All Sonic Games in Order, by Release and Timeline

Lining up the Sonic games in order means sorting more than three decades of releases from Sega's mascot. Sonic the Hedgehog started as a single Genesis cartridge in 1991. Today, the Sonic the Hedgehog games cover 2D platformers, open-zone adventures, kart racers, a medieval sword game, and a trip into the Arabian Nights.

Release order works for almost everyone. Sonic stories rarely lean on each other the way an RPG trilogy does, so you can jump in nearly anywhere and still follow what's going on. Only a handful of arcs carry over from one game to the next.

Most of the big entries are still easy to buy and play on modern hardware, and you can pick up a lot of them as Sonic game keys on GameBoost. Below, you'll find every mainline Sonic game plus the bigger spin-offs, from the 1991 original to Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds, with a quick verdict on each one.

Story order and release order line up almost everywhere, with two exceptions. Sonic Origins' Story Mode places Sonic CD between Sonic 1 and Sonic 2, so the timeline runs Sonic 1, Sonic CD, Sonic 2, then Sonic 3 & Knuckles. Sonic 3 and Sonic & Knuckles form one adventure split across two cartridges, and Sonic 4, released in 2010 and 2012, was pitched as the next chapter straight after them. The Shadow arc runs from Sonic Adventure 2 through Sonic Heroes and Shadow the Hedgehog, then picks up again in Shadow Generations. Sonic Mania leads into Sonic Forces through the Phantom Ruby. The racers, the Storybook games and Sonic 2006 sit off to the side, so skipping them costs you nothing story-wise.

1. Sonic the Hedgehog (1991)

Dr. Robotnik traps the animals of South Island inside robots and goes after the six Chaos Emeralds, and a blue hedgehog with a bad attitude decides to stop him. The game spreads across six zones with three acts each, plus a short Final Zone, and it opens in Green Hill Zone, still the most recognizable level Sega has ever made. Yuji Naka handled the programming, Naoto Ohshima drew Sonic, and Masato Nakamura wrote the music.

Sega bundled it with the Genesis, and it sold over 15 million copies on that console alone, which made it the best-selling Genesis game. It's also the reason Sega could stand toe to toe with Nintendo in the early '90s. A 2013 mobile remaster by Christian Whitehead and Simon Thomley added the Spin Dash plus Tails and Knuckles, and that work later fed straight into Sonic Origins.

My Verdict: The original is slower than its sequels and asks for more careful platforming. Play it for Green Hill and Marble Zone, accept that Labyrinth Zone is a slog, and you'll see why the whole series exists.

2. Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (1992)

Sonic 2 gave the series its sidekick, its signature move and its first transformation in one go. Tails follows Sonic through every stage, the Spin Dash lets you rev up from a standstill, and collecting all seven Chaos Emeralds turns Sonic into Super Sonic for the first time. Robotnik wants the Chaos Emeralds to fuel the Death Egg, his space station, and the last fight takes place on board.

In North America, Sega launched it on a Tuesday it marketed as Sonic 2sday, November 24, 1992. The zones are bigger and faster than in the first game, with Chemical Plant and Casino Night still topping fan lists, and a split-screen mode lets two players race. The 2013 mobile remaster even restored Hidden Palace Zone, a level cut from the original cartridge.

My Verdict: This is where Sonic found its speed. Sonic 2 is short and the final boss is brutal. The level design is so confident that I'd hand it to anyone asking where the classic era peaks before Sonic 3 & Knuckles.

3. Sonic CD (1993)

Sonic CD sends Sonic to Little Planet, where Robotnik has taken over and hidden robot transporters across time. Hitting a Past or Future signpost and keeping your speed up for a few seconds warps you to another version of the same stage. Destroy the transporter in the past, and that zone gets a good future. Amy Rose and Metal Sonic both make their first appearance here.

The game shipped with two different soundtracks: a Japanese and European score by Naofumi Hataya and Masafumi Ogata, and a separate US score by Spencer Nilsen, David Young and Sterling Crew. Far fewer people owned a Sega CD than a Genesis, so many fans first played Sonic CD through later ports, above all Christian Whitehead's 2011 remaster, which includes both soundtracks.

My Verdict: Sonic CD is the strangest of the classic games and my favorite to replay. Time travel confuses on a first run. Learn the routes and the stages open up, and the Japanese soundtrack alone is worth the ticket.

