People would be forgiven for not knowing aboutCrash Team Rumble. Developed byCrash Bandicoot 4: It’s About Timecreators Toys for Bob and Published by Activision, the game is being peddled as a multiplayer online battle arena title somewhat similar to the likes ofLeague of LegendsandPokemon Go. But while those titles have players dragging their hero-like characters across a predetermined map to destroy the opposing team and their base,Crash Team Rumbleis a bit more involved.
Using the franchise’s platforming roots as a springboard,Crash Team Rumblewill allow players to control their characters from a third-person perspective. Jumping, attacking, and dodging are still very much a part of the game, with each team’s goal beingto dunk as much Wumpa Fruit as they caninto their own banks before the round ends. There is undoubtedly more nuance to it, as Toys For Bob unveils more about the game as it nears its June 2023 release. Pre-orders recently opened up forCrash Team Rumble, with the biggest incentive being those who purchase the game will get to participate in a closed beta test from April 20 - 24. While the idea of getting to play the game early sounds nice, players might want to hold off before committing to an unproven concept.
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What Does The Public Know About Crash Team Rumble?
As of writing, there are two big milestones regardingCrash Team Rumble’s release. The first milestone wasthe game’s initial announcement on July 21, 2025 during The Game Awards.Crash Team Rumblemade quite the splash with its reveal trailer, but since it contained just as much pre-rendered footage as actual gameplay, players couldn’t tell what the game was exactly. Nevertheless, the trailer got its point across that the title was to be a 4-versus-4 multiplayer online game where players could pick and choose to play asCrash Bandicoot’s many heroes and villains in all-out brawls and collect-a-thons.
The second milestone inCrash Team Rumble’s public history happened just a few days ago with the announcement of pre-orders becoming available. Another trailer dropped with the announcement, which includes far more gameplay than its predecessor. In the trailer, viewers can seeCrash, Coco, Tawna, Neo Cortex, and the rest of the gang as they pummel each other senseless across multiple maps. Wumpa Fruit, crates, environmental hazards, and power-ups are in abundance and serve to distract and entice players as they find the best way to bank as many of the fictional fruits while preventing the opposing team from doing the same. The pre-order trailer does a better job of conveying what players will be doing in the game, though not by much.
There Is Still Too Much Players Don’t Know About To Justify Pre-Orders
While beta tests in games help developers iron out the kinks before a full game’s release, gating these test periods behind a paywall seems counterintuitive. Alpha and beta tests are supposed to be signs of goodwill from developers that they care about their audience and want to make the best possible version of their games.Diablo 4’s recent closed beta test comes to mindhere, as it was also gated behind a pre-order wall. The big difference betweenDiablo 4andCrash Team Rumbleis that the former already has established itself through its previous games. Rather than being a title that delves into a new genre with new mechanics,Diablo 4is meant to be an improvement over pastDiablogames.
Crash Team Rumble, on the other hand, has too many unknowns to justify pre-ordering it. It might have been betterfor Toys for Bob and Activision to release footage of people (i.e. streamers) actually playing the gamebefore announcing pre-orders. Better yet, they could do the entire world a favor and release an open beta for everyone to play. Doing so would give players a better grasp of what the game is all about and provide them with the information that they need with regards to if they want to buy the game or not.
Creator content for the game has slowly started to trickle in, however, and this might be enough fordie-hard fans of theCrash Bandicootfranchiseor MOBA aficionados to giveCrash Team Rumblea shot. The gameplay looks solid enough, and the characters and world are vibrant enough to justify all-out cartoony mayhem. If Toys For Bob continues support for the game (Crash Team Rumblehas already been confirmed to have a battle pass system), thenCrashfans might have a mainstay title in their gaming libraries.
Crash Team Rumblewill officially launch on June 12, 2025, for PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
