# Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds

Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds is an upcoming kart racing game developed by Sonic Team and published by Sega. A spin-off of the Sonic the Hedgehog series, it is set to be released for Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Windows, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S in 2025.

## Gameplay

Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds is a kart racing game, similar to its predecessor, Team Sonic Racing, although CrossWorlds does not retain that game's cooperative team racing mechanic. Players race against one another in three-lap races around a track, and collect power-ups to help in overtaking other racers, similar to other games in the genre such as the Mario Kart series. 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, or Extreme Gear hoverboards, which were previously featured in the Sonic Riders sub-series and utilize similar boost-based mechanics. Unlike previous Sonic racing games, characters are not restricted to a single vehicle and have their own stats, which affect the performance of vehicles. Vehicles fall into one of five different classes based on their most prominent stat: Speed, Acceleration, Power, Handling, and Boost. A total of 45 different vehicles can be unlocked, with players also able to combine parts from the vehicles they have unlocked to create custom vehicles. Before starting a race, players can equip gadgets that will provide them passive advantages, such as drawing in distant rings or prioritizing specific power-ups; up to six gadget slots can be unlocked, with some gadgets requiring multiple slots to be equipped.
The game is set to feature 24 different race tracks. 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 separate locations in which the second lap of the race takes place before reverting to the original track for the final lap. While in the CrossWorld, random "frenzy" modifiers will be activated, causing additional effects such as adding moving boost gates to the course. Elements of the track layout will also change during the final lap, opening new paths and shortcuts. In addition to standard grand prix and time attack gameplay, other modes are available, including Race Park and Challenges. The game supports local multiplayer, as well as cross-platform online multiplayer for up to 12 players.

### Characters

Sega has stated that CrossWorlds will feature the largest roster of playable characters in a Sonic racing game to date. 23 playable characters are planned to feature at launch, of which there have been 15 officially announced; eight others have been noted as appearing in the game's promotional material, although Sega has not confirmed their inclusion. Additional characters are set to be released as downloadable content. In addition to the Sonic characters, characters from other Sega properties are also planned. Characters originating from the animated series Sonic Prime are included as part of the game's digital deluxe edition.
* Amy
* Big
* Blaze
* Charmy
* Cream & Cheese
* Dr. Eggman
* E-123 Omega
* Egg Pawn
* Espio
* Jet
* Knuckles
* Metal Sonic
* Rouge
* Sage
* Shadow
* Silver
* Sonic
* Storm
* Tails
* Vector
* Wave
* Zavok
* Zazz

## Development

Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds is being developed by Sonic Team, with the involvement of the developers behind the Initial D Arcade Stage series of video games. 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.

## Release

Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds was initially announced at the Game Awards 2024. A 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.

## Reception
### Pre-release

In a preview in IGN, Jada Griffin received CrossWorlds positively, praising the game for the breadth of its customization options and the novelty brought to races by the CrossWorlds game mechanic. 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 overpowered, hoping that they might be adjusted in the final release.