A high-speed multiverse makeover with sparks of brilliance — and a few spinning rings.
Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds arrives on the Nintendo Switch 2 with the confidence of a veteran racer stepping into a freshly tuned machine. The original release already carved out a unique identity within the kart-racing landscape, but this new Switch 2 Edition feels like the version Sega always intended to ship. It’s sharper, smoother, more stable, and more vibrant — yet still unmistakably CrossWorlds, with all its wild highs and occasional frustrations.
For players wondering whether this upgraded edition is finally ready to challenge the genre leaders, the answer is: it depends entirely on what you want from a kart racer. Because CrossWorlds isn’t trying to be Mario Kart. It isn’t trying to be Crash Team Racing. It’s aiming for something stranger, more chaotic, and more unpredictable — a multiverse-hopping arcade racer powered by spectacle and momentum.
And on that front, it absolutely delivers.
Performance & Visuals: The Engine Finally Roars
The Switch 2’s increased horsepower gives CrossWorlds the room it desperately needed. The game now maintains a steady 60 frames per second both docked and handheld, with far cleaner image quality and more stable lighting than the original Switch release.
CrossWorlds’ trademark dimension-shifting tracks — which warp players from seaside highways to volcanic caverns to sky-level flight paths — benefit immensely from the enhanced clarity. Colours pop, track details remain readable even at high speeds, and special effects no longer tank the frame rate during heavy action.
This version also supports higher-fidelity textures, faster loads, and smoother split-screen multiplayer. For local multiplayer households, this is a meaningful upgrade: the Switch 1 version often struggled with performance dips during 3–4 player split-screen, but Switch 2 handles it like a breeze.
Simply put, this is the strongest console version of CrossWorlds to date.
Gameplay: A Beautiful, Glorious Mess
CrossWorlds confidently leans into chaos in a way few kart racers dare. This is not a game built on precision drifting or tight apex discipline. Instead, it thrives on unpredictability — and sometimes outright absurdity.
Track Morphing & Transformations
The defining feature remains its shifting track architecture. Mid-race, the course can suddenly twist open, sending racers through glowing portals into entirely new environments. One moment you’re drifting under neon billboards in a futuristic city; the next, you’re skimming waves in a speedboat or soaring through an aerial ring-run as your kart sprouts wings.
The transitions are consistently entertaining, sometimes breathtaking, and often disorienting — which is precisely the intent. This is a racer built on the thrill of constant discovery.
Vehicle Customisation & Loadout Tuning
Where the game finds true depth is in its extensive vehicle-modification system. Players can tweak engine classes, handling types, boost behaviours, gadgets, and character-specific perks to craft wildly different playstyles.
Do you want a build focused on ring-collection economy? One that weaponises near-misses into speed boosts? A tank-style hovercraft that shrugs off chaotic track changes?
CrossWorlds gives you the toys — and encourages experimentation.
This feature alone offers a layer of strategy and long-term engagement rare in the kart-racing genre.
Handling: Fun, but Not Always Precise
However, the handling model remains the game’s biggest sticking point. Karts often feel floaty, especially during drifts, and landing from jumps can produce inconsistent momentum. Boost chains don’t snap with the tight responsiveness of traditional kart racers, and veteran players seeking mechanical mastery may find the lack of precision frustrating.
CrossWorlds deliberately prioritises style and spectacle over competitive nuance — but racers who demand technical rigour may find this design philosophy limiting.
Content & Structure: Generous but Uneven
CrossWorlds offers a large character roster, a full campaign, online and offline multiplayer, time trials, challenge events, and a variety of vehicle customisation options. The amount of content is respectable and will satisfy players who enjoy long-term progression.
The Good
- 24+ playable characters, with stylistic variety and unique perks.
- Dozens of tracks, many featuring unpredictable transformations.
- Split-screen and online multiplayer, with cross-platform play.
- A creative campaign mode, taking an episodic, dimension-hopping narrative approach.
The Less Good
Some modes feel less polished or compelling. The story, while charmingly campy, can drag in places. Certain challenge types feel recycled. And although the roster is large, not every character feels distinct in practice due to shared behaviour archetypes.
Still, the package as a whole offers excellent value — especially for Switch 2 players coming in fresh.
Comparison to Genre Leaders: A Category of Its Own
It’s inevitable that CrossWorlds will be compared to the giants of the kart-racing world. But doing so is tricky, because it doesn’t truly compete in the same lane.
Versus Mario Kart
Mario Kart is defined by its polish, consistency, accessibility, and impeccable handling. CrossWorlds, by contrast, is wild, volatile, and experimental. Where Mario Kart rewards precision, CrossWorlds rewards adaptability.
Versus Crash Team Racing
Crash offers the deepest, most skill-driven kart racing mechanics on modern consoles. CrossWorlds counters with chaotic track design, gadget-based strategy, and a more forgiving skill floor.
CrossWorlds’ Niche
CrossWorlds sits somewhere between a party racer and a multiverse action game — a hybrid of kart racing and unpredictable arcade spectacle. For players who enjoy unpredictability, creative builds, and cinematic track transformations, CrossWorlds offers something uniquely refreshing.
Pros & Cons
Pros
- Massively improved performance on Switch 2 — stable 60fps, sharper visuals, faster loads
- Innovative dimension-shifting tracks that continually reinvent races
- Extensive customisation system with meaningful gameplay impact
- Large character roster and plenty of content across modes
- Split-screen and cross-platform online multiplayer
- A uniquely chaotic, high-energy kart-racing identity
Cons
- Floaty, inconsistent handling compared to genre leaders
- Chaos and track randomness may frustrate competitive players
- Some challenge modes and story beats feel uneven
- Character distinctions blur due to shared behaviour archetypes
- Not as mechanically deep or precise as Mario Kart or Crash Team Racing
Verdict: Chaotic, Charming, and Distinct — But Not for Everyone
Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds – Nintendo Switch 2 Edition is a better, bolder version of an already distinctive racer. Its upgraded performance finally does justice to its ambitious visual style, and its creative track design and deep customisation options give it a personality entirely its own.
However, its loose handling, occasional imbalance, and commitment to unpredictability mean it won’t replace the traditional kart-racing gold standards. It is a racer built for fun, not fairness — for chaos, not competitive purity.
If you love variety, spectacle and surprises, CrossWorlds might become your new favourite kart racer. If you crave tight mechanics and consistent racing lines, this isn’t that game.
Either way, there’s nothing else quite like it — and on Switch 2, it finally shines the way it was meant to.
