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Sonic The Hedgehog

Every Sonic The Hedgehog game ever and in what order to play them

After Sonic Frontiers’ launch, we take a look at every game starring Sega’s blue blur, and offer a few orders to play them in and ways to classify them.

Every Sonic The Hedgehog game ever and in what order to play them

Sonic Frontiers’ launch has brought with it the rise of plenty of fans, both old and new, that keep wondering how many games does the Hedgehog have and in what order should they play them all.

Well we have some good news and some bad news for all of them. Good news: the order isn’t really important to enjoy the series. There’s no interconnected narrative since story was always almost hidden or secondary in favor of the gameplay. From the controls, sense of speed and gameplay feel to the music and style of each title. The bad news: there’s a ton of entries in this series, so you’re going to need a lot of time to play them all,

Coming up next we’ll try and help you organize and classify each and every one of the games so you can have an easier time deciding what to play first. So don’t be scared, just jump in as you best prefer. It’s worth it to enjoy one of gaming’s biggest franchises, after all.

Every single Sonic The Hedgehog 2D game, by release date

We begin with the games that made Sonic a big deal, the sidescrollers. These are all of the 2D Sonic titles by release date:

  • Sonic the Hedgehog (1991)
  • Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (1992)
  • Sonic the Hedgehog CD (1993)
  • Sonic Chaos (1993)
  • Sonic the Hedgehog 3 (1994)
  • Sonic & Knuckles (1994)
  • Sonic Triple Trouble (1994)
  • Knuckles' Chaotix (1995)
  • Sonic Blast (1996)
  • Sonic the Hedgehog Pocket Adventure (1999) - Port?
  • Sonic Advance (2001)
  • Sonic Advance 2 (2002)
  • Sonic Advance 3 (2004)
  • Sonic Rush (2005)
  • Sonic Rush Adventure (2007)
  • Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode I (2010)
  • Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode II (2012)
  • Sonic Mania (2017)
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Every single Sonic The Hedgehog 3D game, by release date

We continue with some of the most polarizing, yet loved titles in the franchise. While receptions were mixed, the 3D games have always pushed for new experiences with the character and are beloved by fans, even if they’re not the most technically accomplished. Sonic Frontiers is the latest title of this kind:

  • Sonic 3D Blast (1996)
  • Sonic Adventure (1998)
  • Sonic Adventure 2 (2001)
  • Sonic Heroes (2003)
  • Shadow the Hedgehog (2005)
  • Sonic the Hedgehog (2006)
  • Sonic and the Secret Rings (2007)
  • Sonic Unleashed (2008)
  • Sonic and the Black Knight (2009)
  • Sonic Colors (2010)
  • Sonic Generations (2011)
  • Sonic Lost World (2013)
  • Sonic Forces (2017)
  • Sonic Frontiers (2022)
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Every single Sonic The Hedgehog racing game, by release date

Much less known (but still plentiful) are all of the spin-offs and side games that feature Sonic and friends making use of their speed to race each other. Sometimes on foot using his extreme speed, sometimes inexplicably driving actual cars.

  • Sonic Drift (1994)
  • Sonic Drift 2 (1995)
  • Sonic R (1997)
  • Sonic Racing Shift Up (2002)
  • Sonic Racing Kart (2003)
  • Sonic Kart 3D X (2005)
  • Sonic Riders (2006)
  • Sonic Rivals (2006)
  • Sonic Rivals 2 (2007)
  • Sonic Riders: Zero Gravity (2008)
  • Sonic & Sega All-Stars Racing (2010)
  • Sonic Free Riders (2010)
  • Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed (2012)
  • Team Sonic Racing (2019)
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Main Sonic The Hedgehog “classic” games

If you just want to enjoy the main titles in the series, then it gets a little muddy. Depending on what side of the fandom you land, there is a “canon” storyline that can be applied to every single game. Others see different timelines, sometimes guided by the many animated series’ that have been produced throughout the years.

