Time Relic

Relics, also known as time relics, are awards won after completing a level in Time Trial mode ("Relic Race" mode in racing games) below a certain time. They first appeared in Crash Bandicoot: Warped. In general, there are three main tiers of relic: sapphire, gold, and platinum. Collecting relics counts towards 100% completion and sometimes unlocks new levels.

Sapphire Relics
The sapphire relic is the usually the lowest tier of relic, and the easiest to obtain. They exist in all games with relics except Crash Bash.

Gold Relics
The gold relic is typically the mid-tier relic, except in Crash Bash, where it is the lowest tier. These are the minimum requirement for 100% completion in all games.

Platinum Relics
In most games, the platinum relic is the highest possible reward from a time trial. Some levels' platinum relics are only obtainable with a special power-up, such as the Crash Dash or the Triple Spin, which allow the player character to move faster. In Crash Bandicoot 4: It's About Time, platinum relics are required for full completion.

Purple Relics
This relic type is exclusive to Crash Bandicoot 4: It's About Time, marking a level's developer times. Unlike the other types, these do not count towards 100% completion. There is no official name for this type of relic.

Crash Bandicoot: Warped
Relics were first introduced in Warped, along with the time trial mode. Collecting five relics of any color opens up the secret warp room in the Time Twister. For every multiple of five (up to twenty-five), a new level is unlocked. Earning every relic (gold or platinum) grants Crash a gem. There are thirty relics total to be collected.

Crash Team Racing
Relics are obtainable in a track's relic race, accessible once its trophy has been won and the hub's boss has been defeated. Collecting five relics of any color unlocks Slide Coliseum in the Adventure Mode. Once all eighteen relics are obtained, the player can face the final boss, Nitros Oxide, again for an alternate ending.

Crash Bash
Relics work differently in Crash Bash, which does not have a time trial mode. There are only gold and platinum relics, obtained by defeating the arena's champions two and three times in a row respectively. Gold relic challenges are unlocked when the player reaches the fourth warp room, and platinum relic challenges are unlocked once the trophy for Mallet Mash is earned. The player must have a level's gold relic before they can attempt its platinum relic challenge.

Crash Bandicoot: The Wrath of Cortex
As in Warped, relics in this game unlock the secret warp room and the levels in it (one new level for every five relics, up to twenty-five). There are thirty in total.

Crash Bandicoot: The Huge Adventure
Relics return as rewards for completing a time trial. Obtaining all relics (either gold or platinum) unlocks a bonus boss fight against Mega-Mix. There are twenty relics in total.

Crash Bandicoot 2: N-Tranced
Relics are obtainable in this game, but are not needed to unlock the game's alternate ending. There are twenty-four in total.

Crash Nitro Kart
Relics have the same role that they did in Crash Team Racing. Once all the relics are gathered, along with the CNK tokens and gems, the player can face Emperor Velo XXVII a second time for an alternate ending. There are thirteen relics in total.

Crash Bandicoot Purple: Ripto's Rampage
Relics make cameo appearances on trading cards, but there is no time trial mode in this game.

Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy
Relics reprise their role from the original version of Crash Bandicoot: Warped. In addition, new relic times have been added for the remastered versions of Crash Bandicoot and Crash Bandicoot 2: Cortex Strikes Back. Obtaining them all can raise the game completion higher than 100 percent.

Crash Team Racing Nitro-Fueled
Relics reprise their role from the original Crash Team Racing. A relic race mode has been added to the Local Arcade menu, allowing for relics to be earned on the Nitro Kart and bonus tracks, though these are completely optional and do not contribute to any game progress in the Adventure Mode. There are thirty-nine relics in total: eighteen from the adventure mode tracks, thirteen from Nitro Kart and eight from the bonus tracks. An additional fortieth relic can be obtained from Retro Stadium in the PlayStation 4 version of the game.

Crash Bandicoot 4: It's About Time
Relics return in this game, but platinum is the minimum requirement for full completion. In addition, purple relics, marking a level's developer time, have been added. There are thirty-eight relics in total.

Appearances

 * Crash Bandicoot: Warped
 * Crash Team Racing
 * Crash Bash (gold and platinum relics only)
 * Crash Bandicoot: The Wrath of Cortex
 * Crash Bandicoot: The Huge Adventure
 * Crash Bandicoot 2: N-Tranced
 * Crash Nitro Kart
 * Crash Bandicoot Purple: Ripto's Rampage (as a trading card)
 * Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy
 * Crash Team Racing Nitro-Fueled
 * Crash Bandicoot 4: It's About Time
 * Crash Bandicoot: On the Run!

Trivia

 * The sapphire relics were originally going to be silver in early versions of Crash Bandicoot: Warped. Due to the confusion of silver looking similar to platinum, they were changed to bronze, but eventually ended up as sapphire.
 * The platinum relic times in the original Crash Bandicoot: Warped are not displayed until after beating Cortex.
 * The relics resemble the ankh, an ancient Egyptian symbol of life that can also be seen on the moving platforms in the Egyptian levels of Warped. Visual changes made in N. Sane Trilogy bring them closer in terms of appearance.
 * Relics were going to be used in Twinsanity, but they were cut.
 * Relics were called "trophies" in the Japanese version of Warped, but the name was reverted to "relics" in the N. Sane Trilogy.