Crash Team Racing Nitro-Fueled ‘Spooky Grand Prix’ detailed

Activision and developer Beenox revealed today more details on the upcoming free Grand Prix season of Crash Team Racing Nitro-Fueled, dubbed as “Spooky Grand Prix,” which begins on October 4 across all platforms.

In the Spooky Grand Prix, players can look forward to an all new content such as a new track, new characters, items, and a new challenge type!

Here are more details, via the Activision Blog:

Beware Bandicoots, it’s a bone-chilling ride with the latest Grand Prix season to hit Crash Team Racing Nitro-Fueled! Download the update for this season and be ready to take part in the Spooky Grand Prix and all that comes with it: a new track, new characters, new items to unlock, and even a new challenge type. Additionally, this update introduces some big gameplay updates that fans have been asking for. Without further ado, let’s dive into all that’s new in the Spooky Grand Prix!

The Hunt is On

This season introduces a host of new rewards that can be earned by completing challenges, earning Nitro, and filling your Nitro Gauge throughout the season. There’s a special new challenge type this season – track down some spooky spirits with Ghost Hunt! For the duration of this Grand Prix, breaking certain crates will release a mischievous ghost that was trapped inside. Catch up to the ghost to capture it and complete Grand Prix challenges. The more of these crates you break, the more ghosts will be flying around and the more challenges you can complete! As a note, you will only be able to see the ghosts you have released, and these spectral beings won’t get in the way of your racing. They are there to be captured if you dare!

A Villainous Crew

Wreak havoc on the track with Nina Cortex, Dr. N. Brio, and Komodo Moe, the devious trio of fan favorite Crash universe characters that make their way to Crash Team Racing Nitro-Fueled this season. Nina makes her entrance in the Nitro Gauge, while N. Brio and Komodo Moe can be found in the Pit Stop.

Behold, the Nightmare!

Navigate the dark recesses of Nina Cortex’s mind in Nina’s Nightmare! In this new track you will race through misty marshes, eerie gardens, and twisted hallways of a haunted manor. Dodge your way around pumpkins spitting green ooze that can slow you down to a dead stop. Keep your head in twisted hallways under the foreboding eyes of ancestors long since passed. Then, confront the most terrifying sight of all – a beastly spider-pumpkin hellbent on stomping you into the ground!

Bone-chilling New Rides

This season also brings a trio of new karts to give your competition the chills! Embrace the mysteries of the deep with Nautilus, put the competition to rest with Skull Rider, or play a haunting tune with the Phantom – an ornate ride adorned with candles and piano keys, inspired by the Organ Grinder kart from Crash Tag Team Racing. Nautilus and Phantom can be earned in the Nitro Gauge, while Skull Rider can be unlocked in the Pit Stop.

Wicked New (and Returning) Pit Stop Items

The Pit Stop will be stocked with tons of new items, themed perfectly for the season. Give your kart some ethereal flair with Spectral wheels and paint jobs or the spooky new stickers and decals. Then get some of your favorite characters ready for the season with wicked new skins.
Also, for those that missed them the first time around, select characters and items from the first Grand Prix, the Nitro Tour, are making their return to the Pit Stop in this Grand Prix season. Be sure to stop by to see what’s new and what has returned!

Climb the Leaderboards

As with the prior Grand Prix seasons, both the Championship and Nitro Leaderboards will be back and refreshed in the Spooky Grand Prix. As a note to new players, the Championship Leaderboard tracks players’ performance in the Grand Prix season via a points-based system. The Nitro Leaderboard tracks total Nitro Points earned during the Grand Prix season. Those that finish the season in the top 5% of either leaderboard will get the Champion Kart (if they don’t have it already), and a brand new Signature Decal for the Spooky Grand Prix!

Evergreen Game Updates

Aside from the spine-tingling content dropping with the Spooky Grand Prix, there are a couple of updates Beenox has made that will remain in place indefinitely.

Swapping Driving Styles:

We’ve heard you loud and clear! In Crash Team Racing Nitro-Fueled, it is now possible to select your desired Driving Style, regardless of the character you choose to race with. Get that top speed with Crash, or take those sharp turns with Crunch, you can now pick your favorite style and your favorite racer at the same time!

On top of that, a new “Drift” driving style has been added to the mix, making that a fifth driving style to choose from!

Finally, the existing Driving Styles have been renamed to more clearly describe their function:

– Beginner is now Turn
– Intermediate A is now Balanced
– Intermediate B is now Acceleration
– Advanced is now Speed

These Driving Styles will be able to be selected at the same time you are selecting your racer before each race. A sixth Driving Style option, ‘’Classic’’, will select your character’s original Driving Style by default.

Wumpa Time for Everyone
Also due to popular demand, the daily “Wumpa Time” bonus will now carry over to all game modes, including Adventure and Local Arcade! As long as the player’s console is connected to the internet, players now have the opportunity to earn 2x Wumpa Coins for the first 30 minutes of racing time per day.

Warp Orbs and N. Tropy Clocks
To further improve the racing experience, AI drivers will no longer use the N. Tropy Clock and Warp Orb power ups in Online Matchmaking races. Additionally, these power ups will no longer appear for anyone at the beginning of Online Matchmaking races.

The Lost Cup
Finally, a brand new Cup Race has been introduced—the Lost Cup. This race includes Oxide Station (from Crash Team Racing), Clockwork Wumpa (from Crash Nitro Kart), Twilight Tour (from the Nitro Tour Grand Prix), and Prehistoric Playground (from the Back N. Time Grand Prix).

With these quality of life changes to Crash Team Racing Nitro-Fueled, and the exciting new content and challenges that are dropping this week, it is sure to be a ghoulishly good time out on track in this Spooky Grand Prix season! Don’t get scared out there, Bandicoots…!

Check out the new trailer below: