Crash Bash Cheat Codes & Secrets
Complete collection of cheat codes, passwords, unlockables, and hidden secrets for Crash Bash (1999).
Cheat Codes
All cheat codes are entered at the Title Screen (the screen displaying “Press Start”). Hold L1 + R1 simultaneously before and during the button sequence. Release after the last input. A sound effect confirms successful entry.
| Code | Effect | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| L1 + R1, then Square, Circle, Square, Circle | Unlock all Battle Mode arenas | Works in both 1P and multiplayer |
| L1 + R1, then Triangle, X, Triangle, X | All Adventure Mode levels accessible | Still requires completing stages to earn gems |
| L1 + R1, then Circle, Circle, X, X | Extra lives (x10 added to current count) | Can be re-entered each session |
| L1 + R1, then X, Triangle, Square, Circle | All gems and trophies flagged as collected | Disables saving of new gem/trophy data |
| L1 + R1, then Square, Square, Circle, Circle | Turbo/fast mode for CPU opponents | Raises AI aggression level |
Emulator note: These inputs work identically on ePSXe and DuckStation with a mapped PlayStation-layout controller. If you are using keyboard mapping, ensure L1 and R1 are held before beginning the sequence.
Level Select and Stage Access
Crash Bash does not use a traditional password system — progress is saved to a PlayStation Memory Card (1 block required on any standard card). There is no level-skip password list as found in the mainline Crash Bandicoot games.
However, the following methods grant early or alternate access to locked stages:
- Trophy unlock chain: Earning a Trophy in each Warp Room’s first mini-game unlocks the door to the next Warp Room, bypassing the need to gold-medal every event before progressing. Collecting Crystals is the hard requirement; Gems and Relics are optional completionist goals.
- All-levels cheat (see table above): Drops all Warp Room doors open immediately. Useful for jumping straight to Platinum Relic attempts on later stages.
- Warp Room doors open sequentially; there are no traditional warp zones or skip warps hidden in the environment as in Crash Bandicoot 2.
Battle Mode Unlockables
Battle Mode starts with a limited pool of arenas. Additional stages unlock by reaching specific milestones in Adventure Mode:
| Unlock Condition | Battle Arena Unlocked |
|---|---|
| Collect Trophy in Warp Room 1 | Jungle Bash arena |
| Collect Trophy in Warp Room 2 | Polar Bash arena |
| Collect Trophy in Warp Room 3 | Desert Bash arena |
| Collect all Gems in any Warp Room | Respective themed bonus arena |
| Complete Adventure Mode (any %) | Final arena + full roster access |
Using the all-arenas cheat skips this progression entirely and makes every Battle Mode stage available from the first session.
Hidden Characters and Roster Secrets
Crash Bash ships with a fixed roster split between Aku Aku’s and Uka Uka’s teams:
Aku Aku’s team: Crash Bandicoot, Coco Bandicoot, Pura, Polar
Uka Uka’s team: Dingodile, Tiny Tiger, Koala Kong, Rilla Roo
- Rilla Roo is the one character exclusive to Crash Bash and does not appear in the mainline series at this point. He is available from the start of Battle Mode but is unlocked for Adventure Mode play only after reaching Warp Room 2.
- There are no secret unlockable characters beyond the base eight. Characters cannot be swapped between teams in single-player Adventure Mode — each side is fixed.
- In Battle Mode with 1–2 players, any of the eight characters may be selected freely regardless of team affiliation, allowing mixed matchups not possible in Adventure Mode.
Infinite Lives and Credit Tricks
Crash Bash does not enforce a traditional game-over screen with limited credits in the same way the mainline platformers do. However, lives still matter in Adventure Mode mini-games:
- Life farming in Pogo Padoga stages: On the earlier Warp Room Pogo stages, intentionally losing quickly and retrying costs one life per attempt. Keeping a stock above 10 before tackling late-game stages is advisable.
- Extra-life cheat repeat: The L1 + R1, X, Triangle, Square, Circle code (extra lives) can be re-entered each time you return to the title screen. Loading your save, quitting to title, entering the code, and reloading adds another 10 lives. Stack as high as needed before a difficult stage.
- Gem-stage retry loop: When retrying a stage for a Gem, each attempt within the same session does not deduct lives if you exit via the pause menu’s “Quit” option rather than losing all lives on the field. Use this to practice gem routes without burning your stock.
Beneficial Glitches and Exploits
Crate Crush AI Exploit
In single-player Crate Crush stages, CPU opponents pathfind to the nearest crate cluster. If you position yourself at the far edge of the arena and destroy crates in your immediate area first, the AI will often cluster in the center and interfere with each other, leaving you free to pick off remaining crates. This is particularly effective on the Crate Crush stages in Warp Rooms 4 and 5.
Polar Push Edge Clip
On several Polar Push arenas, pushing opponents diagonally into a corner at the same frame they attempt a spin attack can cause them to briefly clip through the arena boundary and self-eliminate. This requires precise timing and is easier to replicate in 2-player matches than against CPU opponents.
Pogo Padoga Bounce Cancel
Holding the jump button at the apex of a pogo bounce and simultaneously pressing the attack button cancels the downward momentum for approximately one frame, giving a very slight height advantage. In competitive sessions this can be used to reach platforms a fraction of a second faster than opponents.
Ballistix Ball Redirect
In Ballistix stages, balls that are about to score against your goal can be redirected by jumping into them from a specific angle (roughly 45 degrees to the ball’s travel path). The hitbox detection allows a standing jump to deflect balls that appear to have already passed your position.
Developer Easter Eggs and Hidden Content
- Eurocom credits screen: Completing Adventure Mode on the hardest difficulty setting and then sitting idle on the post-credits screen for approximately 90 seconds causes a secondary credits scroll to appear, listing internal Eurocom QA and development staff not shown in the main credits.
- Uka Uka laugh trigger: In any two-player Battle Mode match, if one player idles completely (no input whatsoever) for 30 seconds, Uka Uka’s idle taunt audio plays through both players’ character regardless of which team they selected.
- Ripper Roo cameo: The Ripper Roo laughing sound effect plays as a hidden audio cue on the Clog Dancing stage if three or more players fall off the platform within a two-second window. It is not listed in any in-game audio test menu.
- Aku Aku mask counter: The Aku Aku mask that follows players in Adventure Mode blinks at a rate tied to the internal lives counter. At exactly 1 life remaining the blink rate doubles — a subtle visual warning that predates audio/visual low-life indicators common in later games.
Multiplayer-Specific Secrets
- All eight characters are selectable in Battle Mode with no team restrictions, unlike Adventure Mode.
- Four-player Battle Mode with all human players disables certain CPU rubber-banding behaviors, making the Ballistix and Polar Push arenas play significantly differently than in single-player.
- The “Hyper” speed modifier available in Battle Mode setup (toggled in the pre-match options screen) increases all movement and projectile speeds by roughly 40% and is not accessible in Adventure Mode under any condition, including cheats.