Sonic & SEGA All-stars racing

This was Sega’s first big attempt at a Mario Kart-style racer. It focuses on classic kart racing, featuring Sonic and a wide range of Sega characters like AiAi (Super Monkey Ball), Ulala (Space Channel 5), and more.

Gameplay: Traditional kart racing with drifting, boosting, and item use.

Roster: Wide mix of Sonic and non-Sonic Sega characters.

Tracks: Based on various Sega franchises (Sonic, Billy Hatcher, etc.).

Signature Feature: Each character has a special “All-Star Move” that gives them a temporary power boost, similar to a unique ultimate ability.

Style: Simple, accessible, and a great introduction to Sega’s racing world.

Best for fans who want a straightforward kart racer with Sega flair.

Sonic & All-stars racing transformed

This sequel took the concept and transformed it—literally. The main feature is vehicle transformation, where cars morph into boats or planes mid-race, creating a dynamic and challenging experience.

Gameplay: Cars, boats, and planes all control differently; tracks shift between these forms during races.

Roster: Even bigger than before, including deep Sega cuts (e.g., Vyse, NiGHTS) and special guests like Wreck-It Ralph.

Tracks: Evolving courses that change between laps (e.g., flooding, collapsing, opening aerial routes).

Signature Feature: Transforming vehicles and highly dynamic track design.

Style: Deeper mechanics, more skill-based than the first game.

Best for players who want variety and skill-based racing with a strong Sega celebration vibe.

Team Sonic Racing

This game shifted gears (pun intended) to focus exclusively on Sonic characters and introduced team-based racing mechanics. Sega dropped the wider Sega roster to tell a Sonic-focused story and experiment with cooperative gameplay.

Gameplay: 12 racers split into 4 teams of 3. You win by working together—sharing boosts, passing items, and pulling off coordinated Team Ultimate moves.

Roster: 15 Sonic characters divided into Speed, Technique, and Power classes.

Tracks: All Sonic-themed, inspired by various zones.

Signature Feature: Team mechanics (slipstream trails, item sharing, coordinated boosts).

Style: Emphasizes teamwork over individual glory.

Best for Sonic fans who want to race strategically with friends or AI teammates.

If you’d like to learn more about the game, I wrote a post that you can check out here.

Sonic Racing CrossWorlds

Sonic Racing CrossWorlds is like a upgraded version of Team Sonic Racing that makes it even better. It takes place in different virtual racing worlds created by Dodon Pa, and it borrows many mechanics from Team Sonic Racing.

Gameplay: Focuses on being more like Mario Kart, high-speed racing in a different environments.

Roster: Sonic and friends and more in a cross-over racing world.

Tracks: courses from all different series from Sonic to Pac-Man filled with warp rings and glowing energy trails.

Signature Feature: Crossing between “worlds” mid race and then back again.

Style: A stylized concept blending racing and adventure.

Best for fans of Team Sonic Racing that felt it needed a little more or those curious about a Pac-Man with Sonic or Minecraft with Sonic.

I also wrote a post about the game which you can check out right here.

Summary

Overall, If you want classic Sega nostalgia with simple, fun kart racing go for Sonic & SEGA All-stars racing. If you want the deepest and most dynamic racing experience Transformed is widely considered one of the best. If you prefer Sonic-only content with a unique team-focused twist Team Sonic Racing is the pick. And if you like Team and Transformed combined with crossing to different tracks mid race concepts, CrossWorlds gives a peek at a whole new racing idea and personally my favorite.

• Sonic & SEGA All-stars racing Rating: 6 out of 10 stars.
• Sonic & All-stars racing transformed 8 out of 10 stars.
• Team Sonic Racing 8 out of 10 stars.
• Sonic Racing CrossWorlds 9 out of 10 stars.

