Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds gameplay revealed, new mechanics detailed

New worlds await in the upcoming Sonic the Hedgehog racing game – Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds – introducing a unique gameplay mechanic transporting the iconic characters from the Sonic and Sega universes into new dimensions. The newest entry to the Sonic Racing series is a Sonic game, driving game, and action game all-in-one that will offer an exciting racing experience across several modes, worlds, and more!

Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds is coming to PlayStation 5 and PlayStation 4 soon, and today, Sega is sharing details on what players can expect to see in the game.

Travel Rings

Shadow leads the race, with Sonic and Tails close behind. In front of Shadow are two large floating rings, with an image in each. The right shows a river surrounded by a grassy plain. The left has numerous question marks.

Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds introduces Travel Rings, a new gameplay mechanic making each race feel surprising and fresh. Travel Rings bring dramatic changes to races, transporting players from one world to a completely new location. The lead racer gets to choose the CrossWorld that all players will be transported to on the second lap, allowing the environments to come alive with various track changes. Each CrossWorld offers a theme park-like experience with surprises around every turn, including large monsters, engaging obstacles, and tracks filled with beautiful scenery.

Race across land, sea, and air

Amy soars over a purple and red field of flowers, aiming to land at a track in the distance. Her car’s wheels have converted to wings and booster rockets.

Another highlight of the game is its dynamic tracks, which draw inspiration from past Sonic Racing titles such as Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed and offer a “transformative” racing experience like no other. With each lap, the track undergoes dramatic changes and comes to life, shifting between land, sea, and air terrains. The ever-evolving track will be sure to challenge players to adapt their racing strategies for a thrilling gameplay experience to engage with the track beyond reaching the finish line.

Gadgets

We’ve elevated the Sonic Racing experience with an RPG-like Gadget feature. Prior to the race, racers will be able to equip and combine Gadgets that give different perks to shake up the race for more unique ways to play.

Not enough items? Looking to get some extra boost? There’s a Gadget for those and more.

Powerful Gadgets require more Gadget slots, so make sure you’re optimizing your collection and increasing your inventory as you play through the game. As you progress, the more slots, and even stronger Gadgets you’ll unlock to make the game that much more exciting. Selecting the perfect combination of Gadgets for your gameplay style just might be the edge you need to come out in first place every time.

Vehicle customization

This game also brings the most extensive vehicle customization in the series so far. For the first time ever in a Sonic Racing game, characters are not tied to specific vehicles and can race in all kinds of vehicles. Characters and vehicles all have a unique set of parameters like speed, acceleration, and handling, so players can try different combinations to best suit their racing style. In addition, players can mix and match parts from different vehicles to create their own custom vehicle! And if that wasn’t enough, players can choose colors, decals, and textures for almost every aspect of the vehicle, including the interior. We have no doubt racers will enjoy tinkering in the garage to create a one-of-a-kind vehicle that not only looks fantastic but performs amazingly on the track.

Extreme Gear

Jet rides his hoverboard through an airport.

Many of you noticed the easter egg in the teaser from last December, but it’s official: Extreme Gear is back! Having first appeared in Sonic Riders, the Extreme Gear flying hoverboards offer a boost-based racing style in Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds. We hope players are excited to see this long-time fan favorite finally return in a Sonic Racing game.

“In Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds, not only did we want to introduce the innovative idea of racing through different worlds as you warp through the Travel Rings, but we also wanted anyone who had fun playing our previous Sonic Racing games to really enjoy this title, so we took a lot of elements from those past games and incorporated them. We included the Extreme Gear from the Sonic Riders series as well as the Transform feature from the All-Stars Racing series, making it a great culmination of all the Sonic Racing series games to date. I hope everyone really enjoys Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds.”
– Takashi Iizuka, Creative Officer, Sonic Team

Closed Network Test

King Dodonpa is putting the finishing touches on the competition now, but PS5 players can sign up for the Closed Network Test for a chance to experience the racetrack sooner! In the CNT, players can experience a bit of everything we mentioned above (except for the Extreme Gear – sorry, we’re saving that one for later!) and compete against players around the world. We hope you’re excited to hit the track with Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds soon. Be sure to wishlist Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds on PlayStation Store to keep it on your radar!