Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds will continue to expand its content, meaning even more IPs will appear on the track alongside Sonic the Hedgehog and his friends.

The director of Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds revealed that the development team has big surprises planned as part of this year’s post-launch content. Since its release in September, SEGA has regularly added free crossover characters to CrossWorlds, including Hatsune Miku, Joker from Persona, Ichiban Kasuga from Like a Dragon, and most recently, NiGHTS. In addition, SpongeBob SquarePants and Minecraft-based content were added to the paid Season Pass, with more content planned this year based on Pac-Man, Mega Man, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem, and Avatar: The Last Airbender.

SEGA has already confirmed that more free characters will arrive in 2026, and in an interview with Famitsu, Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds director Kohayakawa Masaru promised major surprises for players. He explained that new content will be released continuously throughout the 2026 season, and that more surprises than ever were also prepared for the game’s launch. According to Masaru, SEGA wants this year to be full of surprises for everyone. The Nintendo Switch 2 version of Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds was released last month, with a paid upgrade option available for owners of the Switch version.

Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds is an excellent alternative to the new open-world-focused version of Mario Kart, as Nintendo’s decision to change the Mario Kart World formula makes SEGA’s game the best option for players looking for a more traditional kart racer. Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds offers satisfying handling, entertaining portal mechanics, and useful customization options. Its weapons are not as impactful as one might hope, and it remains unclear how the game will maintain long-term engagement, but it stands as a genuine, more traditional alternative to Mario Kart, especially now that Nintendo has taken the franchise in a new direction.

However, it is questionable how well the game will be preserved on PC, as the use of Denuvo DRM has once again been enforced.

Source: VGC, Famitsu