Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds Review – Sonic’s Fastest, Fiercest Racer Yet

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As a longtime Sonic fan, I’m so excited to see Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds! It feels like a real return to form for the series, which has been playing catch-up to Mario Kart for too long. The developers took everything great from past Sonic racing games, got rid of what didn’t work, and added awesome new stuff like Travel Rings and Gadgets. Honestly, whether it’s better than Mario Kart doesn’t even matter – CrossWorlds is easily the best Sonic racing game ever made, and the best Sonic game we’ve gotten since Sonic Mania!

There’s no denying that *Mario Kart* sets the standard for all kart racing games. *Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds* clearly follows this successful formula, evident from the very start. The first track, E-Stadium, feels like a *Mario Kart* stadium, and Rainbow Garden is reminiscent of a *Mario Kart* countryside course. Even the Colourful Mall openly takes inspiration from *Mario Kart Wii’s* shopping mall track, right down to the shiny floor. While most of *CrossWorlds’* tracks are based on locations from past *Sonic* games, at its core, the game feels like a *Mario Kart* game with a new skin.

To change how people see it, the team behind Sonic is really emphasizing the character’s famous speed and energetic style. They’ve created a racing game that feels faster, more vibrant, and more chaotic than anything in the *Mario* series. Once you unlock the quicker racing classes, *CrossWorlds* truly shines. Tracks blur by in a dazzling rush of color, creating a sense of speed similar to the thrilling, high-velocity experience of *WipEout*.

Sonic is known for his incredible speed, and *CrossWorlds* builds on that by turning it into a competitive weapon. Before each race, the game picks a rival for you to beat, making every event a tense, head-to-head challenge that gets harder as your rival improves. The faster they go, the faster *everyone* seems to go, creating races where you really have to fight for every bit of ground. These rival battles are some of the most exciting parts of *CrossWorlds*: close, competitive races where your opponent is always just ahead. They’re fast-paced, chaotic, and full of playful banter, and even when you’re losing, the close finishes keep you on the edge of your seat.

In *CrossWorlds*, competition is driven by rivals, but Gadgets give players a significant edge. There are over seventy Gadgets to unlock by finishing races, and these can be equipped to vehicles to improve their performance. They offer a wide range of benefits, from faster speeds and better air tricks, to increased chances of getting powerful items. Each Gadget noticeably changes how a kart handles, and players will feel the difference while racing.

CrossWorlds pays tribute to Sonic’s history, featuring many songs inspired by famous places from his adventures.

It didn’t take long before I was completely customizing cars, turning simple vehicles into incredibly fast racers designed for speed or powerful, bulky cars built to slow down the competition. No matter how I wanted to race – whether drifting, doing tricks, or taking corners with precision – there was a combination of upgrades to help me do it. This customization is one of the most interesting parts of *CrossWorld*, and along with the Rivals mode, it’s what gives the game a lot of strategic depth.

The game also offers a lot of freedom in how you customize your kart’s appearance. There’s a huge range of colors, textures, stickers, horns, and visual effects, so each kart truly felt unique. You can even mix and match the front and back halves of different karts to combine their performance stats. I built one kart focused on speed for setting fast lap times, and another that was intentionally ridiculous-looking just for bumping other racers off the track. I really enjoyed experimenting with the customization options. One of my favorite creations is a menacing black tank designed to disrupt the race. My only real complaint is that you can’t combine parts from different kart classes – you can’t put a heavy front end on a fast rear end, for example. The developers want to keep the game balanced in terms of speed, handling, and power. But honestly, it doesn’t matter too much during a race. Even with a slow-turning kart like my black battering ram, I can choose a skilled driver to compensate.

As soon as the countdown finishes and I try to do a perfect burnout, it becomes clear that the strange and varied tracks in *CrossWorld* mostly serve to highlight how much this game is about *Sonic*. There are only a couple of disappointing tracks – Wonder Museum and Market Street from *Sonic Unleashed* – and that’s simply because they don’t look very interesting, not because of how they’re designed. Overall, this is the best collection of tracks in any *Sonic* racing game, even though a few of the new locations feel a little too similar to those in Nintendo games.

