Sega has announced that a single player demo of Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds will be released in mid September, giving fans another chance to try the upcoming kart racer after the conclusion of its open network test.
The official Sonic the Hedgehog social account confirmed the news, thanking players for participating in the beta. “The Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds Open Network Test has officially ended! Thank you everyone for participating! And in case you missed it… A single player demo will be released in mid September!” the post read.
The open test ran from August 29 to September 2 across PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, Nintendo Switch, Steam, and the Epic Games Store. It served as the first opportunity for players worldwide to experience the new racer while also allowing Sega to test online stability and address technical issues ahead of launch. Participants were advised to expect some occasional crashes, given the game remains in active development.
CrossWorlds introduces the unique Travel Rings mechanic, which allows racers to warp between dimensions mid race, drastically changing the flow of competition. The title features 24 tracks and 15 CrossWorlds environments, ensuring a degree of unpredictability. Players can select from 23 characters drawn from the Sonic franchise, the largest roster in the series to date, while also customizing vehicles with 45 options and more than 70 gadgets.
A wide variety of gameplay modes are confirmed, ranging from local split screen Grand Prix to a new party mode called Race Park. Online matchmaking will support up to 12 players, and a time trial mode is included for competitive drivers. Power up items return with 23 different abilities, including new additions such as the Monster Truck item.
Sega has also unveiled pre purchase bonuses. Standard pre orders include Werehog as a playable character alongside the Beast Spike vehicle and a themed decal. The Digital Deluxe Edition offers three days early access, three Sonic Prime characters at launch, and a season pass covering six downloadable content packs. These expansions will add guest characters, tracks, vehicles, and other features, with crossover content planned from franchises like Minecraft, SpongeBob SquarePants, and PAC MAN.
Developed by Sonic Team with support from developers behind the Initial D Arcade series, Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds is scheduled to launch on September 25, 2025, for PlayStation, Xbox, Switch, and PC, with a Switch 2 version to follow at a later date.
