Team Sonic Racing is out this week, and like previous Sonic and SEGA racing games (or indeed, all manner of kart racers) there’s a wide variety of colorful characters to choose from as racers. Depending on who you choose, it can really affect your performance in a race, as each racer has a range of stats, not to mention specific racing types. We’ve got a list of all the Team Sonic Racing characters below.
There are 15 characters in total to choose from, across all Sonic the Hedgehog games. Each one fits into three particular racing types, and every one has different variations on the five racing stats available. But who are these characters? Are they only from Sonic games? Are there any secret characters to find? And are there any DLC racers coming now or later? Let’s have a look.
What are the Team Sonic Racing characters available?
There are 15 racers in total, divided into five teams of three. Each team has one character in each of the three racing types: Speed, Technique, and Power. We’ll detail what the difference is between these types after we list the characters. There are five stats for each character, which obviously all affect how well they handle and perform in a race. Speed is obviously important, but if they find it difficult to recover from any hit, that could cost the race, whereas others may have slower top speeds but shrug off hits. You have to take them all into account, or use vehicle mods to compensate. Here are the base stats for all characters:
SONIC THE HEDGEHOG
Speed-Type
Acceleration: 45
Boost: 55
Defense: 40
Handling: 50
Speed: 65
First appearance: Sonic the Hedgehog (1991)
MILES “TAILS” PROWER
Technique-Type
Acceleration: 90
Boost: 45
Defense: 50
Handling: 90
Speed: 35
First appearance: Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (1992)
KNUCKLES THE ECHIDNA
Power-Type
Acceleration: 15
Boost: 80
Defense: 80
Handling: 25
Speed: 45
First appearance: Sonic the Hedgehog 3 (1994)
AMY ROSE
Speed-Type
Acceleration: 55
Boost: 50
Defense: 40
Handling: 55
Speed: 60
First appearance: Sonic CD (1993)
THE CHAO FAMILY
Technique-Type
Acceleration: 90
Boost: 50
Defense: 50
Handling: 85
Speed: 45
First appearance: Sonic Adventure (1998)
BIG THE CAT
Power-Type
Acceleration: 10
Boost: 60
Defense: 70
Handling: 25
Speed: 55
First appearance: Sonic Adventure (1998)
BLAZE THE CAT
Speed-Type
Acceleration: 50
Boost: 50
Defense: 45
Handling: 50
Speed: 65
First appearance: Sonic Rush (2005)
SILVER THE HEDGEHOG
Technique-Type
Acceleration: 85
Boost: 50
Defense: 45
Handling: 90
Speed: 35
First appearance: Sonic the Hedgehog (2006)
VECTOR THE CROCODILE
Power-Type
Acceleration: 10
Boost: 65
Defense: 65
Handling: 20
Speed: 45
First appearance: Knuckles Chaotix (1995)
SHADOW THE HEDGEHOG
Speed-Type
Acceleration: 45
Boost: 60
Defense: 40
Handling: 50
Speed: 65
First appearance: Sonic Adventure 2 (2001)
ROUGE THE BAT
Technique-Type
Acceleration: 90
Boost: 40
Defense: 50
Handling: 85
Speed: 45
First appearance: Sonic Adventure 2 (2001)
E-102 OMEGA
Power-Type
Acceleration: 20
Boost: 75
Defense: 60
Handling: 25
Speed: 45
First appearance: Sonic Adventure (1998)
METAL SONIC
Speed-Type
Acceleration: 45
Boost: 55
Defense: 40
Handling: 55
Speed: 60
First appearance: Sonic CD (1993)
DR. IVO ROBOTNIK / DR. EGGMAN
Technique-Type
Acceleration: 85
Boost: 45
Defense: 45
Handling: 80
Speed: 45
First appearance: Sonic the Hedgehog (1991)
ZAVOK
Power-Type
Acceleration: 10
Boost: 70
Defense: 60
Handling: 30
Speed: 55
First appearance: Sonic Lost World (1998)
Are there no characters from other SEGA games?
Unlike previous Sonic kart racing games such as Sonic and SEGA All-Stars Racing Transformed, which this game feels a direct successor to, Team Sonic Racing focuses exclusively on the Sonic the Hedgehog universe. The only characters available are all from Sonic’s various games, from the Genesis original all the way up to Sonic Lost World (there are no characters from more recent titles, such as Sonic Mania and Sonic Forces, for some reason).
Are there any secret characters to unlock?
As for secret, hidden characters to unlock, the answer is “sort of.” We’ve listed literally all playable characters in the game above, and if you go to play a one-off race, grand prix or time trial, either online or offline, you’ll have access to all 15 characters and five teams immediately. However, if you play the single-player story adventure mode, the various teams are unlocked as you play through the various levels of that, and you won’t have access to them all for several levels. Additionally, both Zavok and Metal Sonic only appear later, with Eggman’s team before that consisting of himself and two “Eggpawn” robots. None of these are really “secret” however.
What are the different racing types?
As you can see in the list above, there are three different racing types, with each team consisting of one character of each type. While each racing type is sort of based on the stats they have (Speed types will obviously have a higher speed stat than Power or Technique racers), their type comes with a particular ability too.
Speed types will automatically deflect any projectile weapons, such as rockets, which threaten them when they’re in first place. Technique types can drive over any surface, such as sand or oil, and will not experience any of the slowdown other racers would experience, allowing them to make some shortcuts. Power types can barge through any obstacles without slowing down at all, including weapon power-ups launched from other racers. Each obviously have their pros and cons, and it’s up to you to decide.
Will there be more characters available as DLC?
There are dozens of characters across all the various Sonic games, comics, TV shows, etc., and any Sonic fan will probably be able to whittle off a list of popular names that surprisingly did not make the cut. Cream the Rabbit (and her Chao buddy Cheese) is probably the most high-profile example, especially as the last Sonic game with a three-person team mechanic (Sonic Heroes) featured her on Amy’s team. Sticks the Badger from Sonic Boom and Sonic Rush Adventure is also a surprise omission, and we’d personally pick either Sonic Forces‘ Infinite or Sonic Adventure‘s Chaos over Zavok any day. There’s also the surprising lack of the bird-based Babylon Rogues, who seemed tailor-made for Team Sonic Racing: they’re exclusively Sonic racing game characters, and they’re a team of three. Maybe any of these characters will appear as DLC in the future? There are none announced, but anything is possible.
