CTR Native (Crash Team Racing PC port)

Crash Team Racing (Naughty Dog, 1999) never got a PC release; the 2019 remake Nitro-Fueled skipped PC too. CTR Native comes from the CTR-tools group behind CTR-ModSDK, the long-running modding toolkit and decompilation of the game. The first Windows beta appeared on 8 June 2026, and eight more betas followed within a month.

What it is

• A decompilation-based port: the README says it is built on the CTR-ModSDK decompilation. The repository keeps its own copies of the decompiled game source (943 files) and compiles them for PC, without a PlayStation toolchain.
• A native platform layer handles graphics, audio, input, memory cards and the CD drive. Parts of it are derived from PsyCross, the same PlayStation compatibility code used by REDRIVER2.
• SDL3 is built in, so the Windows release is a single executable with no extra installs.

It works like the decompilation-based ports in our recompiled games list. The game’s own logic runs as a PC program instead of on an emulated console.

Current status

Beta 7 added direct loading from a disc image, so extracted game files are no longer needed. The 7.1 hotfix fixed new Adventure saves starting in the wrong hub, plus some cutscene, menu and fullscreen issues.

The project still calls its builds beta. Open issues on GitHub include a crash with three or four players on Mystery Caves, a black screen in the Scrapbook, and black screens at startup on some systems. No new release has come out since July, though the code is still updated: the latest commits are from October 2026. We can’t confirm that the whole game plays cleanly from start to finish.

What you need

• Your own NTSC-U (US) retail copy of Crash Team Racing, as a disc image:
  • a single-track raw BIN (MODE2/2352 sectors), named ctr-u.bin;
  • placed in an assets folder next to ctr_native.exe.
  • A cooked 2048-byte .iso won’t do: it loses the audio and video data.
• Windows, or x86-64 Linux with 32-bit libraries (glibc, OpenGL, audio). The release notes call the Linux build experimental.
• A graphics card and driver with OpenGL 3.3.

We don’t explain how to obtain or copy game data.

Other Crash Team Racing projects

• CTR-ModSDK: the CTR-tools modding toolkit and decompilation that CTR Native is built on. It is meant for making mods, not a ready-to-play PC port.
• OnlineCTR: a community project that adds online multiplayer to the original game. DSOGaming covered it in 2024. It runs in the DuckStation emulator, so it is not a native port.
• Crash Team Racing: High Octane: a fork of CTR Native by Rinnegatamante for PS Vita, PC and web browsers, with extra features such as split-screen and mirror mode. Retro Dodo covered it. It also needs your own US disc image.

Is it legal and safe?

• CTR Native is an unofficial fan project, not affiliated with Sony, Naughty Dog or Activision. The release notes say game assets are not included.
• Use only a disc you own.
• Get builds only from the official GitHub releases page. The project is free; any site asking for money is not the project.

Unofficial. This page is written by an independent directory. It is not made by, endorsed by or affiliated with Sony Computer Entertainment (developed by Naughty Dog) or CTR-tools team (CTR-ModSDK decompilation contributors) (CTR Native (Crash Team Racing PC port)'s author). We do not host any files, and we never link to game files, ROMs or ISOs.