Sonic Team explains the difference between Mario Kart and Sonic Racing

2025 will go down in history as one of the best ever for fans of kart racing. Recently, as you know, Mario Kart World was released and Sonic Racing: Crossworlds launches in September. As if that wasn't enough, Garfield Kart 2 - All You Can Drift and Paw Patrol Rescue Wheels: Championship will also arrive this year.

But the first two are of course the most interesting. So what really sets the games apart, other than the mascots behind the wheel? That's exactly what Sonic Team boss Takashi Iizuka has commented on in an interview with GamesRadar. Speaking through an interpreter, he explains that the new Mario Kart has so much extras going on that it's almost an action game, while Sonic's racing is a more specialized experience with a focus on driving:

"So, I haven't yet played Mario Kart World. But just kind of what I see out there from the videos, it looks like Nintendo did a good job of putting in a lot of fun, so it's more of like an action game. I see a lot of that coming through. The Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds game is different in that it was made by the Sega arcade racing team along with the Sonic Team, and the focus really is on racing and that competitive play. That was really important to the team, and they wanted to make sure it was in there, and you could also cross-match against everyone out there who owns the game. So cross-platform play is in there. And you can go ahead and race and have that competitive experience against anyone on any platform."

He also adds that the ring teleporters along the tracks add a lot of variety and make the game stand out because it's no longer just about driving around the same circuit.

Those who don't have Switch 2 but are keen on kart racing should keep their eyes peeled for Sonic Racing: Crossworlds, which releases on September 25 for the full line-up of PC, PlayStation, Switch, and Xbox.