Crash Bandicoot: The Wrath of Cortex is a 2001 platform game developed by Traveller's Tales and published by Universal Interactive Studios. It was first released for the PlayStation 2 and later ported to the Xbox, and GameCube, with Eurocom developing the GameCube version. The game was originally a sequel to Crash Bandicoot: Warped before being retconned by Crash Bandicoot 4: It's About Time in 2020.
The game is the fourth main installment and the sixth overall in the Crash Bandicoot video game series. It is the first of the entire series to not be released exclusively for a PlayStation console. The plot centers on the appearance of Crunch Bandicoot, a genetically advanced bandicoot created by the main antagonist of the series, Doctor Neo Cortex, who has harnessed the power of a group of destructive mask spirits known as the Elementals. Crash Bandicoot and his sister Coco must travel the world and gather special Crystals that will return the Elementals to a hibernated state, and thwart Cortex's plans to use Crunch as a weapon for world domination.
Critical reception of the game was mixed, with many reviewers opining that the game recycled elements from its PlayStation predecessors with minimal innovation. The PlayStation 2 edition sold 1.56 million copies in North America, and the game qualified for various best-seller ranges, including the Platinum Range for PlayStation 2, Xbox Classics, and Player's Choice on GameCube. It was released as a launch title for the Xbox Originals line of downloadable original-Xbox games for the Xbox 360's Live Marketplace service in December 2007.
