Crash Team Rumble launches in June, with a closed beta in April

Four-versus-four carnage

Crash Team Rumble will release for PlayStation and Xbox consoles with crossplay enabled on June 20, publisher Activision and developer Toys for Bob have announced, but what can players expect? At a hands-off preview event, we saw gameplay, mechanics, and finer details about the upcoming title including a closed beta that will run from April 20 to 24.

In the beta, players will be able to control Coco, Crash, Dingodile, Neo Cortex, or Tawna across three different maps in a four-versus-four team-based multiplayer experience. Each character has their own power, personality, and resulting playstyle with each being categorized as a Scorer, Blocker, or Booster. A Scorer’s role is to collect Wumpa fruit from around the arena and bring them back to the team’s bank to deposit them. A Blocker’s job is fairly self-explanatory, in that they will be doing all they can to stop the enemy team from achieving points by depositing Wumpas. A Booster will be capturing Gems which will increase their team’s score multiplier, and activating Relic stations which give special powers and boosts to give their team the advantage.

These roles will not be set, so there’s nothing stopping a Blocker from depositing Wumpas at the bank if they want to. This flexibility and freedom to take on any role could make or break a team – it’s great that the option is there, but let’s hope teams can communicate well enough to avoid uncontrolled chaos.

Standard-versus-Deluxe

In amongst the carnage of battle, there’s also an important decision for Crash fans to make before they can access the closed beta. The only way to gain entry is to pre-order the game, and the Standard edition will set you back $29.99. That version includes seasonal events and limited-time modes, as well as the premium battle pass unlock for the first season. The Deluxe edition contains all of the above, as well as the premium battle pass, unlock for season two, and 25 instant tier unlocks on the first season’s premium battle pass. It also includes a Proto Pack with skins, a unique banner, and more cosmetics, and will cost $39.99.

Crash Team Rumble is currently only set to release on PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X|S, and when we asked Toys for Bob whether there were any plans for PS Plus or Xbox Game Pass collaborations, they commented that they weren’t looking to discuss that at this time. The same was said regarding a Steam or PC release. It would’ve been nice to see a PC release lined up alongside the consoles. Either way, console owners can still get their hands on the closed beta which runs from April 20 to 24.

Not a MOBA

Though gameplay leaked today ahead of the announcement, Crash Team Rumble looks fun, engaging, and entertaining. Toys for Bob is the studio behind the Crash Bandicoot N.Sane Trilogy, Spyro Regnited Trilogy, and Crash Bandicoot 4: It’s About Time. Speaking about the development process, associatecreative director Lou Studdert and creative director Dan Neil said they were “super excited” to be able to work on Crash Team Rumble.

Neil said that throughout the process for Crash 4, they were already thinking about where to take Crash Bandicoot next. “How can we create something fresh and exciting?” he pondered. Studdert also commented that they wanted to take the “authentic core Crash DNA which is tied to intense, precise platforming, and marry that with a multiplayer competitive gameplay.” This brand-new approach for Crash Bandicoot is a myriad of different things, but there is one thing it definitely isn’t, as Studdert explained. “I want to clear the air first and say it is not a MOBA. Crash Team Rumble is not a MOBA!”

The duo ended up summarizing the game as a competitive platformer, and within the official reveal trailer characters such as Crash himself, Coco, and Dingodile can be seen demonstrating the mechanics around a beach environment. Fireballs rain from the sky as Crash hops from gem to gem hoping to increase his team’s multiplier, before eventually depositing all of his Wumpa fruits in the team bank to win the game.

The nature of Crash Team Rumble seems to be that players will be able to easily jump into games for engaging, high-octane fun at a moment’s notice. There’s nothing too intricate or confusing, and the fun element is definitely present in good, old-fashioned Crash Bandicoot style.

Crash Team Rumble will be released for PlayStation and Xbox consoles on June 20. Pre-ordering the Standard or Deluxe edition of the game will grant access to the closed beta which runs from April 20 to 24.