Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds[a] is an upcoming kart racing game developed by Sonic Team and published by Sega. A spinoff in the Sonic the Hedgehog series, it incorporates characters and features from previous Sonic racing games. The game's main new feature is the "CrossWorld" mechanic, which causes racers to travel to other tracks in the middle of a race.
Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds was developed by Sonic Team, with members of the Initial D arcade games' development team contributing. Multiple guest characters from other intellectual properties are planned for inclusion via post-launch downloadable content. The game is set to be released for Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Windows, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S on September 25, 2025. A Nintendo Switch 2 version is planned for a later date. CrossWorlds received positive reviews from critics, who praised its gameplay and customization features.
Gameplay
Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds is a kart racing game, similar to its predecessor, Team Sonic Racing (2019),[4] although CrossWorlds does not retain that game's cooperative team racing mechanic in normal gameplay.[5] Players race against up to 11 opponents in three-lap races around a track, similar to other games in the genre such as the Mario Kart series.[5] Like previous Sonic racing games, a strong emphasis is placed on drifting to maneuver around tight turns and build up additional speed.[6] Players can also earn speed boosts by performing consecutive mid-air tricks after jumping off ramps.[7] Rings are scattered around the track, which players can gather to increase their maximum speed; players will lose rings when they make contact with walls, obstacles, or other racers.[8] Item capsules can also be obtained, which can be used to increase the player's speed or attack other opponents.[8]
Players can choose between standard race cars, which will turn to boats and planes at different points in the race similar to Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed (2012), or Extreme Gear hoverboards, which were previously featured in the Sonic Riders sub-series.[9][10] Unlike previous Sonic racing games, characters are not restricted to a single vehicle and have their own stats, which affect the performance of vehicles.[5] Cars fall into one of four different classes based on their most prominent stat: Speed, Acceleration, Power, or Handling.[5] A fifth type, Boost, is utilized exclusively by Extreme Gear.[6] A total of 45 different vehicles can be unlocked,[11] with players also able to combine parts from the vehicles they have unlocked to create custom vehicles.[5] By competing in races and completing special challenge objectives,[12] players can earn "Donpa Tickets", which can be used to purchase additional vehicle parts and customization items like paint and decals.[13] Tickets can also be spent to retry a race during a grand prix, or gifted to characters to increase their friendship rating and earn rewards.[14] Before starting a race, players can choose from over 70 gadgets to equip that will provide them passive advantages, such as drawing in distant rings or prioritizing specific items; up to six gadget slots can be unlocked, with some gadgets requiring multiple slots to be equipped.[3][5][15]
The game features 24 different race tracks.[14] After the first lap of each race, the leading racer will be able to choose between two different "Travel Rings", large ring shaped portals that appear in the middle of the track; selecting a Travel Ring will send the racers through it to the corresponding "CrossWorld", one of 15[14] separate locations in which the second lap of the race takes place before reverting to the original track for the final lap.[4] While in the CrossWorld, random "frenzy" modifiers may be activated, causing additional effects such as adding moving boost gates to the course.[5] Elements of the track layout will also change during the final lap, opening new paths and shortcuts.[5] Additional tracks and vehicles will be available as downloadable content (DLC).[16]
Players can choose between four different speed options, which also act as the race's difficulty setting.[12] In Grand Prix mode, the player must complete four sequential races, consisting of three standard races and a final race that features one lap each from the preceding tracks, while attempting to earn the highest placement score possible.[6][17] The player will also be designated a rival character during Grand Prix, who will exhibit higher difficulty behavior and specifically target the player during each race.[18] Rival characters also have special interactions with the player character, and defeating a rival in Grand Prix will grant additional rewards.[6] A time trial mode allows players to play three laps on each track and record their best times.[19] Earning medals in time trials unlocks additional music tracks from other Sonic games in the "jukebox" menu;[12] these tracks can then be set as the individual background music for each lap of a race.[14] A third mode, Race Park, features team mechanics similar to those in Team Sonic Racing.[12] In the mode, teams of players earn points by completing specific challenges, such as performing the most tricks or reaching the highest speed.[20] Defeating computer-controlled rival teams in Race Park will unlock additional rewards.[18] The game supports local multiplayer, as well as cross-platform online multiplayer for up to 12 players.[2] Themed "festival" events will be held infrequently, allowing players to compete online in Race Park style challenges to earn points for additional rewards.[21]
Characters
Sega has stated that CrossWorlds features the largest roster of playable characters in a Sonic racing game to date, with the final roster including downloadable content set to exceed 50 characters.[22][23][24] The game will launch with 24 playable characters, one of which is unlockable.[14][25] Thirteen[24] additional characters from other Sega properties are scheduled to be added via free monthly updates,[2][26][27] while fifteen[24] characters from external properties will be available as part of a season pass.[16][26] Three characters originating from the animated series Sonic Prime are included as part of the game's Digital Deluxe Edition, which also includes the season pass, while Sonic the Werehog from Sonic Unleashed is available as a pre-order incentive.[16][28]
