For years, kart races have been Nintendo’s grass. Mario Kart World proved that Nintendo still dominates the genre, but it also played very safe. This time, Sega has transformed highlights like Sonic & Sega’s All-Star Race, but struggled with games like Team Sonic Race to try and provide a decent Sonic counterpart.
After six years of off, Sonic returned with a brand new game inspired by three films. Sega has clearly abandoned the gauntlet, and in Sonic Race: Crossworlds, they delivered racers who not only compete but dare to overtake Mario on their own tracks.
Speed satisfies matter
Sonic had a patchy racing career, but Crossworlds feels it all like a click moment. The drift is tight and rewarding, and the chain boost is smooth, and the speed is thrilling without being inoperable. You can manage your speed level and unlock more once the main game is complete (more on this later).
With Mario Kart World leaning on rubber AI from time to time to keep things interesting, Crossworlds rewards clean and skillful driving. Clashing walls and enemies will cost your ring. It can also cause crash-outs, crushing the car along the edges, giving the opponent the edge they need to gain a competitive advantage. In this way, every lap is important and I feel that as a result, all the wins have been achieved.
On track and field, the lace is smooth butter. Among many others, there is a wide range of tracks from a variety of Sonic and Sega franchises, including Burner, Sonic Unsie Shed and Galaxy Force. The Boat and Flight section can also be changed in the game depending on the car and character.
With one truck as a tail, my vehicle turned from the land to the water and I went all the laps from start to finish as the car couldn’t get through the water right away. These are quick lessons to learn, so you can change your vehicle. Increase your speed, the faster speed layer will master and boost the corners, and combine them with items to win all races.
Transcend the world and change the game
The signature feature here is the Crossworlds mechanic. After the first lap, the leader distorts the race into an alternative course that pulled from one of Sega and Sonic’s long game history. By the third lap you’ve returned to where you started, but the detour ensures that every event feels unpredictable. It’s bold, chaotic, and it’s kind of an innovation that Nintendo hasn’t been able to offer for years.
I reviewed this game on my PlayStation 5 Pro and the transitions were perfect each time. It will be interesting to see how they use the old consoles, especially the original Nintendo Switch and PlayStation 4. Your car drives each portal with zero load times and flies through the airplane air through burner-style levels, from land filled with dinosaurs to casinos and my personal favorites. The gradual gradation from car to plane to boat is smooth and you can use a variety of techniques in each race.
The track roster draws across Sonic’s legacy and nods to both classics and recent entries. Even if you watch the familiar circuit again, Crossworlds Warp keeps things fresh. Even if you have played levels before and thought you know where it is heading, this function adds a new one every time. It will be interesting to see how this plays on older consoles and what it looks like transition speed and loading times. The PS5 Pro is a buttery smooth, pop-up color and changing environment.
Gadgets and Customization – Depth is done correctly
If Mario Kart World relies on adjusting randomized items and lightweight vehicles, CrossWorlds is all-in-the-line for customization. The car can be changed to statistics and appearance, but the new gadget system allows you to shape your entire playstyle. Need a loadout that will thrive in your ring collection? Or a build that weaponizes drift? The system allows it and is important in the truck.
Along with decals and colours, you can unlock car parts and make them perfect for yourself. Each character and vehicle is unique, and finding the right balance and mixing of the type of truck in each cup is part of what gives this game so much playability.
There are about 30 gadgets to use, which can give you a competitive edge. My reliance was boostwise. You get 3 at the start of each race, so even if you burn out at the boost start, you can easily jump first with this advantage. Others can distort your car to the other person in front of you. You’ll also squash the racer and slow you down catching you. You can also store extra rings and a variety of other benefits.
The more races you have, the more gadget slots you can unlock, and you can mix and match what you have. While some gadgets find it more useful than others, flexibility makes the experiment worthwhile and gives Crossworlds a long-term advantage over their rivals. The Gadget Panel comes with 6 slots, 2 x 3 patterns, each gadget needs a range of 1-3 slots.
There is no correct answer or perfect combo (what I found) here. It all comes down to the kind of customization of the racer you are using, the truck you are in, the vehicle you are in. Simply put, it’s the most thought and plan I’ve ever put in a racing game.
Characters, Modes, Multiplayer
There are 23 Sonic characters at the time of release, and along the way through DLC (including other Sega series crossovers), the roster feels like it looks nostalgic and positive. Rival Systems, where designated opponents throw away the trash and push the middle of the race, add personality and stakes to single-player sessions. Metal Sonic is the most entertaining, with electronic beeps and boop-small sounds threatening.
Sometimes they can go repeatedly (tails!) and reach for the mute button, but overall, it’s a solid roster of Sonic’s favorites. If you’re looking for someone else outside of Sonic-verse, new characters will appear on Season Pass and paid DLC routes. This should also be noted as a major expansion, such as Steve, Alex, Creeper Racer, SpongeBob and Minecraft, which consists of Nickelodeon characters such as TMNT, PAC-MAN, GHOSTS, MEGAN MAN, PROTO MAN, and more. It also comes with trucks inspired by their world. Interestingly, there are still six spots left on the Sonic Racing CrossWorlds website, so we hope that six more franchises will fold and the game can evolve.
There are several modes and the Grand Prix Cup retains the backbone of the experience, but there are various race park time trials, customizable races and team-based events. Both online and local multiplayer thrives with this versatility and becomes more than another kart racer for party nights.
Some speed bumps
However, there is a problem. Getting tickets for customization is slow, and overuse of motion blur makes it difficult to analyze already confusing races. But these are small quips in sophisticated packages that run smoothly at 60fps.
The music mix in my surround system was unbalanced, and sometimes the music sounded Tiny rather than the final mix. It wasn’t a big problem, but it was especially pronounced on some tracks.
Final Thoughts
Sonic Racing: Crossworlds isn’t just Sega’s best kart racer of many years. This is a rare game where you can confidently assert Mario on your grass at home. The game proudly accepts other franchises and folds them, and although these are not from the Sega franchise (providing at least Alex Kid, Amigo and Billy Hatcher!), there is a wide variety of modes that allow you to play single players offline.
Some of the Crossworlds in this game offer a smooth buttery transition, mixing car, boat and plane gameplay, do the best of Sonic & Sega’s All-Star races and posting the pace of the current Gen console. By combining a strong foundation with bold innovation and deep customization, Sega has finally given Sonic the racer worthy of his lasting legacy.
5 stars (out of 5)
Highlights: Smooth buttery lace: A big roster of characters. Lots of modes and collectibles to make you come back more
Low light: Tickets are slow to earn. The music mix is not finished
Developer: Sonic Team
Publisher: SEGA
Platforms: PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One X, Xbox Series X/S, Nintendo Switch, PC (Nintendo Switch 2 will be scheduled later this year)
Available: September 25, 2025
Reviews conducted on the PlayStation 5 Pro are conducted using pre-release code provided by the publisher.
A featured header image provided by Sega.
