I was really high on Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds when it released last year.
With a mix of snappy and intuitive controls, the mid-race track-mixing CrossWorlds mechanic, and ever-expanding list of guest characters, it quickly became my favourite racer of the year. Admittedly, though, I haven’t gone back to the game in a while, given how stacked the 2026 release calendar has been.
That all changed last week when I got to check out a preview for Year 2 of CrossWorlds. Not only was it a blast to hop back into the racer’s seat, but I was genuinely impressed with the big updates that have come 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, which featured such famous faces as Zelda‘s Link and Splatoon‘s Inkling. Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds, though, leans heavily into the collabs. Since launch, CrossWorlds has added the likes of Mega Man, Pac-Man, and Minecraft‘s Steve, as well as multimedia characters like SpongeBob, Avatar: The Last Airbender‘s Aang and the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.
Some of those Nickelodeon additions are a bit strange, admittedly, but naturally, they’re optional paid DLC. The video game characters, especially Mega Man, are rad. On top of that, I’ve especially appreciated Sonic Team’s approach to including Sega characters as free DLC, including Persona‘s Joker, Like a Dragon’s Ichiban and Hatsune Miku.
Year 2 builds on all of that in some neat ways. On the free DLC side, Bayonetta and Persona 3‘s Aigis are being added, the former of which I especially love as a fan of her games.
And on the paid DLC front, Evangelion‘s Rei Ayanami and Asuka Shikinami Langley are joining the game alongside an accompanying track. While I have no connection to the anime (I’ve always wanted to watch it), I know it’s especially popular. Also included in the Season Pass are two packs featuring karts based on Sega consoles and controllers, which was incredible. Barrelling along Wily’s Castle from Mega Man as Bayonetta and striking a fancy pose atop the Sega Dreamcast as I perform tricks off a ramp is just the kind of gloriously wacky fun I love from these sorts of gaming crossovers.
But honestly, I think my favourite addition was the Godzilla DLC pack, which includes the ‘Godzilla Escape’ track and various karts, among other content. As a pleasant surprise, the course is actually a variation of Sonic Adventure 2‘s City Escape level featuring none other than Godzilla himself. As you ride down familiar hills and side roads, the kaiju is wreaking total havoc with his atomic breath, arms, legs, and tail.
Taking the iconic Sonic Adventure 2 stage and playing a variation of Escape From the City as I frantically race around Godzilla and the carnage he’s causing (including, at one point, even going off a ramp and riding along a truck he has in his mouth) is absolutely thrilling.
This actually made me go back and sample some of the other Year 1 content using the Grand Prix mode. While I’ve never had much of an attachment to TMNT, riding through NYC and across giant electronic billboards is a nice change of pace, and Avatar, which I do love, delighted me even more. As you race, you can choose to go down different themed paths inspired by each of the Four Nations, each of which has its own gimmick. For instance, the Fire Nation is filled with boost pads that are encircled with flames, meaning you have to carefully go through them lest you get burned. The Air Nomads, meanwhile, take advantage of CrossWorlds‘ glider mechanic for some nifty aerial sequences.
Outside of the new racers and tracks, the most significant addition in Year 2 is the Duel Mode. This 1v1 mode lets you and your opponent see each other’s items while incorporating a Duel Boost gauge that fills over time for quick bursts of speed. It certainly wasn’t my preferred mode (I prefer the craziness of facing off against many racers at a time), but it’s always nice to have more options.
It should be noted that this is only what I’ve gotten to play so far. Easily the single most exciting Year 2 addition for me, which was announced after my preview, is a Final Fantasy VII Remake series crossover in Q3 2027. So far, Sega has teased that it will include one course, two racers and other content. Given that FFVII is my all-time favourite game, I’m eager to see more.
All in all, the Year 2 preview shows the sort of gleeful chaos CrossWorlds‘ crossovers offer, and I’m excited to see what else is in store. Truthfully, it is a bit hard to keep up with all of this DLC, given that some of it is free, much of it is paid, parts are exclusive bonuses to those who own Season Passes for Year 1 and 2, and everything has been coming out at various times. But on the whole, it’s a great assortment of content that, like a buffet, you can sample at your leisure.
And best of all, Sega has permanently reduced the price of CrossWorlds. In Canada, the base version was previously $93.99, but now it’s $53.49, while the Digital Deluxe Edition is now $79.99, having previously been $118.99. (That said, this should not be confused with another listing for “Digital Deluxe Edition” that is the same price but includes Season Pass Two, while the aforementioned “Digital Deluxe Edition” includes Season Pass One. It’s a bit much, honestly.)
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’s certainly what I’ll do to tide myself over until that Final Fantasy VII crossover.
But for now? I’ll be escaping 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
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