Team Sonic Racing^[6] (チームソニックレーシング, Chīmu Sonikku Rēshingu^?) is a kart racing video game, serving as a spin-off of the Sonic the Hedgehog series. The game is developed by Sumo Digital and published by Sega and was released on 21 May 2019. It received both a physical and digital release for the PlayStation 4,^[7] Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch, and a digital-only release on Steam^[8] for the PC.^[9] Unlike Sumo Digital's Sega All-Stars racing games (Sonic & Sega All-Stars Racing and Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed), Team Sonic Racing only features characters from the Sonic universe, as the team wanted to expand the series' world and character roster.

Said to combine the best elements of arcade and fast-paced competitive style racing, Team Sonic Racing has the player face-off with friends in intense multiplayer racing.^[6] In the game, players take control of one of fifteen characters from the cast of the Sonic series and compete in races using sports cars. Team Sonic Racing differs from traditional kart racers because of its focus on cooperative gameplay—the player is part of a team of racers and win races through efficiency and teamwork instead of speed. In the story, several teams made up of Sonic and his friends partake in a Grand Prix organized by the mysterious Dodon Pa. The participants race to win his competition and discover the reason of his dubious behavior. At the same time, they must also deal with the villainy of Dr. Eggman who has not only entered, but also has his own sinister schemes for the group.

The team sought to make Team Sonic Racing stand out in comparison to other racing games. Sonic Team head and game producer Takashi Iizuka conceived the cooperative gameplay, and Sumo Digital used the team-based Sonic Heroes as a point of reference.^[10] The existence of the game came to light when a Sumo Digital memo leaked in January 2018. Sega would later officially confirm its existence in May of 2018. Its marketing campaign included appearances at trade shows, a one-shot comic from IDW Publishing, and a two-part animated series. Upon its release, Team Sonic Racing was met with lukewarm reviews, with critics praising the gameplay, visuals, and soundtrack. However, most were critical of the story and its presentation, and many deemed the game inferior to the Sega All-Stars games.

Plot[]

When Team Sonic receives a vaguely worded invitation to the Ultimate Test of Racing Skill, curiosity soon gets the better of Sonic, Knuckles and Tails, who make a beeline for the rendezvous at the beach. There, they come across Amy, Big and Omochao, who are having a picnic. After Sonic explains their reasons for coming, Amy remarks that Team Rose did not get any invitations. Soon after, an enigmatic stranger approached, a Tanuki calling himself Dodon Pa. He explains to them, in a condescending and vague manner, that he wants them to test the most technologically advanced racing vehicles ever built on his perilous custom circuits in a Grand Prix where teamwork is the key. Not satisfied with Dodon Pa's answer, Amy notices that Dodon Pa's manner of speaking is suspiciously Eggman-esque. Knuckles himself does not trust Dodon Pa either. While Sonic agrees with his friends that the situation seems sketchy, Sonic is curious to test out these super cars and convinces his friends to join him by promising them that nothing bad can happen as long as he is around. As Dodon Pa gets ready to take Team Sonic with him in his spaceship to Planet Wisp where the first race awaits, Big wants to come along, prompting the rest of Team Rose to join Dodon Pa and Team Sonic's adventure, making them official competitors in Dodon Pa's Grand Prix.

On Planet Wisp, Dodon Pa goes over his Grand Prix, and explains that the winner of the tournament gets to keep their super cars. Tails finds this too good to be true though, and suspects that Dodon Pa is untrustworthy. The suspicion only intensifies as Dodon Pa expresses a disregard for the racers' safety after the first race. Amy herself even notices that Dodon Pa chuckles much like Eggman. Amy soon shares her suspicion with the guys, as Dodon Pa's whole idea about inviting strangers to compete in dangerous races does not add up. Tails agrees with this, and, finding this whole set-up similar to an Eggman plot, suspects that Eggman and Dodon Pa are working together. Big, on the other hand, sees no reason to mistrust Dodon Pa, who eventually shows up to explain the Cosmetic Mods. As the races progress, Sonic and the gang start to have fun. However, Tails and Knuckles still question Dodon Pa's motives, as they wonder whose limits he is testing. In addition, Tails' curiosity is peeked by the tech Dodon Pa is using, which is advanced, even for him. However, Dodon Pa does not give a concrete answer to their questions. Later, between the races, Amy and Omochao take their time to admire Dodon Pa's cars, whose operating principles are explained by Omochao. Soon after, Tails makes contact with an unseen individual, whom he tells to report back to him as soon as they find anything. Big catches Tails in the act, but Tails convinces Big that he was talking to nobody. As Dodon Pa later takes things up a notch with the introduction of his Survival Races, Tails grows more suspicious of the Tanuki's motives while Sonic gets more intrigued by the challenge. After the race, Amy tries to ask Dodon Pa about his reasons for putting them through all these brutal trials, but Dodon Pa dodges the question by saying that it is "technical".

As the Grand Prix moves along, Silver and Blaze show up as well, having received the same mysterious invitations from Dodon Pa. The two meet up with each other at the competition, along with Vector, who did not get an invitation but had been told by his "sources" to meet them there. When Dodon Pa then shows up to invite the trio into his competition, Blaze backs out, refusing to trust a Tanuki (who are notorious tricksters). When Dodon Pa tries to persuade Blaze with a large cash prize though, Vector tries convincing the other two to form Team Vector with him. Silver and Blaze agree, but only to bail Vector out of trouble when it happens. Team Vector soon after meets up with Teams Sonic and Rose to discuss Dodon Pa. While Amy does not trust Dodon Pa, Sonic instead stays focused on the competition. Furthermore, the teams become more concerned with Dodon Pa and the competition after learning from Blaze and Silver that Dodon Pa possesses technology that lets him send objects through time and space. Realizing that their host has more power than they thought, they all agree to continue competing while keeping a close eye on Dodon Pa. In the meantime, Dr. Eggman shows up, ready to throw a wrench into the heroes' plan.

Before one of the races, Knuckles walks in on Tails and Vector as they are having a secret conversation. When he confronts them, Tails claims they are only having small talk, but Knuckles does not believe him. Knuckles also questions Vector why he did not join the competition with his usual team, Team Chaotix, with Espio the Chameleon and Charmy Bee. In response, Vector claims he is out freelancing. Knuckles subsequently tells Sonic that he saw Tails sneaking around, and Sonic goes to confront Tails himself. Tails admits to Sonic he is working on something and Sonic replies that that is good enough for him, knowing Tails will tell him what he is doing when he needs to know.

After a few more races, Dodon Pa informs the competing teams that Team Dark, consisting of Shadow the Hedgehog, Rouge the Bat and E-123 Omega, and Team Eggman, consisting of the doctor himself and his Eggpawns, have now joined the competition. Tails accuses Eggman of being behind everything, but Eggman promptly denies this and insists that he is only here to compete like everyone else. In the meantime, Eggman has Orbot and Cubot watch his Final Fortress since Eggman did not choose them to join his team.

Regardless of his claims, Eggman's appearance puts Sonic and Tails on edge. Sonic, knowing Shadow would work with Eggman if it helped his goal, asks him if he is working with Eggman, but Shadow tells him he came to stop Eggman himself and discover where Dodon Pa's loyalties lie. The two of them then argue over who gets to stop Eggman, leading Sonic to challenge Shadow to a race. While the two hedgehogs are busy, Silver spots Eggman talking to Dodon Pa about something to do with a "Ultimate Energy Engine". Silver informs the others of this, who all conclude that Eggman and Dodon Pa are working together. However, because they cannot stop them if they do not know what they are doing, Tails decides they should continue to go along with the races but keep an eye on both of them.

Rouge soon meets up with Sonic and Shadow after their showdown and tells them of what they have discovered while trying to persuade them to put their rivalry aside for a while. Omega in particular encourages the elimination of both Eggman and Dodon Pa. Having heard this conversation, Big has Omochao explain to him what "eliminate" means. After hearing this, Big cannot understand why everyone seems to dislike Dodon Pa, as he sees no reason to mistrust him. Amy tries to explain to Big about why Dodon Pa cannot be trusted with an analogy but gets nowhere. Meanwhile, Blaze is getting tired of performing for Dodon Pa, who is using the information he has gathered from watching the racers for some unknown project. Later, after being beaten by Sonic in another race, Eggman decides to up his game. Eventually, he brings hordes of Eggpawns onto the racetracks, which the racers take care of (for the time being). Meanwhile, Dodon Pa permits Eggman's little game, knowing it would test the teams' teamwork even further.

Omochao later detects some strange telemetric signals coming from Dodon Pa. Apparently, Dodon Pa is sending the information on the teams' teamwork to an unknown receiver after each race. Rouge suspects that the receiver is Eggman. At this point, everyone but Big is convinced that Dodon Pa is evil and is giving their secrets to Eggman. Big, however, still thinks that Dodon Pa is nice due to one reason: he is working with the Wisps, and Wisps only help nice people. Realizing that Big is right, Amy suspects that Dodon Pa might not be evil after all.

As the races continue, Sonic and Amy agree that Eggman is no threat to them in the competition. Meanwhile, Eggman, in an attempt to remedy his losing streak, decides to have Metal Sonic and his Formula M join his team. This change in Eggman's strategy unnerves the other racers, except for Sonic. Later, before another race, Sonic tries trash talking with Silver, but the latter is too distracted by something on his mind. After a few races, Blaze starts to notice Silver's absentmindedness. Eventually, she gets Silver to admit that he is having a feeling that something bad is about to happen, but Blaze assures him that they will be ready for it. In the meantime, Eggman is communicating with an unseen operative of his who is on an unknown mission. Eggman then tells Metal Sonic that they should keep racing while his operative carries out his mission. Soon after, Team Rose has a strategy discussion when Big notices a big guy hiding in the shadows. However, his short attention span makes Amy dismiss his observation.

Sometime after, as Vector gives his team a pep talk, Blaze realizes that Vector is competing for reasons besides the cash prize. Convinced by Blaze to fez up, Vector reveals that he was contacted by Tails when he first met Dodon Pa to get the dirt on him. As such, he joined the competition to conduct his investigation, which he is still working on. After another race, Vector tells Blaze that he is having Espio and Charmy follow up on a few things for him and that they will have their report soon. When another race is about to commence, Silver asks Omochao for help on how to observe the whole track since his intuition is telling him that something bad will happen on the racetracks. In response, Omochao tells him to watch the Chao on the grandstands: if something bad happens, they will notice it. Meanwhile, Eggman is gloating about how his latest plan cannot fail (in spite of what Orbot says). After the race, the Chao in the grandstand go crazy and start pointing at a figure in the shadows, the same figure that Big saw. This figure is revealed to be Zavok, much to the annoyance of Sonic, who asks Eggman if he is working for him. Faking ignorance, Eggman nonetheless invites Zavok to join his team. Afterward, Eggman scolds Zavok for being spotted, before asking him if he had gotten "the thing". Zavok reveals that he has not, insisting that it is kept in a secure location.

In the meantime, Amy is exhausted from all the racing while Knuckles insists that they make their move now that Zavok is here. Sonic and Tails note though that they do not have any plan yet and that they do not even know who the bad guy is in all of this. Regardless, Sonic insists that they must stay strong and keep racing for now. Not long after, Dodon Pa is shown talking about how he is getting everything he could have hoped for and more without a hitch.

In the end, Knuckles loses his patience and demands an explanation from Dodon Pa. Telling Knuckles to calm down, Vector reveals that he has gotten his report from Espio about who Dodon Pa really is. As Vector reads the report for everyone to hear, everyone is surprised to hear that Dodon Pa is the President of Donpa Motors (the biggest automobile cooperation in the universe) and the king of a planet known as Donpa Kingdom. Afterward, Tails tells Dodon Pa that he is glad he is not on Eggman's side. Dodon Pa remarks though that he is both on none and everybody's side, and that all he wants is perfection. Rouge, on the other hand, wants to know why he is hosting these races and why he invited them all so secretively. Dodon Pa explains that his cooperation is secretly creating the fastest, most powerful engine in the universe, called the "Ultimate Energy Engine". To get the best results, he needed the best racers to gather what he needed for it (ergo Rouge and her friends). Omochao also realizes that the telemetrics he intercepted were part of Dodon Pa's research and development. Dodon Pa explains that the information he gathered from their races is on the tremendous energies generated by the teams' teamwork, which is the key to the creation of his Ultimate Energy Engine. Later, Dodon Pa explains to Tails that the Ultimate Energy Engine's purpose is to use the inherent strength of teamwork to usher in a new era of improved transportation and industry while reducing pollution. This has been Dodon Pa's goal for many, many years. With them being on the verge of a breakthrough now, all Dodon Pa needs is for the races to keep going.

