Guide: CTR Nitro-Fueled - How to Boost

How do you gain boost in Crash Team Racing Nitro-Fueled? What do you do to boost while drifting? CTR Nitro-Fueled, like the original game before it, has a pretty unique way to earn boost as you race around the colourful tracks. Like most kart racers, you can get boost while you drift or power slide, but in Crash Team Racing, you have to put a bit of effort in. You won't get a speed boost just for drifting. In this guide, we're going to explain exactly how Nitro-Fueled's boost system works -- how to drift boost, and how to earn boost in other ways.

Crash Team Racing Nitro-Fueled - how the power slide and boost system works

The main way you'll be able to get a speed boost during races is by power sliding. Unlike other kart racing games, you can't just hold the button and gain boost automatically. In Crash Team Racing Nitro-Fueled, it's a little bit more complex than that.

By default, you power slide by holding down either L1 or R1. Your character will do a small jump, and will then drift in the direction you're holding. Pretty normal so far, but there are a few things you need to be aware of while power sliding.

When you enter a drift, several indicators will inform you when you're able to utilise a speed boost. The smoke coming from the exhausts will turn black, the tyres will glow as if red hot, and a meter in the bottom right-hand corner of the screen will fill up. All of these are telling you when to activate a speed boost. It's up to you which indicator you pay attention to, of course.

When these indicators appear, press the opposite power slide button. For example, if you're holding down R1 to drift, and you see the black smoke and glowing tyres, tap L1. You'll receive a burst of speed! You can repeat this up to three times per power slide. It's easy to mess up the timing on this by pressing the other power slide button too early or too late. It's something you'll want to practice -- this is a fundamental gameplay quirk, and mastering it will make a world of difference.

Other ways to earn boost in CTR Nitro-Fueled

Of course, drift boosting isn't the only way to gain more speed. Another way to earn some boost is with big jumps. Getting big air will provide you with a boost when you land, but more than that, you can jump at the top of a ramp or ledge to earn boost too. You do this by pressing either of the power slide buttons.

Additionally, green turbo pads appear on each track, and driving over them will give you an instant boost. There's also a turbo power-up you can pick up from question mark crates, and using an Aku Aku or Uka Uka mask power-up will also temporarily increase your top speed. If you have collected 10 wumpa fruits during a race, this will also make you go slightly faster. Crash Team Racing Nitro-Fueled wants you to be boosting a lot, and you can use everything we've outlined above to stay at max speed for a lot of the time.

Boost reserve system - what is it?

You won't hear mention of this anywhere in the game, but Crash Team Racing Nitro-Fueled has a hidden boost reserve system. What does that mean, exactly? Well, to put it very simply, the time in which you're boosting will stack on top of subsequent boosts.

So, if you perform the three drift boosts, and then do it again while you're still boosting, the second lot of boosts won't cancel out the first -- it gets added on. In other words, you don't lose out on the total amount of boosting time. It accumulates, and skilled players can use this system to effectively boost throughout an entire race. Turbo pads will also add to this reserve timer.

This isn't something new players necessarily need to worry about, but it's worth at least knowing it's there. Top CTR players boost around the track pretty much non-stop to achieve the fastest lap times, and it's thanks to this reserve system that they're able to do that.