Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds just hit the gas on something wild, a full-blown Nickelodeon crossover that throws SpongeBob, TMNT, and Avatar into Sonic’s fast lane.
The upcoming Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds is bringing Nickelodeon icons into Sonic’s fast-paced universe. Premiering an exclusive new trailer at the 2025 Nickelodeon Kids’ Choice Awards on June 21, SEGA revealed that Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds will include characters from SpongeBob SquarePants racing alongside fan favorites from the Sonic universe.
The trailer gave fans a sneak peek at a new SpongeBob-themed track and vehicle, confirming that this won’t be a basic reskin. SEGA is going all-in, with custom content inspired by classic Nickelodeon franchises. The fun doesn’t stop with Bikini Bottom either, future updates will include content from the Avatar universe and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.
Players picking up the Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds Digital Deluxe Edition will unlock even more. The Season Pass bundles in all the Nickelodeon content, but that’s just the start. SEGA is also including crossover content from Minecraft, with themed tracks, vehicles, and characters. There’s also playable content based on Sonic Prime, the Netflix series, and two more surprise collaborations yet to be announced.
This marks a bold direction for SEGA, contrasting sharply with Nintendo’s Mario Kart, which has famously avoided adding non-Nintendo characters to its roster. SEGA is betting big on cross-media synergy, and fans seem to be here for it.
Veteran Sonic producer Takashi Iizuka shared insight into the game’s development. According to Iizuka, the team started completely from scratch with a core goal in mind: create a racing game that feels balanced and fair.
“They wanted to make sure the racing itself without any items was fair and fun,” Iizuka explained. “The dev team really took things down to the base level, and wanted to have that fun, competitive racing mechanic.”
He added that plenty of playtesting went into the design. Features that caused frustration, like rubber-banding mechanics, were stripped out. “They removed things that were very stressful for players and anything that always allowed people to come back from behind and win all the time,” he said.
Instead, the final version of Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds finds a middle ground. It offers just the “right amount of chaotic” energy to keep things exciting without making outcomes feel random.
More details about the Nickelodeon content and full Season Pass lineup are expected soon. For now, fans can look forward to a racing experience that blends Sonic’s speed with Nickelodeon’s chaos in a way that’s fresh, competitive, and packed with fan-favorite characters.
Get ready to race when Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds hits consoles this September.