With the conflict with Dodon Pa resolved, Sonic is eager to get back to the races. Shadow, however, reminds Sonic that they still need to figure out what Eggman is up to. In the meantime, Silver confronts Eggman, demanding to know what he and Dodon Pa were talking about earlier. While Eggman tries to avoid revealing anything, Silver figures out that they had to be talking about the Ultimate Energy Engine, which Eggman surely wants for himself, which made him hire Zavok to steal it. Realizing that his plan has been uncovered, Eggman decides to continue racing with his team. As he and his team continue to lose though, Eggman decides to go in a different direction and gives Zavok a new task.

Soon after, the racers discover that Dodon Pa has been kidnapped. Thanks to Big, who saw the kidnapping, the heroes learn that Dodon Pa has been taken by Zavok and Eggman to the Final Fortress. There, Eggman tells Dodon Pa to hand over the Ultimate Energy Engine. However, Dodon Pa says it is worthless now because it is incomplete. The racers have stopped racing now, and without enough Ultimate Team Energy, the engine cannot be completed. Zavok promptly points out to Eggman that this is his own fault: by kidnapping Dodon Pa, the races have been put on hold. Refusing to take responsibility for his actions, Eggman instead focuses on how to fix his problem. As Sonic and the gang arrive to save Dodon Pa, Eggman realizes he can make Sonic and co. race for him while Dodon Pa finishes the Ultimate Energy Engine. He thus sent his Eggpawns after the heroes, who quickly destroyed them. However, Eggman refuses to hand over Dodon Pa, and instead has the heroes engage in several other races, which they prove victorious in too. While Sonic does not mind the challenges, the others get increasingly worried about Eggman's endless challenges. After the last race though, Eggman has gathered enough Ultimate Team Energy to complete the Ultimate Energy Engine. Eggman proceeds to steal the engine in front of Dodon Pa and incorporates it into his Death Egg, which he plans to crush Sonic with.

After Sonic beats the Death Egg in a race, Eggman tries using it to crush Sonic and his car. However, Orbot and Cubot reveal that the Death Egg has gone crazy and is heading for the energy core. Realizing that his airship will crash without an energy core, Eggman escapes his Final Fortress with his lackeys. Noticing that the Final Fortress is crashing, Sonic tells his flying friends to rescue those among them who cannot fly while he saves Dodon Pa. While the others comply, Tails and Knuckles insist, as Sonic's teammates, that they should stay and help him. Moved by their devotion, Sonic accepts their help, and Team Sonic heads in to save Dodon Pa. After the Final Fortress has crashed, Amy hopes that Sonic and the others survived. As if on que, Team Sonic then shows up with Dodon Pa. Unfortunately, all the racecars were destroyed when the Final Fortress crashed. However, Dodon Pa, as a sign of gratitude towards the heroes for saving his life, decides to give everyone new racecars. With the Grand Prix back on, Sonic and the gang look forward to start racing again.

Gameplay[]

Team Sonic Racing is a kart racing video game featuring single-player and multiplayer modes.^[11] After the player selects one of fifteen characters from the cast of the Sonic the Hedgehog series, players participate in races using sports cars on courses thematically based on locations from the Sonic the Hedgehog franchise.^[6][9] Different characters fall into one of three racing classes: Speed, Technique, and Power.^[12] Each type has their own unique abilities and skillsets that give them both advantages and disadvantages:

Speed: Well-balanced handling Fastest top speed Defensive "Radial Burst" ability Poor acceleration and defense[13]

Technique: Nimble handling High acceleration and steering Can cut corners on rough terrain without being slowed down Can attract nearby Rings

Power: Good boost and defense Can smash into obstacles without being slowed down and destroy barriers Can shunt other racers Does not spin when damaged[13] Lowest top speed and handling

Gameplay is viewed from a third-person perspective. At the beginning of each race, the player starts out in front of the finish line. For a sudden speed boost straight off the starting line, the player can build up a Start Line Boost by pressing and releasing Accelerate with each count of the countdown timer. The momentum from the Start Line Boost can be accumulated up to three times, with its rising level indicated by the changing color of the flames emitting from the race car's exhaust pipes. While racing, the player can build up speed boosts in other ways. One of them is by drifting, which allows the player to make sharp turns. While drifting, the player can turn left or right. While doing so, the player will build up a speed boost that is initiated as soon as the drift ends. By drifting for extended periods of time, the player can accumulate and improve upon the drift's speed boost. Lastly, there are the Stunt maneuvers. After being launched into midair, the player can perform forward, backward and/or sideways flips, which will build up a speed boost that is initiated when the playable character lands. For each successive Stunt performed, the player accumulates and improves upon the resulting speed boost, but landing on the ground in the middle of a Stunt will cancel out the speed boost and slow the playable character down. Alternatively, the player can run over Boost Pads to get speed boosts.

Racers can also collect power-ups contained in Item Boxes marked with "?" from the tracks to gain temporary offensive and defensive advantages;^[14][15] these power-ups come in the form of fourteen different kinds of Wisps, which is a recurring power-up in the Sonic series.^[6] Each Wisp is obtained at random and grants a certain color panel. However, instead of becoming Color Powers when using the Wisps, the users mostly manifest the Color Powers as a move, projectile or obstruction. Color Powers have different uses and can provide the player with speed boosts, attacks for slowing down rival racers, or obstructions that deal damage to rivals. In addition, the Wisps the characters can pick up from the tracks are determined by their classes; Red Wisps are reserved for Speed-Types, Magenta Wisps are reserved for Technique-Types, and Violet, Cyan and Pink Wisps are reserved for Power-Types. The classic Rings also appear on the racetracks, which the racers can collect to build up to their final score and increase their top speed up to 30%. Taking damage will cause the racer to drop all their Rings, though some of them can be recollected before they disappear. Damage can be induced when taking hits from offensive Wisps or when colliding with obstacles on the racetrack, such as circular saws, common level obstructions, Eggpawns, Crabmeats, etc.

The game offers classic races in which the players compete against each other for first place. Upon completing a race, the player is rewarded with in-game currency called Credits. The races themselves have two modes. The first mode is a standard all-against-all race where each racer compete against everyone else to secure the best position, and the winner is determined by who crosses the finish line first during the last lap. A maximum of twelve playable characters can participate in such races. In a single-player race, the player can also damage any opponent with their power-ups. The second mode is a team-based mode. Here, the races differ from traditional kart racers because of their focus on cooperative gameplay: the player is part of a team of three racers and they must work together. Up to four teams of three can compete in this mode, for a total of twelve racers at a time.^[14][15] The three characters for a team can be chosen freely from the game's roaster (except for in Team Adventure, where teams are predetermined for story reasons), allowing players to combine any ability types; the player also has the option for each teammate to be the same character.^[16][17] Instead of simply winning races by finishing them as fast as possible in team-based races, teams get points based on how they worked together and on their members' positions in the race. The teams' different standings during a race are displayed on the left side of the HUD and are constantly updated. Each team on this display also has its own color, which makes it possible to identify the characters who are backlit with these colors. In a team-based race, teams can damage rival team racers with their power-ups. If a character is accidentally hit by an ally power-up however, they will be completely unaffected and receive no damage. At the end of each team-based race, the results will be shown in the following order. First, there is the final standing which shows the final position and time of each racer, color-coded by team. Secondly, there is the total score where the player's individual score is calculated from bonuses for Rings, Team Plays, final position, etc., and then adjusted to the factor in the difficulty setting. Credits earned are also calculated at this time. Lastly, there is the team score. Here, points are assigned for each character's final position (15 for first place, 12 for second, then 10, 9, 8 and so on), and totaled up for each team. The team with the highest total score are declared the winners. Thus, it is not always about finishing in first place; rather, it is the most efficient team who wins. When racing as a team in any game mode alone, there will be artificial intelligence (AI) controlling the player's teammates.^[18] Also, while they each control a single racer, the players must also pay attention to how their teammates are performing.^[10] During a team-based race, rival team members on the race track will be highlighted in red.

In team-based races, the player has special maneuvers and effects that they can perform to support their teammates. The most basic of these maneuvers is the Item Box Transfer which can transfer the contents of an Item Box to a teammate after obtaining it from an Item Box from the race track or another teammate.^[10] Upon obtaining a power-up, the player can offer it to a teammate, who can either accept it or ignore it. Sharing power-ups is in particular the only method to obtain some items not normally available to an ability type. By transferring a power-up, players can also triple the quantity of most Wisp power-ups to utilize (e.g. when a player collects an Item Box, they will receive one Wisp, but if they obtain a certain Wisp through a teammate, there is the possibility they will obtain three Wisps of the same kind to use instead of one). Wisps eligible for triplicating are the Black Wisps, Blue Wisps, Orange Wisps, White Wisps and Crimson Wisps. Another team maneuver is the Skim Boost which lets the player give a slow-moving teammate a speed boost by skimming them at high speed; the greater the speed difference, the bigger the speed boost. Also, the character who has the highest position in a team-based race will produce yellow trails only visible to their teammates that provides a Slingshot maneuver. This maneuver grants a speed boost to the teammates who stay on the yellow trails for extended periods of time. There is also the Rival Takedown, where the characters on a team simply attack rival team racers. The teams can also unleash special moves called "Team Ultimates" when their Ultimate Meter energy gauge gets filled up from performing the team-based maneuvers mentioned above while racing; while the move can be used individually at any given time the Ultimate Meter is full, it lasts longer if all three teammates activate it simultaneously.^[19] When used, the Team Ultimate gives the user a temporary burst of speed and invincibility that lets them plow through rival racers, sending them skidding out of control.^[6][9] The meter's duration can be extended by hitting competing racers during a Team Ultimate.^[10]

Vehicles also have customization options that adjust the performance and appearance of a playable character's vehicle.^[20] These customizations are unlocked as the player progresses through the game.^[10] Most customizations, however, can be obtained through Mod Pods which can be purchased for ten Credits each.^[21] The player can obtain two broad types of customization parts: Mods and Bonus Boxes. Mods in particular can be divided into Performance Parts (which modify a vehicle's appearance and stats) and Car Cosmetic, the latter of which can be divided further into Paint Kits (which modify a vehicle's color scheme), Vinyls (which lets the player decorate the vehicles with decals) and Horns (which modify the vehicles' horn sounds).^[22] Bonus Boxes, on the other hand, are one-time equipment that can be equipped before a race in order to grant the racer a power-up from the beginning of the race or a special ability. Meanwhile, Mods can be added to a race car in the Garage, a mode where players can personalize their race cars. Performance Parts are particularly important. Each character gets eighteen Performance Parts to choose from which are divided into three sets: six for the vehicle's front, six for the vehicle's rear, and six for the vehicle's wheels, giving a total of 270 Performance Parts in the game. In addition, half of the Performance Parts are classified as "Legendary", which add golden colorations to the vehicle. The stats the Performance Parts modify include:

• Acceleration: The rate at which speed increases.
• Boost: The turbo boost speed and duration.
• Defense: Recovery speed of vehicle upon crash-type collisions and when receiving attacks.
• Handling: Dictates tighter turning ability.
• Top Speed: The highest speed the racer can go.

The game supports four-player local multiplayer. All standard races, along with some of the special events, can be played by up to four players in split screen mode. A separate controller must be connected for each player. To register entry for an additional player, one must choose the Joint/Leave option at either the main menu or the Game Mode screen of Local Play. Changes can be confirmed by checking the multiplayer status display at the bottom of the screen. Also, at the Character select screen of each game mode, each player uses their own controller to make character and team choices. Depending on the game mode selected, some multiplayer restrictions apply:

• Team Adventure: Can be played by up to three players.^[16] Players can also freely choose a character within the same team.
• Local Play: Grand Prix and Exhibition Race can be played by up to four players who can choose their characters and teams freely. Time Trial is limited to one player, however.
• Online Multiplayer: Can be played by up to a combination of twelve local and online players,^[11] who can choose their characters freely. Teams are assigned randomly or by the lobby host.

