Sonic Crossworlds Vs Mario Kart World

Sonic Racing CrossWorlds vs. Mario Kart World

Welcome to MojoPlays, and today, we’re taking a look at the two biggest kart racers of 2025 and pitting them against each other – it’s the newly released “Sonic Racing CrossWorlds” versus the Switch 2 launch title, “Mario Kart World”!

Round 1: Modes & Replay Value

While racing can be fun in itself, a good kart racer needs some extra activities to spice things up. The best way to do this is by throwing in some modes that change up a bit of the gameplay. Of course, both Sonic and Mario are serving up your standard Grand Prix, but what other accoutrements are they providing?

“Mario Kart World” has a second mode that has quickly become more popular than the standard mode: Knockout Tour. You and twenty-three other players race across six courses with four drivers getting eliminated every lap, and there’s constant tension throughout the race as you try to be one of the remaining four drivers. And if you need a break from the stress of Grand Prix and Knockout Tour, there is also the much more chill Free Roam mode where you can explore all of the courses and find secrets. You can practice driving, look for shortcuts, try your hand at P-Switch challenges, or find hidden panels for…stickers. And that’s pretty much it, really. Of course, you can always take part in Time Trials, but that goes without saying.

And what of “Sonic Racing CrossWorlds”? Well, unfortunately, there is no open world map, though that works in the game’s favor. Why try going the extra mile when you can focus on strengthening other aspects of your game? Much of your time in “CrossWorlds” will be spent in the Grand Prix as you try to beat every Rival in the game. And with adjustable difficulty and gear loadouts, there are different ways to play Grand Prix. However, there are more races hiding cool rewards. The Race Park mode features a handful of different races that incorporate team-based mechanics, different rulesets for power-ups, and so much more. Beat a Rival Team under these different modes, and you’ll get brand new karts that are not unlockable through currency.

Honestly, the scope and ambition “Mario Kart World” brings is exactly what tears it down. Knockout Tour is fun, but the open world, for as chill and relaxing as it is, is too chill and relaxing. “Sonic Racing CrossWorlds” keeps the focus on racing and manages to incorporate different rules to spice things up while offering more rewards outside of Grand Prix…which “Mario Kart’s” Knockout Tour mode fails to provide once you’ve beaten all the cups.

WINNER: Sonic 1 / Mario 0

Round 2: Roster

A good roster is important because everyone has their favorite character in a franchise be it the hero, the villain, or even a background character like an enemy or NPC. So, who have we got?

Well, in “Mario Kart World”, we have the biggest roster the series has ever seen. Some may dismiss this statement with the fact that the main characters have a wealth of costumes. Even so, there are some really amusing picks in this roster. Between the burger-headed Toads and Boshi-cosplays, we have classic Mario enemies and NPCs like Monty Mole, Pokey, Peepa, Cataquack, and even a cow joining the races. Not only does this bring some absurdity and fun to races, but its weird additions like this that keep us coming back to “Mario Kart” for every single entry. We only wish that the main cast got as many costumes as Mario, Luigi, and the princesses did.

And what of “Sonic Racing CrossWorlds”? To be fair, there are some characters in here that we weren’t expecting like the “Sonic Riders” trio Jet, Wave, and Storm. It’s also nice to see Espio and Charmy return after being absent in “Team Sonic Racing”. But there are a couple of odd choices in here. Seriously, who the hell was begging for Zavok and Zazz to be playable? There’s a case for Zavok, but…really, Zazz? Unfortunately, the roster isn’t anything super surprising. Every Sonic fan will have their favorite here, but we can’t help feeling like SEGA could have included deeper cuts to make this roster stand out. What was stopping them from putting in Fang the Sniper, Bean the Dynamite, or maybe Doll Tails? At least we have some interesting guest characters on the way like Joker from “Persona 5” and Hatsune Miku.

There’s really no contest in this round, not when “Mario Kart” is having more fun with bizarre picks. Sonic is just playing it way too safe with its base roster.