4. Sonic the Hedgehog 3 (1994)

The Death Egg crash-lands on Angel Island, and Robotnik tricks the island's guardian, Knuckles, into believing Sonic is the villain. Sonic 3 adds three elemental shields (fire, water and lightning), each with its own extra move, and it was the first Sonic game with save files. In co-op, Tails can fly and carry Sonic across gaps.

Sega split the project into two cartridges to hit its release window, so Sonic 3 ends mid-story. Its levels are longer and full of hidden paths, and most zones flow into the next through an in-game event instead of a black screen. The Sonic Origins version swaps out several tracks from the original Sonic 3 soundtrack, which annoyed long-time fans.

My Verdict: On its own, Sonic 3 feels like half a game, and that's exactly what it is. Play it as part of Sonic 3 & Knuckles, the complete version that combines both cartridges, and you get the best classic Sonic ever released.

5. Sonic & Knuckles (1994)

Sonic & Knuckles picks up right where Sonic 3 stops. Robotnik is relaunching the Death Egg, the Master Emerald is in danger, and Knuckles becomes playable with his own glide and wall climb, which open different routes through every zone. Collecting the Super Emeralds in the full version gives Sonic his Hyper form.

The cartridge had a slot on top. Attach Sonic 3 and you get the full Sonic 3 & Knuckles campaign. Attach Sonic 2 and Knuckles becomes playable in that game, and plugging in the first Sonic opened up the Blue Sphere bonus game.

My Verdict: Sonic & Knuckles is a great second half and a clever piece of hardware history. Today, buy it as part of Sonic 3 & Knuckles and play the two halves back to back, the way the developers meant it to be played.

6. Sonic 3D Blast (1996)

Sonic 3D Blast swaps side-scrolling for an isometric camera. Robotnik turns the Flickies into robots, and Sonic has to free them, gather them up and lead them into a Dimension Ring before moving on. Each zone has two regular acts plus a boss act, and special stages hold the Chaos Emeralds. Outside North America, it shipped as Sonic 3D: Flickies' Island.

Traveller's Tales did most of the programming, with Sonic Team supplying the level and character designs. The Saturn version added nicer visuals and a new Richard Jacques soundtrack. In 2017, Jon Burton, the Genesis version's lead programmer, released an unofficial Director's Cut patch with better controls, a save system and Super Sonic.

My Verdict: Sonic 3D Blast looks great for a Genesis game. Herding Flickies kills the pace that makes Sonic fun, so I'd only recommend it to completionists and anyone curious about what Sega's 16-bit hardware could pull off near the end.

7. Sonic R (1997)

Sonic R is a racing game where everyone runs on foot, apart from the robots and the characters in vehicles. It has five tracks, each playable in reverse, and collecting Chaos Emeralds and tokens during races opens up hidden racers like Metal Sonic and Super Sonic.

The game is short, and the tight development schedule shows. It's remembered mostly for the soundtrack, where Richard Jacques composed full vocal songs sung by TJ Davis. Some players love it, and plenty find it bizarre for a racer. Sonic R later turned up again in the 2005 Sonic Gems Collection.

My Verdict: It's a curiosity more than a good racer, with slippery controls and very few tracks. Watch a lap on YouTube for the music and move on to Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed if you want a Sonic racer you'll keep playing.

8. Sonic Adventure (1998)

Sonic Adventure took the series into full 3D on the Dreamcast. Robotnik, now called Eggman, frees Chaos, a water creature that grows stronger with every Chaos Emerald it absorbs. Six characters each get their own campaign with a different style: Sonic runs, Knuckles hunts for Master Emerald shards, Big goes fishing, and Gamma shoots. The stories overlap until they come together for the Perfect Chaos finale.

Station Square, the hub city, gave Sonic a modern setting for the first time. The game also introduced the Chao Garden, where you raise little virtual pets. The GameCube and PC release, Sonic Adventure DX, added extra missions and a set of Game Gear games, and it's the version you can still buy on Steam.

My Verdict: Sonic's speed sections still thrill, and the soundtrack is excellent. The camera and some campaigns have aged badly, so go in expecting a charming, rough Dreamcast game, and play it mainly for Sonic, Tails and the ending.

9. Sonic Adventure 2 (2001)

Sonic Adventure 2 splits its story into a Hero campaign (Sonic, Tails, Knuckles) and a Dark campaign (Shadow, Eggman, Rouge). This is Shadow's debut: Eggman wakes him up from a military facility, and the two plan to use Space Colony ARK to take over the world. Finish both sides and the Last Story brings all six characters together.