Controls[]

Button formation						Movement
Switch			PC	PlayStation 4	Xbox One
Pro Controller/ Joy-Con (Pair)	Joy-Con (Single)	GameCube controller
left/right	left/right		[W]/[A]/[S]/[D]	left/right		Steer
/			[SHIFT]	/	/	Accelerate
/			[SPACE]	/	/	Break/Reverse
/ + / > left/right	+ > left/right	+ > left/right	[SHIFT] + [SPACE] > [W]/[A]/[S]/[F]	/ + / > left/right	/ + / > left/right	Drift
(midair)	Press x2 (midair)	(midair)	[↑]/[←]/[↓]/[→]	(midair)		Flip
	/ left		[C]			View behind
	/ down		[E]			Use Wisp/Honk car
	/ right		[R]			Transfer Wisp
	/ up		[F]			Team Ultimate
	/	START	[ESC]	OPTIONS		Pause

Objects[]

Items[]

• Item Box
  • Invincibility
  • Wisps
    • White Wisp: In gameplay, the White Wisp gives the user an instant boost in speed, akin to the Boost. The player is able to obtain and hold up to three White Wisps at once. Using multiple White Wisps will use a more powerful boost, but mainly if used in succession to properly carry momentum from each prior one unleashed. Using a White Wisp just before being hit with a projectile will destroy the projectile.
    • Black Bomb: In gameplay, the Black Wisp takes the form of the Black Bomb on the race track, which can be thrown forward or backward as they bounce a bit on surfaces before exploded in the face of rival racers, dealing damage. The player is able to obtain and hold up to three Black Wisps at once.
    • Blue Cube: In gameplay, the Blue Wisp takes the form of a Blue Cube for other racers to collide with or block off areas, similar to the Blowfish (albeit it remains grounded and does not float in the air). Colliding with a blue cube will deal damage. The player is able to obtain and hold up to three Blue Wisps at once. Unlike the Blowfish, it can be fired in front in an arc, or left behind the user.
    • Crimson Eagle: In gameplay, the Crimson Wisp is fired as a Crimson Eagle-based projectile that acts as a homing missile towards opposing racers, and works similarly to the Drone (only it flies through the air at a low altitude instead of going along the ground). The player is able to obtain and hold up to three Crimson Wisps at once.
    • Cyan Laser: In gameplay, the Cyan Wisp enables usage of a Cyan Laser for several seconds that can damage opposing rival racers, with the beam being kept in front of the user's race car for a set duration.
    • Gray Quake: In gameplay, the Gray Wisp allows the user to send forth an array of harmful stone pillars on the racetracks with the Gray Quake, and can be placed either ahead of the track at certain points or right behind the user. If a rival racer collides with one of these pillars, they will spin out. It functions similarly to the Swarm, only the pillars are rooted to the ground, and opportune placements can either allow racers to narrowly avoid or be unable to dodge pillar arrays.
    • Ivory Lightning: In gameplay, the Ivory Wisp power-ups allow the player to target rival racers with bolts of electricity from the Ivory Lightning.
    • Jade Ghost: In gameplay, the Jade Wisp harnesses the power of Jade Ghost to cause them to briefly float as a phantasm, thus preventing them from colliding with anything while also stealing a Wisp from a nearby opponent if it hasn't already been used (though rings also cannot be collected in this state). In addition, the Jade Wisps can be upgraded by the player to increase the range they can steal from and the level of the stolen Wisp.
    • Magenta Rhythm: In gameplay, the Magenta Wisp can obscure rival racers' views with musical notes via the Magenta Rhythm, while also distorting the music and/or sound effects for the duration. Only exclusive for Technique-types by default.
    • Orange Rocket: In gameplay, the Orange Wisp power-ups allows the player to launch Orange Rocket-based projectiles, functioning no different almost from the Firework.
    • Pink Spikes: In gameplay, the Pink Wisp manifests Pink Spikes around the user as an orbiting defensive array, which can damage other racers when they come into contact with them. Only exclusive for Power-types by default.
    • Red Burst: In gameplay, the Red Wisp leaves behind a flaming trail from the Red Burst behind them to damage rival racers for a duration. Only exclusive for Speed-types by default.
    • Violet Void: In gameplay, the Violet Wisp allows the player to suck in Rings, Item Boxes, and slow down opponents with the Violet Void for a set duration. Only exclusive for Power-types by default.
    • Yellow Drill: In gameplay, the Yellow Wisp power-ups give the player the Yellow Drill's power, providing them with a massive boost through the track that damages all rivals the user makes contact with, albeit uncontrollable to a degree as it drills along a preset route of the track.
• Ring

Gimmicks and obstacles[]

• Boost Pad
• Kao
• Saw
• Spring
• Star Post
• Wide spring

Changes from Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed[]

It should be noted that given the game has many similarities to the engine rework of Transformed, there are a number of differences that mainly apply to racing solo aside from the removal of boat and flight modes:

• Unlike in Transformed where stats have a range of 1-to-5/6 depending on each mod, the stats are now within a range of 1/6-to-39/40, with the new mods system affecting stats to more varied degrees and combinations according to the player's preference in regards to customization.
• Likely due to the potencies of the Wisps being greater than the prior items from Transformed, item boxes no longer (save for one item) instantly allow item usage right away upon picking one up, and instead like the first All-Stars Racing, must go through a "randomizer roulette" of sorts before it can be used.
• Turbo boosts have been majorly reworked from stagnant top-speed increases for a set duration, depending on the level, to a short burst that propels the vehicle to have it briefly exceed its top speed for a short while, indicated by the wind tunnel lines at the edges of the driver's screen; again depending on level. This is likely to prevent conflicts with how similar the Slingshot boost is to boost physics in the prior Sonic Racing titles, as a set-top-speed-increase.
  • Start line turbo boosts are still the same as before, though Level 3 boosts reuse the orange-flame-exhaust-jet graphic with the vortex rings carried straight from Level 6 boosts from Transformed.
  • Turbo boost levels in general can now only go up to three, reaching the blue color, with the Team Ultimate Boost essentially being a lasting Level 3 boost in that regard as it cannot stack with Level 3 boosts from other sources. The White Boost Wisp in that regard, is akin to a spiritual successor of the Level 4 boost from Transformed as it can either stack with or override the user's current boost.
  • Dash panel boosts are also still separate of the boosts from both drifting and stunt landings, as well as from the White Boost Wisp, on top of now even being visually and functionally different - they make a Spin Dash-revving sound effect upon contacting a dash panel.
    • As a result of the changed turbo boost physics, more potent boosts are often unleashed when the vehicle has just boosted to a top speed range higher than their current default before the speed decreases, via done in succession, as opposed to all at once. The Boost stat instead affects the duration and range of any boost's propulsion range + momentary top speed increase, especially with most Power-type characters. Start line turbo boosts are also empowered in this regard by having them last marginally longer.
• Drifting physics while similar to Transformed, undergo notable changes themselves as well:
  • Like with the boat mode and flight modes of Transformed and akin to the first All-Stars Racing game, the camera of the player now slants in accordance to the turning direction whenever they drift.
  • Wider drift turns are easier to achieve with pushing to the opposite direction of the current drift turn than in Transformed, though the vehicle fighting back against the said direction can still happen. Held drifts done by tapping the opposite turning direction continuously still works.
  • Snaking is now possible again once more like in the first All-Stars Racing game to also build up boost levels unlike the forced halting of boost-build-up when switch-drifting in Transformed. However, snaking during specific moments using Transformed's physics may still require delicate control for momentum and/or may also slow the vehicle a bit if the brakes/drift button is stressed a bit too much as continuous chain boosting akin to how first All-Stars Racing did so is not normally possible with drifting alone. Some challenges require the use of snaking on specific course sections to clear them as a result, such as drifting through checkpoints or collecting rings mid-drift, especially if said drift is held for as long as possible.
  • Drifting now halts the boost unleash from successful stunt landings, as opposed to occurring independent of a drift boost, though stunting during a drift helps build the boost level up all together.
  • Visually, like in the first All-Stars Racing, the user's vehicle when drifting now can have their front wheels be aimed/angled inwards towards the turn or slightly away from it depending on how wide or tight the user is controlling their drift at.
  • Some continuous/exaggerated drifts in a single direction for a while now also may cause the vehicle in question via its center of gravity to start to tilt somewhat over the side away from the drifting direction (unless they switch-drift afterwards for a while without snaking too much or simply de-accelerate the vehicle for a second and a half) before being firmly grounded again once the boost is released whenever that occurs. As a result, this tilted/slanted state effectively can nerf a boost as the vehicle isn't properly steadied onto the ground, making some boost chains be done with caution if higher speed is to be maintained - this however, can change depending on specific character builds with various performance parts on which stats to emphasize or not.
  • Wall-tapping now may cancel a drift almost entirely as opposed to having specific nudges halt the boost without interfering with the drift itself. As a result, some collisions on the opposite side of the drifting direction can easily halt drifts like so.
  • Firing projectile weapons such as the Orange Rocket during a drift, which is akin to the Firework weapon from the prior game can only be fired from the front of the vehicle as opposed to the driver's forward direction mid-drift. As a result, the "drift-hit" requires an alternate form of precision different from Transformed.
• Stunts themselves have also been reworked:
  • When performing a stunt, the vehicle now makes a strangely-subdued cartoon bouncing sound, as opposed to a "whooshing" sound like in Transformed. There is now also a landing sound effect that is a "confirmation click" of sorts that will occur for a successful stunt landing, though a crashing/impact sound occurs for a fail instead.
  • Unlike in Transformed, it no longer takes around 0.6 seconds or 0.85 seconds to perform a successive stunt chain without failing it, as they can now be done continuously at any pacing with no possibility of failing a stunt in midair (and as a result, intentional airborne stunt fails are no longer possible from Transformed in regards to advanced drifting techniques).
  • However, crash-landing from stunts much like taking hits from specific Wisps depending on if the user/victim has any rings, may halt their momentum entirely.
  • Stunt boosts no longer are independent of drift boosts nor do they occur automatically on their own from a successful stunt landing of any sort (chain stunts included). As a result, successful stunt landings while in the middle of drifting (such as when trying to drift roll) halts the held boost level and/or adds to the boost from the drift itself. The boost build-up is also halted/added when starting a drift just upon landing from a stunt without crash-landing.
  • Drifting during a jump having any level of boost stacked from a stunt or not, then releasing it, allows for the stunts right after before landing to stack another boost right after depending on how much altitude said jump can provide without crash landing.
  • However, tying in with the removal of Level 4-to-6 boosts from Transformed, also removed are the ability to perform unique triple directional stunts (in 3 different directions via 2 opposite flips + 1 roll or 2 opposite rolls + 1 flip minimum in any combination) for level 4 boosts. However, beeline-multi-flips and/or drift-rolling still works in increasing specific forward momentum from certain jumps.
• Bumping a course boundary/wall at times no longer causes the vehicle to get halted in front of it, but depending on the collision and angle in question, may cause the victim's vehicle to bounce off a bit away from the wall.
• The user's own items/weapons can no longer accidentally affect themselves, and by proxy, teammates cannot damage each other with items like so in a team race.
• Vehicles undergo a less cartoonish effect when hit by attacks/obstacles, and while they still comically spin out of control it causes them to be stationary for a bit with a more impactful crashing effect shared with crash-landing from a stunt; a majority of wisp attacks can also briefly flash the player's screen white upon impact. The Defense stat by this proxy determines how long the victim stays stunned/halted from direct attacks from various wisps or when hit by obstacles (anything that makes the victim lose any rings they would've been holding at the time), separate of the Acceleration stat. Higher Defense stats indicate faster recovery.

