Let’s be honest for a moment. Just a few short weeks ago, after playing the Open Network Test for Sonic Racing CrossWorlds, I was worried. We were all worried. We saw the glimmer of a brilliant idea buried under a mountain of problems—floaty handling, questionable performance, and a general feeling that something was fundamentally disconnected. We hoped for the best, but prepared for a game that might just miss the mark.
Well, let me tell you, I have never been happier to be so completely wrong.
The final release version of Sonic Racing CrossWorlds isn’t just a patched-up version of that flawed beta. It’s a stunning, top-to-bottom overhaul that has transformed a game of potential into a masterpiece of execution. SEGA and Sumo Digital have pulled off one of the most impressive development turnarounds in recent memory, delivering a kart racer that is not only a worthy successor to its beloved predecessors but a legitimate contender for the genre’s throne. Over the past few days, my family and I have been glued to the PlayStation 5 version, and the sheer joy, creativity, and polish on display here is something truly special. This isn’t just a great Sonic game; it’s one of the best arcade racers to come out in a generation.
The Main Event: CrossWorlds is a Game-Changer
At the heart of this incredible experience is the CrossWorlds mechanic, and it is every bit as spectacular as we had hoped. The concept is simple, yet its execution is mind-bendingly brilliant. At the end of each lap, the very track you’re racing on deconstructs in a dazzling display of light and energy, reforming into a completely different environment right before your eyes.
One moment, you’re powersliding through the dense, prehistoric canopy of Dinosaur Jungle, dodging ancient trees and massive creatures. You cross the finish line, the world shatters into a million pixels, and seconds later you’re navigating the tight, neon-drenched, anti-gravity corridors of E-Stadium, with thousands of virtual fans cheering you on. The transition is utterly seamless. In the network test, these moments were plagued with stuttering and frame drops. On the PS5, it is a flawless, rock-solid 60 frames per second spectacle. It’s a technical marvel that never gets old.
But the true genius of the CrossWorlds system reveals itself as you progress through the game’s lengthy Grand Prix cups. It isn’t just a visual gimmick; it’s a profound test of your mental agility. The game starts throwing incredible curveballs that force you to be a truly versatile racer. You might spend a lap mastering the gentle, sweeping curves of the industrial streets in Steampunk City, getting into a perfect rhythm with your land-based vehicle. Then, boom, the track vanishes, and you’re dropped into the turbulent, churning waters of Kraken Bay. Suddenly, you’re in a boat, forced to immediately adapt to completely different physics, wave patterns, and a new boost mechanic to stay ahead.
This system single-handedly demolishes the concept of track fatigue. You aren’t just memorizing three laps of a single course; you’re learning to recognize and instantly react to the core identity of over a dozen different environments. The final lap of any race often mashes up elements from all previous tracks, creating a chaotic and beautiful finale that feels unique every single time. It’s a design philosophy that champions adaptability over rote memorization, and it makes every race a thrilling, unpredictable adventure.
Back to Basics: The Driving is Finally Perfect
For all its innovation, a kart racer lives and dies by one thing: how it feels to drive. This was our biggest fear after the beta, and it’s the area where the developers have worked the most incredible magic. The vague, slippery handling from the network test is completely gone, replaced by a driving model that is weighty, responsive, and incredibly satisfying.
You feel the connection between your vehicle and the track surface. When you initiate a drift around a corner in Water Palace, you feel the tires bite into the slick stone, giving you a tangible sense of grip that allows for precision and control. Chaining together long, perfect drifts to build up your multi-tiered boost meter has that classic, skill-based rhythm that made games like Transformed so addictive.
This fantastic core handling extends across all three racing types: land, sea, and air. Unlike the impression we got from the beta, the final game fully embraces this beloved mechanic, and the transitions between them are woven beautifully into the CrossWorlds system. One track might have you start in a car, only for the second lap to transform into the spooky, winding waterways of Pumpkin Mansion, putting you at the helm of a speedboat. Each vehicle type feels distinct and requires a different approach, adding another rich strategic layer to the experience.
Playing on the PlayStation 5 elevates this tactile experience to another level thanks to the brilliant implementation of the DualSense controller. This isn’t a simple rumble feature; it’s a deeply integrated system that enhances the feeling of immersion. You can feel the subtle, gravelly texture of the paths in Dinosaur Jungle vibrating through your palms, which feels completely different from the smooth, humming feedback of racing through the high-tech Eggman Expo. When you get hit by an opponent’s item, you get a sharp, localized jolt in your hands that tells you exactly where the impact came from.
