Crash Bandicoot PC Launcher v2.0

Linux Launcher

Linux users finally get the same launcher as Windows and Android.

The Linux build now ships with a full graphical launcher: the same menu, Controls, Settings, Mods, Cheats and About pages, the same preparation screen and full gamepad navigation. The game runs separately while the launcher stays out of the way, and if something goes wrong you now get a readable error screen instead of a silent exit.

Launching has also been made much more robust:

• Double-clicking the binary or starting it from a Steam shortcut now actually launches the game instead of printing help and closing.
• The launcher uses your saved disc, automatically picks up a .chd/.cue placed next to the executable, or opens a file picker.
• If your system can't create the required OpenGL context, you now get a clear error message instead of a crash.
• Game output is saved to logs/last-run.txt to make troubleshooting easier.

Without a graphical display, the binary still starts the game directly as before.

Thanks @SoarSpeed for #73.

Performance Improvements

This release brings performance improvements across every platform.

• Android: Fixed a major framerate drop in native 16:9 on Adreno GPUs, caused by the renderer repeatedly re-copying a large vertex buffer every frame.
• Linux: Fixed very slow rendering on some drivers. In some cases the game went from barely playable to several hundred FPS uncapped.
• Windows and all platforms: Faster emulated memory access, game code is now pre-warmed at load to remove stutters when entering a level, and the frame limiter no longer keeps a CPU core fully busy, which helps a lot on Steam Deck and low-power or dual-core systems.

Thanks @maicolrm091-a11y for #67.
Thanks @ToonKillerLeandro for #37.

Level Warp

The dev menu now includes a new Warp to Level section, on both desktop and Android.

You can jump directly to any level, including bonus rounds. Warped bonus rounds return you cleanly to the level they belong to when they end.

Stormy Ascent, the level cut from the original game, is now playable through the warp menu, including its rain effects in widescreen.

Thanks @arciks1192-svg for #65.

Cheats

• New God Mode and Fly cheats, available in the launcher, on Android and in the in-game dev menu. Fly mode supports free movement with the d-pad and analog stick.
• New toggle to give or remove all 26 gems.
• The level select cheat now also unlocks secret levels.
• Fixed the lives counter looking wrong with the infinite lives cheat enabled.

Thanks @arciks1192-svg for #58 and #59.

High Frame Rate Fixes

More remaining issues caused by running the game above its original frame rate have been fixed:

• Up-and-down moving platforms and the falling platforms in Jaws of Darkness now behave correctly
• Crash no longer gets stuck in walls in Lost City at high frame rates
• Fixed broken interactions between jump crates and stacked crates
• Fixed the starting crates in Generator Room breaking incorrectly
• Fixed gems in the Great Hall moving incorrectly above 60 FPS
• Fixed several issues in the final boss fight
• Fixed monkey animations in Native Fortress and spinning wall platforms
• Lightning, torches, hot pipes and the Lights Out fade no longer strobe at high frame rates
• Fixed pausing during the death animation
• Pausing no longer causes timing jumps after resuming
• Improved river ride synchronization and camera smoothness

Thanks @arciks1192-svg for #25, #31, #52, #53, #55, #61, #63, #64, #70, #71 and #72.

Native 16:9 Fixes

• Sunset Vista now has proper widescreen repairs for the climbing shaft and the temple interior
• Fixed geometry popping in when crossing zone boundaries (e.g. Heavy Machinery)
• Fixed the fog in Generator Room appearing incorrectly in widescreen
• Rain in Slippery Climb and Stormy Ascent now renders correctly across the full 16:9 view
• Wumpa Fruit and lives on Castle Machinery's gem path now appear in the widescreen area without needing to walk first
• The Road to Nowhere secret area no longer becomes visible in the widescreen side areas
• Fixed wobbling artifacts caused by dejittering when geometry overlaps

Thanks @arciks1192-svg for #41, #51, #56, #66, #75 and #78.