It was released for Wii, Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, Nintendo DS, and Windows,[9][10] featuring characters from multiple Sega franchises.

A sequel, Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed, was released in 2012, featuring more characters and representing a wide-variety of Sega-owned franchises.

Players can choose to race as one of 20 characters from various Sega franchises such as Sonic the Hedgehog, Crazy Taxi, and Fantasy Zone.

Like Sumo's previous Sega game, Sega Superstars Tennis, each character has a special ability (called an "All-Star Move") unique to them that they may use to their advantage (such as Sonic transforming into Super Sonic and AiAi riding in his monkey ball), which they can obtain if they are running behind in the race.

Bikes have fast acceleration and can also perform ground tricks for extra boost, but can easily be bullied by heavier vehicles.

Hovercraft are not affected by any terrain and are able to perform multiple tricks after a jump, but they have poorer handling and have low acceleration.

By playing through the game, players can earn Sega Miles that can be spent in the in-game shop to unlock additional content such as characters, tracks, and songs.

[17] The game features a total of 24 tracks based on locations from Sonic Heroes, Super Monkey Ball: Banana Blitz, Billy Hatcher and the Giant Egg, Jet Set Radio Future, Samba de Amigo, and The House of the Dead.

[18] There are four single player modes: Grand Prix, Single Race, Missions and Time Trials,[19][20][21] while modes for split-screen multiplayer, playable with up to 4 players, include Free Race, Arena, King of the Hill, Collect the Emeralds and Capture the Chao.

The soundtrack for the game consists of various old and new tracks from the various Sonic and Sega franchises, though it also features original songs by various artists including Richard Jacques.

In an early prototype of the game, Sonic raced on foot, Dr. Eggman rode an Eggpod with legs, Tails flew in a biplane, Amy Rose drove a car, and Gilius Thunderhead from Golden Axe rode one of the Chickenleg creatures from the game.

This version, however, was reportedly not fun to play, largely due to the varying sizes between the different characters, but also because the drift mechanic wouldn't work with racers who were on foot.

[26] On November 25, 2009, a special press event about the game was held in France, where the DS version made its playable debut.

[37][38] In its prototype form, Gilius Thunderhead from Golden Axe was a playable character who rode one of the Chickenleg monsters from the game.

[46] Exclusive DLC for the Xbox 360 version include a game add-on that unlocks all characters and tracks without using SEGA miles, released March 16, 2010.

[82] Kotaku called it a competent racer which evokes fond memories, although laments that the tracks and music selection don't delve as deep into Sega lore as the character roster.

[88][89] By March 2010, Sonic & Sega All-Stars Racing had sold 1.07 million copies worldwide, on the PS3, Xbox 360, Wii and DS.