What’s the difference between the Sonic Racing games? brought to you by Gaming Chickadee

Chickadee loves to have family gaming days. She loves birds, unicorns, ponies She also likes the Nancy Drew Games. She loves to play as Princess Daisy in the Super Mario Games, Her favorite games change a lot but right they are: Mario Party Superstars, Super Mario Bros. Wonder and Pretty Princess Magical Garden Island.

Why Team Sonic Racing?

Team Sonic Racing takes the high-speed thrills of kart racing and mixes in a unique cooperative twist that sets it apart from other entries in the genre. Instead of every racer competing purely as an individual, the game emphasizes teamwork, making your performance tied to how well you and your partners support each other on the track.

The core racing feels solid, with the familiar Sonic speed flair—loop-de-loops, boost pads, and colorful tracks inspired by locations from the franchise. The big differentiator is the team mechanic. Each race has twelve players split into teams of three. You don’t just race for yourself—you share boosts, items, and strategies with teammates. For example, driving in a teammate’s slipstream gives you speed, passing items lets everyone benefit, and pulling off coordinated actions builds up a powerful Team Ultimate move that can turn the tide of a race.

This makes the game feel less about selfishly getting first place and more about making sure your whole team finishes strong, which can be refreshing but also tricky if you prefer solo-focused play.

The tracks are colorful, creative, and capture Sonic’s charm—from casino-themed speedways to nature-filled circuits. The character models and karts are well-designed, with customization options for performance and looks. The soundtrack, composed by long-time Sonic music veterans, is a highlight—fast, catchy, and perfectly matched to the action.

There’s a story-driven Team Adventure Mode, which introduces the mechanics and offers a lighthearted plot with voice-acted dialogue between Sonic and friends. Beyond that, there’s local multiplayer, online play, time trials, and single races. While fun, the content can feel a bit lighter compared to other kart racers.

How We Test Games

For testing games we use a Nintendo Switch firmware version 2H. Hardware includes Joy-con and Pro controller on a large screen TV. Tests are done with up to 5 players. We take turns playing and evaluating games.

Whenever possible we play multiple players. We also use a Nintendo 2DS, DS XL, and for PC games we use a Ryzen 7 1700x CPU, AMD RX580, running on Win 10. This game is up to 4-players on Xbox, PC and Nintendo Switch.

Pros

Unique team-based mechanics.

Fun, fast-paced racing gameplay.

Colorful tracks and great soundtrack.

Lots of customization options.

Cons

Team focus may not appeal to solo-minded players.

Story mode is light and a bit repetitive.

Smaller content roster compared to some competitors.

Summary

Overall, Team Sonic Racing is a fun spin on the kart racing formula, offering solid controls, great music, and a unique teamwork system. It may not have as much variety as competitors like Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, but for Sonic fans and players who enjoy cooperative play, it’s an exciting and stylish racer.

Team Sonic Racing – Review brought to you by Gaming Chickadee

Chickadee loves to have family gaming days. She loves birds, unicorns, ponies She also likes the Nancy Drew Games. She loves to play as Princess Daisy in the Super Mario Games, Her favorite games change a lot but right they are: Mario Party Superstars, Super Mario Bros. Wonder and Pretty Princess Party.

Because of this, we’ve compiled a list of some of our favorite games that we know for sure can be played with four players on one Nintendo Switch console. Please note that to be able to play these or any other games for the Nintendo Switch with four players, you’ll need to have at least one controller or set of controllers for each person playing.

Moving Out

In Moving Out, you and your friends can become Packmore’s “best” moving team and save the world (along with everybody’s stuff). The concept is fairly simple; carry everything from one place to another as fast as you can. Of course, you’ll have to avoid ghosts, guava-lava, giant crushers, oil slicks, and oncoming traffic while you do it! You’ll also occasionally have to chase down your cargo and keep it from escaping the truck while you load everything else on! We have a more in-depth review of Moving Out. We also have a gameplay guide that lists out all the levels, and we have an achievements guide that tells you how to get 100% on every level in the main campaign.

