When Racing Games Let You Race Yourself
Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds launched September 25th with every feature you’d expect from a Sonic kart racer – wild tracks, character customization, CrossWorld portals that warp you to new environments mid-race, and multiplayer mayhem. But one feature flying under the radar is genuinely smart – the ability to save your “ghost” and race against your own previous performance. It’s a modern take on time trial mechanics that turns single-player racing into genuine competition against yourself.
What Ghost Racing Actually Is
Ghost racing has been around for decades but fell out of favor when online multiplayer became standard. The concept is simple: you complete a race, and the game saves data about your performance – lap times, line choices, boosts, drifts, everything. Later, you can load that ghost and race against it as a visible opponent on track. You see your previous self in a semi-transparent vehicle ahead of you, and the challenge becomes beating your own time.
In Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds, this mechanic slots into Time Trial mode perfectly. You run a track, save your best ghost, then load it to race against. It’s immediate feedback – you’re not just watching a timer, you’re seeing another racer to beat. Modern Mario Kart games have popularized this through their Ghost Race mode, where players download ghosts from online communities. CrossWorlds brings that back home, letting you compete against your own history.
Why This Matters in 2025
Ghost racing feels retro but addresses real modern problems. Online multiplayer matchmaking can be frustrating – wait times, skill mismatches, connection issues. Ghost racing eliminates all that. You want to compete? Fire up Time Trial, load your ghost, and start racing immediately. No waiting for lobbies, no lag concerns, just you versus yourself.
This also creates legitimate progression systems. Saving ghosts at different skill levels lets you progressively challenge yourself. First ghost might be your casual run learning the track. Second ghost is a serious attempt. Third is you nailing every drift and boost. Then you’ve got three difficulty levels to overcome, each one you created. That’s more engaging than abstract timer improvements.
The Leaderboard Wars
Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds supports global leaderboards where players compete for the fastest times. But ghost racing changes how leaderboards actually matter. Instead of just seeing “Player X beat your time by 0.3 seconds,” you can download their ghost and race against them directly. Some racing games have adopted this – Drive Club, for instance, let players download community ghosts to compete. It transforms leaderboards from abstract numbers into tangible racing opponents.
Players are already uploading their best ghosts, and the community is downloading them to see where they rank. You could take a ghost from a world-class player, load it on your track, and see exactly where you lose time compared to them. That’s powerful teaching tool wrapped in competitive gameplay.
Solo Players Get Their Moment
Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds’ single-player campaign, while solid, isn’t the game’s strongest element according to reviewers. But ghost racing reframes solo play entirely. You’re not grinding against AI that feels artificial. You’re competing against human performance – your own, then others’. That’s why time trial modes in racing games have staying power. Mario Kart 8, Gran Turismo, Project Cars – the time trial communities thrive because ghost racing is inherently competitive.
This especially matters for players who don’t enjoy online multiplayer’s social chaos. Some people hate getting bombarded with items, other racers blocking lines, and the general randomness of multiplayer. Time Trial with ghosts removes all that – pure racing against pure performance.
Customization Meets Competition
Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds lets players build custom vehicles with different performance profiles – Power, Handling, Speed categories, plus gadget plate customization. Ghost racing becomes vehicle testing ground. Save ghosts with different car builds, then race them against each other to see which setup performs best. This creates deep strategizing – maybe your speedster dominates Mushroom Hill but struggles on Coral Town. Load those ghosts and see exactly where the gaps appear.
Players are already experimenting with this, posting ghost times and discussing optimal builds. The meta is emerging not through forums but through actual head-to-head ghost racing.
FAQs About Ghost Racing in Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds
How do I save a ghost in Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds?
Complete a Time Trial run on any track. After you finish, the game offers to save your performance as a ghost. Accept and it stores all the data – your line, boosts, drifts, item usage. You can then load that ghost in future Time Trial runs.
Can I race against multiple ghosts at once?
Yes. You can load multiple saved ghosts for a single Time Trial run. Racing against three or four of your previous attempts simultaneously creates layered competition – beat one ghost, now chase the next.
Can I download ghosts from other players?
Currently, Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds supports ghost racing in Time Trial mode against your own saves. Online ghost downloading from global leaderboards hasn’t been confirmed as a launch feature, though SEGA has not ruled it out for future updates.
Do I need to be online to use ghost racing?
No. Ghost racing is completely offline. Save a ghost, disconnect, load it later – it all works without internet. This makes it perfect for portable play on Switch or Steam Deck.
What happens to my ghost saves if I change my vehicle setup?
Ghosts save your complete setup – vehicle build, gadget plate, character, everything. Loading that ghost doesn’t force you to use the same setup. You could race a ghost saved with a Speed build while using your Handling build, directly comparing performance differences.
Is ghost racing timed or do I play it manually?
You play Time Trial manually while the ghost runs autonomously. You’re both visible on track in real time. If you beat the ghost, you can save a new personal best. This is different from just watching a replay – you’re actively racing against it.
Can ghost data be corrupted or deleted?
Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds saves ghost data locally on your system. Like any save file, it’s subject to console storage issues, but SEGA built in standard protections. You can delete ghosts manually if you want to clear space or reset your time trials.
Conclusion
Ghost racing in Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds feels like a small feature but addresses something genuine in modern gaming – the desire to compete without always needing multiplayer lobbies. Solo players get meaningful challenge. Speedrunners get community leaderboards to chase. Casual players get progression they can visualize. It’s a mechanic that proves good design sometimes means dusting off old ideas and making them work for today’s audience. If SEGA expands this to include downloadable community ghosts in an update, it could become the reason people keep playing Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds long after launch.