Characters[]

Playable characters[]

Team Sonic Racing features fifteen playable characters, with three per team. In Team Adventure, the player is restricted to the three set characters per team, and begins with only Team Sonic, unlocking the other teams as they progress. In other modes, players are free to mix characters from other teams together. The following is a list of the characters:

Character	Team	Biography	Vehicle	Type	Base stats
Sonic the Hedgehog	Team Sonic	The world's fastest supersonic hedgehog takes to the track in a fittingly fast racer. He'd be much quicker on foot for sure, but he has to give the others a fair chance...[23]	Speed Star	Speed
Miles "Tails" Prower		Sonic's faithful companion loves his shiny new racer and is looking forward to tinkering under the hood, adding custom parts to maximize its full race potential.[23]	Whirlwind Sport	Technique
Knuckles the Echidna		Knuckles never holds back, and his new racer is tough enough that he can smash straight through anything that tries to slow him down.[23]	Land Breaker	Power
Amy Rose	Team Rose	Amy's cheerful demeanor conceals a spiky competitive streak, and her brand new racer will help her stay one step ahead of the crowd. Try to keep up, boys![24]	Pink Cabriolet	Speed
Chao (Dark Chao, Hero Chao, Neutral Chao and Omochao)		The Chao might look adorable, but they're monsters on the track, determined to win at any cost![24]	Chao Pod	Technique
Big the Cat		This gentle and carefree giant is taking a break from fishing for some high-octane antics![24]	Frog Cruiser	Power
Blaze the Cat	Team Vector	This elegant princess from another dimension loves showing off her racer's taillights to whoever she leaves at the starting line.[25]	Royal Chariot	Speed
Silver the Hedgehog		As a psychokinetic protector of time from 200 years in the future, it's his job to ensure that his team's (assumed) historic victory be preserved.[25]	Lightron	Technique
Vector the Crocodile		This imposing scaly detective has what it takes to win, as long as the prize money's right.[25]	Beat Monster	Power
Shadow the Hedgehog	Team Dark	The Ultimate Life Form can rival Sonic in both speed and abilities, on and off the racetrack.[26]	Dark Reaper	Speed
Rouge the Bat		As a professional treasure hunter, Rouge is not in the habit of leaving the party empty handed and has no plans of starting now.[26]	Lip Spyder	Technique
E-123 Omega		The last of Dr. Eggman's E-Series robots, Omega is a powerful force with a vendetta-like drive to win.[26]	Cross Dozer	Power
Metal Sonic	Team Eggman	Metal Sonic is an exact replica of our hero, except he's a robot, and evil. Could he possibly have an ulterior motive for racing?[27]	Formula M	Speed
Dr. Eggman		Taking a brief respite from his maniacal apocalyptic schemes, Dr. Eggman is enjoying some R&R with his old rivals. As if we'd believe that... What's he really doing here?[27]	Egg Booster	Technique
Zavok		Zeti and former leader of the Deadly Six, Zavok is a demanding presence who knows how to throw his weight around the racetrack.[27]	Road Dragoon	Power

Non-playable characters[]

Racers[]

• Death Egg (only appearance)

Non-racers[]

• Boo (cameo)
• Boom Boo (cameo)
• Buzzer (cameo)
• Chaos (cameo)
• Charmy Bee (mentioned)
• Chopper (cameo)
• Crabmeat
• Cubot
• Death Egg Robot (mass-produced)
• Dodon Pa
• Egg Hammer (cameo)
• Egg Squid (cameo)
• Eggpawn (Casino version)
• Espio the Chameleon (mentioned)
• Froggy (cameo)
• King Boom Boo (cameo)
• Maria Robotnik (mentioned)
• Master Zik (mentioned)
• Mother Wisp (cameo)
• Orbot
• Orca (cameo)
• Perfect Chaos (cameo)
• Sandworm (cameo)

Enemies[]

• Eggpawn
• Eggsplosive Eggpawn (first appearance)
• Hard-boiled Eggpawn (first appearance)
• Melee Eggpawn (first appearance)
• Standard Eggpawn (first appearance)

Race Tracks[]

Team Sonic Racing features twenty-one tracks in total, including some returning ones from Sonic & Sega All-Stars Racing and Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed,^[28] each split across seven Zones and based on locations from past Sonic games.^[16][29] 18 of the tracks are available at the start of the game, while the other three are locked until the player completes Team Adventure mode.

• Planet Wisp
  • Wisp Circuit
  • Mother's Canyon
  • Doctor's Mine
• Seaside Hill
  • Ocean View
  • Lost Palace
  • Whale Lagoon
• Glacierland
  • Ice Mountain
  • Frozen Junkyard
  • Hidden Volcano
• Casino Park
  • Roulette Road
  • Bingo Party
  • Pinball Highway
• Sandopolis
  • Sand Road
  • Boo's House
  • Clockwork Pyramid
• Rooftop Run
  • Market Street
  • Sky Road
  • Haunted Castle
• Final Fortress
  • Turbine Loop
  • Dark Arsenal
  • Thunder Deck

Events[]

Team Sonic Racing offer a wide selection of racing competitions called Events. Events may involved tweaked game rules or contents, or offer a mission-styled objective. The Events in the game include:

• Boost Race: The player competes in a Standard Race where the Item Boxes only contain White Wisps.
• Daredevil: The player competes in a single-player competition where they must use skim giant Star Posts in order to earn enough points before the time limit expires. This Event is exclusive to Team Adventures.
• Destruction: The player competes in a single-player competition where they must destroy targets in order to earn enough points before the time limit expires. This Event is exclusive to Team Adventure.
• Eggpawn Assault: The player competes in a single-player competition where they must destroy different types of Eggpawns in order to earn enough points before the time limit expires. This Event is exclusive to Team Adventure.
• Grand Prix: The player takes part in four Standard Races in order to collect points. The racer with the most points at the end of these four races is declared the winner.
• King of the Hill: The players race against each other in a Standard Race to stay in the lead. The racer in the lead will earn points. The first racer to hit the point limit is declared the winner.
• Lightning Race: The player competes in a Standard Race where lightning strikes periodically throughout this event. In order to defend against the lightning, the player must use Invincibility power-ups.
• Ring Challenge: The player competes in a single-player competition where they must collect Rings in order to earn enough points before the time limit expires. By drifting while collecting Rings, the player earns extra time. This Event is exclusive to Team Adventure.
• Rocket Race: The player competes in a Standard Race where the Item Boxes only contain Orange Wisps.
• Showdown Race: The player squares off against Team Eggman and the various Eggpawns that make up the opposing teams. This Event is exclusive to Team Adventure.
• Survival Race: The player competes in a "last man standing" race where the last racer to complete a lap will be eliminated from the race until only the fastest remain.
• Team Boost Race: The player competes in a Team Race where the Item Boxes only contain White Wisps.
• Team Grand Prix: Players take part in four Team Races in order to collect points. The team with the most points at the end of these four races are declared the winners.
• Team King of the Hill: The players race against each other in a Team Race to stay in the lead. The racer in the lead will earn points for their team. The first team to hit the point limit is declared the winner.
• Team Lightning Race: The players compete in a Team Race where lightning strikes periodically throughout this event. In order to defend against the lightning, the players must use Invincibility power-ups.
• Team Race: The player competes in a standard team-orientated race where they must earn points for their team by finishing with a high rank. The team with the highest score wins the race.
• Team Rocket Race: The players compete in a Team Race where the Item Boxes only contain Orange Wisps.
• Time Trial: The player races against the clock for the fastest lap time possible. The player can test their skills against ghosts of the players with the best time.
• Traffic Attack: The player competes in a single-player competition where they must avoid traffic drones. At the same time, they must drive through gates in order to earn enough points before the time limit expires. This Event is exclusive to Team Adventure.
• Vampire Race: The player competes in a Standard Race where the Rings they hold slowly decay over time, thus limiting their top speed. Use the Violet Wisps to steal Rings from rival racers.

Modes[]

Team Adventure[]

Team Adventure^[11][30] is a single-player story-driven campaign that serves as a tutorial^[16] mode and provides an explanation for why the characters are racing and a way for players to familiarize themselves with the game and its wide array of characters.^[10] Three local players can participate in it. Alternatively, the player can play it by themselves.

Team Adventure consists of a series of racing events that reveal the story of the game, and is separated into seven chapters which the player advances through sequentially. When progressing through a chapter, the player will find themselves on the Map Stage. On this map are fields with interconnected mission-based stage events that the player can participate in. Initially, stage paths are linear, but over time, they branch out and the player can take part in various events, although not all are mandatory in order to complete a given chapter. Each stage takes place on a different race track with a specific event tied to it.

On a Map Stage, the player must select a stage from those available. When first starting out though, only Stage 1-1 can be chosen. Once a stage has been selected, the player must choose the difficulty setting for that stage's racing event.^[31] After that, the player will go through a Dialogue Scene (the game's cutscenes) where the player can see the characters interact by way of introducing to the adventure. To proceed through the dialogue, the player must follow the onscreen prompts. After that, the player will enter the event assigned to that stage. Note the clear conditions at the entry screen, as one often has to adapt their driving strategy to clear them. After the event, for each clear condition the player fulfills during the event for the first time, the player will be awarded with a star. In addition, the next racing event(s) will be unlocked. However, some racing events can only be unlocked after the player collects a set amount of stars. There are also Keys that can be earned by fulfilling additional conditions alongside the star-awarding conditions. After collecting the appropriate number of stars and clearing the right stages, the player will unlock the next chapter, and the process starts over again until the player reaches the end in the final chapter. There are a total of 64 events to play through, each awarding a different amount of stars (with three being the maximum), resulting a total of 142 stars to collect in Team Adventure.

The first time, the player plays through Team Adventure, only Team Sonic will be available as playable characters. However, progressing through the chapters unlocks new playable characters in Team Adventure, namely Team Rose, Team Vector and Team Dark. Team Eggman cannot be played in Team Adventure, however. Also, unlike the main game, the teams in Team Adventure are predetermined,^[16] although the player is free to chose which team and their member they will play with. Progressing through Team Adventure and earning Keys will unlock extras that can be used in other modes and customization Mods for the player's vehicles.^[32]

List of chapters[]

The chapters and their stages with race tracks and clear conditions in Team Adventure are as follows:

Chapter 1: A Mysterious Invite[]

Stage	Track(s)	Event	Clear condition(s)	Key condition(s)
1-1	Wisp Circuit	Team Race	Finish in the top 3 places as an individual Finish in first as an individual Win the race as a team	N/A
1-2	Whale Lagoon	Team Race	Finish in the top 3 places as an individual Finish in first as an individual Win the race as a team	Perform a Team Ultimate at least 1 time(s).
1-3	Ocean View Mother's Canyon Wisp Circuit Lost Palace	Team Grand Prix	Place first in the Grand Prix overall!	Collect at least 100 Rings across a GP. (This is calculated from the amount of Rings held at the end of each race).
1-4	Doctor's Mine	Survival Race	Survive... avoid being eliminated!	Finish a Survival Race without losing a team member.
1-5	Roulette Road	Daredevil	Earn a silver medal Earn a platinum medal	N/A
1-6	Lost Palace	Ring Challenge	Earn a silver medal Earn a platinum medal	Collect at least 100 Rings in a single drift.