WINNER: Sonic 1 / Mario 1

Round 3: Karts

One of the most contentious decisions with “Mario Kart World” is the approach to karts. After MK7 and MK8 allowed players to customize karts, it was odd for “World” to go back to the days of MKDS and MKWii with presets. Granted, just about every kart in the game is well-designed. However, there has been a noticeable issue online where everyone is using the Baby Blooper. So, all of those different karts are virtually non-existent online thanks to the Baby Blooper meta.

That isn’t to say “Sonic Racing CrossWorlds” doesn’t have a meta or will never have one. There will always be a subgroup of players optimizing the hell out of every game they play. However, “CrossWorlds” offers preset karts AND customization of those karts. There is more freedom in player expression here both in visuals and playstyle.

For as cool as “Mario Kart World’s” vehicles are, we’d rather take customizable presets over just preset vehicles on any given day.

WINNER: Sonic 2 / Mario 1

Round 4: Course Design

Here is where both games are a bit weaker here. Both games see a heavy mix of original tracks and old tracks from previous games. Obviously, the old tracks have been remade with new gimmicks, shortcuts, ramps, music, and the like. But how does the selection serve the game as a whole?

For “Mario Kart World”, the old courses and new courses somehow manage to blend together rather well. Much of this can be attributed to the highways connecting each track to the next and the next and the next. But most biomes feature at least one new course and an old course, and all of them are designed with “World’s” new mechanics integrated. It truly feels like you’re driving through the older courses for the first time ever again.

The same, alas, cannot be said for “Sonic Racing CrossWorlds”. The main gimmick here is that each course is interrupted by a completely different course on the second lap. Unfortunately, most of these “CrossWorld” portions are retreading old ground from either the new courses or courses we have already seen time and again. Really, how many more “Sonic Games” need the exact same Ocean View or one of the Casino Park courses? Races can feel even more tedious if you wind up getting the same CrossWorld choices over and over again.

The new courses in “Sonic Racing CrossWorlds” are great, but if you’ve been playing this series since “Sonic & SEGA All-Stars Racing”, the old courses feel beyond stale. So, Mario easily topples the Blue Blur in this case.

WINNER: Sonic 2 / Mario 2

Round 5: Difficulty & Chaos

If there is anything that both games have managed to accomplish, it's that they are both the toughest games in their respective series…for better or worse.

In “Mario Kart World’s” case, much of the difficulty can be attributed to the massive increase in player count. Over the past few decades, we’ve gone from eight to twelve to now twenty-four. Not only does that mean more people competing for first place, it also means there are more people hucking shells and bananas all over God’s green Mushroom Kingdom. It can often feel like you’re being punished just for reaching second or even third place. Now, this can be amusing when playing with friends, especially if you have someone that rages hard. But when you’re trying to get three stars on every single cup, “Mario Kart World” becomes a massive headache.

And what about “Sonic Racing CrossWorlds”? Well, the races can still feel punishing even when you’re trying to just get to third place. The AI will almost exclusively target you when you’re in the pack. Thankfully, there are plenty of items that counter the more powerful stuff, so you can try to get out of there assuming the AI isn’t constantly bumping into you. The biggest threat you have is your Rival, who does have an adjustable difficulty level as we mentioned earlier. From what we could tell during our time with the game, that difficulty somewhat applies to the other AI racers as well. And if the chaos gets too much, you can lower it and still get credit for beating your Rival. So, you can make “Sonic Racing CrossWorlds” as difficult as you want. Besides, things don’t start feeling impossible until you get super close to reaching the maximum level. It’s even better that the game separates speed from difficulty, so you can still enjoy the frenetic nature without feeling oppressed.

Honestly, if you’re worried about your mental health, we highly advise you grab “Sonic Racing CrossWorlds” for the flexible difficulty. Better than getting it with five red shells and two bananas back-to-back.

WINNER: Sonic 3 / Mario 2

Honestly, we didn’t think that the Blue Blur would actually manage to topple the plucky plumber, especially after all these years of “Mario Kart” being the de facto kart racer. And yet, “Sonic Racing CrossWorlds” has managed to impress way more than we anticipated.

Tell us, which of the two kart racers have you found yourselves enjoying? Let us know down in the comments, and don’t forget to subscribe to MojoPlays for more great videos everyday!