Although I played a good amount of Sonic the Hedgehog, Sonic 2, and Sonic 3 with a friend on their Mega Drive back in the 1990s, the only Sega console I ever owned was a Dreamcast. And I’m pretty sure the only Sonic game I owned at that time was Sonic Adventure. But I think it’s fair to say that Sega’s mascot – while not as ubiquitous as his one-time rival Super Mario – is a pop culture icon! With movies, new games, collaborations, and spin-offs under his belt, the speedy blue hedgehog is still keeping the flag flying for Sega almost a quarter of a century after the company got out of the video game hardware business.
In recent years, I’ve enjoyed Sonic’s trip to the cinema, as well as the delightfully old-school Sonic Mania – a 2D platformer which feels like it came right out of the Mega Drive era. But I haven’t really kept up with Sega’s racing game series. Though I do occasionally dabble in other kart-racing games – like Meow Motors, for example – the simple fact is that there’s really only one name in town for this sub-genre: Mario Kart. I’m a huge Mario Kart fan, having played every title except for Mario Kart World, and even the best kart racers feel like they’re overshadowed by Nintendo’s juggernaut.
Releasing Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds just a few months after the first Mario Kart game in over a decade wasn’t just a risk… it was a risk that took balls made of pure titanium. Comparisons would’ve been inevitable, I suspect, no matter when CrossWorlds launched, but releasing the game so close to Mario Kart World shows, in my view, just how much confidence Sega must’ve had in the game. And you know what? They were absolutely right to feel that way, because Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds is an absolute joy to play.
This is the “Mario Kart 9” I’ve wanted for years… and I didn’t even need to buy a Switch 2! That’s the headline, and it seems as if CrossWorlds is actually out-performing Mario Kart World, at least in terms of reviews. On Metacritic, at time of writing in December 2025, Mario Kart World is sitting at a 6.9/10 in terms of user reviews, whereas Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds is utterly dominating it with the “universal acclaim” of a 9.0. With Mario Kart World doing its own thing, focusing more on building up a large open world to drive around, Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds keeps its focus tighter, with well-designed racetracks. But each race brings with it a twist – the titular CrossWorlds mechanic – to keep things interesting and engaging.
How many games, these days, still offer free demo versions? Demos used to be everywhere in the late ’90s and into the new millennium, but despite the ease of digital distribution, they aren’t something you see a lot of any more. I think free demos are coming back, at least on PC, but it was great to be able to try Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds before buying. And if there’s *one* thing to take away from this review, it’s that you can try CrossWorlds completely for free on Steam thanks to the demo! I really think it’s worth testing out, at least, to see whether you might have half as much fun with the game as I have.
And the demo is pretty beefy. You get to choose from several of the main Sonic characters, choose and customise your vehicle (more on that in a moment), and even choose which racetracks and CrossWorlds to race through. There’s a lot of locked content, of course, but there’s also a surprising amount to experiment with for free. This isn’t just one of those “one racetrack and one racer for two minutes” type of things!
Some racing games – especially arcade racers – have vehicles that can feel weightless or “floaty,” but Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds has karts that feel substantial and weighty. I love how they transform from karts to boats or planes depending on the track and the terrain; I think I’m right in saying that’s something the Sonic Racing series has done before, but don’t quote me on that! Regardless, it’s a fun mechanic, and it’s implemented well in the game. Each of the three racing/vehicle types feel different, too; planes can move vertically as well as horizontally, and boats glide on the track in a way karts don’t.
Each kart is customisable, and there are stats to consider. Some vehicles are slower to accelerate but have a higher top speed, some handle better, and so on. None of that’s earth-shattering stuff for a kart racer; Mario Kart has been doing it for decades at this point. But for people who like to tinker, and players who like to work out “the meta” for each track and character, those things are present in CrossWorlds – but they aren’t so overwhelming that you’re going to feel compelled to *only* ever choose the same combination. The stats matter, but they don’t ruin the game or make most combinations non-viable, which I think is important in a title like this. Fun, not detailed stats, should be the name of the game!
I’m not wild about the whole “season pass” thing in a full-priced title, so I think it’s worth being aware of the DLC situation if you’re interested in Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds. There are two DLC packs, which can be purchased separately – each of which adds a few racers, karts, and racetracks – and a season pass. The price for the game’s “digital deluxe edition,” when not on sale, is £80/$80, which puts it alongside Mario Kart World in terms of how much you’re gonna pay. Given how Mario Kart World was roundly criticised earlier in the year for its price point, that’s something to keep in mind.