Chapter 2: Time To Race[]

Stage	Track(s)	Event	Clear condition(s)	Key condition(s)
2-1	Whale Lagoon	Team Race	Finish in the top 3 places as an individual Finish in first as an individual Win the race as a team	N/A
2-2	Wisp Circuit	Ring Challenge	Earn a silver medal Earn a platinum medal	Accrue at least 25 seconds of additional time.
2-3	Ice Mountain Mother's Canyon (mirrored) Bingo Party Doctor's Mine	Team Grand Prix	Place first in the Grand Prix overall!	Someone on your team places first in each race.
2-4	Lost Palace	Survival Race	Survive... avoid being eliminated!	Finish a Survival Race without losing a team member. Spin out fewer than 15 times. Fall off the track fewer than 15 times.
2-5	Sand Road	Team Race	Finish in the top 3 places as an individual Finish in first as an individual Win the race as a team	Complete a single lap in less than 75 seconds
2-6	Ocean View	Ring Challenge	Earn a silver medal Earn a platinum medal	Accrue at least 30 seconds of additional time.
S2-7	Whale Lagoon	Traffic Attack	Earn a silver medal Earn a platinum medal	N/A

Chapter 3: Guess Who's Back!?[]

Stage	Track(s)	Event	Clear condition(s)	Key condition(s)
3-1	Frozen Junkyard	Team Race	Finish in the top 3 places as an individual Finish in first as an individual Win the race as a team	N/A
3-2	Pinball Highway	Team Race	Finish in the top 3 places as an individual Finish in first as an individual Win the race as a team	Perform a Team Ultimate at least 2 time(s).
3-3	Hidden Volcano	Ring Challenge	Earn a silver medal Earn a platinum medal	Accrue at least 35 seconds of additional time.
3-4	Sky Road Mother's Canyon Bingo Party (mirrored) Lost Palace	Team Grand Prix	Place first in the Grand Prix overall!	Someone on your team places first in each race. Collect at least 150 Rings across a GP. (This is calculated from the amount of Rings held at the end of each race).
3-5	Frozen Junkyard	Survival Race	Survive... avoid being eliminated!	Perform a Team Ultimate at least 2 time(s).
3-6	Market Street	Team Race	Finish in the top 3 places as an individual Finish in first as an individual Win the race as a team	Spin out fewer than 5 times. Fall off the track fewer than 5 times.
3-7	Whale Lagoon	Destruction	Earn a silver medal Earn a platinum medal	Smash through at least 20 targets while drifting.
3-8	Doctor's Mine	Daredevil	Earn a silver medal Earn a platinum medal	Finish the race without falling off the track or hitting a Star Post!
3-9	Pinball Highway	Traffic Attack	Earn a silver medal Earn a platinum medal	N/A

Chapter 4: Cheats Never Prosper[]

Stage	Track(s)	Event	Clear condition(s)	Key condition(s)
4-1	Pinball Highway	Eggpawn Assault	Earn a silver medal Earn a platinum medal	N/A
4-2	Bingo Party	Team Race	Finish in the top 3 places as an individual Finish in first as an individual Win the race as a team	Use fewer than 5 Wisps
4-3	Frozen Junkyard	Eggpawn Assault	Earn a silver medal Earn a platinum medal	N/A
4-4	Market Street Doctor's Mine Sky Road Roulette Road	Team Grand Prix	Place first in the Grand Prix overall!	Someone on your team places first in each race. Collect at least 175 Rings across a GP. (This is calculated from the amount of Rings held at the end of each race).
4-5	Haunted Castle	Survival Race	Survive... avoid being eliminated!	Finish a Survival Race without losing a team member. Spin out fewer than 10 times. Fall off the track fewer than 10 times.
4-6	Ice Mountain (mirrored)	Team Race	Finish in the top 3 places as an individual Finish in first as an individual Win the race as a team	Stay in a teammate's Slingshot trail for at least 30 seconds total.
4-7	Boo's House	Team Race	Finish in the top 3 places as an individual Finish in first as an individual Win the race as a team	Perform at least 5 successful Team Rival take-downs.
4-8	Pinball Highway	Daredevil	Earn a silver medal Earn a platinum medal	N/A
4-9	Haunted Castle	Eggpawn Assault	Earn a silver medal Earn a platinum medal	Destroy at least 20 Eggpawns

Chapter 5: The Race Continues[]

Stage	Track(s)	Event	Clear condition(s)	Key condition(s)
5-1	Market Street (mirrored)	Team Race	Finish in the top 3 places as an individual Finish in first as an individual Win the race as a team	N/A
5-2	Ocean View	Eggpawn Assault	Earn a silver medal Earn a platinum medal	Use at least 35 Wisps.
5-3	Market Street	Daredevil	Earn a silver medal Earn a platinum medal	Achieve a score of at least 40 from skimming a single Star Post (before multiplier and bonuses).
5-4	Boo's House Ice Mountain Sky Road (mirrored) Haunted Castle (mirrored)	Team Grand Prix	Place first in the Grand Prix overall!	Someone on your team places first in each race. Collect at least 200 Rings across a GP. (This is calculated from the amount of Rings held at the end of each race).
5-5	Hidden Volcano	Survival Race	Survive... avoid being eliminated!	Spin out fewer than 3 times. Fall off the track fewer than 3 times.
5-6	Frozen Junkyard (mirrored)	Team Race	Finish in the top 3 places as an individual Finish in first as an individual Win the race as a team	N/A
5-7	Roulette Road (mirrored)	Team Race	Finish in the top 3 places as an individual Finish in first as an individual Win the race as a team	Complete a single lap in less than 70 seconds
5-8	Sky Road	Ring Challenge	Earn a silver medal Earn a platinum medal	Collect at least 400 Rings in a single drift.
5-9	Clockwork Pyramid	Eggpawn Assault	Earn a silver medal Earn a platinum medal	Complete a race without being hit by a Wisp.
5-10	Sky Road	Destruction	Earn a silver medal Earn a platinum medal	Smash through at least 25 targets while drifting.

Chapter 6: The Kidnapping[]

Stage	Track(s)	Event	Clear condition(s)	Key condition(s)
6-1	Sand Road (mirrored)	Team Race	Finish in the top 3 places as an individual Finish in first as an individual Win the race as a team	Never use a Wisp!
6-2	Clockwork Pyramid	Team Race	Finish in the top 3 places as an individual Finish in first as an individual Win the race as a team	Perform at least 5 successful Team Rival take-downs.
6-3	Ice Mountain	Daredevil	Earn a silver medal Earn a platinum medal	N/A
6-4	Market Street (mirrored)	Team Race	Finish in the top 3 places as an individual Finish in first as an individual Win the race as a team
6-5	Wisp Circuit (mirrored) Bingo Party (mirrored) Boo's House (mirrored) Hidden Volcano	Team Grand Prix	Place first in the Grand Prix overall!	Someone on your team places first in each race. Collect at least 225 Rings across a GP. (This is calculated from the amount of Rings held at the end of each race).
6-6	Sand Road	Survival Race	Survive... avoid being eliminated!	Finish a Survival Race without losing a team member. Perform a Team Ultimate at least 2 time(s).
6-7	Sky Road	Team Race	Finish in the top 3 places as an individual Finish in first as an individual Win the race as a team	Do not fall off the track Spin out fewer than 5 times.
6-8	Roulette Road	Team Race	Finish in the top 3 places as an individual Finish in first as an individual Win the race as a team	Perform a Team Ultimate at least 2 time(s).
6-9	Clockwork Pyramid	Daredevil	Earn a silver medal Earn a platinum medal	Achieve a score of at least 45 from skimming a single Star Post (before multiplier and bonuses).
6-10	Haunted Castle	Traffic Attack	Earn a silver medal Earn a platinum medal	N/A
6-11	Frozen Junkyard	Destruction	Earn a silver medal Earn a platinum medal	Smash at least 30 targets with a Wisp.

Chapter 7: The Final Showdown[]

Stage	Track(s)	Event	Clear condition(s)	Key condition(s)
7-1	Turbine Loop	Eggpawn Assault	Earn a silver medal Earn a platinum medal	N/A
7-2	Ice Mountain	Showdown Race	Finish in the top 3 places as an individual Finish in first as an individual Win the race as a team	Destroy at least 5 Eggpawns.
7-3	Hidden Volcano (mirrored)	Showdown Race	Finish in the top 3 places as an individual Finish in first as an individual Win the race as a team	N/A
7-4	Roulette Road	Showdown Race	Finish in the top 3 places as an individual Finish in first as an individual Win the race as a team	Destroy at least 10 Eggpawns.
7-5	Dark Arsenal	Showdown Race	Finish in the top 3 places as an individual Finish in first as an individual Win the race as a team	Spin out fewer than 3 times. Fall off the track fewer than 3 times.
7-6	Thunder Deck	Showdown Race	Finish in the top 3 places as an individual Finish in first as an individual Win the race as a team	Destroy at least 15 Eggpawns.
7-7	Turbine Loop (mirrored)	Showdown Race	Finish in the top 3 places as an individual Finish in first as an individual Win the race as a team	Don't get spun out! Finish the race holding at least 150 Rings.
7-8	Mother's Canyon	Showdown Race	Finish in the top 3 places as an individual Finish in first as an individual Win the race as a team	Do not fall off the track. Finish the race holding at least 150 Rings.
7-9	Boo's House	Ring Challenge	Earn a silver medal Earn a platinum medal	N/A
7-10	Dark Arsenal (mirrored)	Showdown Race	Finish in the top 3 places as an individual Finish in first as an individual Win the race as a team	Perform at least 5 successful Team Rival take-downs. Finish the race holding at least 75 Rings.
7-11	Turbine Loop	Destruction	Earn a silver medal Earn a platinum medal	Smash through at least 30 targets while drifting. Smash at least 30 targets with a Wisp.
7-12	Dark Arsenal	Eggpawn Assault	Earn a silver medal Earn a platinum medal	Don't get spun out! Destroy at least 15 Eggpawns.

Local Play[]

Local Play is a mode where players can enjoy total depending on the race conditions and settings. However, the settings available will vary depending on the selected game mode and subsequent choices. The main choices presented are detailed as follows:

1. Game Mode: Choose from the following modes:
   • Grand Prix: Tackle a series of four courses.
   • Exhibition Race: Tackle a single course.
   • Time Trial: Choose a course and aim for the fastest lap time. Time Trial runs begin with an automatic boost start, and will continue running laps until the player stops via the Pause Menu.
   • Wireless Play (Switch only): Use local wireless to link up a maximum of four consoles and eight players. Please note that the maximum players are accommodated using split screen mode.
2. Race Type: Select Team Race to race as a team, or Standard Race for all against all. The level of Difficulty can also be set here.
   • Difficulty: Set to Normal, Hard or Expert. Increasing the difficulty means faster racers.
   • Track: Choose a zone and course, or a Grand Prix series to race. For Exhibition Race, one can also set the following Race Options from here: Number of Teams, Number of Laps and Mirrored. When Mirrored is set, the course will be flipped from left to right for a fresh racing perspective.
3. Character: Each player chooses a character and optionally sets the vehicle Loadout and Bonus Box before selecting "Ready" to proceed.
   • Loadout: Each vehicle has three Mod Slots for Performance Parts and Present slot for Car Cosmetics schemes. Before a race, the player can choose any of their available Mods to implement for the competition via these slots.
   • Select Bonus Box: Choose a Bonus Box from those available, which will be good for one race.

After the player has been through the three steps mention above, they will begin their race. Worth noting is that for multiplayer games in certain modes, each player can choose which team to join. Characters set to the same team play cooperatively, whereas characters set to different teams play in competition. AI racers will be randomized. Also, in Time Trial, the player can race against a replay of their personal best time, a generic racer at various skill levels, or higher ranking players.

Online Multiplayer[]

Online Multiplayer is an online mode where the player can race with other players from around the world. The following choices are available for selection:

• Matchmaking: Open the Online Playlist and race with random players as follows: Quick Play (join a game at random), Team Race (join a cooperative team event), and Standard (join an all against all event). For each option, select Ranked to match with players comparable in skill, or Casual for a wider choice of less balanced matches. Follow the onscreen prompts to select a game and player character.
• Create Custom Lobby: Create a lobby for one's friends to join. As host, the player will be responsible for choosing the track, game setting and managing teams. If there are insufficient players available, missing slots will be automatically filled by AI characters selected at random.
• Join Lobby: Search for and join private lobbies hosted by friends.
• Invite Friends: Invite friends to join one's lobby directly.

Player Stats[]

Player Stats is a mode where the player can see an at-a-glance summary of game statistics such as total distance driven, total Rings collected, online rank, total online races finished, Team Ultimates activated, Wisp transferred, Stunts performed, Skimboosts given, Slingshot boosts performed, the player's favorite character, and favorite track.

Garage[]

Garage is a mode where the player can modify each playable character's race car with available Mods. One option allows the player to modify Performance Parts and the other allows modifications of Car Cosmetics.

When customizing a car's Performance Parts, the player has to select a character and choose either the Front, Rear or Wheel Mods to modify the playable character's vehicle. Performance Parts are visually distinctive and directly affect a racer's stats. Settings for each vehicle are the default Loadout in each game mode.

Whereas Performance Parts modify both the appearance and stats of a race car, the Car Cosmetics exclusively modify the appearance of a race car. In order to use Car Cosmetics, select a character or a preset to modify. Presets can be applied to any character at the Character Select screen when starting an event. The options for Car Cosmetics are as follows:

• Paint Kit: Choose a Paint Kit to determine the available palette, and then select a color and texture for each vehicle part. Some vehicles have glow parts which can also be colored.
• Vinyl: Add a vinyl decal to the race car, and select the colors and texture of its display from the Paint Kit palette.
• Horn: Choose a custom horn sound to make your presence heard.

Mod Pods[]

Main article: Mod Pod

Mod Pods is a mode where the player can use their earned Credits to purchase Performance Parts, Car Cosmetics and Bonus Boxes.

