Crash Bandicoot: The Wrath of Cortex is the fourth mainline series game and the first to feature Crash Bandicoot on the PlayStation 2. It was later ported to the GameCube and Xbox, making it his first multiplatform appearance. The player controls Crash and his younger sister Coco who must gather 25 crystals and defeat the main antagonists of the story, Doctor Neo Cortex and his new super weapon Crunch Bandicoot. Much of the game takes place in a Virtual Reality Hub System created by Coco to help Crash gather the crystals. The gameplay is similar to the older games of the series.

The story is set sometime after Crash Bandicoot: Warped. Dr. Cortex wants revenge after being defeated by Crash, and for this purpose he creates Crunch, a super-bandicoot who can destroy everything that crosses his way. Crunch's power source is a set of magical masks known as the Elementals, each representing a different element, including Earth, Water, Fire, and Ice. 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.