The Platinum Relic, in the Crash Bandicoot series, represents the highest achievement in such events as the time trials in Crash Team Racing or bashes from Crash Bash. It is preceded by the Gold Relic and the Sapphire Relic, which descend in order of achievement respectively. In most of the games that feature the Platinum Relic, it is referred to as an almost impossible task to retrieve or a rumor that they even exist.
The Platinum Relic as it appears in Crash Bandicoot 3: Warped.
This game is the first appearance of the relics, including all three types of relics, the Sapphire, Gold, and Platinum. Platinum Relics in this game are almost impossible to obtain, requiring a near-perfect run through a level, breaking every time crate. You can also use the Bazooka to shoot the Time watch when it is behind you. This may seem like it wouldn't do much but every second counts. When unlocking levels in the game, the Platinum Relic works similarly to a Gold Relic, in that if the player collects 20 Platinum Relics, they are able to unlock a level requiring 20 Gold Relics. Most Platinum Relics in this game can only be obtained with the Crash Dash.
In Crash Team Racing, Platinum Relics are more easily obtained than in Crash Bandicoot: Warped. If the player is able to run a Relic Challenge in under a certain amount of time, they will be rewarded a Platinum Relic. The Gold Relic is required to unlock many parts and levels of the game, but with enough Platinum Relics, the player will be able to surpass 100% on the game. The easiest way to obtain 2 Platinum Relics is to complete Slide Coliseum and TTurbo Track.
In Crash Bash, to win a Platinum Relic, the player must defeat the three champions of a certain arena three times in a row. They start to appear after completion of the 25 Trophies. In Crash Bash Platinum relics are incorrectly sapphire-colored.