I was really high on Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds when it came out last year.
With a mix of crisp and intuitive controls, the mid-race track-mixing CrossWorlds mechanic, and ever-expanding list of guest characters, it quickly became my favorite racer of the year. Admittedly, though, I haven’t gotten back into the game in a while, given how stacked the 2026 release calendar was.
That all changed last week when I did a preview for year 2 of CrossWorlds. Not only was it a blast to jump back into the racer’s seat, but I was really impressed with the major updates that came to the game.
Right off the bat: the crossovers rock. One of my disappointments with Mario Kart World was that it moved away from the exciting “Nintendo guest characters” approach of Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, the such famous faces as Zelda‘s link Splatoon‘s Inkling. Sonic Racing: CrossWorldsbut leans heavily towards collabs. Since the start, CrossWorlds has added like Mega Man, Pac-Man, and MinecraftSteve, as well as multimedia characters such as SpongeBob, Avatar: The Last AirbenderAang and the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.
Some of those Nickelodeon additions are a little weird, admittedly, but of course they’re optional paid DLC. The video game characters, especially Mega Man, are rad. In addition, I especially appreciated Sonic Team’s approach to include Sega characters as free DLC, inclusive Personajoker, Like a Dragon’s Ichiban and Hatsune Miku.
Year 2 builds on all of that in some neat ways. On the free DLC page, Bayonetta and Persona 3The Aigis are added, the former of which I particularly like as a fan of their games.
And on the paid DLC front, EvangelionRei Ayanami and Asuka Shikinami Langley entered the game alongside a companion track. Although I have no connection to the anime (I’ve always wanted to watch it), I know that it is particularly popular. Also included in the Season Pass are two packs of karts based on Sega consoles and controllers, which was incredible. Barreling past Wily’s castle of Mega man as Bayonetta striking a fancy pose on top of the Sega Dreamcast as I perform tricks off a ramp is just the kind of gloriously wacky fun I love from these kinds of gaming crossovers.
But honestly, I think my favorite addition was the Godzilla DLC pack, which included the ‘Godzilla Escape’ track and various karts, among other content. As a pleasant surprise, the course is actually a variation of Sonic Adventure 2City Escape level with none other than Godzilla himself. As you descend familiar hills and side streets, the kaiju wreaks havoc with its atomic breath, arms, legs and tail.
Take the iconic Sonic Adventure 2 Stage playing a variation of Escape From the City as I frantically run around Godzilla and the carnage he causes (including, at one point, even going off a ramp and riding past a truck he has in his mouth) is absolutely thrilling.
This actually made me go back and try some of the other Year 1 content with the Grand Prix mode. While I’ve never had much of an attachment to TMNT, riding through NYC and over giant electronic billboards is a nice change of pace, and Avatarwhich I loved made me even more excited. As you race, you can choose to follow different themed paths inspired by each of the four nations, each of which has its own gimmick. For example, the fire nation is filled with boost pads that are surrounded by flames, meaning you have to carefully walk through them to avoid getting burned. The Air Nomads meanwhile benefit from CrossWorlds‘ Glider mechanic for some great aerial sequences.
Outside of the new racers and tracks, the most significant addition in Year 2 is Duel Mode. This 1v1 mode lets you and your opponent see each other’s items while incorporating a Duel Boost gauge that fills up over time for quick bursts of speed. It certainly wasn’t my favorite mode (I prefer the craziness of facing off against many racers at once), but it’s always nice to have more options.
It should be noted that this is only what I have played so far. Easily the single most exciting Year 2 addition to me announced after my preview is one Final Fantasy VII Remake Series crossover in Q3 2027. So far, Sega has hesitated that it will include a race, two racers and other content. Give that FFVII is my favorite game of all time, I look forward to seeing more.
All in all, the Year 2 preview shows the kind of happy chaos CrossWorlds‘ Crossovers offer, and I’m excited to see what else is in store. Really, it’s a little hard to keep up with all this DLC, because some of it is free, a lot of it is paid, parts are exclusive bonuses for those who have the season passes for years 1 and 2, and everything came out at different times. But overall, it’s a large assortment of content that you can try, like a buffet, at your leisure.
And best of all, Sega has permanently reduced the price of CrossWorlds. In Canada, the basic version was previously $93.99, but is now $53.49, while the Digital Deluxe Edition is now $79.99, previously $118.99. (That said, this shouldn’t be confused with another listing for “Digital Deluxe Edition,” which is the same price but includes Season Pass Two, while the aforementioned “Digital Deluxe Edition” includes Season Pass One. It’s a bit much, frankly.)
But again, the content itself, if nothing else, is a blast, and you’re probably better off going with DLC packs à la carte anyway, unless enough of it appeals to you to buy the full Season Pass. That is certainly what I will do to tide myself over until then Final Fantasy VII crossover.
But for now? I escape from (Godzilla in) the city.
Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds is now available on PS5, PS5, Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch 2, Nintendo Switch and PC.
Image credit: Sega