Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds is enjoyable, but it surely feels a bit an excessive amount of like different kart racers. The follow-up to Group Sonic Racing goals to mix its predecessor’s formulation with the extra aggressive make-up of the Sonic Riders video games, however the end result lacks each the cooperative nature of the primary recreation and thrilling sense of pace of Riders or Zero Gravity. All that is left is a recreation that performs superb, however looks like a lesser model of arcade racer juggernaut Mario Kart. CrossWorlds may need been higher off solely constructing on the teamwork focus of Group Sonic Racing (or, higher but, giving us a real follow-up to Zero Gravity that is not constructed round gimmicky movement controls).
You probably have performed any kart racer, you have already got an thought as to how CrossWorlds works. Like its contemporaries, you choose a personality and a kart for them to drive, after which after a short countdown, do your greatest to drive round a monitor a set variety of occasions whereas going over jumps, drifting round corners, and smashing into glowing packing containers that reward you with an merchandise to make use of to mess with different gamers. The first to complete the race wins.
CrossWorlds’ principal gimmick is how every monitor can cross into another–when the participant at the moment in first place finishes their first lap, they’ll select to drive into considered one of two portals, every of which offers a transparent view of a distinct monitor on one other world. Whichever portal the participant picks decides the result for everybody, and the second lap is then run on the brand new monitor. As lap three begins, the race returns to regardless of the unique monitor was.
At Summer season Recreation Fest 2025, I performed a demo that showcased the CrossWorlds’ Grand Prix mode, making an attempt it on straightforward as Jet the Hawk after which once more on regular with Amy Rose. Like Grand Prix modes in different racers, this noticed me competing in back-to-back races, incomes a set variety of factors for the place I took in each. CrossWorlds’ tackle the formulation is three races on three completely different tracks, concluding with a fourth race the place lap one is the primary monitor within the sequence, lap two is the second monitor, and so forth. There’s additionally a “rival” function, the place the sport instructed me which opponent was my rival, and I would earn further factors for guaranteeing I at the very least completed forward of that character.
All in all, I had fun. Racers like this are all the time extra thrilling with pals than computer systems, so regardless of the sport repeatedly reminding me that so-and-so was my rival, I simply could not muster up the extent of hatred in my coronary heart for an AI-controlled opponent that I do for my back-stabbing “pals” who use a well-timed merchandise to remove a hard-fought victory. However I could not assist however evaluate CrossWorlds to Mario Kart. The altering maps and rival character are neat, however they do not add something to the expertise that basically modifications the way you race.
It is such a disgrace how giant a departure CrossWorlds is from its predecessor, Group Sonic Racing. The principal gimmick of Group Sonic Racing was that each participant was racing as a part of a workforce. For instance, whichever member of the workforce was in entrance would depart behind a draft their allies might use to hurry up. There was this nice back-and-forth, pull-and-push nature to the gameplay, which did not exist in different mainstream opponents. Being racer was nonetheless essential, but it surely was essential to work in tandem together with your teammates to keep up your prime pace. It was a brand new strategy to play a kart racer.
I feel there’s lots {that a} sequel might have constructed upon that basis, particularly as a method to distinguish itself from Mario Kart, which CrossWorlds is clearly making an attempt to emulate. Alternatively, if the teamwork component needed to be deserted within the sequel, going even additional and switching to the Riders formulation may need additionally labored. That recreation leaned into Sonic’s legendary pace to ship one other arcade racer that is all about going virtually uncontrollably quick, whereas needing to strategically weigh the dangers of pushing ahead or replenishing your gas. That focus would even have been a incredible strategy to stand out from comparable racers.
By taking the center floor, CrossWorlds does not rise to the extent of what is come earlier than. It is nonetheless enjoyable, however any type of distinctive flavoring it might have delivered to the style feels absent. Granted, there is likely to be much more to the sport than what I performed at Summer season Recreation Fest–if so, that would change my thoughts about it.
Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds is ready to launch for Xbox Sequence X|S, Xbox One, PS5, PS4, Change, and PC on September 25. A Change 2 model of the sport can also be within the works, however no launch date has been confirmed.