The world’s biggest video-game franchises are no longer confined to television and console screens. Carrera Toys is bringing two of gaming’s most recognisable racing universes into homes with a new collection of officially licensed radio-controlled vehicles and slot-car circuits. The company’s 2026 programme places Sonic the Hedgehog at the front of the grid in August, followed by further Mario Kart additions in September and two ambitious Carrera Digital 132 sets aimed squarely at the Christmas market. It is a strategy built around a simple but effective idea: transforming familiar digital vehicles into physical toys that children, families and collectors can control, race and display.

The timing is particularly appropriate for Sonic. Released on most major platforms on September 25, 2025, Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds sends its competitors across land, sea, air, space and time through courses linked by Travel Rings. The game supports local and online multiplayer, with online races accommodating up to 12 participants, according to SEGA’s official website. Carrera’s new models translate that fast-moving, dimension-hopping identity into a more immediate form of play, allowing owners to create races on living-room floors instead of following predetermined virtual tracks.

Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds RC Cars Arrive in August

The Carrera RC Sonic Racing CrossWorlds – Sonic and Carrera RC Sonic Racing CrossWorlds – Tails vehicles are the flagship additions to the summer collection. Measuring approximately 25 centimetres in length, each model features detailed bodywork inspired by its counterpart from the game. The 2.4GHz Full Function control system allows movement forwards, backwards, left and right, while three selectable speed settings make the vehicles accessible to beginners without preventing more confident drivers from staging faster contests. With a maximum speed of 8km/h, both models are recommended for children aged six and over.

Carrera has also equipped the Sonic and Tails cars with rubber tyres for improved traction and LED lighting in the headlights, rear lights and wheels. Those illuminated rims may sound like a decorative flourish, but they help reproduce the colourful energy that has defined the Sonic franchise since its early 1990s origins. They should also make races considerably more dramatic in a dimly lit room. Both vehicles are sold as Ready to Run models, meaning the required equipment is supplied so that play can begin shortly after the box is opened. In France, each car is scheduled for August 2026 at a generally observed retail price of €39.99.

The third release, the Carrera RC Sonic Racing CrossWorlds Monster Truck – Sonic, takes a deliberately more exaggerated approach. Large wheels, air-filled tyres and an illuminated body give it a stronger off-road personality, while its maximum speed of 6km/h favours obstacle-crossing and all-terrain play rather than outright pace. At €22.99, it is also the least expensive of the three announced Sonic models. The playful contrast is fitting: Sonic has traditionally been associated with precision and speed, yet the monster-truck format gives the character a heavier, more physical presence that should appeal to younger drivers interested in bumps, ramps and improvised courses.

Mario Kart Remains a Central Part of the Carrera Catalogue

Mario Kart already occupies an important place in Carrera’s licensed range, covering everything from miniature radio-controlled vehicles to full slot-car circuits. The Mario Kart Tabletop Racing Set – Mario & Luigi is one of its most inventive interpretations. It combines two compact RC vehicles with 60 flexible track components, controllers and themed decorative pieces, allowing players to design a course on a table or floor. Carrera’s official product listing confirms three speed settings, rubber tyres, a maximum speed of 5km/h and support for multiple 2.4GHz vehicles. The announced French price is €59.99.

The wider selection includes the Mario Kart Pipe Kart at €54.99, with versions based on Mario, Luigi, Yoshi, Bowser and Peach; the 1:40-scale Mario Kart Quad – Mario at €39.99; and the portable Mario Kart Mini RC Mario at €32.99. At the larger end of the range, the Carrera GO!!! Mario Kart set costs €99.99 and offers a traditional slot-car experience in which Mario and Luigi compete directly on a fixed circuit. Carrera’s official Mario Kart collection presents these products as a bridge between screen-based entertainment and tactile play, combining recognisable Nintendo designs with vehicles that must be physically controlled and mastered.

This analogue interpretation creates an interesting reversal of the usual licensing formula. Video games often simulate physical toys, cars and racetracks, whereas Carrera is reconstructing a digital racing language through tangible machines. The player can no longer rely on items, automatic drifting or game-generated shortcuts: success depends instead on steering accuracy, throttle control and the design of the real-world course. That difference gives the products their own identity rather than reducing them to static reproductions of familiar characters.

New Mario Kart Products Are Planned for September 2026

Carrera Toys has confirmed that additional Mario Kart products will join the range from September, although individual models, specifications and prices have not yet been disclosed. Until Carrera publishes those details, the existing collection remains the clearest indication of the company’s direction: accessible RC vehicles for younger users, compact formats for casual play and expandable slot-car systems for families and enthusiasts.

The September timing places the new products at the beginning of the crucial pre-Christmas retail period. It also allows Carrera to maintain momentum after the August launch of its Sonic vehicles. Rather than treating the two properties as interchangeable, the collection gives each one a distinctive role: Sonic introduces high-speed RC models and a rugged monster truck, while Mario Kart supports a broader ecosystem encompassing tabletop racing, miniature RC toys and conventional slot-car circuits.

Carrera Digital 132 Targets the Christmas Gift Market

Carrera is also preparing two premium Digital 132 products for the end-of-year season. The Digital 132 Grid Master is available at a generally observed retail price of €289.99 and is expected to feature in the King Jouet Christmas catalogue. The digital system uses 1:32-scale cars on wider 1:24-scale track sections and supports lane-changing, overtaking and individual vehicle settings. Carrera states that Digital 132 can accommodate as many as six drivers, turning the format into a more strategic competition than a conventional two-lane analogue circuit. The official Digital 132 presentation also confirms that the system is modular and can be expanded with additional track and accessories.

The Digital 132 Speed Attack F1 is scheduled for mid-October at a recommended retail price of €349.99 and is due to appear in the JouéClub Christmas catalogue. Its Formula 1 theme is reinforced by an additional Red Bull Racing car associated with Max Verstappen. The separate Carrera Digital 132 Red Bull Racing RB20 model reproduces the number-one car at 1:32 scale, connecting the set to the machinery driven by the four-time Formula 1 world champion. With a higher price and a stronger emphasis on strategy, lane changes and overtaking, Speed Attack F1 is positioned as a family or enthusiast purchase rather than a simple introductory toy.

Availability, Prices and Press Materials

The Carrera RC Sonic Racing CrossWorlds – Sonic and Tails models will each be available in France in August 2026 for €39.99, while the Sonic Monster Truck is announced at €22.99. The current Mario Kart selection comprises the Tabletop Racing Set – Mario & Luigi at €59.99, Pipe Kart at €54.99, Quad – Mario at €39.99, Mini RC Mario at €32.99 and Carrera GO!!! Mario Kart at €99.99. These figures are the generally observed French retail prices communicated for the launch; actual retailer prices and promotional offers may vary.

Carrera products are distributed through specialist retailers and the official Carrera Toys website. Media outlets can also consult the Carrera Toys press kit, which contains materials relating to the announced products.

(Source : press release)