Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds for Nintendo Switch – Comprehensive Review and Comparison to Mario Kart World

Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds Accelerates Onto Nintendo Switch – Full Review and Mario Kart World Comparison The kart racing genre is enjoying a renaissance on Nintendo Switch in 2025, with heavyweights like Mario Kart World, Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds, and Kirby Air Riders set to captivate fans.

Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds, developed by Sonic Team and published by SEGA, made its debut on the platform on September 25, 2025.

Building on the legacy of titles like Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed, this latest installment strives to deliver a high-quality experience for Switch owners.

However, as is often the case with demanding racers on Nintendo’s hardware, some compromises are present. Gameplay and Customization: Refined Racing with Strategic Depth Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds sets itself apart with a meticulously crafted gameplay loop and robust customization options.

Racing across vibrant courses feels responsive and skillful, with tight controls that reward mastery.

Players can personalize their karts down to the front, rear, wheels, and even color schemes.

The game introduces a unique gadget system, letting players equip abilities ranging from pre-race boosts to powerful power-ups, offering new layers of strategy as drivers configure their loadouts to match personal playstyles and objectives. The game further encourages progression through its Grand Prix mode.

Before each Grand Prix begins, a rival racer with enhanced AI and speed is selected, creating dynamic challenges on every run.

What stands out is the game’s substantial volume of character interactions—every base game driver boasts unique dialogue for each other racer, resulting in hundreds of memorable exchanges that add personality and replay value. Course Variety and Online Play Level design in Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds is both creative and technically sound.

Tracks are full of twists, turns, and cleverly designed set pieces, with a visual spectacle delivered through CrossWorld portals.

On the second lap of each Grand Prix race, players may enter one of two portals, seamlessly transitioning to a new track for a lap—adding excitement and variety to each session.

The game’s vibrant graphics and energetic soundtrack further enhance immersion.

Online multiplayer performs solidly, with smooth cross-platform matchmaking providing ample competition for racing fans across different systems. Comparison to Mario Kart World: Emphasis on Skill Given Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds’ arrival in a year packed with prominent kart racers, inevitable comparisons to Mario Kart World arise.

One key divergence is the focus on skillful driving and consistency; races are less chaotic, featuring 12 competitors as opposed to Mario Kart World’s 24, resulting in less congested tracks.

While items remain a factor, their impact is generally less disruptive, placing more importance on navigation and timing.

For newcomers, in-game tutorials concisely explain each item’s functionality, supporting accessibility across the player base. Expansive Roster and Crossover Appeal The character lineup is a highlight: in addition to Sonic mainstays, previously omitted favorites like Jet the Hawk, Cream and Cheese, as well as Espio and Charmy return.

The real draw, however, lies in an impressive array of crossover characters—including DLc additions such as SpongeBob, Joker from Persona 5, Steve from Minecraft, Hatsune Miku, Pac-Man, and Mega Man.

With 56 playable characters, there’s tremendous variety, though most crossover racers are not fully voice-acted and lack bespoke rival interactions—a limitation explained by Sonic Team head Takashi Iizuka, who noted in an interview that licensing arrangements complicate voice work for external properties. Performance on Nintendo Switch: Technical Challenges Performance on the Nintendo Switch version demands scrutiny.

While docked, single-player mode delivers an acceptable experience, but the action is capped at 30 frames per second—a compromise for a game so reliant on speed and fluidity.

Handheld mode is noticeably blurry, and split-screen multiplayer sees significant frame drops, sometimes as low as 20 frames per second or less.

Even menu navigation can stutter, particularly when examining detailed character models.

SEGA has confirmed a Nintendo Switch 2 upgrade is in the works, with a physical edition planned for early next year.

Until those enhancements arrive, potential players may wish to consider alternate platforms for the optimal racing experience. Final Verdict Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds is a dense, feature-rich kart racer that reaches impressive heights in gameplay design, customization, and crossover appeal—even if the Nintendo Switch iteration is technically limited in its current state.

Fans of previous Sonic racing entries will find plenty to love, and the diverse character selection means there’s a racer for nearly everyone.

However, given substantial performance constraints, those eager for the best experience may want to wait for the Nintendo Switch 2 update—or seek out the title on higher-powered hardware.

Regardless, this entry stands among Sonic’s strongest racing adventures to date. (Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds review code provided by the publisher for evaluation.)

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