Sonic Team began developing Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds in 2022,[32] with the developers behind the Initial D series of arcade racing games contributing to the project.[12][33] Sonic Team chose to incorporate both transforming vehicles and Extreme Gear as a way of appealing to fans of previous Sonic racing games, treating CrossWorlds as a culmination of all the games to date.[10] The Travel Ring concept was inspired by the use of rings as portals in the Sonic the Hedgehog film series, as well as producer Ryuichi Taki's childhood memories of driving through long tunnels and emerging in very different environments.[34] The team's experience with developing arcade racing games inspired them to make each lap of the race unique to maintain excitement and interest.[34] Taki noted that the Extreme Gear was difficult to implement, as it necessitated creating an entirely new gameplay system to make it work.[34] The team worked to refine the core racing gameplay and course design before adding any items to the game, removing those which they felt made the game too unbalanced.[35] Creative director Masaru Kobayakawa drew on his experience developing arcade card games when balancing gadget combinations, feeling that a certain "sharpness" was needed to create opportunities for a more interesting metagame.[34]
Sonic series producer Takashi Iizuka stated that while CrossWorlds was designed as a Sonic racing game first and foremost, fan disappointment at the lack of crossover content in Team Sonic Racing compared to previous entries led them to include more guest characters as DLC.[26] Iizuka also stated that since the Sonic franchise has traditionally seen the most success in western markets, the team instead chose guest characters for downloadable content that would draw interest from Japanese players.[32] The downloadable characters do not have voice acting, due to the lengthy approval process required when dealing with external licensors.[36]
Music
Takahiro Kai acted as sound director and lead composer for CrossWorlds and composed the game's main theme, "Cross the Worlds", which features vocals by James Bourne of Busted.[37] The song "Get Higher" by Creepy Nuts appears in the game's credits.[38] Other contributors to the soundtrack include recurring Sonic composers Jun Senoue, Tomoya Ohtani, and Tee Lopes, as well as guest musicians Giga[ja], Camellia, Toriena[ja], Nanobii, Zardonic, Laur[ja], Riot, and Aiobahn[ja].[39][40] A set of five songs by Vocaloid musicians Kairiki Bear, cosMo@Bousou-P, Yunosuke, Ponchi♪, and Camellia are also featured in the game, with accompanying art and music videos released as part of a "Project Onsoku" collaboration between Sonic and Hatsune Miku.[41]
In June 2025, leaked concept art and footage from an early build of the game revealed the existence of multiple guest characters from non-Sega franchises planned as downloadable content.[49] The inclusion of guests was subsequently confirmed at Summer Game Fest a few days later on June 6, along with the game's final release date of September 25, 2025.[2] Iizuka expressed disappointment in the leaks, feeling it had ruined the excitement and surprise for fans.[26] A Nintendo Switch 2 version was also announced, scheduled for digital release later in 2025, with a paid upgrade available for owners of the Nintendo Switch version that will carry over their progress.[3][50] A physical Nintendo Switch 2 release will follow in early 2026.[3]
In addition to the standard edition of the game, a Digital Deluxe Edition includes three characters from Sonic Prime, and will provide three days of early access on all non-Nintendo platforms.[16] The Digital Deluxe Edition also includes the downloadable content season pass, set to be released in six waves over the course of the year following the game's launch.[16][26] Each wave of the pass adds multiple characters, a race track, a vehicle, emotes, and sounds based on a different franchise, including Minecraft, SpongeBob SquarePants, Pac-Man, Mega Man, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem, and Avatar Legends.[16][29][30][31]Limited Run Games will produce a Collector's Edition of the game packaged with additional physical rewards.[51]
Marketing
During 2025, Sega promoted the game through a "Racing Around the World" marketing campaign.[52] In June, the company announced a multi-year partnership with the McLarenFormula One racing team.[52] A promotional short animated by Studio Giggex and SIMAGE animation was released on August 29.[53][54]IDW Publishing, the publisher of the Sonic comic book series, will also release a tie-in comic issue.[51]CrossWorlds includes in-game vehicle decals promoting several other external brands, such as ASUS, Beyblade, and Hi-Chew[55]
An advertisement for CrossWorlds, titled "Come Race on Our Level", received attention for dimunitively comparing the game's dimension-hopping abilities and character customization to "[roaming] around on the open road" in "that kart racing game", heavily implied to be Mario Kart World, whose open world design received polarizing reception.[56][57] This is a recreation of the Sega Genesis Blast Processing TV commercial from the early 1990s.[58][59][60]
Reception
Pre-release
In a preview for IGN, Jada Griffin praised CrossWorlds for its breadth of customization options and the novelty of the CrossWorlds game mechanic.[5] The closed beta was well-received in reviews published in Digital Trends and ComicBook.com, as well as by fans online, with the presentation, gameplay, and variety of playable characters and tracks being praised, and the "chaotic" nature of the races being generally described as fun and entertaining. However, some also found the chaos overwhelming, and felt that the combat power-ups featured in the game were unbalanced, hoping that they might be adjusted in the final release.[61][62][63] According to Taki, the balance of power-ups underwent heavy adjustment in response to feedback from the closed beta test.[34]
This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (September 2025)
Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds received "generally favorable" reviews according to review aggregation website Metacritic.[64] The game was recommended by 97% of critics according to aggregator OpenCritic.[65]
↑ Phillips, Tom (September 16, 2025). "Sega Mocks Mario Kart World and its Dull Open World in Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds Trailer". IGN. Retrieved September 19, 2025. In a voiceover for CrossWorlds' "Come Race on Our Level" trailer, Sega highlights the differences between the two games, hyping up its game's multiverse-spanning racetracks and cross-platform gameplay. The same voiceover then noticeably sounds bored when referencing the other game's ability to "roam around on the open world" — a clear nod to Mario Kart World, whose open-world gameplay has garnered a mixed response from fans.
↑ Shutler, Ali (September 16, 2025). "'Sonic Racing' takes shots at 'Mario Kart' rival with new trailer". NME. Retrieved September 19, 2025. The [advertisement] is a nod to Sega's '90s "blast processing" advertising campaign from the '90s, which saw a TV and a Sega Mega Drive mounted on a race car, while a spluttering van with SNES' Super Mario Kart fails to start.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply. Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.
