Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds: Portals, SpongeBob and Sega's Kart Racer That Keeps Growing

Sega's producer Ryuichi Taki got the big idea behind Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds from two places: the ring portals in the Sonic movies, and his childhood memories of driving through long tunnels and coming out somewhere that felt completely new.

In the game, that becomes the Travel Ring. After the first lap of a race, the leader chooses one of two giant rings, and every racer flies through it into a different world for lap two, before returning to the original track for the finish. CrossWorlds launched on September 25, 2025 for PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, Switch and PC, arrived digitally on Switch 2 on December 4, 2025, and has been growing ever since.

Racing between worlds

There are 24 main tracks across eight Grand Prix cups, many based on classic Sonic places such as Metal Harbor from Sonic Adventure 2 and Kronos Island from Sonic Frontiers. On top of those sit 15 CrossWorlds, the destinations behind the Travel Rings. Random "frenzy" effects can fire in a CrossWorld, and the final lap adds new hazards and shortcuts, so no two races play out quite the same.

Up to 12 players race at once, with cross-platform online play. Cars can transform into boats and planes, and the Extreme Gear hoverboards from the Sonic Riders games return too. More than 70 gadgets and 45 unlockable vehicles, plus a part-by-part custom builder, give the game real depth.

A roster from everywhere

At launch, CrossWorlds had 24 drivers. Sega planned 13 free characters for the first year, while a paid season pass added 15 guests from other franchises in six waves. As of September 8, 2026, there are 54 playable characters, the biggest roster of any Sonic racing game.

The guests are a mix nobody predicted: Minecraft, SpongeBob SquarePants, Pac-Man, Mega Man, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Avatar Legends and, through a special collaboration, Hatsune Miku. Each pack adds characters, a track, a vehicle, emotes and music. At Summer Game Fest 2026, Sega announced a second year of DLC with six more packs, including Godzilla and Neon Genesis Evangelion.

Reviews and sales

Critics liked it a lot. CrossWorlds scored 88 on Metacritic for Xbox Series X|S, 86 for Switch 2, 84 for PC and 82 for PS5, and 95% of critics recommended it on OpenCritic. IGN gave it 9/10, and Game Informer called it "the most well-rounded kart racer of the year". Many reviews compared it favourably with Mario Kart World as a more traditional alternative.

Sales were steadier than spectacular. CrossWorlds passed 1 million copies worldwide by October 2025, but in November Sega's financial report said early sales had not met internal expectations. It was nominated for Best Family Game and Best Sports/Racing Game at The Game Awards 2025.

The console war, reloaded

Sega even revived some old rivalry for the launch. An advert called "Come Race on Our Level" seemed to poke fun at Mario Kart World's open world, and it was based on a 1992 Sega Genesis commercial, sparking comparisons to the 1990s console wars.

What's next

With year-two DLC rolling out and a physical Switch 2 release in March 2026, CrossWorlds has become Sega's long-term kart platform rather than a one-off. If you want a kart racer that feels like the classic formula done well, with a few surprises, it is an easy pick. To see the kart racer it is so often compared with, read our story on Mario Kart World.