Moving Out 2

Moving Out 2 is the sequel to Moving Out, and it includes even more locations than the first. In this game, the F.A.R.T.’s (Furniture Arrangement and Relocation Technicians) will be traveling to new dimensions and will leave no box unmoved. This game also has more types of levels, such as score attack, and moving in, which is now a type of level rather than a mode like it was in the first game. You can read more about what we think of the game here in our review of Moving Out 2.

Overcooked!

In Overcooked! You save the world by cooking! Chop, scrub, dash, and deliver orders as fast as you can to curb the hunger of the Ever Peckish! Master the many challenges that each dynamic kitchen has to offer as you cook your way to victory. You’ll have to make orders such as soup, fish-and-chips, hamburgers, and pizza, in some of the most unimaginable places like outer-space, inside volcanoes, and even in multiple trucks driving alongside each other on the highway! You can read more of our thoughts about this game in this review of Overcooked! right here on Family Game Squad.

Overcooked! 2

An amazing sequel to Overcooked, Overcooked! 2 takes the principles established in the first game and manages to refine and improve upon them. It even introduces new mechanics, such as the ability to throw ingredients! This game has some of the same recipes as the original, but it also adds in sushi, cakes/pancakes, and more! This time in the Onion Kingdom, the Onion King has accidentally unleashed a hangry horde of Unbread monsters! While you don’t really need to have played the first game to understand the story of this one, I still recommend getting both since they’re both great games.

Mario Kart 8 Deluxe

Just like most other installments in the Mario Kart series, Mario Kart 8 Deluxe offers lots of high-speed fun and madness for all. Up to four players can participate in Grand Prix, Battle, and VS Modes with just a single console and four controllers. It’s our number one most played game on the Switch, so all of us here at Family Game Squad can highly recommend this one! We’ve had plenty of fun times with this game, and you can about some of our best moments in Mario Kart 8 Deluxe here.

Super Mario Party

With a whopping eighty two mini-games that support four players on a single Nintendo Switch, there’s lots to do in Super Mario Party! Not to mention all the game modes, such as Mario Party, Partner Party, River Survival, Sound Stage, Mariothon, and Square Off. As a side note, this game does not support Pro-Controllers, meaning that you’d need four individual Joy-Cons to be able to play with four players.

Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020

Go for gold in these super-powered sports events starring your favorite characters from the Mario and Sonic universes! Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 features real-life olympic sports events such as equestrian, relay, rugby, football (soccer), table tennis, and many others. In Addition, there are “Dream Events”, which are events that are somewhat based on real life events, only with some unique twists thrown in, and some of them even take place in iconic locations from Mario’s and Sonic’s other adventures, such as the Mushroom Kingdom from Mario Odyssey or Metropolis from Sonic Forces!

Disney Tsum Tsum Festival

Play as the adorable Tsum Tsum versions of characters from popular Disney movies in lots of fun mini-games! In Disney Tsum Tsum Festival, there’s mini-games like Tsum Maze (Pacman), Tsum Curling, Spinner Battle, and more! Plus in each mini-game you can choose to play in either co-op or competitive mode, which completely changes how the game works! This game also includes challenges for each mini-game via Bingo Challenge Cards which provide more opportunities to earn coins (which you use to unlock characters), adding just that much more to the already fun-filled mini-games!

Team Sonic Racing

How could you go wrong with a game where the fastest thing alive teams up with his friends and drives some of the fastest race cars on the planet? In Team Sonic Racing, you don’t just share your points in grand prix. You can also send your items to your teammates to help them take down the competition, or help them with a slipstream boost if they’re going a little slow by driving near them, or they can follow in your tracks to build up a small speed boost! All of which adds points to your Team Ultimate meter that, once full, lets your whole team perform a Team Ultimate speed boost that makes you all invincible!

Carnival Games

Have a fun day at the carnival without ever leaving your living room! In Carnival Games, you can take part in twenty fun mini-games, ranging from flying mini-rockets through outer space tunnels to bouncing around collecting bananas! You even play each game as your own custom made avatar! And if you want to just jump into the action without having to make a character the first time you play, the game comes with some premade characters ready for you to choose from.

