Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds has entered Year Two!
Version 2.0.0 is now available, bringing the new Duel Mode, Bayonetta’s arrival, 15 additional Gadgets and a pretty substantial shake-up to the game’s competitive balance. And if you’ve been relying on Ring Engine builds to stay ahead of the competition, you might want to revisit your setup.
The free update is available across PlayStation, Xbox, Nintendo Switch and PC, with SEGA detailing everything from new rewards and customization options to changes in how items, Machines and Gadgets behave. It follows the Year Two roadmap reveal, which introduced the game’s next wave of crossover content.
For anyone who wants a quicker rundown, SEGA has also released a special patch-notes preview video featuring Sonic Global Community Director Aaron Webber, who walks players through the update’s main additions, changes and improvements.
Duel Mode takes CrossWorlds beyond its usual multiplayer races with one-on-one matches against CPU opponents, online rivals and friends. The new Duel Boost mechanic charges over time and through item usage, giving racers an extra burst of speed when they need it. Offline Rival Duels are particularly worth playing, as progressing through them allows players to unlock Bayonetta, the first free character of Year Two.
Online Duel Matches are also available, with limited-time Best-of-10 competitions coming later. Those events will award Duel Medals that players can exchange for additional customization items, including exclusive horns and auras.
The Gadget system has received one of its biggest changes yet with the introduction of the Super Slot, a seventh position that strengthens the effect of an equipped one-slot Gadget. Players must first unlock the Grand Master Plate, which requires at least 40 races. Anyone who has already met that requirement can access the new slot after installing the update.
SEGA has added 15 new Gadgets, including Boundless Charge, which introduces a fourth Drift Charge level and protects against slowdown in runoff areas during its Level 4 Boost, and several new Mod Gadgets that increase a chosen stat at the expense of the Machine’s highest existing stat.
Customization has become easier to manage, too. Players can now save up to 10 Gadget Plates instead of five, alongside new Favorites and filtering options. SEGA has also reduced several early unlock requirements, with the Silver Plate now requiring 12 races instead of 18, the Gold Plate 20 instead of 30, and the Master Plate 28 instead of 46.
The update introduces a new in-game Shop, where Donpa Tickets and Duel Medals can be exchanged for characters, Jukebox tracks, decals, horns, auras and titles. New Play Missions provide another way to earn both currencies by completing objectives before their deadlines, while six Gadgets previously distributed through Festivals can now be purchased with Donpa Tickets once the Master Plate is unlocked.
There’s some excellent SEGA music in the Shop as well, with tracks from Virtua Fighter 2, Fighting Vipers, Fighters Megamix, Golden Axe: The Duel and Phantasy Star Portable 2 among the additions. The listed Jukebox tracks cost 500 Donpa Tickets each.
World Match has been expanded with Free Matches, allowing players to race without affecting their rank. Matchmaking now also introduces Rivals of similar skill levels, with bonus Donpa Tickets awarded for defeating them.
Festivals are getting a significant overhaul. New events will last 10 days instead of three, while rankings now depend on winning streaks rather than accumulated Festival Points. Finishing second no longer breaks a streak, and AI-controlled Rival teams can occasionally appear during matches for additional rewards.
But the changes likely to attract the most attention from competitive players concern the game’s existing Gadgets.
Ring Engine has been nerfed, with its stat bonus reduced from +12 to +8 and its maximum speed bonus lowered from +3 km/h to +2 km/h. Hyper Ring Engine’s maximum speed bonus has similarly dropped from +4 km/h to +3 km/h, while combining the two Gadgets no longer provides the previous additional +2 km/h bonus.
Ring Evolution now requires 15 Rings instead of 10 to activate, and Perfect Charge Bounty awards fewer Rings. Several other Ring-focused Gadgets have also been weakened, although equipping certain Gadgets in the Super Slot restores their stronger effects.
Not everything has been toned down. Ring Thief can now steal eight Rings instead of five, Travel Ring Bounty’s maximum reward has increased from 15 to 25, and Collision Boost lasts considerably longer, increasing from 0.5 to 1.7 seconds. SEGA has also improved Acceleration-type Machines by shortening recovery times after taking damage, while fixing an unintended maximum-speed advantage affecting Power-type Machines.
Ring respawn times have been shortened in online races, helping players collect more Rings without relying entirely on Gadget effects. That particular adjustment doesn’t apply to offline modes such as Grand Prix and Race Park.
Time Trial receives its own balance rules to account for existing records. Hyper Ring Engine retains its Version 1.4 performance in the mode, while Ring Evolution continues activating every 10 Rings. Ring Engine’s speed bonus has still been reduced to +2 km/h outside the Super Slot, and the previous extra bonus from combining both Ring Engines has been removed.
There are plenty of smaller racing adjustments as well. Frenzy can now activate during the second lap of the Main Course outside Time Trial, while several courses have received changes to Ring placements, Item Boxes and Dash Panels.
Rocket Punch can now bounce off walls a maximum of twice, down from as many as six times on forward throws. Homing Punch and Slicer users are also protected from their own attacks, while Drill, Laser and Warp Ring movement speeds have been increased.
The lengthy bug-fix list covers issues across courses including White Space, Minecraft World, Urban Canyon, Lion Turtle Island and Chao Park, addressing unwanted falls, incorrect transformations and other racing problems.
Fans looking to personalize their Machines have more to collect, including new collaboration decals from The k4sen, SEGA UFO Catcher Online, AUTOBACS, Imuraya and Yoshinoya. SEGA is also preparing a weekly login campaign featuring new “I ♡” Sonic character decals, with further details to be announced.
SEGA has acknowledged two display issues affecting the upcoming Best-of-10 competitions. One causes incorrect text to appear before a competition begins, while another can show remaining attempts after an event has ended. Both are scheduled to be addressed.
With Duel Mode, a broader Gadget system and substantial balance adjustments, Version 2.0.0 gives returning players plenty to experiment with. Players can find the complete changes through SEGA’s official patch notes.
Stay tuned to Sonic City for more Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds News and Updates!
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