Since its launch back in September 2025, Sonic Racing CrossWorlds has received numerous DLC packs. While free DLC has been added to the game, the paid DLC features major franchise crossover characters. From crafty blocks, square pants, and a hungry hero, the inclusions have been varied.
Let’s take a moment to reflect on the waves of Paid and Free content that have been released for Sonic Racing!
Another Dimension – Sonic Prime Pack (Paid)
Kicking off the DLC is the Sonic Prime Pack. Including three characters from the Sonic Prime TV series, which was released on Netflix, the characters of Dread, Nine, and Rusty Rose joined the roster.
They aren’t voiced by the actors from the show, nor do the Sonic VA cast lend their talents to these variant characters. However, their animations do help express their personalities somewhat, and their victory animations are nice. They even come with stylized emotes for online races.
As a pre-order and Season Pass bonus, they are a nice inclusion, even if they don’t have voice acting like the main cast.
Unleashing the Beast – Werehog Pack (Pre-Order Bonus)
Arising from moonlight battlegrounds is Sonic the Wherehog. This version of Sonic, featured prominently in Sonic Unleashed, makes his grand return to the series. Similar to the Sonic Prime characters, he isn’t voiced and has stylized emotes for the online modes.
He also comes with his own unique car (the Beast Spike) that honors design elements of the character. That, combined with some fun-looking animations and including a music track from Sonic Unleashed (the Night Battle Theme), makes this unique form of Sonic a welcome inclusion.
However, unlike the Sonic Prime Pack, which can be purchased outside of the Season Pass, this is an exclusive Pre-Order bonus for day-one copies of the game. Physical copies include a code for the Werehog Pack, but you can’t (as of this writing) buy him standalone.
Singing for the AGES – Hatsune Miku (Free)
Launching with Sonic Racing CrossWorlds is the iconic Vocaloid singer Hatsune Miku. The character has a history with SEGA, as the publisher produced various Project Diva titles across PlayStation and Nintendo platforms. Sporting a new look and riding on an Extreme Gear, Miku stands out as one of the only guest characters with full voice acting.
She has various sound bites, hums the main theme song when selecting her, and is a character full of personality. In addition to this, she also comes with a sizable selection of music created specifically for Sonic Racing CrossWorlds.
In many regards, Miku is one of the best guest inclusions in the game, and as the first ‘free’ character, she leaves a strong impact.
A Well-Crafted Brick – Mincecraft Pack (Paid)
Minecraft is the first Paid DLC for Sonic Racing CrossWorlds, including a sizable amount of content. Steve, Alex, and Creeper join the roster as racers. Alongside the trio is the Minecart, which looks ripped out of the game it comes from. It’s also a fantastic canvas for customization, as the four flat sides are perfect for the game’s many unlockable decals.
Alongside the characters and a fun cart to race with, the Minecraft World joins the track rotation. The track takes Sonic and friends on a tour through a beautifully realized course, showcasing multiple themes present in Minecraft. Starting in the blocky grass fields and passing by villagers, speeding through dangerous caverns, and flying toward the Ender Dragon, it reminded me of the best Sonic Racing Transformed courses.
And rounding out the pack is a great remix of various themes from the game, capturing Minecraft’s vibes and having the Sonic spirit that the rest of the game’s strong score provides.
Like a Dragon – Ichiban Kasuga (Free)
As one of the major pillars of SEGA in recent years, it was only fitting that a Yakuza character would join the crossover fun of a Sonic Racing game. Many would’ve assumed that Kazuma Kiryu would’ve joined the races. Instead, it was Ichiban Kasuga from Yakuza: Like a Dragon.
This wacky, realistic man joins a roster full of talking hedgehogs and egg-shaped men. And he’s having the time of his life, having fantastic animations both in his dragon-inspired car and when riding an extreme gear. While he lacks voice acting, his expressions and animation work do enough to portray his personality.
Going Arrrrrround Town – SpongeBob Pack (Paid)
The second paid DLC Pack is one that surprised everyone when it was revealed. SpongeBob SquarePants and Patrick Star join Sonic and friends, racing across the CrossWorlds. Riding in the iconic Patty Wagon from The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie, the duo speeds into Sonic’s colorful world.
The cart itself is awesome, looking ripped from the show. The same goes for the lovable goofy goobers, with SpongeBob and Patrick being well-animated and their expressions matching the show’s zany energy. However, the lack of voice acting is more noticeable for this duo of characters.
