play to that role, whereas Scorers like Crash and Tawna have kits that are more about mobility so they can collect Wumpa Fruit and deposit it as fast as possible.

The Crash Team Rumble characters have a nice variety of maps inspired by the core Crash Bandicoot games to test their abilities on. Not only are the maps all quite different from one another visually, but they also have their own specific power-ups that players can unlock by depositing relics. So even though every Crash Team Rumble match is effectively the same in terms of the goal and general gameplay, the variety in the maps and characters ensures that it never gets old or starts to feel stale.

Crash Team Rumble's core gameplay is a ton of fun, offering polished platforming action that serves as a shining reminder of how great Toys for Bob is at making games in the genre. While some may be turned off by the online multiplayer focus, the Crash Bandicoot-style platforming and items translate perfectly to this kind of game. It's certainly more exciting than one would expect, and it's surprisingly easy to lose hours playing Crash Team Rumble.

It's difficult to put Crash Team Rumble down, especially before players have unlocked all the characters and powers. The unlockable characters like Catbat are the real carrots on a stick that will keep players queuing up for one match after another. It doesn't take too long to unlock everything, though, at which point progression becomes entirely about the battle pass and character levels.

The Crash Team Rumble battle pass is a misstep. Unfortunately, Crash Team Rumble battle pass progression is too slow, requiring numerous matches for players to go up even a single level, regardless of their performance in the match. With so many other, better-established live service games on the market with their own battle passes to complete, Crash Team Rumble's battle pass simply demands too much time.

Perhaps the slow-leveling battle pass is an attempt to keep Crash Team Rumble players engaged with the game long-term because that is a serious concern. While Crash Team Rumble has new characters and other content on the way, it remains to be seen if it will get updates on a frequent-enough basis to ensure that fans will stick with it in the face of existing live service games and blockbuster new releases. The game's distribution model isn't doing it any favors either. Crash Team Rumble would stand a much better shot at developing and maintaining a dedicated community of players as a free-to-play experience, but it's currently blocked behind a paywall.

Crash Team Rumble is a premium experience at launch, retailing for $29.99, and that barrier to entry could be a huge roadblock that keeps the game from amassing enough players to truly have legs in the crowded live service market. While the core gameplay is certainly fun, Crash Team Rumble is going to have a hard time competing with games like Fortnite, Call of Duty: Warzone, the recently-released Diablo 4, and the many other online multiplayer games on the market.

This makes it more difficult to recommend Crash Team Rumble. If one buys the game right now for $29.99, there's no guarantee that it will be active even three months from now. There's way too much competition right now and a multiplayer version of a beloved single-player game franchise is a tough sell. With only nine maps and eight characters at launch, some might also find that there's not enough content to justify the price.

Those that give Crash Team Rumble a chance will find fun, fast-paced platforming gameplay that rewards coordinated teamwork but is still perfectly entertaining with randoms. Toys for Bob has proven that the Crash Bandicoot-style of platforming is right at home in the online multiplayer space, but the game's longevity is a legitimate concern. Anyone interested in the game should jump in now while the community is most active, but those that don't want to risk spending $30 on a game that may fall off in a few months may be better served waiting to see if Crash Team Rumble gets a free-to-play re-release down the road.

Crash Team Rumble

Assembling Crash, Cortex, Coco, and a host of other Crash Bandicoot alumni, Toys for Bob's Crash Team Rumble is an online 4v4 multiplayer game. As they strive to collect the most Wumpa Fruit, characters can use special abilities to give them an advantage in this wacky strategy platformer.

Crash Team Rumble is out now for PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X. Game Rant was provided with a PS5 code for this review.