Sonic the Hedgehog has always been about going fast. Most of the time, he speeds through different worlds, collecting rings and thwarting the evil Dr. Eggman's plans for total conquest. Once in a while though, the crew puts its differences aside and heads to the racetrack for some kart racing.

Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds marks Sega's first trip back to the racetrack since 2019's Team Sonic Racing. This time, racetracks combine in unpredictable ways thanks to massive portals to other dimensions, while a deep customization system gives players more agency with their racers than ever before. 

Sonic's kart racing exploits have typically driven under the radar, but after trying it out at Summer Game Fest, Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds feels like it could be the game to finally break through. 
 

World traveler

Races begin like any other kart racer: A timer counts down, racers start their engines in hopes of garnering a little boost, and then when the timer hits zero, everyone is off. The racetrack is lined with items to help gain extra advantages, players can drift and charge a boost meter for extra speed, while marks on the track offer a temporary speed boost when driven over. So far, this is standard fare for kart racing games. 

The first wrinkle players will notice is seamless transitions between road, air, and water travel. Each kart can transform into a plane or boat by driving through a special gate, which then offers alternate routes throughout each stage. Some transformations offer unique advantages. The boat, for example, can charge the drift meter without drifting, giving the player a constant charged speed boost whenever they want one. 

The second major change is hard to miss: The second lap of each Grand Prix race in our Summer Game Fest demo began with racers driving through a massive portal and appearing on an entirely different track. And in a clever twist, the track on the other side of the portal isn't random—it's chosen by whoever is in the lead as the portal draws near.

As the leader approaches the big portal, two stage options appear in front of them, and they can choose which track they want by shifting to the corresponding side. Once they drive over their selection, the portal fires up, and the race continues in a new arena. 

The final race of the Grand Prix uses this idea in a slightly different way, connecting the three previous player-chosen tracks from the Grand Prix, but each track is assigned one of the three laps of the race. Racers still travel through the portals, but the leader doesn't get to choose anymore, which evens the playing field for the rest of the players.

The transition between stages is always impressive. Seeing a whole new stage appear in the blink of an eye—and feeling the dynamic of the race change as each player adjusts—is really cool. It's hard to describe how quickly the game was able to load each new stage, and hard to fathom how the developers pulled this off.
 

Race your way

The most impactful addition to Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds, though, is the full customization suite. Other kart racers allow players to change drivers, karts, and a few other odds and ends. Here, not only do you get access to all of those, but you also get to experience the game-changing Gadget system. 

Gadgets are equipped to your racer in a special customization screen, and they range from extra boost speed to more powerful weapons and more. Every car can equip the same types of Gadgets, but there is a hidden complexity to this system that really takes it over the top. 

In our demo, we were able to equip a Gadget that added a fourth level to the Boost Charge gauge, which could provide an even more potent speed boost. We then equipped a Gadget that allowed us to power up the second Boost Charge gauge's level faster, meaning we could get from Level 1 to Level 3 quickly. Finally, our third Gadget offered a sizable buff to our character's stats on the final lap of a race. 

All of these Gadgets worked great together, and made our Dr. Eggman a force to be reckoned with, especially in the final lap. Charging to Level 4 and then firing off the boost allowed us to pass multiple racers in a hurry, and helped us take the first-place podium in both of our demo Grand Prixs. 

With more experimentation, the Gadget system could turn out to be an influential new arrival in the world of kart racing games. We saw builds that focused on making a racer as stalwart as possible, so they didn't get knocked off-track or lose any Rings by colliding with a wall or another racer. Other builds were offense-focused, adding more potency to the items those racers used. The possibilities seem endless, and we wish we got more time to tinker with the Gadgets.

On the surface, Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds may look like another Sonic racing game, but at its core, there's a lot here that could help it stand out from the crowd. The seamless transition between each world never disappoints, while the Gadget system will be a mad scientist's lab (worthy of Dr. Eggman) for racers trying to find the best builds possible. 

Plus, while they weren't in the Summer Game Fest demo, Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds will include Hatsune Miku, Ichiban Kasuga (Like A Dragon), Joker (Persona 5), Steve (Minecraft), and potentially many more characters, and that's just neat.

Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds launches September 25 on the Epic Games Store, and is available for pre-purchase now.