Summary
- Sega announced a new Sonic Racing game, “Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds,” featuring Shadow in a cinematic teaser.
- The game will feature racing through portals and may combine elements from the Sonic Racing and Sonic Riders games.
- There are speculations about the game featuring car racing as well as hoverboard racing, making fans eagerly await more details from Sega.
Sega surprised many Sonic the Hedgehog fans at The Game Awards 2024, with a brand new racing title confirmed for release in 2025. Sonic the Hedgehog franchise has been on fire in recent years, between the success of the live-action films by Paramount and a string of successful releases such as Sonic Frontiers and Sonic X Shadow Generations. 2024, in particular, has been an incredible year for Shadow the Hedgehog, as he gets to star in the Sonic the Hedgehog 3as well as his own story campaign i Shadow generations.
Sega has even referred to 2024 as the “Year of the Shadow”, due to the increased focus the character received in the aforementioned products. DLC based on Sonic 3 movie was recently added Sonic X Shadow Generationscomplete with a new model and Keanu Reeves reprising his role as Shadow from the film. Although the Game Awards 2024 didn't feature much of that Sonic franchise, it got a small showing in the form of a new trailer for a new game, Sonic Racing: CrossWorldswhich features the iconic anti-hero the hedgehog himself as well.

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Sonic could be about to start 2025 with a bang
A rumor going around about the next step in the Sonic the Hedgehog series could mean that an old adventure with a new coat of paint is coming very soon.
In this brevity Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds cinematic teaser trailer, Shadow can be seen opening a garage, followed by starting a black and red car. Getting behind the wheel, he then lifts off burning rubber and enters a rainbow colored portal that has been opened by a ring. A release date for this Sonic racing spin-off hasn't been revealed beyond the vague “Coming Soon” window, but it will be released on all current gaming platforms, including PC, Switch, and both generations of PlayStation and Xbox consoles. Per Geoff Keighley at The Game Awards, the game will be released sometime in 2025.
Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds – Cinematic Teaser Trailer
Given its focus on speed, the Sonic the Hedgehog franchise is no stranger to racing games. The last home console racing spin-off in the series would be in 2019 Team Sonic Racinga more traditional kart racer in style Mario Kart with an emphasis on teamwork. Although a unique kart racer, it is a highly contested entry in the franchise, and Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds appears to be yet another return to the kart racing formula, following in the footsteps of its mobile cousin. While not much has been revealed in this cinematic teaser trailer, as it has no gameplay, it seems that the focus will be on visiting multiple worlds through these rings.
While Shadow's Dark Reaper car is brought into sharp focus in this trailer, some eagle-eyed fans spotted the shape of a board suspended in the background, similar to Extreme Gear from Sonic Riders subseries. As such, some fans theorize that this game will feature a hybrid of Sonic Racing and Sonic Riders' playstyles, get the chance to ride a car or hoverboard during a race. Fans will have to wait until Sega provides more information on Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds.