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Choose a multiplayer setup
| Where your group is | Best fit | Player limit |
|---|---|---|
| Sharing one device | Grand Prix, Race Park, or Custom Match in split-screen | Up to four local players |
| Nearby, on separate Nintendo Switch consoles | Local wireless | Up to eight players |
| Playing online and setting your own race | Friend Match | Up to 12 players total |
| Playing online competitively | World Match | SEGA describes races with 12 players |
These player limits and mode distinctions are described by SEGA’s launch announcement and its October 2025 update announcement. Local wireless is a separate-console option, not eight-player split-screen.
What each multiplayer mode does
Grand Prix
Grand Prix strings races into a cup, making it a good choice for a longer session. SEGA describes seven cups with four races each. It is available locally and online.
World Match
World Match is online competition against other players, with Rank Points and a World Rank. It is online-only, so it is not the mode to choose for same-device couch play.
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#1 Best Overall
- READY, SET, WARP! Race across 24 tracks and warp to 15 CrossWorlds with Travel Rings, a unique gameplay mechanic that transports the iconic characters from the Sonic and SEGA universes into new dimensions. Use unpredictability to your advantage as you change the landscape of each race!
- RACE WITH THE BEST! Choose from 23 iconic Sonic characters, the largest roster of any Sonic racing game!
- MAKE IT YOURS: Mix and match between 45 unique original vehicles and 70 different gadgets to trick out your ride, level up your kart, and create the ultimate machine to match your racing style.
- GAIN THE ADVANTAGE WITH POWERFUL ITEMS! Dominate your opponents with 23 different items including returning favorites and all-new items like the Monster Truck!
- MULTIPLE WAYS TO PLAY: Gather with friends and play local split-screen in Grand Prix and the new party mode Race Park, compete against a community of players from around the world with up to 12 players online in World Match, or test your driving skills in Time Trials.
Friend Match
Friend Match is the best-documented option for an online group that wants to shape the race. The host can configure settings including speed, team size, course or CrossWorld, AI difficulty, Frenzy Gates, items, and rules. A lobby holds up to 12 players total.
Race Park
Race Park is a party mode with six race formats and changing rules or teams. SEGA lists it as playable locally and online, so it can suit either a couch group or friends connecting remotely.
Rank #2
- READY, SET, WARP! Race across 24 tracks and warp to 15 CrossWorlds with Travel Rings, a unique gameplay mechanic that transports the iconic characters from the Sonic and SEGA universes into new dimensions. Use unpredictability to your advantage as you change the landscape of each race!
- RACE WITH THE BEST! Choose from 23 iconic Sonic characters, the largest roster of any Sonic racing game!
- MAKE IT YOURS: Mix and match between 45 unique original vehicles and 70 different gadgets to trick out your ride, level up your kart, and create the ultimate machine to match your racing style.
- GAIN THE ADVANTAGE WITH POWERFUL ITEMS! Dominate your opponents with 23 different items including returning favorites and all-new items like the Monster Truck!
- MULTIPLE WAYS TO PLAY: Gather with friends and play local split-screen in Grand Prix and the new party mode Race Park, compete against a community of players from around the world with up to 12 players online in World Match, or test your driving skills in Time Trials.
Custom Match
Custom Match is an offline split-screen race. Use it when your group is sharing one device and wants to choose settings such as the course, speed, teams, AI, items, Frenzy Gates, and rules.
Time Trial
Time Trial is for individual course records and leaderboard competition, rather than a head-to-head group race in the mode description. It can work as a turn-taking challenge: each player sets a time, then compare records.
Rank #3
- Experience two games in one with this Sonic Mania + Team Sonic Racing Double Pack
- Sonic Mania is a true, classic Sonic experience: Gorgeous pixel graphics featuring a variety of new Zones with iconic favorites from Sonic 1, 2, 3, Sonic & Knuckles
- Team Racing – Race as a team, win as a team. Use various team moves to assist your teammates, knock out opponents and unleash your Team Ultimate
Nintendo Switch local wireless
On Nintendo Switch, local wireless supports up to eight players using separate consoles. This is distinct from the four-player split-screen limit on one device. Check the current in-game flow and platform requirements before organizing a group.
How to play locally on one device
- Start the game on the device the group will share.
- Choose a local mode: Grand Prix for a cup, Race Park for party formats, or Custom Match for a configurable race.
- Connect or assign the controllers for the players joining locally, then start the race.
- In Custom Match, set the available race options—such as course, speed, teams, AI difficulty, items, Frenzy Gates, and rules—to suit the group.
SEGA confirms local split-screen for up to four players and describes Grand Prix and Race Park as local options. Controller setup can vary by platform, so follow the prompts shown by your system and the game.
Rank #4
- Past meets present in SONIC GENERATIONS! Modern and Classic Sonic team up to defeat Dr. Eggman and the Time Eater to restore their timeline to normal!
- Spin dash through a greatest-hits collection of 3D and 2D versions of iconic stages from past Sonic games, now with updated visuals and reworked cinematics
- In this new standalone campaign, Black Doom has reemerged and threatens to take over the world. Shadow must journey into his past, confront his memories, and unlock new dark powers to save the world.
- Harness Shadow's new Doom Powers to battle hordes of enemies and tackle platforming challenges like never before. Surf on water, fly over obstacles, and stop time with the return of Chaos Control!
- Pre-order bonus: Customers who pre-order will receive the Sonic Adventure Legacy Skin and Gerald Robotnik's Journal, a 28-page logbook chronicling Gerald's innermost thoughts and drawings while he created Shadow the Hedgehog and the Ark Space Station.
How to play online with friends
Use Friend Match for a custom group race
- Open Friend Match from the game’s multiplayer menu.
- Have the host create or enter a lobby and choose the race settings.
- Invite friends using the current in-game lobby or invitation options, then start when the group is ready.
Crossplay supports online racing across supported platforms, so friends do not all need to use the same platform. SEGA’s launch announcement confirms crossplay and Friend Match. The precise invitation flow can change: the official Open Network Test instructions describe finding a Lobby ID through the Friend List and Lobby tab, then searching for that ID, but those instructions were for the 2025 test. Check the current menus rather than relying on the test-era steps.
Use World Match for online competition
Choose World Match when you want online competition and ranking rather than a friend-configured lobby. SEGA describes it as online-only, with Rank Points and World Rank.
Platforms and online requirements
SEGA Support lists the game for Nintendo Switch 2, PlayStation, Xbox, Steam, and the Epic Games Store. SEGA’s 2025 launch announcement gives September 25, 2025, as the console launch date and September 26, 2025, for Steam and Epic; its support overview gives December 4, 2025, as the Nintendo Switch 2 release date. See SEGA Support’s platform overview and the launch announcement.
The official Open Network Test FAQ says a Nintendo Switch Online membership was required for Nintendo Switch online modes such as World Match or Festa during that test. Because this is test-specific guidance, it does not establish the current subscription requirement for every platform or mode. Check the platform’s current online-service rules and the game’s current notices before playing.
Quick Recap
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