Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds

Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds is a kart racing game, similar to its predecessor, Team Sonic Racing (2019), although CrossWorlds does not retain that game's cooperative team racing mechanic in normal gameplay. 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. Item capsules can also be obtained, which can be used to increase the player's speed or attack other opponents. Unlike previous Sonic racing games, characters are not restricted to a single vehicle and have their own stats, which affect the performance of vehicles. with players also able to combine parts from the vehicles they have unlocked to create custom vehicles. 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. The game features 24 different race tracks, divided into eight Grands Prix. After the first lap of each race, the leading racer chooses between two different "Travel Rings", large ring-shaped portals that appear in the middle of the track; the racers then enter the selected Travel Ring and emerge in the corresponding "CrossWorld", one of 15 separate locations in which the second lap of the race takes place before reverting to the original track for the final lap. During a Grand Prix, one opponent is designated as the player's "rival", who exhibits higher difficulty behavior and specifically targets the player during each race. Earning medals in time trials unlocks additional music tracks from other Sonic games in the "jukebox" menu; Defeating computer-controlled rival teams in Race Park unlocks additional rewards. Characters 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. The game launched with 24 playable characters, one of which is unlockable. Additional characters from Sonic and other Sega properties have been added via free monthly updates, with 13 total planned to be released through the end of 2026. A premium season pass adds 15 characters from other external properties, spread across six waves of content. , the game features 46 playable characters. Guest characters are labeled in bold. ==Development==

Sonic Team began developing Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds in 2022, 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. The team's experience with developing arcade racing games inspired them to make each lap of the race unique to maintain excitement and interest. 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. The downloadable characters do not have voice acting, due to the lengthy approval process required when dealing with external licensors. Music Takahiro Kai acted as sound director and lead composer for CrossWorlds and composed the game's main theme, "Sonic Racing - Cross the Worlds", which features lyrics and vocals by James Bourne of Busted. The song "Get Higher" by Creepy Nuts appears in the game's credits. Other contributors to the soundtrack include Sega composers Tomoya Ohtani, Tae Fujimoto, Jun Senoue, Kanon Oguni, Iona Takashima, Satoshi Okamura, Hidekuni Horita, and Makoto Tokuyama, as well as guest musicians Riot, Giga, Tee Lopes, Zardonic, Camellia, , Nanobii, Aiobahn, and . 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. Additional music tracks, including songs by and Inugami Korone, have been added via free updates and paid downloadable content. ==Release==

Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds was initially announced with a teaser trailer at The Game Awards 2024. The first gameplay trailer was shown during Sony Interactive Entertainment's State of Play on February 12, 2025, and a closed beta test for the PlayStation 5 version was held from February 21 to 23. This was followed by an open beta test for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, Nintendo Switch, and Windows between August 29 and September 1. A single-player demo was released on September 17. 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. 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. A Nintendo Switch 2 version was also announced, and was released digitally on December 4, 2025, with a paid upgrade available for owners of the Nintendo Switch version that will carry over their progress. A physical Nintendo Switch 2 release followed on March 26, 2026. In addition to the standard edition of the game, a Digital Deluxe Edition provided three days of early access on all non-Nintendo platforms. Limited Run Games produced a Collector's Edition of the game packaged with additional physical rewards, which was only available to order during June 2025. Marketing During 2025, Sega promoted the game through a "Racing Around the World" marketing campaign. A tie-in one-shot manga, Sonic The Hedgehog — Blue Racer, was released for free via Sega's social media channels in July. A promotional short animated by Studio Giggex and SIMAGE Animation was released on August 29. CrossWorlds includes in-game vehicle decals promoting several other external brands, such as ASUS, Beyblade, and Hi-Chew. In October 2025, Sonic was added as an optional voice for the Waze GPS software, along with CrossWorlds themed icons. IDW Publishing, the publisher of the Sonic comic book series, also released a tie-in comic issue in March 2026. 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. The advertisement, which was based on a 1992 Sega Genesis TV commercial, drew comparisons to the Nintendo-Sega console wars in the 1990s. ==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. According to Taki, the balance of power-ups underwent heavy adjustment in response to feedback from the closed beta test. Critics contrasted the game's traditional kart racing approach with the design reinventions of Mario Kart World. Chris Scullion from Video Games Chronicle wrote "By sticking with the tried-and-tested Grand Prix format and offering straightforward three-lap races, Sega’s game is no longer a like-for-like take on Mario Kart but has now – whether deliberate or not – positioned itself as a viable alternative for those not interested in the new direction Nintendo’s series has taken." Sales In Japan, Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds sold 5,500 physical copies in during its first week of release, debuting at 24th on the national sales chart between September 22 and September 28, 2025. The game sold an additional 1,776 physical copies the following week, again ranking 24th. In the United States and Canada, Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds was the 16th most-downloaded PlayStation 5 title in September 2025. In the United States, the game ranked as the 8th best-selling title for the period from August 31 to October 4. The game placed 15th on the U.S. sales chart in October, and 13th in November. In the United Kingdom, Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds debuted at 4th place on the physical sales chart for the week ending September 27, 2025. The game moved to 12th place the following week, then ranked 24th for the week ending October 11, and 31st for the week ending October 18. In subsequent weeks, the game placed 38th (week ending November 16), 22nd (November 23), 27th (November 30), 32nd (December 6), 27th (December 13), 23rd (December 20), 27th (December 27), and 36th for the week ending January 3, 2026. By October 2025, Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds had surpassed one million copies sold worldwide. In November 2025, Sega stated in their financial report that the game's initial sales had failed to meet internal projections. Accolades ==Notes==