Sonic Racing Crossworlds hits the Switch 2 running, and it’s a total blast.
From the moment you launch into your first race, the game’s speed and energy make it clear this isn’t your standard kart racer.
It’s fast, flashy, and full of personality, and while it borrows some familiar mechanics from other racing games, it puts a unique Sonic twist on everything from track design to vehicle handling.
At its core, Crossworlds controls like a dream. The karts feel substantial, and tight turns land with satisfying weight, making aggressive driving feel genuinely rewarding.
Unlike more grounded kart racers, the handling leans toward arcade-style fun, which means beginners might fumble at first, but there’s a lot of joy to be found once you get the hang of it.
The real showstopper is the Crossworlds mechanic: during a race, players in the lead can warp to alternate track versions mid-lap.
This keeps the races fresh and adds a clever layer of strategy, especially with 24 tracks to explore and more coming down the track.
Customisation is a next-level treat here. You can tweak characters, pick vehicles that complement or counterbalance their stats, swap parts, deck out karts with decals or paint jobs, and even adjust horns and special effects.
Then there’s the Gadget system, which lets you fine-tune your playstyle, whether that’s boosting your drifts, tweaking item drops, or turning your kart into a mini hazard for other racers.
I spent hours experimenting with loadouts, and every combination felt meaningful.
Sega’s post-launch plans make the roster even more exciting.
With its paid season pass bringing characters and content from Minecraft, SpongeBob SquarePants, Pac-Man, Mega Man and more.
Free updates will also keep the races fresh, with classic favourites like NiGHTS, AiAi from Super Monkey Ball, and Tangle & Whisper from the IDW Sonic Comics universe.
It gives that Super Smash Bros feeling, with a playful mix of nostalgia and surprise crossovers that should give fans a fresh reason to keep coming back.
Graphically, the game looks incredible on Switch 2, it’s pretty much locked in at 60 fps both in docked and handheld mode.
Tracks are vibrant, characters animated with charm, and the soundtrack keeps races feeling lively.
Performance is smooth, even online, though the occasional item chaos can throw a wrench into otherwise tidy matches.
Speaking of items, they can get a little wild. Expect surprises that can swing a race in an instant. Fun, but occasionally frustrating.
The game isn’t without minor hiccups.
Some post-launch characters won’t have voice lines, which undercuts the personality the main roster brings to the races, and the friendship mechanic, while a nice idea for spending in-game currency, feels bare-bones but they’re both minor gripes in the grand scheme of things.
Sonic Racing Crossworlds is a must-play for anyone who loves fast-paced, vibrant kart racing. It’s accessible, endlessly customisable, and just plain fun.
Casual gamers and Sonic fans alike will find themselves grinning through every lap.
In a year that the world of kart racing got some huge hitters, Sonic is safely ahead of the pack.