What I really love about *CrossWorlds* is how it feels like a total tribute to everything that’s made *Sonic* great. So many of the tracks are inspired by classic *Sonic* levels – it’s awesome! They brought back places like Kronos Island from *Frontiers*, Radical Highway from *Adventure 2*, even Digital Circuit from *Shadow the Hedgehog* and Mystic Jungle from *Forces*. It’s like a walk down memory lane for a long-time fan like me!

The most exciting part of the game is definitely the CrossWorld sprints. After a hectic start, drivers are launched through special rings onto completely different sections of the track, then smoothly return to the original course. I initially feared these diversions would feel forced, but they actually add a lot of unpredictability to the race in a well-designed way, showing how much thought Sonic Team put into them. While the CrossWorlds could have easily become chaotic, they surprisingly maintain a good balance – it’s an exhilarating experience, but not overwhelming.

The excitement doesn’t end with the different tracks in *CrossWorld*. Starting on lap three, the course itself changes dramatically. A straightaway might disappear, suddenly turning the race into an aerial challenge. Or a winding section could flood, transforming karts into speedboats to maintain their speed. These changes create new paths, add more speed boosts, and introduce extra obstacles. This dynamic third lap brilliantly blends visual spectacle with gameplay, making each race a thrilling test of skill and adaptability, not just a race to the finish line.

The game’s solo mode follows a classic format: you finish four races in each grand prix to earn money, which you can then use to personalize your car with different options and cosmetic items.

CrossWorlds offers a good variety of game modes, though some are more successful than others. The offline multiplayer Race Park is where the game really comes alive, offering a loud and energetic experience. This mode builds on the basic racing formula by adding team-based objectives – players compete against AI opponents to collect rings, perform stunts, or use power-ups. It’s a lot of chaotic fun, but it can be overwhelming. The screen fills with effects and sounds, making it hard to follow what’s going on. My play partner and I both felt like we were just reacting to everything happening around us, rather than actually racing.

The single-player mode follows a familiar pattern: you complete four-race events to earn money for customizing your racer and unlocking new items. It’s a satisfying cycle that keeps you motivated to improve. Time Trial mode is a fun variation, challenging you to collect and use boost items wisely to achieve the best leaderboard time. Even in Time Trials, the track changes each lap, adding an element of surprise. I haven’t quite mastered all the speed boosts in *Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds* yet – I’m still several seconds off the top times, even when I play my best!

Overall, *CrossWorlds* is a vibrant and energetic racing game – exactly what a *Sonic* title should be. The game is visually striking, with bright and generally clear tracks (though the motion blur can be a bit much), and the Sonic characters are constantly animated, showing off plenty of personality during races. I found the game played best in performance mode, which kept the action smooth and matched the fast pace perfectly. While quality mode offers sharper visuals, I didn’t feel the extra detail was necessary at such high speeds. Both modes ran well on my PS5, but performance mode just *felt* right for this kind of fast-paced game.

As a huge Sonic fan, I’ve always wanted a kart racer that felt truly *Sonic* – not just a Mario Kart clone. And honestly, *Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds* finally delivers! It doesn’t just tweak the formula, it completely steps out and creates its own unique identity for the series. It’s exactly what I’ve been waiting for!

The *CrossWorlds* soundtrack is upbeat, lively, and clearly inspired by classic *Sonic* games. The energetic music perfectly complements the fast-paced action. The characters’ conversations are quick-witted and often humorous, with lines tailored to the situation, though they can become repetitive. *Sonic* especially repeats the phrase “not bad, not bad” frequently during races, which can become annoying. However, the sound effects are wonderfully nostalgic, featuring familiar chimes and impacts that perfectly capture the feel of the original games.

Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds isn’t just a new entry in the series-it’s the kart racer Sonic has always deserved. Sonic Team has created a game that truly feels like Sonic, with a focus on speed, strategy, and unpredictable fun, instead of just copying Mario Kart. I expect to be playing this game for a long time, whether I’m trying to beat my best times, experimenting with different upgrades, or enjoying the chaotic Race Park mode.

This game was reviewed on the PlayStation 5.

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2025-09-18 18:14