As a major title released by Sega at the special milestone of the 35th anniversary of the "Sonic" series, the significance of "Sonic Racing Crossworlds" extends far beyond a simple "spin-off." Just as a certain "All-Star Brawl" game is often seen as half a museum of video games, "Sonic Racing" has long been more than just "Sonic driving a car" after gathering numerous famous anime and game characters. It's no wonder Sega repeatedly brings it to various offline events, attempting to recommend it to more players.
On the other hand, although I knew it intellectually, hearing that I would be trying out "Sonic Racing Crossworlds" again during "Tokyo Game Show 2026" still made my heart skip a beat. To put it bluntly, we already have SpongeBob fighting Hatsune Miku; what else could possibly surprise players? Good or bad, its core as a "kart racing game" remains unchanged.
But then again, we seemed to have expressed similar sentiments last time, yet facts have proven time and again: if Sega confidently calls you over, it's definitely because they really have some impressive "good stuff" to show off.
And this time, that "good stuff" is the "Season 2 Season Pass" content coming this autumn. If Ichiban Kasuga and Patrick Star racing against each other already gave you a slight illusion of having accidentally consumed Yunnan mushrooms, then the two heavyweight stars in "Season 2" will probably make you realize that "Sonic Racing" has completely torn down the barrier between gimmicks and crossovers, leaving only an irrational carnival.
If you've seen the new information Sega announced recently, you probably understand what I mean.
Yes, "Godzilla" and "Neon Genesis Evangelion" (EVA) will join the already chaotic worldview of "Sonic Racing Crossworlds" as the theme content for the first two waves of "Season 2." The main content we got to preview this time includes characters, vehicles, music, and new themed maps from these two major IPs. The amount of content is genuinely substantial, enough to keep me occupied for quite a while.
To be honest, although people often complain about "EVA" collaborating everywhere just to "cash grab," seeing those familiar faces and color schemes that are almost ingrained in our DNA in different games still makes us subconsciously take a second look, or even spend extra money—especially in those high-quality collaborations that truly deliver substantial content.
Let's start with the new characters. On the "Neon Genesis Evangelion" side, the addition of "Rei Ayanami" and "Asuka Langley Soryu" is undoubtedly the highlight of this "Season 2" update. This DLC not only re-renders these two ultra-popular female protagonists in the style of "Sonic Racing," allowing them to compete alongside a host of cartoon game characters with minimal sense of dissonance, but also thoroughly binds their signature moves to the gameplay of "Sonic Racing." Yes, Rei and Asuka each have unique driving animations.
What impressed me most was that when you successfully start, Rei performs that classic one-armed pose and then looks back over her shoulder. Asuka, likewise, fully translates her strong personality into her special moves and taunts, making you feel as if you can hear Yūko Miyamura's iconic voice just by watching.
It can only be said that GAINAX truly succeeded in character creation, but Sega also hit the mark.
However, as you know, for "Sonic Racing," the "characters" themselves are more like visual elements designed to satisfy players' emotional needs, basically without changing the core gameplay experience. So, if you ask me what in this new content made me truly feel something "different," I'd lean towards the two brand-new "maps."
You might have guessed that the new map for "Neon Genesis Evangelion" is one of the most important story settings from the original work—"Tokyo-3." The reason it offers a "different" experience is that the maps in this update are not just simple tracks with different structures. Instead, they feel like a genuine Tokyo-3 facing the threat of Angels, with racers accidentally transported to the epicenter of the disaster, weaving through crumbling city streets while avoiding getting caught in the battles between Angels and EVAs.
It's no exaggeration to say that "Tokyo-3" truly pushes the gameplay and presentation of "Sonic Racing Crossworlds" to a new height. During my first playthrough, I was so distracted by the massive battle happening in the background that I failed to turn several times. The level of scene recreation can only be described as "one-to-one," to the point where I suspected there might be fans in the development team using map creation as an excuse to fanboy.
Looking at the "Godzilla" side, it's also an "all-star" lineup, with the series' iconic "Big Three Monsters"—Godzilla, Mothra, and King Ghidorah—all joining the fray. However, they are not playable characters; instead, like several EVAs, they have become racing vehicles... Honestly, not being able to see Godzilla driving a car to ram into King Ghidorah is probably my only complaint about this collaboration.
The biggest selling point of the "Godzilla" update pack is also an interesting playable map: "Escape from Godzilla."
It's called "interesting" because this map feels familiar to all fans of the "Sonic" series. Its foundation is actually the classic city map with sixty-degree slopes from "Sonic Adventure," but the difference is that this city is under attack by Godzilla.
Just like in the "Godzilla" films produced by Toho, Godzilla in the game is a pure natural disaster. Merely walking creates massive craters on the ground, and his occasional atomic breath constantly threatens players' safety during straight-line sprints. After three laps, it really feels like you've entered a Toho kaiju movie.
But what I find truly interesting is that "Escape from Godzilla" is actually the opposite of the design philosophy behind "Tokyo-3." If the latter throws racers into the world of "Neon Genesis Evangelion," then "Escape from Godzilla" invites Godzilla into the world of "Sonic." I think the absence of a "one-way street" here might be the secret to the infinite crossover possibilities of this "cross-world."
Who knows what they'll collaborate on next after EVA and Godzilla?
Of course, besides "Godzilla" and "Neon Genesis Evangelion," which were the focus of our demo, there are many other updates worth looking forward to in the future. For example, a new mode called "Rival Duel": it incorporates some "fighting game" design concepts into the existing "Sonic Racing" rules, and also introduces a new rival character—Bayonetta from "Bayonetta." Winning in this mode allows you to unlock her and her witch-themed racing vehicle.
By the way, both this mode and the characters are free updates.
Or perhaps Aigis from "Persona 3 Reload" will appear in the game, and at the same time, Aigis's Persona, "Palladion," will also debut as a new racing vehicle... That's quite humorous. But on second thought, it does fit the consistent style of this game. At this rate, who knows what this game will turn into in a few years.
Overall, this demo still sends a positive signal to players of "Sonic Racing Crossworlds": Season 2 has just begun, and we still have so much to play.