Each pair of characters plays the same way: Sonic and Shadow run, Tails and Eggman drive walkers, and Knuckles and Rouge hunt treasure. The Dreamcast original scored 89 on Metacritic, and the GameCube port, Sonic Adventure 2: Battle, became Sonic's first appearance on a Nintendo console and sold 1.7 million copies. City Escape remains one of the best opening stages in the series.

My Verdict: The running stages are some of the best 3D Sonic has ever had, and the Chao Garden can eat dozens of hours. The treasure hunts drag, and the camera fights you, but this is the 3D Sonic I'd play first.

10. Sonic Heroes (2003)

Sonic Heroes puts you in control of a team of three and lets you switch between them on the fly. Every team has a Speed, Fly and Power formation, and stages force you to swap leaders to get past different obstacles. Four teams each run through the same stages with different goals and difficulty, and Neo Metal Sonic waits behind all of it.

It was the first mainline Sonic game made for several consoles at once, and it opens with Seaside Hill, one of the brightest stages in the series. Crush 40 performs the theme song. To see the final story, you have to clear all four campaigns, and that repetition wears a lot of players down.

My Verdict: Sonic Heroes has a fantastic first hour, great music and a colorful look. Repeating every stage four times kills the momentum, so I'd play Team Sonic's story and only push on if you're hooked.

11. Shadow the Hedgehog (2005)

Shadow the Hedgehog gives Shadow his own game and his own crisis. He has lost his memory, and the Black Arms, an alien army led by Black Doom, invade Earth and claim to know who he is. Shadow can pick up guns, drive vehicles and choose hero, dark or neutral missions in each stage, and those choices branch into different routes and endings.

The game leaned hard into an edgier tone, and reviews were mixed at best. The branching story does pay off: once you've seen enough endings, a final story ties Shadow's past together. Black Doom returns 19 years later as the villain of Shadow Generations.

My Verdict: Shadow the Hedgehog is clunky and often silly, and it's not easy to get on modern hardware. Watch a story recap before Shadow Generations instead of hunting down an old console copy.

12. Sonic Riders (2006)

Sonic Riders puts the cast on Extreme Gear, anti-gravity hoverboards, skates and bikes. Air works as fuel: speeding up, drifting and charged jumps drain it, and tricks or pit stops fill it back up. The game introduced the Babylon Rogues (Jet, Wave and Storm), a gang of thieves who race Sonic for a mysterious treasure across two story campaigns.

Reviews were mixed, with praise for the speed and soundtrack and complaints about the controls. Sales were strong, with 930,000 copies sold in 2006, and Sega followed it with Sonic Riders: Zero Gravity in 2008 and the Kinect-only Sonic Free Riders in 2010.

My Verdict: Sonic Riders has a cool style and a high skill ceiling. It's also hard to learn and harder to find today, so stick with the Sumo Digital racers unless the hoverboards bring back memories.

13. Sonic the Hedgehog (2006)

Sega meant Sonic the Hedgehog (2006) as a 15th-anniversary reboot for HD consoles. Eggman kidnaps Princess Elise of Soleanna, Silver the Hedgehog arrives from a ruined future, and the villain Mephiles schemes to revive Solaris. Sonic, Shadow and Silver each get a campaign, plus a final story.

The game was rushed, and it shows in the long load times, bugs, camera problems and odd story beats. It's remembered as the low point of the series. In 2010, Sega said it would stop selling Sonic games with poor or average Metacritic scores. Sonic 2006 briefly returned on the Xbox 360 store in 2022, and that store closed in July 2024. Playing it today means tracking down an old disc.

My Verdict: Skip it unless broken games fascinate you. The music is great and Silver is a fun character. Nothing else here works well enough to recommend.

14. Sonic and the Secret Rings (2007)

Sonic and the Secret Rings drops Sonic into the Arabian Nights, where the genie Erazor Djinn is erasing the book's pages. Sonic teams up with Shahra, the Genie of the Ring, to collect the World Rings and stop him. It's the first game in what fans call the Storybook series.

You hold the Wii Remote sideways and tilt it to control Sonic's speed on mostly on-rails stages. The game has 110 missions across eight levels, plus an experience system for new skills and a four-player party mode. Reviews landed around 69 on Metacritic, with praise for the visuals and complaints about the tilt controls.

My Verdict: Secret Rings is better than its reputation, with a fun setting and a short, punchy story. The motion controls make it a Wii relic, so only chase it if you still have the console set up.