If you want to keep it simple, we recommend going for the classic series, comprised mostly by the earliest 2D titles in the franchise:

  • Sonic the Hedgehog (1991)
  • Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (1992)
  • Sonic the Hedgehog CD (1993)
  • Sonic Chaos (1993)
  • Sonic the Hedgehog 3 (1994)
  • Sonic & Knuckles (1994)
  • Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode I (2010)
  • Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode II (2012)
  • Sonic Mania (2017)
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Main Sonic The Hedgehog modern games

Then again, if you prefer the 3D games, you can try the following order:

  • Sonic Adventure (1998)
  • Sonic Adventure 2 (2001)
  • Sonic Heroes (2003)
  • Shadow the Hedgehog (2005)
  • Sonic the Hedgehog (2006)
  • Sonic Unleashed (2008)
  • Sonic Generations (2011)
  • Sonic Lost World (2013)
  • Sonic Forces (2017)
  • Sonic Frontiers (2022)
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Every spin-off and arcade game, by release date

Playing any of these games is going to be an impossible challenge, given the fact that most of these were released as actual physical arcade cabinets that have since disappeared. Nevertheless, here’s a list of every official spin-off game:

  • Sonic Eraser (1991)
  • Waku Waku Sonic Patrol Car (1991)
  • Sonic the Hedgehog Spinball (1993)
  • Dr. Robotnik's Mean Bean Machine (1993)
  • SegaSonic the Hedgehog (1993)
  • SegaSonic Cosmo Fighter Galaxy Patrol (1993)
  • SegaSonic Popcorn Shop (1993)
  • Sonic the Hedgehog's Gameworld (1994)
  • Tails and the Music Maker (1994)
  • Tails' Skypatrol (1995)
  • Tails Adventure (1995)
  • Sonic Labyrinth (1995)
  • Sonic the Fighters (1996)
  • Sonic's Schoolhouse (1996)
  • Sonic Shuffle (2000)
  • Sonic Tennis (2001)
  • Sonic Golf (2002)
  • Sonic Fishing (2002)
  • Sonic Billiards (2002)
  • Good Friend Chao! (2002)
  • Sonic Bowling (2002)
  • Sonic Pinball Party (2003)
  • Sonic Battle (2003)
  • Sonic Jump (2005)
  • Sonic Speed DX (2006)
  • Sonic's Casino Poker (2007)
  • Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games (2007)
  • Sonic Jump 2 (2008)
  • Sonic at the Olympic Games (2008)
  • Sonic Chronicles: The Dark Brotherhood (2008)
  • Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games (2009)
  • Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games (2010)
  • Mario & Sonic at the London 2012 Olympic Games (2011)
  • Sonic Dash (2013)
  • Sonic Athletics (2013)
  • Mario & Sonic at the Sochi 2014 Olympic Winter Games (2013)
  • Sonic Jump Fever (2014)
  • Sonic Boom: Rise of Lyric (2014)
  • Sonic Boom: Shattered Crystal (2014)
  • Sonic Runners (2015)
  • Sonic Dash 2: Sonic Boom (2015)
  • Mario & Sonic at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games (2016)
  • Sonic Boom: Fire & Ice (2016)
  • SSonic Runners Adventure (2017)
  • Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 (2019)
  • Sonic at the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 (2020)
  • Sonic Speed Simulator (2022)
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Every Sonic the Hedgehog collection, by release date

And to close off this list of lists, here’s every single collection of Sonic games that has been released. While these don’t include every game in the series, it’s still a great way to play a lot of the games.

  • Sonic Classics 3 in 1 (1995)
  • Sonic & Knuckles Collection (1997)
  • Sonic Jam (1997)
  • Sonic Mega Collection (2002)
  • Sonic Gems Collection (2005)
  • Sonic's Ultimate Genesis Collection (2009)
  • Sonic PC Collection (2009)
  • Sonic Classic Collection (2010)
  • Sonic Origins (2022)
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