Remember when the Sonic the Hedgehog movie was revealed? Not the one that we know and love, which has spawned three movies now. No, the one with the terrifying, almost humanoid version of Sonic that the internet completely lost their mind over? Thankfully, outside of an appearance in Chip ‘n’ Dale: Rescue Rangers, “Ugly Sonic” never got to see the light of day. The fanbase for Sonic is very passionate about the things they like and dislike about the direction of the franchise, and Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds is the latest example.

No, it’s nothing about the game itself. It genuinely looks fantastic, and like it could give Mario Kart World a solid run for its money. Rather, this is about the way that the Switch 2 version of the game was going to be delivered. After being announced as a Game Key Card, SEGA went back to the drawing board and made some magic happen.

‘Sonic Racing: Crossworlds’ Physical Isn’t Coming Out Until 2026 Now, but It’s a Proper Physical Release

Ever since the reveal of the Switch 2 version of Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds, fans have been upset by the fact that this release was seemingly planned to be a Key Card. As of the time of this writing, all SEGA games released on the Switch 2 have been. Officially confirming it earlier today via a Press Release, Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds physical edition on Switch 2 has been delayed until 2026, but will be released on a 64GB Game Cartridge. For physical collectors, this is a major win.

According to Sega customer support, Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds (Switch 2) is a game key card. Email reply comes from a follower (who only noticed now due to response being in spam inbox).

Some others speculated it was a Switch 2 Edition physical data due to box art but we haven't… pic.twitter.com/qiVQKw2YDB

— Wario64 (@Wario64) June 28, 2025

If you need to get your hands on a physical copy earlier than 2026? You’ll also be glad to know that there is a Switch 2 upgrade path. If you buy a Switch 1 version of Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds, you can pay $10 to get your copy boosted to the latest version. But those hoping to have that shiny red box? You’ll have to wait until 2026 before you can finally dive in. But hey, I’d rather own the game forever than worry about your Game Key Card getting randomly revoked one day. SEGA is crossing the finish line in first place with this move.