Super Mario 3D World + Bowser’s Fury

Race the clock together in these purr-fect 3D platformer games! In Super Mario 3D World + Bowser’s Fury, Bowser has captured the seven Sprixie Princesses, and up to four players can team up and play as either Mario, Luigi, Toad, Peach, or (later) Rosalina to save the day! In Bowser’s Fury, Bowser is on a rampage that even his own son, Bowser Jr., can’t stop alone! Explore the various islands around Lake Lapcat to find and collect Cat Shines to clear the goop and calm Bowser down!

Kirby Star Allies

Make friends wherever you go in this side-scrolling adventure! In Kirby Star Allies, player one plays as Kirby, while the other players control Kirby’s friends and enemies-turned-allies. All players can harness elemental abilities that affect the environment and enemies in unique ways, and each player can combine their powers to get new abilities, such as combining the sword ability with Burning Leo’s fire breath to get a Sizzle Sword that can slice and burn obstacles at the same time!

Kirby Fighters 2

Battle for glory with (or against) your friends in Kirby Fighters 2! Win battles to level up and unlock more stages, abilities, and headgear to choose from! With four players, you can do either free for all battles or team battles where you could do two versus two, two versus one versus one, or even three versus one! And if you have save data from Kirby Star Allies (listed earlier in this post) or Super Kirby Clash (a free download on the Nintendo Switch eShop that can also be done with up to four players on one console), you can even unlock exclusive headgear for some of the abilities!

Animal Crossing: New Horizons

Build the island paradise of your dreams in Animal Crossing: New Horizons! Amass a fortune to decorate and upgrade your home and island to make it a nice place for you, your family, and up to ten animal neighbors to call home! Time in the game is synced up with your Nintendo Switch’s system clock, so you can watch the seasons and time of day change on your island at the same time as your own backyard! You can even catch two hundred different kinds of bugs and fish that can be donated to your island’s museum where you can learn some interesting facts about the real-life counterparts!

Snow Moto Racing Freedom

Pull off crazy stunts as you zoom through gorgeous snowy landscapes on your snowmobile in Snow Moto Racing Freedom! You can choose between three different modes when doing four player split-screen mode; Snocross, Sprint, and Leisure. Each of which can take place on one of the three expansive maps where you can even set things like the time of day and weather!

Mario Tennis Aces

Tennis just got a whole lot more intense in Mario Tennis Aces! Fill up your power gauge to pull off impressive feats like Zone Speed to slow down time, or Zone Shots that can weaken or even break your opponents’ rackets if they don’t counter it right, or save up all your power to do your character’s Special Shot and send the ball rocketing toward your opponents’ side of the court with enough force to instantly break their rackets if they counter it wrong, if they can even get there in time!

Snipperclips Plus – Cut it out, together!

Work together to cut the paper pals Snip and Clip into keys, gears, hooks, and whatever else you can come up with to solve lots of challenging puzzles! In Snipperclips Plus – Cut it out, together! You catch creatures, pop balloons, and more in Party mode. Or get competitive in Blitz mode with mini-games like hockey, hoops, and territory! There’s also a relaxing Stamp mode where you can use your characters as stamps to make beautiful masterpieces!

Sonic Mania Plus

Sonic Mania Plus is a retro-styled 2D pixel art platformer where you race through vibrant levels going for the best time and most points. Collect rings, destroy robots, and break power-up monitors to help you in your quest to save the world from Dr. Eggman’s (Robotnik’s?) latest evil scheme! If you have the Encore mode DLC (included in the “Plus” edition of Sonic Mania), you can race with up to three other players in Competition mode, where you can play through most of the levels available in the main story mode! Each playable character has their own set of unique abilities that open up possibilities for different routes, even in Competition mode!

