This past weekend, Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds crowned its first World Champion following an exciting and highly competitive World Championship Finals. Over the summer, more than 40,000 players worldwide competed in the Online Qualifiers, all vying for one of 24 spots in the 2026 World Championship. The 24 finalists, representing countries including the United States, Mexico, Japan, Great Britain, France, Spain, and more, traveled to New York City to compete on the CrossWorlds tracks. After four hours of intense racing, Exponso from Mexico emerged victorious, claiming the title of World Champion!
During the World Championship Finals livestream, SEGA also unveiled a detailed roadmap for Year Two of Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds, which officially kicks off on Tuesday, November 3, 2026.
The upcoming updates will bring a variety of new content and features to the game, including:
Major Day One Updates
Duel Mode – In Year Two of Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds, battle your way to the finish line with the thrilling, all-new 1v1 Duel Mode. In Duel Mode, players race against a single opponent where item tactics and the new Duel Boost mechanic play critical roles in overcoming the competition. The game-changing Duel Boost gauge is filled over time – and with frequent item usage and – can be used strategically to gain large bursts of speed throughout the race. And with the ability to see your opponents’ items, gadgets, and race position, playing offense and defense with your own items is key to gaining and keeping the advantage. Duel Mode can be played in the following ways:
Rival Duel Match- Offline matches against CPU Rivals (Free and owned Paid DLC characters). Defeat all Rivals to earn rewards, including a special Machine.
Duel Match (Free Match) – Online races against random player opponents in a free matchmaking environment.
Duel Match (Best-of-10) – Limited-Time online events with special rules, Duel Class ranks, and Medal rewards for competitive play.
Friend Match – Online races against friends with customizable Race Rules, Items, and CrossWorlds.
Gadget System Upgrade – A new gadget plate, the Grand Master Plate, gets introduced at the beginning of Year Two, which adds a 7th “Super Slot” for 1-slot gadgets. Any 1-slot gadget that’s placed into the Super Slot will have its boosted effect even more amplified, opening up more combinations and possibilities for creative gadget builds. Also, 15 new gadgets will be introduced on Day One to the robust collection of race-changing performance boosts, with more to come with future content updates.
Post-Launch Characters as CPU Racers – Both Free characters and Paid DLC characters introduced to the Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds roster after its September 25, 2025 release will now show up as CPU opponents in both online and offline modes.
Year Two Free Characters – Year Two brings new racers and machines to the already expansive CrossWorlds roster. The first three free characters were announced as part of the Year Two showcase:
Bayonetta – Fan-favorite Bayonetta graces CrossWorlds with her presence. Bayonetta will be available on November 3, 2026 as a character to be unlocked via Rival Duel matches.
McLaren Racing – A Speed-type machine modeled after the real racing car, driven by Sonic in McLaren’s Papaya and Anthracite livery. Available later in November 2026.
Aigis – A member of the Specialized Extracurricular Execution Squad and a transfer student at Gekkoukan High, Aigis enters the race with her Palladion Dressy, an Acceleration-type machine, in early 2027.
Each free character drop will be followed by a uniquely themed, Limited Time Event Festival, which offers bonus content rewards that players can earn by participating in and winning Festival races. All new Festivals will now be active for ten days straight, while past fan-favorite Festivals will return for shorter timeframes.
Season Pass Two brings an all-new roadmap of six premium DLC Packs, all based on exciting collaborations with iconic entertainment franchises and each offering a uniquely themed package of CrossWorlds game content. The purchasable DLCs include:
DLC Pack #1 – Godzilla Pack – Releasing November 3, 2026
Course: Godzilla Escape
Machines: Godzilla Cruiser, King Ghidorah Coupe, Mothra Surf
Additional Jukebox music tracks
Additional sounds
DLC Pack #2 – EVANGELION Pack – Releasing January 2027
Course: Tokyo-III
Racers: Rei Ayanami, Asuka Shikinami Langley
Machines: EVA-01 (TEST TYPE), EVA-00 (PROTO TYPE), EVA-02 (PRODUCTION MODEL)
Additional Jukebox music tracks
Additional character emotes
Additional sounds
DLC Pack #3 – Virtual Sanrio Puroland Pack – Releasing Q2 2027
Course: Virtual Sanrio Puroland
Racers: Hello Kitty, Kuromi
Machines: Hello Kitty Apple Kart, Kuromi Charming Cruiser
Additional Jukebox music tracks
Additional character emotes
Additional sounds
DLC Pack #4 – SEGALAND Pack – Releasing Q3 2027
Course: SEGALAND
Machines: After Burner, OutRun, Super Megalo
Additional Jukebox music tracks
Additional sounds
DLC Pack #5 – Midgar Pack (Working Title) from the FINAL FANTASY VII Remake Series – Releasing Q3 2027
DLC Pack #6 – Reload Revival Royal Pack from the Persona Series – Releasing Q4 2027
Bonus Season Pass Two Content #1 – SEGA Controllers Decal Pack – Available starting October 9, 2026
Decals: GENESIS Controller, SEGA SATURN Controller, Dreamcast Controller, Dreamcast Visual Memory Unit
Bonus Season Pass Two Content #2 – SEGA Consoles Pack – Available for purchase starting November 3, 2026
Machines: Genesis Tower US, SegaSaturn JP, Dreamcast EU
Bonus Season Pass One + Two Content – Super Shadow – Available for purchase starting November 3, 2026 (must own both Season Pass One and Season Pass Two)
Racer: Super Shadow
Machine: Super Dark Flare
In addition to all of the above updates, the suite of Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds game products will be undergoing a number of changes to appeal to both the dedicated players looking to expand their CrossWorlds experience and the brand-new players looking to enter the race for the very first time:
Standard Edition & Digital Deluxe Edition price-drop – Effective immediately, the Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds Standard Edition price will be permanently reduced from $69.99 USD down to $39.99 USD and the Digital Deluxe Edition from $89.99 down to $59.99 USD.
Season Pass Two – The new Season Pass Two can be purchased now for $29.99 USD for all platforms where Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds is available. It also contains both the SEGA Controllers Decal Pack (available starting October 9, 2026) and the SEGA Consoles Pack (available starting November 3, 2026). The Super Shadow racer and machine will also be granted as bonus content for owners of both Season Pass One and Season Pass Two.
Year Two Digital Deluxe Edition – The Year Two Digital Deluxe Edition can be purchased now for $59.99 USD for all platforms where Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds is available. The product includes the Standard Edition of the game and Season Pass Two. Current owners of Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds should not purchase this Edition, as they will receive a redundant copy of Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds Standard Edition.
Year One Edition (Physical) – The Year One Edition can be purchased for $59.99 USD at select retail stores. This physical product includes the Standard Edition of the game and Season Pass One; it also contains
The 35th Anniversary reversible coversheet
The 35th Anniversary logo patch
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