If there’s one thing Crash Team Racing Nitro-Fueled is absolutely lousy with, it’s shortcuts and secret passages that can give you a leg up. At the same time though, not all of them are easy to spot, so we’re here to walk you through where to find every shortcut location in Crash Team Racing Nitro-Fueled.
From minor tangents that help you save a few seconds to alternate paths which make races exponentially easier, the game’s shortcuts are essential to anyone who wants to better ensure a higher placing at the finish.
Not only that, but each shortcut nets players a trophy for their troubles, bringing them that much closer to a platinum for the game.
All Shortcut Locations in Crash Team Racing Nitro-Fueled
Where to Find the Cortex Castle Shortcut
The first shortcut can be found on the Cortext Castle track. This one is fairly easy to find so long as you keep an eye out for paths on your left side.
To find it, start the race and continue along the course until you come to an archway leading into a room with blue paintings of cortex on the walls.
Immediately to your left will be a platform separated from the track by a gap. Swing your cart wide as you turn toward it to build up speed, then make the jump over onto the platform.
This will save you a few seconds of having to drive around the room, and the “Dungeon Vaulter” trophy and achievement should prompt shortly after you return to the course proper.
Where to Find the Polar Pass Shortcut
Crash Team Racing Nitro Fueled’s next shortcut, found in Polar Pass, is one of the easiest ones to pull off.
After reaching the point in the course where you drive across a narrow strip of land and bridges leading into a cave, you’ll come to a wall with yellow signs directing you around it.
Instead of going around it, use a boost to build up speed and then jump your cart right at the point where the course arcs upward into the wall. This should launch you over the wall, saving you a second or two and netting you the “Arctic Hurdler” trophy.
Where to Find the Blizzard Bluff Shortcuts
The next few shortcuts can be found on the Blizzard Bluff course, one of the larger courses.
The first shortcut can be found immediately after the race starts. As soon as you gain control of your cart, look to your left for a break in the rock formation.
Head through the break to come out on the other side, saving yourself a few seconds of race time.
Next, continue on along the course until you pass a rock rolling back and forth along a half-pipe section of the course. Immediately after, you’ll come to three small hills followed by an iced-over lake with four crates lined up along the center.
Look to the left of the crates and you’ll see a you can take to skip a section of the course. Use a boost to gain some momentum, then hit the jump and land on the other side the register the shortcut as taken.
The third and fourth shortcuts are located immediately after the second. Continue on along the course and look to your left for two small wooden barricades blocking off a pair of side passages.
Use another boost to accelerate as you approach either barricade, then jump over the them and continue through the passage.
Repeat the process in the next lap with whichever shortcut you didn’t take, and the “Winter Time Off-Roading” trophy and achievement should prompt.
Where to Find the Papu’s Pyramid Shortcuts
The next batch of shortcuts can be found along the Papu’s Pyramid course, and can be nabbed in fairly quick succession.
After the race begins, continue along the course until you pass the section with three purple venus fly trap plants. This will bring you to a turn with two walls to your left, with a breach in the walls leading to a disconnected platform you can jump to.
Pick up some speed and jump onto the platform, then jump down onto the track below. This should cause the first shortcut to register as completed.
Immediately after you land, look to your left. There will be an elevated portion of the track separated by a gap and lined with red bricks on the outside.
Back up a bit to pick up speed, then jump over the gap onto the elevated track. This should cause the shortcut to register as taken, and the “Pyramid Parkour” trophy and achievement will prompt shortly after.
Where to Find the Crash Cove Shortcut
Crash Team Racing Nitro Fueled’s next track, Crash Cove, only has one shortcut, and it’s an easy enough one to spot at that.
After the race starts, continue along the course until you come to some crates floating in an arc ahead and to the left of you. These act as a hint showing you a ridge you can jump up onto to skip a small portion of the course.
Boost yourself toward the crates, then jump right as you come within range of the first crate. The shortcut should register as taken after you land, prompting the “Puddle Hopper” trophy and achievement.
Where to Find the Sewer Speedway Shortcut
After that, you’ll need to find the shortcut hidden along the Sewer Speedway track. This one can be tricky to get if your cart does’ have top-notch acceleration, so keep that in mind when selecting your character for this course.
After the race starts, continue along the track normally until you come to the portion with a half-pipe trench that has glowing blue ridges.
As you make your way through the trench, look up and to the right for a square entryway. Though it’s fairly high up, you can successfully jump through it if you use the trench’s curve and a boost to gain momentum.
Make the jump, and shortly after you land, the shortcut will register and you’ll get the “Half Pipe Karting” trophy and achievement.
Where to Find the Tiger Temple Shortcut
The following track, Tiger Temple, only has one shortcut, though it has a condition for opening it up.
After the race starts, continue along the track until you come to an open area with a stone head above a closed door to your left. The door is blocking off the shortcut, and can only be opened by obtaining a power-up.
As such, you may need to wait until the second or third lap to access the shortcut. However, if you play the course in Time Trial mode, the shortcut will open automatically your first time around the track.
As such, if you’re only after the “Let Me In!” trophy and achievement, you can play this mode to cross this shortcut off your list as soon as possible.
Where to Find the Dragon Mines Shortcut
The final shortcut is found along the Dragon Mines course, and it’s easy to miss if you aren’t paying attention. After the race starts, continue along the track until you come to a mine cart crossing.
Though it initially looks like a standard hazard, there’s actually an opening you can follow the mine carts through. Go through the opening, then drive along the tracks until you come out on the other side.
This will prompt the last shortcut as completed, netting you both the “Minekarting” trophy and achievement as well as the “I Know the Way!” trophy and achievement.
That should cover the location of every shortcut in Crash Team Racing Nitro-Fueled. For more on the game, check out our guide on how to play local and online multiplayer.
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