After an hour with Sonic Racing: Crossworlds, I think Mario Kart World has got a race on its hands to hold onto pole position in the kart-racing genre

Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds shakes up the kart-racing formula with portal-jumping track shifts, dynamic vehicle transformations, and deep customization that make each race unpredictable and thrilling. With crossover characters, polished visuals, and crossplay support, it might just be Sonic’s boldest attempt yet to challenge Mario Kart’s long-held crown.

Compared to the more evolutionary nature of Nintendo’s Mario Kart series, Sega’s Sonic franchise has spent the past few decades continuously reimagining what high-speed racing can look like. From old school karts to foot racing and hoverboards, the fast blue hedgehog alongside his friends has radically switched things up.

This continues with Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds, which is the follow-up to 2019’s Sumo Digital-developed Team Sonic Racing. Removing the cooperative nature of its predecessor, the biggest feature of this game taken on by Sonic Team is the ability for races to transition into completely different tracks mid-race through ring portals that lead to thrilling unpredictability.

We got hands-on time with Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds during Summer Game Fest Play Days, spending about an hour racing through its vibrant tracks shortly after the SGF Showcase trailer debuted. That trailer stole the spotlight by revealing surprise crossover characters like Ichiban Kasuga from Yakuza: Like a Dragon, Joker from Persona 5, Hatsune Miku, and a whole bunch of Minecraft content. Sonic Team head Takashi Iizuka also made waves with some cross-platform-shaped shade aimed at Nintendo’s newly released Switch 2 launch title, Mario Kart World.

Classic icons, custom rides

Though none of those crossover additions were playable in our build of CrossWorlds, various characters from the Sonic universe, including the titular mascot, Amy, Dr. Eggman, Shadow, Tail,s and Knuckles, were all present during our demo of the game. We were able to play through three of the grand prix events, divided by three tracks each at three distinct speed settings, not unlike Nintendo’s karting stalwart.

Before races begin, there are already a slew of customization options that even now feel slightly overwhelming, so it’ll be interesting to see how far things can go, and indeed how creative players can get, when the game launches in September.

This begins with selecting characters as they aren’t tied to a particular vehicle. Instead, vehicles are selectable via five different categories. This includes more traditional karts split between speed and acceleration, as well as handling. You’ll also find larger Power-type vehicles that can ram other racers and Boost types - taking the form of Sonic Riders’ iconic Extreme Gear boards.

Those vehicles can be customized for looks in both aesthetics and colors at various sections similar to EA’s Need For Speed games. There will be over 45 unlockable vehicles that can be customized when CrossWorlds is released, too.

Once that’s over, there’s still more work to do before the race even begins.

Rivals, ring portals and gadget loadouts

That’s where gadgets come in, which provide passive bonuses to help during races. Such as ones that aid recovery after being hit with an attack item, magnetizing the vehicle to catch rings from further away, and enhancing drift capabilities. There’s a cool balance here, as there’s a small number of slots that can use these gadgets, and some can take several slots. On top of that, they can be saved into profiles, which means that between races during the grand prix, players can select a new or preferred setup on the fly

Before the grand prix actually begins, each character will receive a randomized rival who will be a literal pain in the butt during races as they’ll always be on your bumper and taunting you during, before and after the races. Once the race begins, CrossWorlds does a good job of always keeping you on your toes during races in several unique ways.

One of the standout features is the use of CrossWorld portals, which typically appear twice per race. At key moments, the lead racer selects between two ring-shaped gateways that transport all racers to a completely different track mid-race, adding an unpredictable twist. That’s on top of the dynamic vehicle transformations - cars seamlessly shift into planes or boats depending on the terrain. The final lap brings racers back to the original track, now altered with new shortcuts and alternate paths to keep the action fresh until the finish line.

Blazing speeds, gorgeous worlds

Regardless, all vehicles feel good to race handling-wise, and the sense of speed is pretty amazing. Meanwhile, up to two items can be stored at once during the race, which leads to a layer of strategy there. Similar to prior Sonic racing titles, players can perform tricks in the air to get a boost of speed outside of drifting around corners, which provides three levels of boost.

Races deliver chaotic, high-energy fun wrapped in a vibrant visual style that looked and performed impressively during our hands-on session. The game maintained a steady 60fps, even amid the visual overload of tracks set in ice castles, military aircraft carriers, deserts, shopping malls, and more.

Animations are fluid and polished, enhanced by striking lighting and flashy special effects. The audio holds its own, too, featuring dynamic in-race character banter and a soundtrack that stays true to the Sonic series’ upbeat legacy. Alongside single-player, there are multiplayer features, including crossplay between different consoles (and PC) for online.

Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds feels like the boldest and most unpredictable entry in the franchise yet, blending deep customization, crossover chaos, and high-speed spectacle into a very polished package. If the final version delivers on its potential, Sonic might finally have a kart racer that rivals - and even outpaces - its longtime competition at a cheaper price point, too.

Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds launches on September 25, 2025, for PS5, Xbox Series X|S, Nintendo Switch 2, Nintendo Switch, and PC.

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