Few would argue against the fact that Sega has done a very good job with Sonic Racing: Crossworlds, which was already pretty massive when it was released and has since been expanded rapidly. It seems to have been particularly popular on PC, PlayStation, and Xbox, which have long been lacking a new, lavish, and entertaining kart game.
The premise is that Sega releases its own guest appearances (such as Hatsune Miku, Ichiban Kasuga, and Nights, complete with accompanying cars) as free DLC, while guest appearances from other IPs (such as Minecraft, SpongeBob, and Pac-Man, complete with accompanying cars and new tracks) are included in the Season Pass or purchased separately.
This has led to a really packed game, but apparently Sega has only just begun. In a Famitsu interview, its game director Ken Kobayakawa says that 2026 will be a year of many surprises and a focus on the fun of gaming (translated by Stealth):
"We released Sonic Racing CrossWorlds in September 2025. Thanks in part to the over 30 years of racing game know-how we've accumulated since Sega Rally, the game has been well-received by players all over the world.
We plan to continue providing service throughout the season in 2026, but we've also prepared many more amazing surprises than at launch. We're aiming to make this a year in which we'll surprise everyone, centered on the 'fun of games' that you'd expect from a team with arcade roots!"
Here at the editorial office, we're keeping our fingers crossed for more tracks in particular, but also characters such as Alex Kidd, Ryo Hazuko, and Ultra - as well as surprise guest appearances (isn't it time for Mario to visit Sonic, and why not Master Chief?).