Sonic Racing: Crossworlds just declared war on Mario Kart by becoming the true Smash Bros. of kart racers, bringing drivers from Minecraft, Persona, Yakuza—oh, and Hatsune Miku
A new challenger approaches.
At today's Summer Game Fest showcase, Sega showed a new trailer for Sonic Racing: Crossworlds, its latest kart racer starring hedgehogs and their various friends who, despite being extremely fast as their whole deal, still apparently need cars sometimes.
The trailer, which you can watch embedded above, isn't just the latest look at Crossworlds gameplay: It's Sega throwing down a gauntlet. Sure, the Sonic-starring racer might be releasing in the same year as Mario Kart hits Switch 2, but this time the hedgehog's brought backup.
And yes, that is Hatsune Miku behind the wheel.
Sega is essentially positioning Sonic Racing as the Smash Bros. of kart racers. While Sonic and friends raced through gravity-defying crossing cityscapes and waterways, they were soon ed by Joker from Persona 5, Like a Dragon successor protagonist Ichiban Kasuga, and—hold your applause—global vocaloid sensation Hatsune Miku.
Unlike other kart racing games, this game will have online cross-platform matchmaking.
Takashi Iizuka
Following the trailer, Summer Game Fest founder and host Geoff Keighley welcomed Takashi Iizuka, head of Sonic Team, to the stage, and he wasted no time in doubling down on the kart racing beef. "Unlike other kart racing games," Iizuka said, this game will have online cross-platform matchmaking."
I'm sure I don't need to tell you that the crowd enjoyed the jab.
But Iizuka had more. Giving one last glimpse at Crossworlds, he played a second teaser showing that one more guest racer is coming to Sonic Racing: Steve from Minecraft.
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Everyone is here! In cars!
Sonic Racing: Crossworlds launches on September 25, 2025. You can wishlist it on Steam now.
Lincoln has been writing about games for 11 years—unless you include the essays about procedural storytelling in Dwarf Fortress he convinced his college professors to accept. Leveraging the brainworms from a youth spent in World of Warcraft to write for sites like Waypoint, Polygon, and Fanbyte, Lincoln spent three years freelancing for PC Gamer before ing on as a full-time News Writer in 2024, bringing an expertise in Caves of Qud bird diplomacy, getting sons killed in Crusader Kings, and hitting dinosaurs with hammers in Monster Hunter.
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