Options[]

Options is the settings menu for Team Sonic Racing. Follow the onscreen prompts to change controller, audio and video settings:

• Controller: Here, each player can choose from a choice of two control schemes.
• Vibration (consoles only): Set the vibration for the controllers On or Off.
• Audio: Make changes to sound settings as follows:
  • Volume; Set the master, music, SFX and voice volumes from 1-100 (default: 75).
  • In-game Comms: Set teammate communications to Enabled, Text or Disabled.
  • Audio Language: Set the spoken language for voices.
• Video: Make changes to display settings as follows:
  • Gamma: Set the mid-range display brightness from 1-100 (default: 75).
  • Tutorials: Set in-game tutorials On or Off.
  • Text Language: Set the language for the menu and in-game text display.

Tips[]

Tips is a mode that offers helpful advice on gameplay techniques, race types, and Item Box items. Its topics include Driving, Team Play, Wisps, and Events. Below is a list of all given tips, organized by category.

Driving[]

1. Speed-type Ability
2. Technique-type Ability
3. Power-type Ability
4. Bonus Boxes
5. Difficulty Settings
6. Drift Boost
7. Earning Credits
8. Mod Pods
9. Online Emblems
10. Online Rankings
11. Performance Modifications
12. Rings #1
13. Rings #2
14. Start Line Boost
15. Stunts
16. Unlocks
17. Vehicle Customization: Horns
18. Vehicle Customization: Paint
19. Vehicle Customization: Vinyls

Team Play[]

1. Item Box Transfer: Accept
2. Item Box Transfer: Offer
3. Skimboost
4. Slingshot
5. Team Rivals
6. Team Ultimate
7. Ultimate Meter

Wisps[]

1. Alternate Fire
2. Black Bomb
3. Blue Cube #1
4. Blue Cube #2
5. Crimson Eagle
6. Cyan Laser
7. Gray Quake
8. Ivory Lightning
9. Invincibility
10. Jade Ghost
11. Magenta Rhythm
12. Orange Rocket #1
13. Orange Rocket #2
14. Pink Spikes
15. Red Burst
16. Type-specific Wisps
17. Violet Void #1
18. Violet Void #2
19. White Boost #1
20. White Boost #2
21. Yellow Drill

Events[]

1. Boost Race
2. Daredevil
3. Destruction
4. Eggpawn Assault
5. Grand Prix
6. King of the Hill
7. Lightning Race
8. Ring Challenge
9. Rocket Race
10. Survival Race
11. Team Race
12. Time Trial
13. Traffic Attack
14. Vampire Race

Credits[]

Credits is a mode where the player can see the staff responsible for creating Team Sonic Racing.

Development[]

Team Sonic Racing was developed by Sumo Digital and was published by Sega for the PC, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One.^[33] It was the studio's third racing game featuring the Sonic intellectual property (IP), following Sonic & Sega All-Stars Racing (2010) and Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed (2012).^[34] Sumo Digital was chosen by Sega to develop Team Sonic Racing because of their experience with the Sonic IP.^[10] Development of this game began before Sonic Mania and Sonic Forces were completed in 2017. Unlike these two games, which featured action-oriented gameplay, Team Sonic Racing was designed to be for casual gamers.^[35] The majority of the staff, however, were new and had not worked on any of the previous titles. Despite this, some of them contacted the teams behind Sonic and Sega All-Stars Racing and Sonic and All-Stars Racing Transformed for reference.^[36][37] The lead designer of the game was Richard Acherki,^[36] while Sonic Team head Takashi Iizuka was producing.^[38] Team Sonic Racing was Acherki's first game at Sumo Digital.^[36] According to Acherki, the proprietary game engine Team Sonic Racing runs on is a modified version of the one used to develop the Sonic & Sega All-Stars Racing games, and allowed them to easily port the game across platforms.^[36]

Sumo Digital wanted Team Sonic Racing to stand out compared to other racing games,^[36] and with the engine of previous games they had a solid foundation to build a new experience.^[38] Iizuka suggested that they designed it so it was easy for beginners, as he wanted his children to enjoy it.^[16] Sumo Digital also wanted to build upon the gameplay of Sonic & Sega All-Stars Racing Transformed, which many players enjoyed.^[39] Iizuka conceived the team-based gameplay after watching his son play a kart racing game with his friends. He observed that they were not all happy and pondered how they could all enjoy the game.^[40] Observing other games, Sumo Digital found that team gameplay was very popular; noting that racing games were largely single-player experiences, they decided to combine the concepts to create a unique and exciting experience.^[36][41] Iizuka echoed these sentiments, saying the development team was not inspired by other kart racing games like Mario Kart 8 because they wanted to make a game that emphasized teamwork instead of a "network game". He cited Splatoon and Overwatch as examples of the cooperative gameplay Team Sonic Racing was designed to resemble.^[42] Iizuka likewise found it surprising there were few team-based racing games available.^[35]

Unlike the Sega All-Stars games, which featured various Sega franchises, Team Sonic Racing focuses solely on the Sonic franchise.^[43] Sega's community manager Aaron Webber said that Team Sonic Racing is not a sequel to Sonic & All Stars Racing Transformed and is "very, very different" from previous Sonic racers.^[44] One of Sonic Team's intentions from the get-go was, according to Takashi Iizuka, to "bring to the Sonic fans a pure, Sonic universe racing game", which is why this title did not become an entry in the Sega All-Stars series.^[41] Ilzuka also noted that Sega used to release different video games featuring racing like Out Run and Daytona USA, and said Team Sonic Racing continues this tradition.^[45] Webber also added that they also wanted to expand the world and character roster of Sonic,^[18] and designer Derek Littlewood said setting the game in the Sonic universe allowed them to use the series' "full suite" of characters and elements.^[39] One of Sumo Digital's goals was also to "provide plenty of fan service and also [give] people something new to look at and experience."^[39] Designer Ben Wilson called working on a Sonic game "surreal" and said the team enjoyed working with Sega.^[39] The game does not support cross-platform multiplayer; Iizuka stated this is because of technical constraints.^[41]

It was a challenge to design the game because teamwork in a racing game was an unusual aspect to implement. However, Iizuka and the team found that, if the cooperative gameplay was too prominent, the fluidity of the gameplay would be hampered.^[35] Sumo Digital has since said that Sonic Heroes, which features team-based gameplay, was used as a point of reference.^[10][38] Choosing characters for the roster proved to be difficult for the developers as well. For instance, Vector the Crocodile, who is usually seen as a member of Team Chaotix in the Sonic series, is paired with Blaze the Cat and Silver the Hedgehog in Team Sonic Racing, which led to considerable debate among the team.^[35][46] The developers also faced difficulties choosing racetracks with a variety of atmospheres. Each character's car in the game was also uniquely designed to reflect the character's individuality, while custom parts were made separately.^[35] Team Sonic Racing also features several new versions of the Wisp power-ups from previous Sonic games.^[16] The All-Stars games included general power-ups since they featured multiple Sega franchises, but since Team Sonic Racing exclusively featured elements from the Sonic series, Sumo Digital unified the power-ups with Wisps.^[35] Sumo Digital worked with the Japanese staff of Sonic Team to get approval for their concepts.^[16]

Promotional[]

Team Sonic Racing was released by Sega on 21 May 2019. It was initially slated for release in late 2018, but Sega delayed it in October to give Sumo Digital more development time.^[47] Iizuka later clarified that there were problems with the online mode that took more time than anticipated to fix.^[35][46]

Rumors of a new Sonic-themed racing game arose in January 2018 when an internal Sumo Digital memo leaked, containing information on an "unannounced karting game" for an "established global IP".^[34] Their history with Sonic caused speculation that they were developing a new entry in the Sonic & Sega All-Stars Racing series. This was rejected by Sega's community manager Aaron Webber, who stated he "saw rumors floating today about another SART game. Just wanted to confirm it's not a thing!"^[34][48] Despite his response, multiple toy production companies alluded to a future Sonic kart racing game in February 2018.^[49] In early February, a representative from Zappies reported at the Spielwarenmesse toy fair in Nuremberg that a third Sonic kart racing game was in development and that the company was planning on making toy figures for the game.^[34] Similarly, later in the month, a separate toy company, Diamond Select Toys, also alluded to 2018 toys based off of a Sonic racing video game entry.^[50] Multiple journalists noted that Webber's comments may have just alluded to the Sega All-Stars name and that he did not discount the premise of a new Sonic racing game,^[34] and further rumors of a game without any other Sega IPs involved arose in the same month.^[51]

A Sonic related announcement was scheduled for 16 March 2018 at the SXSW convention.^[52][53] The game was not announced at that time, but a trailer on the Sonic social media accounts teased a new racing game on that same day.^[54] In May 2018, Webber stated that Sega would announce more information on the game being teased in the trailer "soon".^[55]

On 29 May 2018, the name Team Sonic Racing was leaked by an online retail listing from Walmart.^[56] Shortly after the leak, Sega confirmed the game was real^[9] and announced it would release on the Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Windows, and Xbox One in the fourth quarter of 2018. A demo version was playable at the Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) 2018.^[33] This demo featured Team Sonic and Team Dark racing on the Wisp Circuit circuit.^[41] Later, on 11 June 2018, Sega released a trailer to promote the game at E3, featuring the theme song and an in-depth look at the gameplay while also confirming the return of Crush 40 to the game's soundtrack.^[57][58] Team Sonic Racing was nominated for Hardcore Gamer's Best Racing Game of E3 2018.^[59] Another demo was playable at Gamescom in August 2018. More details were revealed, including the new character Dodon Pa, aspects of the story, and racetracks based on levels in Sonic the Hedgehog 3 and Sonic Unleashed.^[16][60] At the 2018 Gamescom Awards, Team Sonic Racing won the award for "Best Casual Game".^[61] Team Sonic Racing was also present at PAX West in August, where attendees were given an exclusive poster,^[62] and the Tokyo Game Show in November.^[40]

At the 2018 SDCC panel for the IDW Publishing Sonic the Hedgehog comic series, it was announced that Team Sonic Racing would receive a prequel comic.^[63] At the 2019 SXSW panel for the Sonic the Hedgehog series, it was revealed that Team Sonic Racing would receive a two-part animation series in promotion for the game.^[64]

On the launch day for Team Sonic Racing, Sega released a live-action trailer, featuring a cameo from Iizuka.^[65] Sumo Digital also chose to offer all content at the launch of the game instead of selling some as downloadable content, and not to include microtransactions.^[21] On 24 May 2019, the official Sonic Twitter account held a takeover where Roger Craig Smith, Mike Pollock, Kirk Thornton and Colleen O'Shaughnessey reprised their roles as Sonic, Dr. Eggman, Shadow and Tails to answer fan questions as a promotion of Team Sonic Racing.^[66]

Cast and Voice Direction[]

• In the English dub, this is the first game where Knuckles, Zavok, Blaze, Omochao and Silver are voiced by Dave B. Mitchell, Patrick Seitz, Erica Lindbeck (Blaze and Omochao), and Bryce Papenbrook, respectively. It is also the only game where Aaron LaPlante voices Omega.

In the German dub, this is the first game where Paulina Weiner, Anna Gamburg, and Johannes Oliver Hamm voice Tails, Amy, and Dr. Eggman.

Jack Fletcher, Eriko Kimura, Antoine Nouel, Alice Bongiorni, Michael Hülsmann, and Guillermo Reinlein were the respective voice directors for the English, Japanese, French, Italian, German, and Spanish dubs.

