SEGA released a new trailer for their upcoming Sonic Racing game, Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds. Along with the trailer we were given a list of game modes that will be included with the game on release along with a small descriptor about them. Along with the game modes, the trailer revealed the newest racer announced for the Season Pass as well as confirmation about an Open Network Test that will be available for free on PC and all major consoles.
Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds Game Modes
Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds, the highly anticipated follow-up to Sonic Team Racing (although let’s be real, this is a follow-up to Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed) has released a list and descriptor of all the game modes included at release. A lot of this information will be expected, but it’s nice to see that variety is included and we’re getting more than just a grand prix and online mode. The list includes game modes, a rival system, local matching, and cross-platform matchmaking.
- Game Modes
- Grand Prix – Compete solo or with friends in local split screen co-op for first place in one of 7 cups (comprised of 4 races each). Racers are awarded points based on their placements at the end of races, and the racer with the most points at the end wins!
- World Match – Test your skills and compete online against 11 other players. Earn Rank Points, increase your World Rank, and aim for the top!
- Friend Match – Play with up to 11 other players online in custom lobbies where you can control all aspects of a race such as Speed, Team Size, Course/CrossWorlds, AI Difficulty, Frenzy Gates, Items, and Rule Sets.
- Race Park – Change up the rules and teams online and offline in this party mode that features six unique race formats.
- Time Trial – Compete for the best time on individual courses and aim for the top of the Leaderboard Rankings.
- Custom Match – Play with up to 4 players offline split-screen where you can control all aspects of a race such as Speed, Team Size, Courses/CrossWorlds, AI Difficulty, Frenzy Gates, Items, and Rule Sets.
- Rival System – With the new Rival System, players are randomly assigned a rival racer for the duration of the four Grand Prix races. The rival will playfully taunt the main racer with unique dialogue interactions and pose an ongoing challenge, allowing for fun competition within the main races.
- Four Player Local Co-Op – Compete against friends for first place with local co-op! Hop on the same device and see who has what it takes with up to four players and split screen capabilities.
- Cross-Platform Matchmaking – Players can also look forward to racing online with up to 11 other friends! With cross-platform matchmaking, players on one platform can connect to and race against players racing on other platforms.
Granted, this is just copy from the PR team, fairly sanitized, and not too descriptive. Which might explain why they consider competitive local play as co-op. We’re also seeing a lot of things we should be expecting from an online arcade racer. But more importantly, it looks like Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds is shaping up to be a proper successor to the series, and dang if that trailer doesn’t make it look fun.
Season Pass DLC Including PAC-MAN Along With Themed Track
PAC-MAN’s having quite the year, with the release of Shadow Labyrinth and now being included in SEGA’s new Sonic & Friends racing title. Including PAC-MAN is cool enough but a track inspired by the legendary PAC-MAN, a hero older than the blue blur, is quite something. Also, very cool that Sonic is getting added to PAC-MAN World Re-Pac 2. Not something I was expecting. PAC-MAN will be joining Minecraft Steve, Spongebob and Patrick, the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, and Avatar as Season Pass DLC characters.
Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds Open Network Test
Starting on Friday, August 29th, 2025 Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds will host an Open Network Test for free on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, PC, and Nintendo Switch. Specifically, the network test is NOT available for PlayStation 4 and Xbox One users. The website has a lot of details about the network test including key dates and times, supported modes, and regions where the network test will NOT be taking place.
SEGA would like you to know that local split-screen multiplayer is NOT supported for the open network test, and save data will NOT carry over to the full game. However, it seems like a supreme opportunity to play around with the game and see if it matches your vibe. Keeping in mind that the end-product will likely perform better than the open network test. Below, I’ll list the dates and times based on time zone for when the test goes live.
- United States (PST) Thurs, Aug. 28, 9:00 p.m. to Mon, Sept. 1, 9:00 p.m.
- United States (EST) Friday, Aug. 29, 12:00 a.m. to Tuesday, Sept. 2, 12:00 a.m.
- United Kingdom (UTC) Fri, Aug. 29, 4:00 a.m. to Tues, Sept. 2, 4:00 a.m.
- Japan (JST) Fri, Aug. 29, 1:00 p.m. to Tues, Sept. 2, 1:00 p.m.
Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds releases on September 25th, 2025 for PlayStation 4 & 5, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch 1 & 2, and PC via Steam and Epic Games Store. The Open Network Test dates and times are posted above based on time zone. Stay tuned to MonsterVine for more information on Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds, SEGA products, and Gamescom.