15. Sonic Unleashed (2008)

Eggman uses the Chaos Emeralds to crack the planet apart and release Dark Gaia, and the energy turns Sonic into the Werehog every night. Daytime stages are blazing fast runs, built on the new Hedgehog Engine for Xbox 360 and PS3, and nighttime stages turn into a slower brawler with stretchy arms. Chip, a little creature with no memory, joins Sonic on his trip around the world.

The daytime stages became the template for Sonic Colors, Generations and Forces. The Werehog sections take up a large share of the game and split players right down the middle. The Xbox 360 and PS3 versions are the ones to play, since the Wii and PS2 versions run on a different engine with fewer daytime stages.

My Verdict: The day stages are among the best 3D Sonic levels ever made, and Unleashed's music and world are lovely. If you can stomach the Werehog padding, it's a hidden gem of the HD era.

16. Sonic and the Black Knight (2009)

The sorceress Merlina summons Sonic into the King Arthur legend to stop a corrupted king, the Black Knight. Sonic picks up Caliburn, a talking sword, and you swing the Wii Remote to fight as Sonic moves along set paths. Knuckles, Shadow and Blaze appear as Gawain, Lancelot and Percival.

A late twist reveals Merlina has been using Sonic all along, and the story is the best part of the game. The sword combat and movement got poor reviews, with a Metacritic score of 54, and Sega pulled it from retail in 2010 as part of its cleanup of weakly reviewed Sonic games. It was the last of the Storybook games.

My Verdict: Black Knight has charm and a better story than its scores suggest. The waggle combat ruins it, so it's a game I'd only revisit for the cutscenes.

17. Sonic & Sega All-Stars Racing (2010)

Sonic & Sega All-Stars Racing is a kart racer that brings together Sonic, AiAi from Super Monkey Ball, Ulala from Space Channel 5, Beat from Jet Set Radio and even Ryo Hazuki from Shenmue. Each racer has an All-Star move, a character-specific super attack. The Xbox 360 version added Banjo and Kazooie as guests.

Reviewers saw it as a solid Mario Kart alternative, and it gave Sumo Digital the base for the much bigger Transformed two years later. The tracks pull from Sega's whole history, so it's a fun trip for anyone who grew up with a Dreamcast.

My Verdict: It's a good kart racer that Transformed does better in almost every way. Pick it up cheap if you love the Sega cast, otherwise go straight for the sequel.

18. Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode I (2010)

Sonic 4 was Sega's attempt at a true sequel to Sonic & Knuckles, released in episodes. Episode I has four zones (Splash Hill, Casino Street, Lost Labyrinth and Mad Gear) that remix ideas from the Genesis games, and it brings the homing attack into 2D.

The downloadable format kept it cheap, but fans quickly spotted that Sonic's momentum didn't feel like the Genesis games. Sega still went ahead with a second episode in 2012.

My Verdict: Episode I fills an afternoon and never captures the feel of the originals. For a modern take on classic Sonic, Sonic Mania does everything this game attempted.

19. Sonic Colors (2010)

Eggman builds Dr. Eggman's Incredible Interstellar Amusement Park in orbit and runs it on the energy of the Wisps, a race of small aliens. Sonic frees them as he goes, and each color gives him a new ability, like the Cyan Laser or the Drill. The tone is lighter and funnier than the games around it, with a much simpler plot.

Producer Takashi Iizuka said the Wii and DS versions sold around 4 million copies together. Sonic Colors: Ultimate, a remaster by Blind Squirrel Games, arrived on September 7, 2021, with a remixed soundtrack, a Rival Rush mode against Metal Sonic and a new Jade Ghost Wisp. The Switch version launched with performance issues that later patches fixed.

My Verdict: Colors is the most fun and polished 3D Sonic from that decade. Get Sonic Colors: Ultimate on PC for the smoothest version, and use the Wisps freely, since they make the stages more interesting.

20. Sonic Generations (2011)

Sonic's 20th birthday party gets interrupted when the Time Eater pulls his friends into White Space, a world without color. Classic Sonic and Modern Sonic team up, and every stage comes in two versions: a 2D act for Classic Sonic and a 3D act for Modern Sonic. The stages are rebuilt from Sonic's history, from Green Hill to City Escape to Planet Wisp.

It sold 1.85 million copies by early 2012, and reviews were mostly positive. The PC version also became home to a huge modding scene. The 3DS version is a separate game by Dimps with its own stage list.

My Verdict: Generations is a love letter to Sonic and still one of the best entry points. I'd play the remaster in Sonic X Shadow Generations today, though the original PC version holds up and costs very little.

21. Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode II (2012)

Episode II adds Tails, with co-op moves like the Copter combo, where Tails carries Sonic through the air. The zones (Sylvania Castle, White Park, Oil Desert and Sky Fortress) look much better than Episode I, and Metal Sonic returns as Eggman's partner. Owners of both episodes get Episode Metal, a short side story starring Metal Sonic.

The physics improved, but they still don't match the Genesis originals, and the story ends on a cliffhanger. A third episode never arrived.

My Verdict: Episode II is the better half of Sonic 4, and co-op with a friend makes it more fun. Grab the complete Sonic 4 pack if you're curious, and keep your expectations below Genesis level.

22. Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed (2012)

Transformed lets every vehicle shift between car, boat and plane during a race, and the tracks change from lap to lap. A bridge might collapse and turn the road into a river, or a canyon might open up into an air section. World Tour mode adds a long career with challenges and new racers to earn.

The tracks come from all over Sega's catalog, from Panzer Dragoon to Skies of Arcadia. It often shows up on lists of the best kart racers outside Nintendo, and the PC Collection includes the Metal Sonic and OutRun DLC.

My Verdict: This is the best Sonic racing game for my money and one of the best kart racers of its generation. If you only play one Sonic spin-off, make it this one.

23. Sonic Lost World (2013)

Sonic chases Eggman to the Lost Hex, a world in the sky, where Eggman has recruited the Deadly Six, a group of Zeti led by Zavok. The Deadly Six betray Eggman and take over his robot army, so Sonic and Eggman end up as uneasy allies. Levels are built around tubes and floating planetoids, with a new parkour run that lets Sonic sprint along walls.

Reviews were mixed, with a Metacritic score of 63 on Wii U. Critics liked the visuals and music but disliked the controls and the Deadly Six. The Wii U version got two free Nintendo-themed levels, Yoshi's Island Zone and The Legend of Zelda Zone, which are missing from the PC release.

My Verdict: Lost World has neat ideas and pretty levels. Sonic never handles well enough to make them shine, which makes it a decent PC buy on sale and a skip for everyone else.

24. Sonic Mania (2017)

Sonic Mania was built by fan developers, led by Christian Whitehead, who had already remastered the classics. It has 13 zones: eight remixed stages from older games and five new ones, including Studiopolis and Press Garden. The Hard-Boiled Heavies serve Eggman, and the Phantom Ruby they find becomes the key to Sonic Forces.

It scored 86 on Metacritic on Switch and PS4 and sold over one million copies by April 2018. Sonic Mania Plus followed in 2018, adding Mighty and Ray, a remixed Encore mode and four-player competition.

My Verdict: Mania is the best 2D Sonic since the Genesis, and maybe the best ever. Get the Encore DLC too, since Mighty, Ray and the remixed stages make it feel like a whole second game.

25. Sonic Forces (2017)

Eggman finally wins. With the help of Infinite, a mercenary who draws his strength from the Phantom Ruby, he takes over most of the world, and Knuckles leads a Resistance to fight back. Classic Sonic arrives from another dimension, linking straight to Sonic Mania, and you create your own avatar from seven animal types, armed with a grappling hook and Wisp weapons called Wispons.

Stages are short and often play themselves, and reviews were mixed, with Metacritic scores from 56 to 62. Sega still said it performed strongly in early 2018, and the avatar creator found a big following.

My Verdict: Forces looks great and has its fun moments. The stages end before they get going, so play it for the avatar creator and the soundtrack.

26. Team Sonic Racing (2019)

Team Sonic Racing is about team play. You race as one of three teammates, pass items to each other, slingshot off a teammate's trail and fill a shared meter for a team super. The roster is all Sonic characters this time, and Team Adventure mode wraps the races in a light story.

The racing is tight and the tracks look great, though many fans missed the Sega cast and the transforming vehicles from Transformed. Sega Sammy put its lifetime sales at 3.5 million copies in June 2026, and with friends on the couch, item passing and the shared meter turn every race into a team effort.

My Verdict: Team Sonic Racing is a good racer with a fresh idea. I still prefer Transformed for solo play, and this one wins a local co-op night.

27. Sonic Origins (2022)

Sonic Origins collects remasters of Sonic the Hedgehog, Sonic 2, Sonic CD and Sonic 3 & Knuckles. Anniversary Mode plays in widescreen with no lives and adds the Drop Dash, and Classic Mode keeps the original 4:3 look. Extras include Boss Rush, Mirror Mode, missions, a museum and a Story Mode that plays the four games in timeline order, with Sonic CD slotted between Sonic 1 and Sonic 2.