And I don’t think it’s unfair to say that fully-priced games shouldn’t be selling DLC, extra characters, skins, and so on *from day one*. When Mario Kart 8 Deluxe added its Booster Course Pass, not only did that double the amount of content in the game, it also came along years after the title’s original release. Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds starts out as an incomplete experience, but Sega is happy to sell you the rest of the game piece by piece. Even when a game is good, as Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds undeniably is for me, I still think this kind of over-monetisation should be called out, or at least flagged up in a review like this one.
And look, I’m not pretending that some of the additional content isn’t a ton of fun. You’ve got characters, vehicles, and tracks based on four massively popular entertainment properties: Mega-Man, Minecraft, Pac-Man, and SpongeBob SquarePants. Tearing up a Bikini Bottom-themed track in the Patty Wagon with SpongeBob is… well, it’s just good old-fashioned kart-racing *fun*. But… did it need to be a paid extra? Couldn’t this content have been included in this game – this *fully-priced game* – for no extra charge?
So your mileage may vary on the price front. What I will say, not exactly in defence of CrossWorlds, but rather as a potential mitigating factor, is that the game is – at time of writing – on sale on PC, and the digital deluxe version is 30% off. For a game that’s only been out for less than three months, that’s a pretty generous discount, in my opinion. Similar sales are also taking place on Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 5, and Xbox, so if you act fast, you might be able to pick it up at a discount. If not, stick it on your wishlist and wait for the next sale, as I’m sure this won’t be the last time CrossWorlds gets a discount like this.
CrossWorlds has everything I’d expect from a kart-racing game. Racetracks are fun, well-designed, and full of bright, vibrant colours, karts and characters are cute, with enough differences between them to keep things interesting, and there are items galore which can give you a boost, knock back an opponent, or lay a trap in wait for anyone who’s fallen behind. But, thanks to the titular CrossWorlds idea, there’s a bit more replayability to the game than you might’ve thought.
The CrossWorlds mechanic works like this: the second lap of each racetrack sees everyone drive through a portal, and that middle lap then takes place on a totally different track. The player in first place gets to choose from either a set CrossWorld or a random one – and there must be dozens, if not hundreds, of possible variations as a result. This addition is way more transformative than I think I’m making it sound, because it means that every single race is different, and you can’t rely on pure muscle memory, even if you’ve memorised all of the track layouts. There’s also an additional incentive to push through the pack and nab that first-place spot by the end of lap one, because then you’re in control of the second lap.
Comparisons with Mario Kart are inescapable, and for me, I think CrossWorlds does something that Nintendo have tried to do with Mario Kart World’s intermission tracks and open world: adding variety and replayability to the game. I haven’t played World yet, so I can’t comment on how well those intermissions and the open world feel to play. But in Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds? This variety is an additional factor in keeping races fun, interesting, and engaging. That’s not to say the game would be bad without it – most of the racetracks are great, and I’d be happy to play through all of them over and over again! But adding this additional element works so well.
I also think the CrossWorlds mechanic is a technical marvel. What Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds does, if you think about it, is seamlessly transition from one racetrack to another, then back again – and which racetrack it has to transition to can’t be known until, at most, a few seconds before the first player enters the portal. That’s quite impressive – there are no loading screens, and no disruption at all to what can be a very fast-paced and hectic race.
Price issues aside, I’ve been having a whale of a time with Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds, as you can probably tell. I was in the mood for a fun, old-school kart racer, and with no Switch 2 or Mario Kart World to dive into… this has been a surprisingly fun purchase for me. CrossWorlds wasn’t on my list of games for 2025, and it was almost an impulse purchase when I saw it on sale around Black Friday, but I ended up having a great time. I mostly play in single-player mode, because that’s where I have the most fun, but there seems to be a thriving online scene if that kinda thing is more your speed. Who knows… maybe we’ll see each other out on the racetrack! I promise to wave as I overtake you.
Stay tuned, because I have at least one other game from 2025 in my review pile that I’d love to get through before the end of the year. And on or before New Year’s Eve, be sure to tune in for my annual End-of-Year Awards! Who knows, CrossWorlds might just make an appearance.
Until then… see you on the racetrack!
Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds is out now for Nintendo Switch 1 & 2, PC, PlayStation 4 & 5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series S/X. Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds is the copyright of Sonic Team and Sega. Some screenshots and promo art courtesy of Sega and/or IGDB. This review contains the thoughts and opinions of one person only and is not intended to cause any offence.
Trekking with Dennis 