Mario Kart World's Game Awards win should have gone to Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds

Switch 2 exclusive Mario Kart World won Best Sports/Racing Game of the Year at The Game Awards 2025and while I think MKW is a good game I think too Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds was criminally overlooked. The Game Awards 2025 nominated five games under the Sports/Racing Games category, with Mario Kart World compete against EA Sports FC 26, F1 25, Rematchand Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds.

Personally, I would take Mario Kart World over EA Sports FC 26 and F1 25but i think Rematch and especially Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds were a little more deserving of the big prize. Rematchdeveloped by Sifu developer Sloclap, is a live-service soccer game that exploded in popularity when it was released last summer. It's easy to pick up and play yet difficult to master, and even though it doesn't have nearly the amount of content as Mario Kart World doing so, I've still managed to get a lot more play time out of it.

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Sonic Racing's feud with Mario Kart World raises questions about another Nintendo franchise

Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds enjoys taking a few digs at Mario Kart World, but it makes one wonder what it will do with future mascot collaborations.

Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds should have won at The Game Awards

Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds is a game I'd take over all the other nominees for Best/Sports Racing Game at The Game Awards 2025, and based on the reaction it got from the TGA crowd, it seems a lot of others agree. Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds is one of the more ambitious kart racers I've played, with vibrant graphics, exciting action and a diverse roster of Sonic and other Sega characters (plus DLC crossovers with characters like SpongeBob SquarePants). All the tracks look nothing short of incredible, and the “CrossWorlds” gimmick, where players are transported to a completely different track for part of the race, adds a sense of unpredictability to the proceedings.

Mario Kart World looks good, and the open world concept is interesting, and while I really liked it at first, I realized it just didn't have the staying power to match the previous games in the series or other kart racers released in 2025. Mario Kart World dramatically expands what players can do in a given race, but it's ultimately dragged down by the open world and the impact it has on the courses. The boring “Route” tracks that connect the courses keep the game from reaching its full potential, and I ended up dropping it much sooner than I would have guessed. The fact that Free Roam open world doesn't have proper split screen support also killed its replay value for me. At the end of the day, Mario Kart World is the kind of game that leaves an incredible first impression, but its flaws become more apparent the longer you play.

Kirby Air Riders also has Mario Kart World Beat

Kirby Air Riders was released too late in the year to be eligible for The Game Awards 2025, and that's unfortunate, because it also has Mario Kart World beat. Kirby Air Ridersdirected by Masahiro Sakurai, is a fast-paced kart racer that is completely packed with valuable content. Since launch I have been playing Kirby Air Riders daily, and I still have a lot to unlock and do, and so far it hasn't gotten old. Compare it with Mario Kart Worldwhere I felt full about a week after launch.

Kirby Air Riders features standard races, a chaotic City Trial mode, mini-games, achievements, extensive online and local multiplayer support, and a fun single-player mode complemented by amazing cutscenes. If Kirby Air Riders was nominated at The Game Awards, I still think Mario Kart World would have won over it, but not because it deserved it. Mario Kart is just a huge brand and makes it hard for other kart racers to get a really fair shake.

Future Mario Kart World updates and potential DLC could potentially bring me back to it. For now I agree Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds and Kirby Air Riders for my racing game fix, and Rematch when I want to enjoy a fast competitive online sports game.