Game intel
Sonic Racing CrossWorlds
Race across land, sea, air, space, and time in Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds! Warp through Travel Rings into new dimensions where something new awaits around every…
This caught my eye because it feels like SEGA finally remembered what made Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed a cult classic: wild crossovers and courses with personality. Mega Man and Proto Man are joining Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds via the Season Pass, with Rush reimagined as the Rush Roadster and a Mega Man-themed course in tow. The game launches globally tomorrow, September 25, 2025, on current-gen consoles, PC, and the Nintendo Switch family – and if you pre-ordered the Digital Deluxe Edition, you can already play the full thing.
SEGA’s latest stream confirmed Mega Man and Proto Man as playable racers, a Mega Man-inspired course, and the Rush Roadster vehicle. It’s part of a broader content plan for CrossWorlds that mixes free updates with a Season Pass. On the free side, SEGA says familiar faces like Joker (Persona) and Kasuga Ichiban (Like a Dragon), plus Hatsune Miku, will arrive for everyone via updates; Miku is already available if you pre-ordered Digital Deluxe. On the paid side, the Season Pass bundles crossover packs with characters, a themed course, and a vehicle for each franchise: Minecraft (Alex, Steve, Creeper), PAC-MAN (Pac-Man and ghosts), SpongeBob SquarePants (SpongeBob and Patrick), and now Mega Man & Proto Man. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and Avatar Legends are teased with details “to come.”
Platform-wise, it’s the full slate: PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, PC, Switch, and later Switch 2. Pricing lands at £54.99 for Standard on Switch, £64.99 for Standard elsewhere, and £69.99/£79.99 for Digital Deluxe (which includes the Season Pass and Sonic Prime characters: Knuckles the Dread, Rusty Rose, Tails Nine). Notably, the Switch 2 version launches digitally this holiday and physically in early 2026, with a paid upgrade path from current Switch models that carries content and progress forward – a rare bit of consumer-friendly clarity in a messy cross-gen era.
Let’s be honest: kart racers live or die on two things — handling and track design. Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed nailed both, with transforming vehicles and tracks that evolved mid-race. Team Sonic Racing narrowed the roster and chased team mechanics; it handled fine, but the vibe felt smaller. CrossWorlds looks like a course correction back toward crossover chaos, which is smart in a world where Mario Kart 8 Deluxe still owns the podium and Disney Speedstorm’s early monetization left a sour taste.
The good sign here is that each Season Pass pack isn’t just a skin drop; we’re getting characters, a themed course, and a vehicle. That’s closer to the Transformed playbook and worth paying attention to. The caution flag: SEGA hasn’t said how many waves the Season Pass includes, how frequently they’ll launch, or whether balance and netcode updates will keep pace. The press language says “cross-platform editions,” but doesn’t confirm cross-play. In 2025, that’s not optional — it’s table stakes. If Sega wants this to stick, cross-play and stable online need to be front and center.
If you’re here for Sonic and a handful of free guest drops over time, the Standard Edition will likely be fine. If you want the full crossover parade (Minecraft, PAC-MAN, SpongeBob, Mega Man now, TMNT and Avatar later), the Digital Deluxe makes more sense because it already includes the Season Pass — and it’s the only way to play early. Just remember: Digital Deluxe is digital-only, so collectors eyeing a physical copy will need to choose between box art now or bundled content later.
On Switch, the lower £54.99 entry is nice, but the real play is the Switch 2 path. If you’re grabbing CrossWorlds on current Switch this week, you’ll be able to pay to upgrade later and keep your progress and content. That’s huge if the Switch 2 version brings better performance or visual stability. We’ll be watching closely to see how the base Switch handles effects-heavy tracks and whether performance hitches show up in split-screen — another area Sega needs to spell out clearly.
Mega Man and Proto Man are crowd-pleasers — and the Rush Roadster is a neat touch — but none of it matters if the drift, boost chains, and rubber-banding aren’t tuned right. Transformed had that delicious, weighty slide-into-boost loop; if CrossWorlds recaptures that feel with imaginative, hazard-rich tracks (give me a Wily Castle set-piece that changes each lap), this could be the first real challenger to Mario Kart’s dominance in years. If it leans too hard into IP skins without track ingenuity, it’ll be another forgettable crossover racer.
The Capcom team-up opens the door for more third-party cameos — a Jet Set Radio or Crazy Taxi course feels inevitable, and I wouldn’t complain about a Phantasy Star twist. Just keep the post-launch cadence steady, keep the online solid, and don’t nickel-and-dime beyond the Season Pass. SEGA’s saying the right things by mixing free character updates with paid packs; now they have to deliver a racer that’s fun at lap 1 and still evolving at lap 100.
Mega Man and Proto Man join Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds as Season Pass content alongside a themed course and vehicle. The game launches Sept. 25, 2025 (Digital Deluxe pre-orders can play now). Some crossover characters will be free via updates, but the meaty packs live in the Season Pass. If SEGA nails handling, track creativity, and online — plus delivers on that Switch 2 upgrade — this could be the crossover kart racer worth sticking with.
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