How To Beat The Bizarrely Difficult Crash Bandicoot High Score In Uncharted 4

Face it, Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End isn’t exactly a nail-bitingly difficult game. In fact, the debatably toughest moment of Naughty Dog’s modern classic comes in the form of a game-within-a-game: Crash flippin’ Bandicoot.

Yes, Naughty Dog’s not-so-modern classic pops up inside the studio’s modern classic, which itself is out again (this time for PlayStation 5 and PC) via the Uncharted: Legacy of Thieves collection. Uncharted 4’s fourth chapter, “A Normal Life,” sees henley-wearing hero Nathan Drake resigned to a drab home life, trading tomb-raiding and globe-trotting for a day gig and takeout on the couch. His wife, Elena Fisher, challenges him to top her score in Crash Bandicoot, complete with an extremely meta PS1.

It’s one of Uncharted 4’s famously delightful moments. It’s also one of the more frustrating, if you think you can actually beat Elena’s score (3,500 points). News flash: You can’t, even if you play flawlessly, nailing every jump and collecting every one of…whatever those weird fruits Crash eats. You’ll have to try again way later in the game.

Minor spoilers follow for Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End, which has been out for close to six years.

After you’ve fully charted Uncharted 4, you’ll find yourself in an epilogue, cast as Nathan and Elena’s daughter, Cassie. The scene opens up with a retread of the Crash Bandicoot easter egg from earlier in the game. Only difference this time: You can actually win. By breaking one of the early boxes with Crash’s spin attack (Circle button), you’ll get an extra life. Make it to the end without dying, and you’ll get 500 bonus points for finishing with that extra life—which, combined with collecting every fruit, should push you over the 3,500-point threshold that Nate somehow never topped over the course of a decade and a half.

That’s it! (Bonus tip: If you do end up falling into a chasm or missing a collectible fruit, open the menu and select “restart checkpoint” so you don’t have to repeatedly play through the epilogue.) For your efforts, you’ll unlock the “Best Score!” trophy.