Crash Bandicoot 2: Cortex Strikes Back is a PlayStation platformer developed by Naughty Dog and published by Sony Computer Entertainment. It came out in North America on November 6, 1997, in Europe on December 5, 1997, and in Japan on December 18, 1997. Jason Rubin directed and wrote it, Mark Cerny produced it and Andy Gavin programmed the GOOL 2 engine, reportedly three times faster than the first game's.
Production began in October 1996 and took about 13 months on a budget of $2,000,000. Crash's sister Coco was created partly because Sony Computer Entertainment Japan had concerns about Tawna.
The regional versions differ more than usual. The PAL release runs at 25 fps, which changes Crash's speed and some timings, and offers five languages. The Japanese version renames crystals Power Stones, voices Aku Aku's hints, adds a Japan-only theme song and DualShock vibration, and replaced one death animation. Japan bought about 800,000 copies by April 1998, a record for a non-Japanese game there.12
Names and releases
| Region | Title on the box | Platform | Date | Publisher | Src |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NA | Crash Bandicoot 2: Cortex Strikes Back | PlayStation | Nov 6, 1997 | Sony Computer Entertainment | 1 |
| NA | Crash Bandicoot 2: Cortex Strikes BackGreatest Hits budget re-release | PlayStation | Aug 30, 1998 | Sony Computer Entertainment | 1 |
| NA | Crash Bandicoot 2: Cortex Strikes BackPlayStation Network (PS3/PSP) | PlayStation 3 | Jan 10, 2008 | Sony Computer Entertainment | 1 |
| EU | Crash Bandicoot 2: Cortex Strikes BackPAL version with English, French, German, Spanish and Italian | PlayStation | Dec 5, 1997 | Sony Computer Entertainment | 1 |
| JP | クラッシュ・バンディクー2 コルテックスの逆襲!Kurasshu Bandikū Tsū: Korutekkusu no Gyakushū! | PlayStation | Dec 18, 1997 | Sony Computer Entertainment | 2 |
| EU | Crash Bandicoot 2: Cortex Strikes BackPlatinum Range budget re-release | PlayStation | 1999 | Sony Computer Entertainment | 1 |
| EU | Crash Bandicoot 2: Cortex Strikes BackPlayStation Network (PS3/PSP); withdrawn on 7 August 2007 because of technical problems and re-released on 2 February 2011 | PlayStation 3 | Jul 26, 2007 | Sony Computer Entertainment | 1 |
Also known as: クラッシュ・バンディクー2 コルテックスの逆襲! JP2Kurasshu Bandikū Tsū: Korutekkusu no Gyakushū! JP2
Box art by region
NA Crash Bandicoot 2: Cortex Strikes Back 
EU Crash Bandicoot 2: Cortex Strikes Back
Box art © its publishers, shown to identify each release. Scans: libretro-thumbnails.
Version differences
-
TextPS1 (EU)
The PAL version adds a language menu on the title screen (English, French, German, Spanish and Italian) with full dubbing, and fixes the leftover boss name "Taz Tiger" in the US pause menu to "Tiny".3
-
GameplayPS1 (EU)
Retimed to 25 fps for PAL, Crash runs a little faster and jumps higher, TNT fuses are shorter, some lab assistants are easier to get past, and a wider bodyslam stops you getting stuck in stacks of locked crates.3
-
CensorshipPS1 (JP)
The Japanese version replaced Crash's crushed death animation because it resembled the 1997 Kobe murders.2
Reception
The game averages 89% on GameRankings. It had shipped 4.08 million copies worldwide by February 1999, and by December 2007 had sold 3.78 million units in the US and 1.3 million in Japan, overtaking the first Crash Bandicoot as the best-selling non-Japanese game in Japan.1
In lists
Sources
Checked: 2026-10-13Text reviewed: 2026-10-13
Spotted a mistake? Write to atlas@old-games.net.