Role	Voice actor(s)
	English	Japanese	French	Italian	German	Spanish
Sonic the Hedgehog	Roger Craig Smith	Jun'ichi Kanemaru	Alexandre Gillet	Renato Novara	Marc Stachel	Ángel de Gracia
Miles "Tails" Prower	Colleen O'Shaughnessey	Ryō Hirohashi	Marie-Eugénie Maréchal	Benedetta Ponticelli	Paulina Weiner	Graciela Molina
Knuckles the Echidna	Dave Mitchell	Nobutoshi Canna	Sébastien Desjours	Maurizio Merluzzo	Claus-Peter Damitz	Sergio Mesa
Amy Rose	Cindy Robinson	Taeko Kawata	Naïké Fauveau	Serena Clerici	Anna Gamburg	Meritxell Ribera
Chao	Tomoko Sasaki(archive)
Omochao	Erica Lindbeck	Etsuko Kozakura	Delphine Braillon	Sabrina Bonfitto	Tabea Börner	Sofía García
Big the Cat	Kyle Hebert	Takashi Nagasako	Antoine Nouel	Andrea De Nisco	Andreas Sparberg	Santi Lorenz
Blaze the Cat	Erica Lindbeck	Nao Takamori	Delphine Braillon	Tania De Domenico	Greta Galisch	Carmen Ambrós
Silver the Hedgehog	Bryce Papenbrook	Daisuke Ono	Hervé Grull	Davide Albano	Roland Wolf	Masumi Mutsuda
Vector the Crocodile	Keith Silverstein	Kenta Miyake	Philippe Roullier	Diego Sabre	Andi Krösing	Alfonso Vallés
Shadow the Hedgehog	Kirk Thornton	Kōji Yusa	Benoît DuPac	Claudio Moneta	Klaus Lochthove	Manuel Gimeno
Rouge the Bat	Karen Strassman	Rumi Ochiai	Marie Lenoir	Jasmine Laurenti	Marianne Graffam	Ana Vidal
E-123 Omega	Aaron LaPlante	Taiten Kusunoki	Thierry Buisson	Marco Pagani	Viktor Pavel	Albert Vilcan
Doctor Eggman	Mike Pollock	Kotaro Nakamura	Marc Bretonnière	Aldo Stella	Johannes Oliver Hamm	Francesc Belda
Zavok	Patrick Seitz	Jōji Nakata	Benoît Allemane	Gianni Gaude	Klaus Lochthove	Miguel Ángel Jenner
Dodon Pa	Kyle Hebert	Katsuhisa Hōki	Vincent Violette	Antonio Paiola		Rafael Turia
Orbot	Kirk Thornton	Mitsuo Iwata	Tony Marot	Massimo Di Benedetto	Romanus Fuhrmann	Albert Vilcan
Cubot	Wally Wingert	Wataru Takagi	Benjamin Pascal	Luca Sandri	Matthias Horn	Xadi Mouslemeni Mateu
Announcer	Roger Craig Smith	Fumihiko Tachiki		Marco Balbi	Klaus Lochthove	Juan Carlos Gustems

Soundtrack[]

The game's soundtrack was composed by Jun Senoue, the songwriter and lead guitarist for the bands Crush 40 and the Sonic Adventure Music Experience, which has contributed to many Sonic games,^[4] while Tee Lopes, the band Hyper Potions, Richard Jacques, Tyler Smyth of DangerKids, and TORIENA also contributed.^[67][68][69] This game is Senoue's first major work in the Sonic series since Sonic Generations.^[70] Takashi Iizuka said the team needed "cool" music that would "influence the player's excitement", which led him to ask Senoue to compose the score.^[40] He composed each track individually, collaborating with a different musician for each one.^[35]

The game's theme song, "Green Light Ride", features lyrics written and performed by Crush 40, with vocals provided by Johnny Gioeli.^[57][71]

A three-disk album containing the game soundtrack that is called Maximum Overdrive - Team Sonic Racing Original Soundtrack was released shortly after the release of Team Sonic Racing and was published by Wave Master.

Achievements[]

These are the achievements for the Xbox One, PlayStation 4 and Steam versions of Team Sonic Racing.

Image	Name	Description	Trophy Class	Gamescore
	Teamwork Makes the Dream Work!	Collect all Trophies. (PS4 only)		N/A
	You're Fired	Cause an opponent to spin-out using a Red Burst.		10
	Quick Off The Mark	Perform a maximum Start Line Boost.		10
	Let Me Introduce Myself	Finish an online race.		10
	The Taunting Tanuki	Complete Chapter 1 of Team Adventure Mode.		15
	Dimensional Rift	Complete Chapter 2 of Team Adventure Mode.		15
	Dark Arrival	Complete Chapter 3 of Team Adventure Mode.		15
	Cheaters Never Win	Complete Chapter 4 of Team Adventure Mode.		15
	Between Zavok And A Hard Place	Complete Chapter 5 of Team Adventure Mode.		15
	Kidnapped!	Complete Chapter 6 of Team Adventure Mode. (Secret)		15
	The Final Showdown	Complete Chapter 7 of Team Adventure Mode.		50
	Roadside Assistance	Perform a Skimboost on a slow-moving Teammate.		10
	Twinkle Twinkle	Earn every star in Team Adventure Mode Chapter 1.		25
	Starry-eyed	Earn every star in Team Adventure Mode Chapter 2.		25
	Reach For the Stars	Earn every star in Team Adventure Mode Chapter 3.		25
	Starlight, Star Bright	Earn every star in Team Adventure Mode Chapter 4.		25
	Star Power	Earn every star in Team Adventure Mode Chapter 5.		25
	Celestial	Earn every star in Team Adventure Mode Chapter 6.		25
	Supernova	Earn every star in Team Adventure Mode Chapter 7.		25
	Can You Feel The Sunshine?	Earn every star in Team Adventure Mode.		100
	Cagophilist	Collect all of the Team Adventure Mode Keys.		50
	Go Hard Or Go Home	Complete all possible events on hard in any Team Adventure Mode chapter.		25
	Well, That Wasn't So Hard	Complete all Team Adventure chapters on Hard difficulty.		75
	Whoa! I'm Getting Dizzy!	Perform a triple Stunt.		10
	A Friend In Speed Is A Friend Indeed	Beat a friend's leaderboard time in Time Trial mode on any track.		10
	Wisp You Were Here	Gain 6 positions by using a single Yellow Drill.		10
	On The Skids	Stay in a single Drift for over a minute.		10
	Ringmaster	Collect 20,000 Rings.		10
	So Far So Jaded	Travel 200 meters over slow-down surfaces with a single use of a Jade Ghost.		10
	A Prize Every Time	Spend 5,000 Credits.		15
	Cyan Of The Times	Spin out 2 racers with Cyan Laser.		10
	Freezy Peasy	Finish Frozen Junkyard without hitting any hazards or respawning.		15
	Performance Enhancing Mods	Unlock all of the Performance Mods (Except Legendary Mods).		50
	Speed Painter	Unlock all of the Vehicle Paint Kits.		15
	This Time It's Personal	Modify a vehicle in the Garage.		10
	Ad Ultimatum	Perform a Team Ultimate 3 times in a single Race.		10
	Slingshot Pro	Perform 100 Team Slingshots. (Across all Game Modes).		20
	Fire The Catapult!	Perform 10 Team Slingshots in a single Race.		10
	There Is No "I" In Team...	Perform Team Item Transfer, Skimboost, Team Slingshot and Team Ultimate in a single Race.		15
	What's Mine Is Yours	Send an Item Box to a Teammate 5 times during a Race.		15
	Target Practice	Land a hit on enemy racers with each use of a x3 Orange Rocket.		20
	Threat Neutralized	Use the White Boost to destroy a projectile.		10
	Cutting Corners	Use the White Boost to avoid being slowed down by rough terrain.		10
	Violent Void	Use the Violet Void to absorb a projectile and hit the racer who fired it.		10
	Road Block	Block an incoming projectile with a Blue Cube.		10
	Thorn In Their Sides	Cause 3 opponents to spin-out by shunting them with a Pink Spikes active.		10
	Sonic Heroes	Complete a Team Race with 2 additional local players on your Team.		15
	Villainy 101	While playing as Eggman, spin out Sonic 3 times in the same Race.		15
	Artful Dodging	Avoid every hazard created by a Gray Quake.		10
	The Customizer Is Always Right	Achieve 1st place in a race with a fully customized Vehicle.		10
	Shockproof	Avoid the effect of being hit by an Ivory Lightning.		10
	But There Is A Me...	Come first in an online race.		20

Steam collectibles[]

Steam has various exclusive features for each game, including collectibles like emoticons, badges, backgrounds and trading cards. Like many other games available on the platform, Team Sonic Racing includes these features.

Trading Cards[]

Card	Name	Number (of 6)	Artwork
	Sonic the Hedgehog	1
	Shadow the Hedgehog	2
	Dr. Eggman	3
	Amy	4
	Silver	5
	Team Sonic	6

Badges[]

In Steam, badges are crafted by combining a set of Trading Cards, obtainable through a random item drop, which lands in the Steam Inventory. The more cards combined, the greater the experience points the badge will contain.

Badge	Name	Level	XP
	Team Vector	1	100
	Team Vector 2	2	200
	Team Rose	3	300
	Team Eggman	4	400
	Team Dark	5	500

Foil Badge	Name	Level	XP
	Team Sonic	1	100

Emoticons[]

Emoticon	Code	Class
	:burst_wisp:	Common
	:rocket_wisp:	Common
	:rhythm_wisp:	Uncommon
	:drill_wisp:	Rare
	:lightning_wisp:	Rare

Backgrounds[]

Once a Steam user has enough XP through crafting badges, special perks will follow by, such as item drops of backgrounds and coupons. These are the following backgrounds for Team Sonic Racing:

Image	Name	Class
	Amy	Common
	Vector the Crocodile	Common
	Dr. Eggman	Uncommon
	Shadow the Hedgehog	Uncommon
	Sonic the Hedgehog	Rare

Promotion[]

At San Diego Comic Con 2018, it was announced that Team Sonic Racing would receive a prequel comic. This comic was released on 5 December 2018 and was written by Caleb Goellner and penciled by Adam Bryce Thomas. Set before the game's events,^[72] the story featured Sonic and his teammates as they journey to a new planet and enter a race unlike any other, during which they receive help from familiar faces to prevent an old foe from obtaining a powerful new technology.^[63]

When the official Team Sonic Racing Japanese website was launched on 1 February 2019, it was announced that several pieces of Team Sonic Racing-related merchandise would be sold as pre-order bonuses. These bonuses include a Trailer Music Selection album ("Green Light Ride", "Team Gameplay Spotlight" and four other songs), acrylic key holder sets, a special racing guide, and digital wallpapers. Also, among the bonuses sold at the SEGA Store in Japan, there will be a Team Sonic Racing 'deluxe package' sold for ¥10,090. It will include the full game, as well as stylized postcards, "Sonic vs. Shadow" rock glasses, a keyholder, and stylized pouches.^[73]

At SXSW in March 2019, the first episode of a two-part tie-in web-series, Team Sonic Racing Overdrive, was released, followed by the second episode in April.^[74] The series' animation was handled by Tyson Hesse and Neko Productions,^[75] who previously produced the Sonic Mania Plus tie-in Sonic Mania Adventures.^[76] Later, on 25 March 2019, at the 2019 Apple Event, it was announced that a new mobile game titled Sonic Racing will release on the Apple Arcade for iOS devices in promotion of Team Sonic Racing.^[77]

A variety of merchandise was released to promote the game. Clothing and other gear was made to promote Team Sonic Racing Overdrive, then shortly after the release of Team Sonic Racing, personalized jerseys, T-shirts and pins were available from Sega Shop. NKOK made two remote controlled toy cars, and Diamond Select Toys made two dioramas.

System requirements[]

PC[]

Minimum[]

OS	Processor	Memory	Graphics	DirectX®	Sound
	Intel Core i3 4130T (2.9 GHz) / AMD FX 6300 (3.5 GHz)	4 GB RAM	Nvidia GeForce GTX 770 (2 GB) / AMD Radeon HD 7870 (2 GB)	Version 11.0c	DirectX 11.0c Compatible

Recommended[]

OS	Processor	Memory	Graphics	DirectX®	Sound
	Intel i5 8600K (3.6 GHz) / AMD Ryzen 5 1600 (3.6 GHz)	8 GB RAM	Nvidia GeForce GTX 970 (4 GB) / AMD Radeon RX 570 (4 GB)	Version 11.0c	DirectX 11.0c Compatible

Reception[]

Reception
Aggregate scores
Aggregator	Score
Metacritic	73% (XONE)[78] 72% (PS4)[79] 72% (Switch)[80]
Review scores
Publication	Score
Destructoid	7/10[81]
Eurogamer	Recommended[82]
Game Informer	7.25/10[83]
GameSpot	7/10[84]
GamesRadar	[85]
IGN	8.5/10[86]
Jeuxvideo.com	14/20[87]
Nintendo Life	7/10 (Switch)[88]
Shacknews	9/10[89]
USgamer	3.5/5[90]
The Guardian	[91]
Push Square	7/10 (PS4)[92]
ScreenRant	[93]

Pre-release[]

The pre-release reception for Team Sonic Racing was mostly positive, with critics finding the cooperative aspect of the game as a good replacement to the "transforming" car mechanic from its immediate predecessor, Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed, another racing title developed by Sumo Digital, although many gaming journalists have found its focus solely in the Sonic universe as disappointing, particularly in comparison to Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed, and the original Sonic & Sega All-Stars Racing, both of which featured other Sega characters as well.