Critics praised the remasters but disliked the replaced Sonic 3 music, a few new bugs and the way DLC was sold. Sonic Origins Plus arrived on June 23, 2023, adding Amy as a playable character and 12 Game Gear games.

My Verdict: Origins is the easiest way to play the classic era on modern hardware. Go for Origins Plus, play Anniversary Mode, and save the tough Classic Mode for later.

28. Sonic Frontiers (2022)

Sonic Frontiers moves the series into an open zone on the Starfall Islands. Sonic runs freely across large islands, solves puzzles, fights giant Titans and enters short Cyber Space levels that play like classic stages. Sage, a mysterious AI, appears to be working against him, and the story digs into the islands' ancient past. Morio Kishimoto directed.

Sega kept adding to it with free updates, ending with The Final Horizon on September 28, 2023, which made Tails, Knuckles and Amy playable and added new story content with a tougher final boss. Sega Sammy put sales at 4.94 million copies in June 2026.

My Verdict: Frontiers is the biggest step forward 3D Sonic has made in a decade. Rough edges remain, yet running across those islands feels amazing, and The Final Horizon update is worth playing.

29. Sonic Superstars (2023)

Sonic Superstars is a new 2D game set on the North Star Islands, where Eggman hires Fang and a new character, Trip, to capture giant animals for his army. It supports four-player local co-op, where friends can drop in and out. Each Chaos Emerald gives an Emerald Power, like making clones or swimming up waterfalls.

Naoto Ohshima, who designed the original Sonic, designed Trip. Sega Sammy president Haruki Satomi said early sales were slightly below expectations and pointed to competition from Super Mario Bros. Wonder, and Sega Sammy put lifetime sales at 2.88 million copies in June 2026.

My Verdict: Superstars looks bright and plays fine. The bosses drag and the physics sit a step behind Mania, so it works better as a family co-op game than as a solo one.

30. Sonic X Shadow Generations (2024)

Sonic X Shadow Generations combines a remaster of Sonic Generations with Shadow Generations, a brand-new campaign. Black Doom returns and uses a time anomaly to bring back the Black Arms, and Shadow fights through stages from his own history. His Doom Powers let him throw spears of light, surf across water and glide, and a 3D hub world lets you practice them between stages.

Sega Sammy put sales at 3.07 million copies in June 2026, and the PS5 version scored 80 on Metacritic. The Sonic 3 Movie Pack DLC arrived on December 12, 2024, with a movie-style Shadow, a new stage set in Tokyo and Keanu Reeves voicing Shadow. It's paid DLC on its own and comes included in the Digital Deluxe Edition. It's also on Sonic X Shadow Generations on Steam.

My Verdict: Shadow's campaign is the best 3D Sonic content in years, and the Generations remaster is a great bonus. If you want one modern Sonic to start with, this is it.

31. Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds (2025)

Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds sends racers through Travel Rings, portals that drop every racer into a different world mid-race before bringing them back. Vehicles can be customized, and crossplay connects the platforms online. Sonic Team made this one in-house, unlike the Sumo Digital racers.

Guest racers arrive mostly as DLC, from Minecraft, SpongeBob SquarePants, Pac-Man and Mega Man to Neon Genesis Evangelion. A second year of DLC, announced at Summer Game Fest 2026, adds content based on Godzilla, Sanrio, Final Fantasy VII Remake and Persona. It passed 1 million copies by October 2025, though Sega later said early sales were below its internal targets. Pick it up at Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds on Steam.

My Verdict: CrossWorlds is the best Sonic racer since Transformed, and the Travel Rings keep every race unpredictable. Critics agreed, with Metacritic scores in the 80s on most platforms.

FAQs About Sonic Games in Order

Final Words

Thirty-five years in, the Sonic series is easier to get into than ever. Most of the great games are on modern platforms, and almost none of them demand homework. You can start with a 1991 platformer or a 2022 open-zone adventure and still have a good time. The series has always swung between huge highs and painful lows, and part of the fun is seeing how Sega keeps coming back.

If you want my short list, play Sonic 3 & Knuckles and Sonic Mania for 2D, then Sonic X Shadow Generations and Sonic Frontiers for 3D. Add Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed or CrossWorlds for racing, and you'll have seen the best of what Sonic offers.

Iizuka has confirmed a new mainline game, still without a title or date. Frontiers already proved 3D Sonic can work on a bigger scale, so the next one could be the moment the series finally lands everything at once.

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