Mario Kart has been the gold standard of the kart racing genre for years, even as plenty of competitors have tried their hand at replicating one of Nintendo’s biggest runaway successes. One of the best recent examples of this is Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds, which utilizes a large cast and exciting stages to deliver a fun and tightly designed racing experience. It’s a very fun game that nevertheless still feels trapped in Mario Kart‘s shadow.
That feels especially true when taking their respective sales into account, as Mario Kart World is a massive success, while Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds — though far from a flop — has struggled to reach Sega’s expectations for the game. That doesn’t mean the race is over, though. In fact, by leaning into the strengths of the game and the depth of Sega’s library of characters, Sonic Racing may yet have the gas to catch up and cement itself as Mario Kart‘s true rival.
Mario Kart Is Pulling Ahead Of Sonic Racing
Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds is a fun rival to Mario Kart World, but the Sega kart racer is lagging behind its primary competition. The track-hopping racer focused on slick graphics and tight gameplay, delivering on an experience that could genuinely rival Nintendo’s standard-bearer in the genre. The reviews of the games were fairly similar (an 82/100 on Metacritic for Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds, compared to Mario Kart World’s 86/100), with many traditional racing game fans preferring the more refined and specific gameplay of Sega’s newest racer. However, Sonic’s latest bid at unseating Mario’s spot atop the charts fell short.
While Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds was released across multiple platforms and has sold over a million copies since it launched in September 2025, it turns out that those initial results “did not meet our expectations,” according to a presentation by the company. By contrast, Mario Kart World sold over 2 million copies in Japan alone. There are other factors at play here, including Mario Kart World‘s inclusion in many Switch 2 bundles, undoubtedly enhancing those numbers. Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds could easily still turn around those struggles and deliver more sales, but at least at the time of writing, it seems to have seriously fallen behind in the race against Mario Kart. That doesn’t mean that Sonic Racing is fully out of the running, though, and could continue to become a real success for Sega.
How Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds Could Pull Ahead Of Mario Kart
One of the true advantages Sonic Racing has over Mario Kart is in the way it operates as a cross-platform title. While Mario Kart World is a Switch 2 exclusive (and serves as a pretty solid killer app for the console), Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds is currently available on eight platforms: PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, Switch 2, and PC. There’s a cross-platform capability built into the experience as well, which encourages a larger player base and a greater variety of racers. The steady stream of DLC characters and add-ons also invites players of all stripes to keep coming back to the game to test their skills against new challenges. If Sega were to fully lean into that approach, they may be able to find a niche Mario Kart World has left behind.
The latest iteration of the Nintendo racing franchise is the most ambitious version of the series to date, but the need for a Switch 2 and the more experimental gameplay might limit its recurring player base. If Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds is able to keep pumping out new tracks and new racers on the regular, all while refining the gameplay, it could become the retro racer that Mario Kart 8 was for Nintendo Switch players. Deep-cut character additions to the roster are a fun way to appeal to Sonic’s fan base, while the inclusion of more Sega characters and concepts could further cement the game as the publisher’s answer to Mario Kart in the eyes of players, regardless of which console or platform they use.
There’s even room for more experimentation with new modes or challenges, which could continue to add unique variety to the experience. Bringing in different characters from other franchises and tweaking courses to fit those characters would be a delight, similar to how the game’s Minecraft additions led to some stages that feel perfectly attuned to that game while still working well within the overall experience. Sega could even take cues from other franchises like Yakuza and their own kart racing mini-games, adding more depth and modes to the experience. The gameplay for Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds is great and could easily justify more expansion with further DLC. If Sega keeps that momentum up, they could keep players racing — and bringing in new players along the way. While Mario has pulled ahead of Sonic in the current kart race, the Sega mascot is far from finished.