Super Mario Maker 2

Ever wanted to design your own levels for a Mario game? Well, now you can! In Super Mario Maker 2, you can make your very own courses inspired by games like Super Mario 3D World, Super Mario Bros. 1 and 3, New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe, and Super Mario World! Even if you’re not the creative type, if you have an online membership, you can play courses made by Nintendo and other players from all over the world! While you can’t make courses or do story mode with four players at once, you can still play already made courses with four players.

Game Builder Garage

While actually making games is limited to single player (though multiple controllers can be connected to control the pointer on the screen, we find that it’s a bit hectic to try and collaborate on making a game in that way), the number of players in the games you make is essentially only limited by your creativity and skills. In Game Builder Garage you can make basically any kind of game you can dream up if you have the imagination, problem solving skills, and patience required to make it a reality. You don’t even need to have any coding experience! All the logic and visuals are created by placing and connecting things called “Nodon”, and there are several helpful lessons that teach you how to make good use of them to make the game of your dreams.

Hello Kitty Kruisers With Sanrio Friends

In Hello Kitty Kruisers With Sanrio Friends, you race in adorable cars, boats, and planes in this game starring Hello Kitty and her friends! This is a great first racing game for younger players who might have trouble with a more complex game such as Mario Kart or Team Sonic Racing, as this game has fairly simple controls and straightforward courses.

Pretty Princess Party

Experience a day in the life of a magical princess in Pretty Princess Party! Race your horses, pick flowers, dance, and more to restore magic to the kingdom! You even get to dress up your own pretty princess and make her look however you want! While story mode is only single-player, all the mini-games can be done with up to four players on one console. Chickadee especially loves this game, and has even written a guide on it!

I hope that this list has helped you find some games that you and your family can enjoy together.

The Best Family-Friendly Four-Player Games for the Nintendo Switch brought to you by Unicorn Gamer

Unicorn is Cool and really good at video games. She likes to play with her family and is really good at finding secrets, doing hard things and things like that. Her favorite games right now are: Sonic Frontiers, Super Mario Odessey and Kirby And The Forgotten Land.

1 – Sonic Frontiers

Sonic Frontiers is an amazing game. The graphics are just so breath taking! the different powers just add so much more to the original rolling or spin dashing (which they bring back).

2 – Sonic Forces

Sonic Forces has Modern Sonic and Classic Sonic playable in different levels. You can also make avatars that look like him.

3 – Sonic Superstars

Sonic Superstars is loads of fun to play even with all the glitches. Sonic is playable along with his friends.

4 – Sonic Generations

Sonic Generations has Sonic and Classic Sonic playable. You take turns from playing as them both. This game is not available on the Nintendo Switch.

5 – Sonic Lost World

Sonic Lost World is a fun game. You can play as Sonic in all levels. Sonic uses Wisp power (like in Sonic Colors).

6 – Team Sonic Racing

Even though Sonic is faster without a car he still races with one in Team Sonic Racing.

7 – Sonic Colors Ultimate

Sonic Colors Ultimate is a re-release of Sonic Colors (Wii) but with new features. You can change Sonic’s gloves, shoes and much more. (Like in Sonic lost world, you use wisps).

8 – Sonic Origins

Sonic Origins (or Sonic Origins Plus) is a game with Sonic 1, Sonic 2, Sonic 3 & Knuckles and Sonic CD. Those are some of the very first Sonic games so for Sonic fans, I think it’s perfect!

9 – Sonic Adventure

Soni Adventure is a great game. Sonic is playable in his own story and there is also Super Sonic.

10 – Sonic Adventure 2

Sonic Adventure 2 is fun and a great game. Sonic is playable in the hero’s story and in battle mode.

Top 10 Games with Sonic the Hedgehog brought to you by Gaming Chickadee

Chickadee loves to have family gaming days. She loves birds, unicorns, ponies She also likes the Nancy Drew Games. She loves to play as Princess Daisy in the Super Mario Games, Her favorite games change a lot but right they are: Mario Party Superstars, Super Mario Bros. Wonder and Pretty Princess Party.