Crash Bandicoot N Sane Trilogy - Gem Guide and Alternate Ending

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A complete guide for finding all of the coloured gems in Crash Bandicoot remastered on the PS4. This guide will explain exactly how to get the green, orange, blue, red, purple and yellow gems, and open the secret gem pathways to get 100% completion and the Platinum Trophy. Collecting coloured gems unlocks new playable areas in the game and collecting every single gem will even open a secret alternative ending.

This guide is designed to help those who bought the Crash Bandicoot N-Sane Trilogy for the PS4 but it can also be used as a reference for the original Playstation version, if you're using an emulator or even an original PS console.

About Clear and Coloured Gems

There are two kinds of Gems in Crash Bandicoot 1; clear and coloured versions. Both types of gem are collectible items that help towards end-game achievements. The major difference is that coloured gems unlock hidden pathways, which in turn help you reach inaccessible boxes that are required to earn the clear variety of gems, pushing you towards that 100% completion goal and the secret ending cutscene.

The important thing to note about Crash Bandicoot 1 is that ONLY one gem is rewarded per level, with most levels offering a clear gem and a few offering one of the coloured gems. The list of levels that reward coloured gems is shown further down the page.

Transparent / Ghost Gems

Sometimes when exploring a level you will see a transparent (Ghost) gem, floating in the sky. These Ghost gems signify that a secret pathway is nearby and you need the appropriate coloured gem to unlock the path.

Finding the coloured gem and revisiting the level will allow you to access the secret pathway, helping you smash all of the boxes on that level.

As an example, the first "Ghost" gem appears in level 2 (Jungle Rollers). It's a green gem silhouette but you won't earn that gem until you reach level 10 (Lost City), on the second island. In fact, 5 of the 6 coloured gems will appear as "Ghosts" on the first island but none of them can be earned until you reach the second and third islands.

How to Get Gems

The rules are quite simple:



In the original PS1 version you had to do this without dying for clear gems, but this is no longer the case in the N-Sane version. However, you have to get all boxes without dying for coloured gems - which is very, very difficult.

This rule does not include the Bonus area, so you can die as many times as you like in there.

The colour of the gem you earn depends on the level (see tables below).

How to Get Coloured Gems

The tables below show all the levels in Crash Bandicoot and the Gem rewards for each. Follow the rule above: smashing all boxes on a level (and not dying for coloured gems) to earn the Gem reward at the end of the level.

The "Gem Needed" column informs you which Gem you'll need to access the secret pathway on a particular level. You'll need to revisit levels to venture down these secret pathways in order to smash all the boxes which are inaccessible otherwise.

Island 1

LvL	Name	Gem Reward	Gem Needed
1	N. Sanity Beach	White Gem
2	Jungle Rollers	White Gem	Green Gem
3	Great Gate	White Gem	Yellow Gem
4	Boulders	White Gem
5	Upstream	White Gem	Orange Gem
B1	Papu Papu
6	Rolling Stones	White Gem	Blue Gem
7	Hog Wild	White Gem
8	Native Fortress	White Gem	Red Gem

Island 2

LvL	Name	Gem Reward	Gem Needed
9	Up the Creek	White Gem
B2	Ripper Roo
10	Lost City	Green Gem
11	Temple Ruins	White Gem
12	Road to Nowhere	White Gem	Red Gem
13	Boulder Dash	White Gem	Purple Gem
14	Sunset Vista	White Gem
B3	Koala Kong

Island 3

LvL	Name	Gem Reward	Gem Needed
15	Heavy Machinery	White Gem
16	Cortex Power	White Gem	Blue Gem
17	Generator Room	Orange Gem
18	Toxic Waste	Blue Gem
B4	Pinstripe
19	The High Road	White Gem
20	Slippery Climb	Red Gem
21	Lights Out	Purple Gem	Yellow Gem
22	Jaws of Darkness	White Gem	Blue Gem
23	Castle Machinery	White Gem	Green Gem
B5	Nitrus Brio
24	The Lab	Yellow Gem
25	The Great Hall		All White Gems
B6	Cortex

Secret Alternate Ending

Towards the very end of Crash Bandicoot you'll notice a level called "The Great Hall". This appears just after the "The Lab" level and before the floating airship in the sky. Successfully collecting all of the gems leading up to this level will give you the option to unlock the alternate ending.

Upon entering "The Great Hall" level, immediately take note of the gem platform in front of you that is moving horizontally from left to right and vice versa. Crash can jump on this platform and take the secret route that leads to the right. If you have all the gems, multiple platforms will appear, allowing Crash to jump deeper and deeper into the Great Hall.

Eventually the platforms lead to a secret area and an alternate ending. I won't spoil things any further, it's for you to enjoy!!