Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds, which lands on the Epic Games Store on September 25, is shaping up to be Sonic the Hedgehog's most ambitious racing game yet.

One aspect that has Sonic fans particularly excited is the blistering tracks that Sonic and crew will be racing through, many of which have been cherry-picked from throughout the franchise’s rich history. Get ready to race down memory lane as we take a look at the history behind some of Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds’ iconic courses.
 

Apotos (Sonic Unleashed)

Apotos will be playable for the first time since 2008's Sonic Unleashed. This Greece-inspired seaside town was the backdrop for the start of Sonic's adventure in that game, where he crash landed after first transforming into a Werehog (who will also be playable if you pre-order!) and being jettisoned from space by Eggman. The town’s twisty, turny coastal roads make for the perfect high-speed racecourse. Whereas the original level had Sonic grinding along rails over the ocean, the transformative nature of the game’s vehicles enable racers to soar over the vast blue seas, no rails required.
 

Digital Circuit (Shadow the Hedgehog)

This one’s a relatively deep cut featured in the oft-maligned Shadow the Hedgehog video game from 2005. Shadow’s mission in this digital dimension was to either recover a Chaos Emerald for the government or destroy humanity's digital infrastructure for the malevolent, world-conquering alien Black Doom, depending on which morality path the player chose. It seems that the realm’s digital defenses remain alive and well in CrossWorlds, including giant laser grids that require precise maneuvering to get around.
 

Dinosaur Jungle (Sonic and the Secret Rings)

2007’s Sonic and the Secret Rings was among the most experimental Sonic games at the time in terms of level designs and tropes. Perhaps that’s to be expected, considering the game takes place in a giant storybook—namely, the iconic The Arabian Nights. While I’ve never read those stories, I’m fairly certain that there weren’t any dinosaurs in them. Regardless, Dinosaur Jungle was a fun addition to that game, wherein Sonic races through a prehistoric jungle in search of the seven mysterious World Rings, the keys to returning to his dimension. Dinosaurs and cacti dot the environment, creating unique challenges for the racers to overcome.
 

Dragon Road (Sonic Unleashed)

Sonic and his partner, Chip, first traveled to Dragon Road in 2008’s Sonic Unleashed in search of a Chaos Emerald to help restore the continents, which had broken apart thanks to Eggman’s zany antics. Their adventure in this China-themed area was capped off with a battle against the Dark Gaia Phoenix, an ancient deity that once protected the nearby temple but had become corrupted by a dark influence that only affected creatures at night. Unfortunately it seems old habits die hard, as the Dark Gaia Phoenix is once again corrupted in this course, sending its flaming feathers raining down on the racers.
 

Galactic Parade (Sonic Colors)

Based on Starlight Carnival from 2010’s Sonic Colors, Galactic Parade is a giant party in the sky, complete with fireworks and colorful battleships that contrast against the black backdrop of space. Even the roads are made of light, forming in front of the racers as they travel down each one. It’s one of many areas that made up Eggman's Incredible Interstellar Amusement Park, which was actually a front Eggman used for harvesting tiny energy-based aliens called Wisps to take over the world. Naturally, everything in this course is out to kill Sonic and his friends, including lines of Eggman mechs that shoot giant lasers at the racers as they zoom by. 
 

Kronos Island (Sonic Frontiers)

When Sonic and his friends head to the Starfall Islands to track down a Chaos Emerald in 2022’s Sonic Frontiers, they end up getting separated by a giant wormhole. Sonic wakes up alone on this mysterious grassy island, where ancient robots small and large roam about, seeking to squash any intruders they spot. Some robots, like the infamous and meme-worthy Squid, create large electric raceways in the sky that racers can traverse. Just be careful not to fall off! If Frontiers is any indication, getting back on that path will be much easier said than done.
 

Metal Harbor (Sonic Adventure 2)

This one’s a fan-favorite course from 2001’s Sonic Adventure 2. After Sonic is mistaken for a thief by the military thanks to Shadow the Hedgehog’s crimes, he finds himself imprisoned on Prison Island. After being rescued by Amy, he makes his grand escape, zipping around military drones and zooming up a giant rocket in an attempt to flee. Racers on this course will have their hands full leaping from one warship to the next while avoiding lumbering mechs.
 

Mystic Jungle (Sonic Forces)

What does Eggman do when he sets up a base in a jungle? Why, turn it into a casino, of course. This area is featured extensively in 2017’s Sonic Forces as a battlefield where Sonic and co. face off against Eggman’s forces as they try to liberate the world from his control. Waterways snake around this colorful course—oh, and there are literal snakes, too. From the footage we’ve seen so far, the reptiles seem to be keeping to themselves this time around—unlike in Forces, where Sonic must fight his way out of a snake’s mouth before finishing the level.
 

Northstar Islands (Sonic Superstars)

Even one of the most recent Sonic games is getting some love in CrossWorlds. The Northstar Islands combine several of the colorful levels from 2023’s Sonic Superstars, including Bridge Island, Speed Jungle, and Press Factory, the latter of which features massive hydraulic presses that strike the ground with enough force to send racers flying—or crush them if they don’t get their timing just right. To get yourself acquainted with these areas and obstacles before CrossWorlds comes out, why not pick up a copy of Sonic Superstars on the Epic Games Store?
 

Roulette Road (Sonic Heroes)

Roulette Road is an amalgam of two levels from 2003’s Sonic Heroes: Casino Park and BINGO Highway. Sonic and friends are on an epic adventure to hunt down Eggman, who says he will conquer the world in three days if they don’t stop him. This location sees them bounce around like pinballs on giant game boards, some of which incorporate bingo into the mix for a chance to win some extra goodies. Racers will have to keep their wits about them when going around the giant spinning roulette wheels designed to throw them off course. Oh, and also watch out for the giant roulette balls that can potentially smash racers to bits.
 

Sand Road (Sonic Adventure)

This desert track is based off of Sand Hill from 1998’s Sonic Adventure. After failing to catch up to Eggman’s flying battleship, the Egg Carrier, Sonic and Tails become separated. Tails determines that to stop Eggman, he needs a Chaos Emerald to power up his plane. A series of wacky antics involving a tailed frog possessed by a sentient water monster (it makes sense in context) leads him to a sandboarding minigame. Tails can relive his sandboarding days on this course, which now features more obstacles from other Sonic games like Caterkillers and Boos from Sonic Adventure 2.
 

Water Palace (Sonic Rush)

This is one of the more unique levels from 2005’s Sonic Rush. In it, Sonic and Blaze the Cat run along the surface of water, blast up waterspouts and slide down raging waterways as they chase Eggman and his new evil counterpart, Eggman Nega. Of course, most of the racers in CrossWorlds don’t have the speed to stay afloat above the palace’s expanses of water, which makes their transforming vehicles the perfect equalizers. The palace has apparently invested in a new aquarium, complete with jellyfish tanks, further enhancing the watery nature of this classic Sonic course.

This is only a sampling of the many locations from throughout Sonic’s history that’ll make their return in Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds. Other areas include Sweet Mountain from Sonic Colors, Holoska from Sonic Unleashed, Metropolis Speedway from Sonic Free Riders, Cyber Space from Sonic Frontiers, and White Space from Sonic X Shadow Generations, just to name a few. Relive your nostalgia in a fresh new way—alongside many brand-new tracks that may someday become classics of their own—when Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds hits the Epic Games Store on September 25.