Sonic Racing CrossWorlds is releasing even more post-launch DLC this week with the Pac-Man content, adding a wealth of new content for players to dig into later this week. It's been a big year for SEGA and its racing hit, which launched later in 2025 but quickly became a fan favorite. Even if Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds failed to take home The Game Award's big prize for Best Sports/Racing Game of the Year, it remains a popular choice for many.
Embrace the “rival” role, Sonic Racing CrossWorlds managed to garner impressive sales numbers and positive reviews from critics and fans. Undeterred by the fact that Nintendo also launched Mario Kart World earlier in the year with the Nintendo Switch 2, SEGA chose to embrace the rivalry, with Sonic Team boss Takashi Iizuka even throwing some shade at his competitor. Also helped by the fact that SOnic Racing CrossWorlds is a true multi-platform title, SEGA has also leaned heavily on DLC to help keep the game fresh and add some fresh faces to the ever-growing roster.
I like Mario Kart World. It didn't deserve to win at The Game Awards
Mario Kart World took home the trophy for Best/Sports Racing Game at The Game Awards 2025, but there were two ways better kart racers this year.
Sonic Racing CrossWorlds Pac-Man DLC Release Date
In a separate announcement, SEGA has confirmed that the next major Pac-Man DLC pack will be available starting January 7, 2026. The teaser trailer offered a quick tease of the content, wrapped in a classic throwback to the original Pac-Man arcade games and leaderboards that revealed the content's release date. The end of the trailer reveals a new one Pac-Man themed machine, plus 4 additional racers of Pac-Man, Inky, Blinky, Clyde and Pinky. The DLC will also include a course, but the trailer didn't show it, leaving fans to speculate what it might actually look like.
Similar to the previously released Sonic Racing CrossWorlds The DLC, Pac-Man launch is also getting its own limited time festival event starting on January 8th to celebrate the launch of the new content. Even better, the festival is open to all players, even those who don't own the Pac-Man specific content. While the festival details are not known yet (at the time of publication), it will likely work similarly to previous festival events where players can earn special limited-time rewards, though without the World Match option, which is usually locked and unavailable until the event ends on January 11th.
Obviously, DLC has been a big priority for SEGA, but unlike the Mario Kart series, which usually adds other Nintendo-based characters, Sonic Racing CrossWorlds has taken the opposite approach by adding characters from third-party companies. Already fans have seen the likes of Minecraft, Spongebob Squarepantsand now, Pac-Manalthough there is much more on the horizon. Fans have already seen one Sonic Racing and Mega man crossover teaser, but later in 2026 the game will also add even more Nickelodeon content from Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Mutant Mayhem and Avatar Legends. At the moment, drivers, machines and potential tiers are not known, so players will have to stay tuned for more.
However, paid content hasn't been the only post-launch SEGA has added over time, as free updates have also been quite plentiful in the months following the game's release. Players can earn the Blue Star Extreme Gear DLC from Sonic Riders as a free reward for just signing up for a SEGA account and linking their platform. Other SEGA franchises, such as NIGHTS, Like a dragon, Super Monkey Balland others, have also been included as DLC from new playable characters to machines and other items.
- Released
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September 25, 2025
- ESRB
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All / Mild Fantasy Violence