The adaptive triggers, however, are the real star. There’s a gentle resistance on the R2 button as you hold a drift, and as your boost meter fills, you can feel the trigger tighten up, almost begging you to unleash the power. Pushing past that final point of resistance to activate a massive boost provides a clicky, tactile feedback that is just so incredibly satisfying. It’s a small detail, but it contributes immensely to closing that “disconnect” we felt in the beta, making you feel completely in tune with your vehicle.
A Gearhead’s Dream: Customization That Matters
Beyond the on-track action, Sonic Racing CrossWorlds offers one of the deepest and most meaningful vehicle customization systems we’ve ever seen in the genre. This isn’t just about slapping on a new coat of paint or changing your horn sound (though you can do that too). This is a granular, strategic system that genuinely impacts your performance.
The garage is a playground for aspiring mechanics. Every vehicle can be modified with a huge variety of parts—engines, front ends, rear wings, tires, and more. Each component directly modifies your core stats: Top Speed, Acceleration, Handling, Boost, and Defense. This system invites, and rewards, experimentation.
For a series of races in the twisty, technical Aqua Forest Grand Prix, I built a lightweight kart for Tails with a focus on high acceleration and handling. It couldn’t compete on long straightaways, but it allowed me to recover instantly from item hits and navigate tight corners flawlessly. Later, for a cup featuring the wide-open spaces of E-Stadium, I went back to the garage and built a top-speed monster for Metal Sonic, designed to dominate with raw power. Finding that perfect balance and creating specific builds for different track types is a game in and of itself, adding incredible replay value.
This is all tied into the fantastic “Rival” system in the single-player Grand Prix. Before a tournament, one of the other racers will pop up to personally challenge you. Having Shadow appear and mock my carefully constructed, high-handling kart as “a pathetic excuse for a racing machine” adds a wonderful layer of personality and motivation. It transforms the single-player mode from a simple series of races into a personal grudge match, and it makes victory all the sweeter.
A World of Content and Presentation
The sheer amount of things to do in Sonic Racing CrossWorlds is staggering. The game is absolutely packed with content from the moment you start it up. With a huge roster of beloved SEGA characters, dozens of tracks, and multiple game modes, this is a complete package on day one.
Beyond the main Grand Prix mode, there’s the new “Race Park,” which offers up a variety of unique challenges with special rule sets. Modes like “Ring Rush,” a frantic race to collect as many rings as possible, and “Survival Racing,” where the last-place racer is eliminated after each lap, provide a fantastic change of pace and are an absolute riot in local split-screen multiplayer.
Visually, the game is a treat. The art direction is pure, unfiltered SEGA—vibrant, colorful, and bursting with energy. Every track is a feast for the eyes, packed with gorgeous details and nods to classic games. From the spooky, gothic architecture of Pumpkin Mansion to the sprawling, industrial megalopolis of Steampunk City, each environment feels distinct and lovingly crafted.
And the music. The soundtrack is, without a doubt, a masterpiece. It’s a massive collection of jaw-droppingly good remixes of classic Sonic tunes, blended with brilliant new compositions that perfectly capture the high-octane, joyous energy of an arcade racer. It’s the kind of soundtrack that will live in your head long after you’ve put the controller down, and it elevates every single moment on the track.
The Verdict: A New Champion is Crowned
Sonic Racing CrossWorlds is an absolute, unqualified triumph. It’s a stunning comeback story that proves the value of listening to your community. The developers took the feedback from a shaky public test, identified every core weakness, and polished them into undeniable strengths.
They’ve created a game that feels both comfortingly classic and refreshingly new. For fans of Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed, this is the ultimate evolution you’ve been waiting for. It brings back the strategic, multi-vehicle racing across land, sea, and air and fuses it with the revolutionary CrossWorlds mechanic, creating a racing experience with unparalleled depth and excitement.
And for the long-reigning king, Mario Kart? For the first time in a very long time, there is a legitimate, powerful challenger to the throne. Sonic Racing CrossWorlds doesn’t just imitate the formula; it innovates on it, offering a different flavor of chaos, a deeper layer of strategic customization, and a core mechanic that feels truly next-generation.
It’s an essential purchase for any racing fan, a joyous celebration of SEGA’s history, and a perfect showcase for the power of the PlayStation 5. We went in as worried skeptics, and we’ve come out as true believers. Sonic Racing CrossWorlds isn’t just a great game; it’s the new gold standard for arcade racers.
