Although the release of Mario Kart World, the first proper new entry in the series in over 8 years, already made 2025 a great year for fans of kart racers, those looking for a slightly more traditional approach to the genre have Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds to look forward to. Appearances, however, can be very deceiving, as this more traditional approach is only the tip of the iceberg for a game that manages to combine spectacle with a tight balanced combination of different mechanics that not only make the game a joy to play, but also one that can be enjoyed to the fullest by players of all skill levels.
During Gamescom 2025 last week, I was able to try out Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds for around 30 minutes, which, right from the onset, looked like they wouldn't be enough to truly understand the depth of the many options on offer, ranging from a massive character roster featuring a lot of characters taken from series besides the Sonic the Hedgehog franchise such as Steve and Alex from Minecraft, Spongebob and Patric, Pac-Man and the Ghosts, Joker from Persona 5 and Ichiban Kasuga from the Like a Dragon series, the vehicle selection and customization options, which ranged from cosmetic to performance options, and a perks system which provided further depth. Having little time to check everything out, I simply picked out Sonic and the first vehicle that provided a balanced performance, a basic set of perks, which included the ability to store an additional item during a race, and went to race in one of the available cups, which comprised four different tracks.
Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds is setting out to be an excellent kart racer balancing accessibility with depth
Up until this point, Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds looked as traditional as a kart racer could get, and the first lap through the first track only reinforced this feeling. As soon as the second lap through the first colorful track ended, however, the new entry in the series showed how unique the experience is setting out to be. Instead of continuing on the same track, the player in first place has the chance to pick between two other tracks, which adds an incredible element of unpredictability to a race. In the blink of an eye, every player is seamlessly transported to a new track with its own set of gimmicks, which made each of the four tracks included in the cup exhilarating to play. With the final lap being set in the original track, however, Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds has everything in place to be accessible to every sort of player, even those who are only looking for some casual fun, casual fun that is easy to have in the game also thanks to some rather tight racing mechanics which feel great even if one were to ignore drifting, the vast item selection and the customization and perk systems outlined above.
Having only the time to play through a single cup, my time with Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds was somewhat short, but the little taste of the experience I had was more than enough to make me hunger for more and see for myself how all of these advanced mechanics will come together at higher difficulties and in online play. Thankfully, it won't be long for anyone to have a taste of the experience, as an open beta will be held later this week on August 29 ahead of the game's release on September 25 on PC, PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, Xbox One and Nintendo Switch, with a Switch 2 version to follow later in the year. One thing, however, already seems to be certain. Sonic Team managed to create a great kart racer with a solid balance between accessibility and depth that is sure to please all sorts of players.
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