Roundup: Here’s What The Reviews Say About New Xbox Kart Racer Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds
By Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds marks the return of SEGA’s blue blur kart racer, and with Mario Kart World dropping just a few months back on Switch 2, we’ve been eager to see what kind of competition Sonic & the gang can muster up on Xbox.
And, with the game’s release speeding round the corner next week, early reviews are now live for Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds. We’ve gathered a bunch of them up down below, so you can get an idea of how this new Xbox Kart racer stacks up:
Daily Mirror (5/5)
“By doubling down on some seriously in-depth customisation, finding a way to celebrate Sonic in nearly all his incarnations, and embedding new mechanical gimmicks like Travel Rings and the simple yet genius Rivals system into what is already an excellent arcade racer, CrossWorlds has leapt ahead of the competition to provide a racing foundation I can’t wait to see get expanded upon. In almost every regard, this is about as fully formed a kart racing game can get!”
Loot Level Chill (9.5/10)
“Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds isn’t just the best racing game I’ve played all year, it’s the best racing game I’ve played in ages. The racing is frantic and fun, the variety of characters and weapons is impressive, and the amount of content is simply wild. If you go into this kart racer expecting it to struggle against its peers then you’re in for a shock, because Sonic and company are now in a league of their own.”
IGN (9/10)
“Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds fires on all cylinders with a fantastic roster of 24 of my favorite hedgehogs, foxes, echidnas, and more. The lineup of 24 main tracks and 15 Crossworld tracks is the best designed selection we’ve ever gotten in any Sonic racing game, and there is a generationally great soundtrack to accompany them. The racing itself feels fast, fantastic, and intuitive, with lots of options to tweak your stats to your preferred playstyle. There are plenty of modes that entertained my friends and me for hours, and CrossWorlds will probably be a regular staple of hangouts as more courses and characters are added over the coming months,”
TechRadar Gaming (9/10)
“Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds isn’t just the best racing game of the year; it brings a confidence and energy that the genre has rarely seen over the past decade and a half. Especially as arcade-like experiences have largely given way to more straight-faced sim racing affairs. CrossWorlds offers a metric ton of things to do, with loads of tracks, characters, vehicles, and unlockables. The racing itself is also plenty addicting, thrilling, and – most importantly – blazingly fast. Some side modes feel a little underbaked, but this is an incredibly strong package where you absolutely get what you pay for.”
Game Informer (8.5/10)
“Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds offers some exciting twists on the tried-and-true kart-racing formula, making for a streamlined experience that wastes no time getting you into the action. Though there’s substantially less content and replayability than its primary contemporary, Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds is concise and effective in its mission, offering the most well-rounded kart racer of the year.”
Push Square (8/10)
“Some small gripes aside, Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds is a rock solid kart racer that carves its own path. The dimension-hopping races are fun, varied, and fast, and the robust customisation allows players to really tinker with how the game feels. With energetic action, a good range of race types, and plenty of post-launch content on the way, this is an entertaining entry for casual players and hardcore Sonic fans alike.”
VGC (4/5)
“CrossWorlds is a brilliant karting game with satisfying handling, a fun portal mechanic and useful customisation options. Its weapons aren’t as punchy as we’d like and it’s unclear how it’s going to keep players’ attention long-term but it’s a genuine, more traditional alternative to Mario Kart now that Nintendo’s pointed its series in new direction.”
GameSpot (7/10)
“Altogether, Sonic Racing CrossWorlds is a solid package. The single-player modes, meta-goals like collecting gear and vehicle parts, and wealth of customization options to experiment with different play styles, make it easy to recommend for players who like their kart racing with a little more mechanical complexity. Even with slightly underwhelming online offerings, it’s easy to see how Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds has plenty of road ahead of it.”
The Sixth Axis (6/10)
“While it gets plenty of the fundamentals of right, the dimension hopping, character roster and some of the extra modes don’t quite stick the landing. Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds isn’t the best karting game out there, and thirteen years on from Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed, it’s not even the best karting game with a blue hedgehog in it.”
On the whole, initial reviews seem a lot more positive than for predecessor Team Sonic Racing – with CrossWorlds bringing in a Metacritic score of 82 and an Open Critic rating of 84 right now. If you’d like to try the game out to be fully convinced, a free demo has just gone live for this latest Sonic Racing title – and your progress carries over to the full game if you decide to pick it up!
Are you impressed by these Sonic Racing review scores? Chat to us about CrossWorlds down below.