SpongeBob and Patrick are ironic for their catch phrases, shouts, and more. It feels cheap hearing bubble sounds whenever they do actions, instead of hearing ‘I’m Ready!’ or ‘No, it’s Patrick!’, though SEGA came out and said guest characters lacking voice acting was a purposeful decision.
One shining aspect of the Pack is the Binki Bottom race course. Sporting one of the best remixes in the entire game, taking the show’s iconic theme song and giving it that Sonic energy. In addition, the course, while simple layout-wise, covers all the iconic landmarks from the show. Passing SpongeBob’s Pineapple, Patrick’s Rock home, and crashing into the Krusty Crab and narrowly avoiding Robot Plankton’s punches is awesome.
It’s Showtime! – Persona Pack (Free)
As a no-brainer inclusion, Joker from Persona 5 joins yet another crossover. Riding in a car inspired by his main persona, he speeds through the CrossWorlds, keeping his cool factor from Persona 5 and its many spin-offs. He doesn’t speak, but like the other DLC characters, his animations and poses honor his prior appearances.
Most noteworthy is that he comes with two music tracks that can be played during the races. Racing through Casino Park with Persona 5 Royals ‘Take Over’ playing during the final lap is such a fun vibe. And as a huge fan of the series, being able to unlock various Persona-themed cosmetics for my ride (or having my horn be the Blue ‘Persona!’ flames during the limited-time Festival was awesome too.
Spring Valleys – NiGHTS Pack (Free)
Another no-brainer inclusion is NiGHTS from the SEGA Saturn classic, NiGHTS into Dreams. The dreamy traveler is no stranger to SEGA crossovers, appearing in various SEGA All-Stars titles like Sonic & SEGA All-Stars Racing Transformed and even dabbling with zero-gravity racing in the Sonic Riders titles.
Riding a dream-themed Extreme Gear, this iconic SEGA character is well-represented in CrossWorlds. Their animations look fantastic, the character model is high quality, and they are one of the few DLC characters to include several music tracks.
The three music tracks originate from the SEGA Saturn original and Nintendo Wii’s NiGHTS: Journey of Dreams. Being a fan of classic SEGA franchises, seeing this legendary Sonic Team icon return to the race track was a Christmas delight.
A Drive Through Pac-Village – Pac-Man Pack (Paid)
Wrapping up the currently released DLC packs is none other than Bandai-Namco’s hungry hero. Pac-Man and the four ghosts join the CrossWorlds, with a race track based on both the arcade original and Pac-Man World 2, and a car for Pac-Man and his friends to race with.
The yellow muncher looks fantastic, having expressive animations on his face and doing various poses featured in World 2 RePac. Making a charming thumbs up, to using his butt-bounce move when using your horn in the online lobbies, the modern era of the series is well represented.
His ghostly friends are a great inclusion too, featuring some of Sonic Racing CrossWorlds best animation work. The wavey movements look delightfully cartoony in all the right ways.
Racing Through the Maze
The included track, Pac-Village & Maze, is easily the best out of the trio of paid tracks to race on. Starting in Pac-Village, racers drive around some ghosts and then speed into a beautifully re-created Pac-Village from World 2. Then, everyone drives into the arcade (filled with various Pac-Man games like Pac-Land) and into a massive screen.
The ‘Maze’ Part of the stage begins, with racers literally driving through a digitized maze, chasing a massive pixelized Pac-Man as if they are a ghost chasing him. It ends the same way it begins, with you driving into a portal and landing back in Pac-Village to cross the finish line.
Overall, this DLC pack felt like a great handshake between SEGA/Sonic Team and Bandai-Namco, with both legends in the Japanese gaming scene giving their icons the respect they deserve. This follows the well-done Sonic DLC that was released for Pac-Man World 2 RePac, too.
Closing Thoughts on Sonic Racing CrossWorlds DLC
Following the announcement of DLC coming out for Sonic Racing CrossWorlds, I didn’t know what to expect. But receiving well-realized SEGA icons and surprising franchises joining the race has me excited for future DLC.
With more SEGA Icons on the way (that being AiAi from Super Monkey Ball and Tangle & Whisper from Sonic IDW) and three more paid DLC including TMNT, Avatar: The Last Airbender, and Mega Man, there’s much to look forward to.
The publisher provided access to the Season Pass characters for this coverage.