Martin Robinson of Eurogamer expressed disappointment that Team Sonic Racing did not include any non-Sonic characters as playable racers, which he believed was one of the best things about the All-Stars series. However, he optimistically believed that Sumo Digital's experience with Sonic would ensure that the game would be a "fundamentally brilliant arcade racer".^[43] Kevin Knezevic of GameSpot said that "despite trading many of the elements" from Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed, Team Sonic Racing "retains the look and feel of [Sumo Digital's] previous Sonic racers" and that the game's focus on teamwork and cooperative gameplay is a "promising hook".^[10] Matt Kamen of Trusted Reviews was more critical, expressing that while the game "has the ingredients to be a solid kart racer", the team mechanics could be "divisive" for players, and compared it unfavourably to Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed, expressing that Team Sonic Racing does not have the "spark" that Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed did. Kotaku also described the demo at E3 2018 as underwhelming, unfavorably comparing it to Mario Kart. It argued the demo lacked ambition and called its character lineup shallow, especially when compared to that of Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed.^[14] Brendan Graeber of IGN expressed that although he felt the power-ups found in Team Sonic Racing are a "bit lackluster" and desired to see more customization options, he remarked that the game has a "good foundation", even without the "wacky characters" and transforming cars from Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed, and expects to see more in the full game when it is released.^[94]

At E3 2018, Hardcore Gamer nominated Team Sonic Racing as the show's best racing game, but it lost to Forza Horizon 4.^[59] At Gamescom 2018, Team Sonic Racing won the "Best Casual Game" award.^[95]

Post-release[]

The post-release reception for Team Sonic Racing has been generally mixed-to-positive. Reviewer from Metacritic rated the game's versions for PlayStation 4, Xbox One and Nintendo Switch from 8.0 to 7.5.^[78][79][80] The game debuted at the top of the UK's all-format sales charts, becoming the first Sonic the Hedgehog game since 2008's Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games to do so, with the PlayStation 4 version selling the most copies.^[96] Screen Rant went to observe that critics generally deemed Team Sonic Racing to be fun but inferior to the previous Sega All-Stars titles and Mario Kart 8, feeling that all those were presented better.^[97]

Many critics of the game praised the team-based game play and the track designs as well. IGN stated, "Team Sonic Racing nails what matters most: speed and finesse on the racetrack. The new team system is a fantastic evolution of the arcade racing formula that gives you a real reason to work together, and there's a litany of customization options to keep you coming back to these excellent tracks to earn more."^[86] Brian Shia of Game Informer stated that "Team Sonic Racing delivers a fun, easy-to-play experience that bolsters its adequate gameplay with distinct flavors to help it stand out from the rest of the genre."^[83] Nintendo Life gave the game a positive review, stating: "It's strangely satisfying when you send some rockets to your 7th place chum and see their ranking climb a few moments later. Even though you're just watching a number change, there's an odd feeling of teamwork done well."^[88] GameCentral were more mixed, giving the game a 6/10, stating, "Team Sonic Racing is not only a poor man's Mario Kart, it's a poor man's Sonic & Sega All-Stars Racing. That doesn't mean you can't still have fun with it, and there are some interesting new ideas, but in the race to win gamers' hearts this struggles to even get on the podium."^[98]

Many were critical of the game's story mode, with Game Informer stating that "the Team Adventure story mode is an inconsequential narrative told through still character images over background environments, making the uninteresting plot even less engaging."^[83] Games Radar was also critical of the game's story mode stating, "Team Sonic Racing's campaign includes seven chapters of races, as well as other types of modes like ring collection, target smashes, and elimination rounds, tied together by horribly boring cutscenes made up of static character art. If you're looking to handle the majority of this one alone then the campaign will be your only option. Outside time trials, local play, and online multiplayer, there isn't much else you can play through when you first start out."^[85]

Re-releases[]

Image	Platform	Description
	Nintendo Switch	Released in a bundle for Nintendo Switch with Sonic Mania Plus as Sonic Mania Plus & Team Sonic Racing. It was released in 2019 in Spain.
	PlayStation 4	Team Sonic Racing: Special Edition, a bundle of the PlayStation 4 version of the game and the Classic Sonic Totaku in new packaging. It was released on 8 November 2019.[99]
	Xbox One	The Ultimate Sonic Bundle, a digital bundle for Xbox One which includes Sonic Forces, Sonic Mania and Team Sonic Racing. It was released on 21 November 2019.
	Nintendo Switch PlayStation 4	Released at a discounted price for Nintendo Switch and PlayStation 4 in Japan as Team Sonic Racing (New Price Edition). It was released on 22 October 2020.
	Nintendo Switch	Released in a bundle for Nintendo Switch with Sonic Mania as Sonic Mania + Team Sonic Racing Double Pack. It was released on 26 October 2020.
	Nintendo Switch PlayStation 4	Team Sonic Racing: 30th Anniversary Edition, a bundle with a 30th anniversary artbook that was released on 27 October 2021.[100]

Trivia[]

• Originally, Team Sonic Racing was meant to be released in the fourth quarter of 2018, but got delayed until 21 May 2019, due to Sega's decision to give the development team extra time to use to fix any bugs and refine the game before its final release.^[101]

• Several advertising billboards can be seen throughout the tracks:
  • An advertisement for "Chao in Space 3D".
  • Billboards advertising Vector's car, the Beat Monster.
  • An ad for "Eggman Industries", saying "We're working towards a cleaner, safer world".
  • Billboards for a Sonic air freshener, referencing Sonic's first cameo appearance in Rad Mobile. The air freshener itself is a sprite Sonic from Sonic Mania. The scents promoted are "Green Hill", "Spring Yard", and "Star Light", referencing the Zones that originally appeared in Sonic the Hedgehog (1991).
  • An advertisement for "Prower Airlines".
  • A travel advertisement for Green Hill Zone.
  • An advertisement for Silver's car with the tagline "Future Tech TODAY".^[16]
  • An advertisement for "Amy's Rose Fertiliser" with the tagline "Gotta Grow Fast!",^[16] referencing the Sonic X theme song "Gotta Go Fast".
  • Billboards advertising Big's car, the Frog Cruiser.
  • A billboard for Metal Sonic and the Formula M with the tagline "Engineered to Perfection".
  • Billboards advertising Sonic's car, the Speed Star.
  • An advertisement for "Cash for Chao".
• Several subjects from previous games are referenced:
  • Green Hill makes the aforementioned appearances and also has a Paint Kit of its own.
  • Hydrocity Zone from Sonic the Hedgehog 3; Stardust Speedway from Sonic the Hedgehog CD; Music Plant from Sonic Advance 2; and Studiopolis Zone and Mirage Saloon Zone from Sonic Mania all have their own Paint Kits.
  • The sound effect played when spinning a Goal Plate in the Classic games is a Horn fittingly titled "Classic B".
  • A front view of Perfect Chaos from Sonic Adventure is seen in the decorative "Waves" Vinyl.
  • What appears to be either Super Sonic or Super Shadow appears in the "Super" Vinyl.
  • The Chaos Emeralds are seen in the "Emeralds" Vinyl.
  • Maria Robotnik, who played an important role in the stories of Sonic Adventure 2 and Shadow the Hedgehog, is mentioned in one of the Performance Parts of the Dark Reaper, Shadow's car, called "Maria's Boon".
  • The mass-produced Death Egg Robots from Sonic Forces make several cameo appearances.
  • When racing in Seaside Hill tracks, the members of Team Dark will reference their first adventure together in Sonic Heroes.
  • The events of Sonic Colors are referenced by Tails and Eggman in Planet Wisp-based tracks. The latter will also reference Egg Planet Park, the main setting of that game.
  • Eggman's surname, Robotnik, is mentioned in the "Robotnik Motor" Performance Part of his own Egg Booster. This makes Team Sonic Racing the first game since Sonic Generations to reference that name.
• In the logo, there is an R symbol at the beginning of the "Racing" name which resembles the one in the game title for Sonic R.
• Sonic's main promotional artwork depicts him in a pose based on artwork originally for Sonic the Hedgehog CD.
  • The same pose was also used for the past racing game Sonic Drift 2 in Sonic's character select icon.
• Sonic and Shadow, Knuckles and Vector, as well as the Chao and Dr. Eggman share the same base stats within their respective type.
• The sound effect that plays when the Ultimate Meter becomes full and a Team Ultimate is ready is the Continue jingle from the classic Sonic games on the Sega Mega Drive.
• Omega’s vehicle features handlebars and two green headlights in official artwork, while in gameplay they are absent.
• This is the first Sonic game since 2009 to feature an original song by Crush 40, the last one being Sonic and the Black Knight.
• This is the first time that Omega, Vector, Silver, Blaze and Zavok have participated in a racing game involving cars.
  • It is also the first time that Rouge and the Chao have participated in a racing game solely involving cars, while previously they were involved with the Kart Race mode of Sonic Adventure 2.
• This is the second game in which Vector has been on a team without Espio or Charmy. The first time was in Sonic Free Riders, where he was a part of Team Rose with Amy and Cream.
• This is the first home console game to feature the Mother Wisp.
• This is the second recent Sonic game not to be released in the year it was announced. The first was Sonic Boom: Fire & Ice which was first set for a release in the fourth quarter of 2015 but was later delayed to 2016.
• This is the first Sonic racing game developed by Sumo Digital to natively support non-16:9 aspect ratios during gameplay in which the horizontal field of view is affected and not the vertical one when below 16:9 while the HUD extends vertical space if so. However, menus and cutscenes are restricted to 16:9 causing black bars to be displayed outside of the 16:9 ratio.
• Sonic Team producer Takashi Iizuka's favorite character to play as in this game is Shadow, and he thinks the character has the coolest looking car.^[102]
• A remixed version of "The Winner! (Competition Results)" from Sonic Mania plays as the music for the result screen, titled "System – Result Screen".
• In the game's credits, Bryce Papenbrook's name is misspelled as "Bryce Pappenbrook".
• Sonic's default horn is the first half of the "SEGA" chime from the start-up of Sonic Spinball.
• Team Sonic Racing is one of only two games in the Sonic the Hedgehog franchise in which Amy has a theme song that is not "My Sweet Passion", the other being Sonic Heroes, which is also where the song ("Follow Me") comes from.
  • It is also the first time that stage music is used for certain characters' theme songs, being "I'm A Spy ...for Security Hall" for Rouge and "Stardust Speedway - Bad Future" for Metal Sonic.
• Derek Littlewood, studio design director at Sumo Digital, explained that the reason non-Sonic characters were not included in this game was so they could "dive into the Sonic universe in more depth, and tell a canon Sonic universe story".^[103]
• The achievements of the game have some Easter eggs:
  • "Reach For the Stars" is a reference to the Sonic Colors song of the same name.
  • "Can You Feel the Sunshine?" is a reference to the Sonic R song of the same name.
  • "Ad Ultimatum" is Latin for to the end.
  • "Sonic Heroes" is a reference to the game with the same name.
• The opening for Team Sonic Racing was not featured on the Nintendo Switch version of the game. It was stated that this was due to cartridge restrictions.^[104]
• Throughout each of the tracks, Mega Drive sprites of Sonic, Tails and Knuckles can be found:^[105]
  • A sprite of Knuckles doing his falling animation can be found behind the starting line in Sky Road.
  • A sprite of Tails doing a Spin Dash can be found in Market Street.
  • A sprite of Sonic can be found on a stack of chips in Bingo Party.
• One of Zavok's in-game lines has him saying, "Damn, that's gonna cost me points!",^[106] making this the third Sonic game to feature swearing, the first two being Shadow the Hedgehog and Sonic Runners (though this is the second game where the characters physically say the swear words, after Shadow the Hedgehog).
• Unlike the previous Sumo Digital Sonic racing games which supported motion controls in most Nintendo versions and select PlayStation versions, Team Sonic Racing does not support motion controls in any version.

Videos[]

References[]

External links[]

• Official website (English)
• Official website (Japanese)
• Team Sonic Racing on Steam
• Team Sonic Racing at Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia