Crash Bandicoot: Warped is the third game in the Crash Bandicoot series and the first to feature Coco as a playable character. The player takes control of Crash and Coco Bandicoot, who must travel back and forward in time and gather 25 crystals before Uka Uka and Doctor Neo Cortex can do so. Much of the game takes place in the Time Twister which acts as the hub area of the game. The Time-Twister is split up into five chambers, each chamber has five buttons that open portals to different levels. The goal in each level is to find and obtain the crystal hidden in the level. Crash Bandicoot: Warped was lauded by critics in many areas, and the game has been considered one of the best video games of all time.

The game's story takes place immediately after the events of the second game. When the ruins of Doctor Neo Cortex's space station crash-land on Earth, they unleash an evil entity known as Uka Uka, Aku Aku's evil twin brother. He decides to join Cortex and Doctor Nefarious Tropy as they plan to gather powerful crystals that lay scattered across time and use their energy to enslave the Earth. The game follows the main characters Crash and Coco Bandicoot as they travel through time and prevent the villains from gathering the crystals by collecting them themselves.