At the February 2025 State of Play event, Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds made an appearance as the next Sonic the Hedgehog game, though that's not all it is. Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds is part of the Sonic Racing series, and it's also a follow-up to both the Sonic & Sega All-Stars and Sonic Riders lines, both of which have been inactive for a while. CrossWorlds is bringing together the “Transform” mechanics of the former and the Extreme Gear hoverboards of the latter for the first time, and that's just scratching the surface.
The “CrossWorlds” in Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds’ title refers not only to the alternate racetracks that pop up mid-race, but also the fusion of multiple Sonic Racing “worlds” in one game. Jet the Hawk returns from Sonic Riders, and his fellow Babylon Rogues are visible in background elements in the reveal trailer. However, a PlayStation Blog post about CrossWorlds mentions that the game uses “iconic characters from the Sonic and Sega universes,” implying that the Sega All-Stars are also back after their absence in Team Sonic Racing. Even though the revealed roster looks Sonic-dominated, plenty of other franchises have racers to supply this celebration of Sega history.
Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds Already Sets a High Bar for Mario Kart 9
Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds has just been revealed fully, and its eponymous gimmick sets a pretty high bar for the next mainline Mario Kart entry.
Joe Musashi — Shinobi
Sega is currently undertaking a multi-game effort to make new games for its acclaimed older IPs, with new titles for Jet Set Radio, Crazy Taxi, Golden Axe, and more in production. One of the earliest fruits of this effort will be Shinobi: Art of Vengeance, which is being developed by the Streets of Rage 4 developer, Lizardcube. Even though series protagonist Joe Musashi has already appeared in Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed alongside leads from most of the rebooted Sega IPs, launching in the same year makes now the perfect time for Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds to bring him back.
Blaze Fielding — Streets of Rage
On the topic of Streets of Rage, Sega’s classic beat-'em-up franchise actually doesn't have a representative in the Sega All-Stars series yet. Poster boy Axel Stone is the obvious choice, but the series’ leading lady, Blaze Fielding, is the only other playable character to be in every Streets of Rage so far, and would be an interesting alternative. Blaze could show up in a stylized fusion of her oldest and newest designs, with any missing elements appearing on her default kart. In the same vein as Shinobi, Streets of Rage 4 led the charge for Sega’s retro revivals, and it could use more recognition for that.
Ichiban Kasuga — Like a Dragon
Comparatively, the Like a Dragon series is in no danger of obscurity, but only reached that status globally after the last Sega All-Stars racer came out. Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds can fix that, but who gets to represent the series isn't so cut and dry. As the senior LaD protagonist, Kazuma Kiryu deserves to race alongside Sega’s biggest stars, but his association with taxis might interfere with potential Crazy Taxi representatives. Ichiban Kasuga would not only be at home in Sonic’s colorful art style, he could bring some Hawaiian-themed cosmetics like a surfboard Extreme Gear into play. Both heroes would be preferable, but Kasuga is the wiser pick for the base roster.
Jack Frost — Shin Megami Tensei
The first thought that comes to mind when adding an Atlus representative to Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds is Persona 5’s Joker in a Morgana-themed kart. It's reasonable, but Joker has already had his time to shine as the first Super Smash Bros. Ultimate Fighters Pass character. Atlus certainly deserves a place in Sonic's latest race, but the company’s library of RPGs is best represented by the company's mascot, Jack Frost. Hailing from Persona’s parent series Shin Megami Tensei, Frost was proven to be a timeless Atlus signature after appearing in its recent Metaphor: ReFantazio, and wouldn't look out of place beside Sonic’s cast.
Honey — Fighting Vipers
Another good Sega crossover rep already fits into the Sonic universe, but this could be her chance to finally show off her true form. Honey is a prominent fighter from Sega’s old Fighting Vipers series that was secretly added to Sonic the Fighters as Honey the Cat. This old piece of Sonic trivia could finally be paid off if human Honey appears in Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds driving a kart with her cat self’s face on the front. It's wishful thinking that her return would be that brazen, but Sage’s vehicle is based on Sonic Frontiers’ Titans, so never say never.
Vyse, Aika, and Fina — Skies of Arcadia
Plenty of classic Sega franchises like Ristar, Super Monkey Ball, and Space Channel 5 are all vying for places in Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds, but the best thing a crossover can do is make fans happy, and Skies of Arcadia fans are dying to see the Blue Rogues again. Vyse was in All-Stars Racing Transformed, but this time around he could take over the same game’s “Team Fortress” racer gimmick by swapping to Aika or Fina for specific kart transformations. Skies of Arcadia has a sky pirate aesthetic that's practically begging to be converted into kart form anyway, and Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds should be happy to oblige.
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OpenCritic Reviews
- Top Critic Avg: 83 /100 Critics Rec: 95%
- Released
- September 25, 2025
- ESRB
- Everyone / Mild Fantasy Violence
- Developer(s)
- Sonic Team
- Publisher(s)
- Sega
WHERE TO PLAY
- Genre(s)
- Racing, Action
