Sonic the Hedgehoghas always been a contentious series, at least in terms of internet discourse. If you’re expecting this list to be entirely negative doom-posting about how Sonic’s always been bad, you’d be wrong. I’ve grown up with the series, and I love this roller-coaster ride.
Review: Sonic Origins
Ultimately, Sonic Origins is a well-polished wrapper for old games that were, until recently, available at much lower prices.
Better yet, I grew up with the classics, adventure games, boost games, and multiple spinoffs, and I’ve got several games in each style that I adore. This list will be a compilation of my thoughts on the best games in the series, though pretty much all of it changes depending on the day.
While it’s true for every game ranking like this, especially with Sonic, I want to clarify that this is just my opinion as a fan of the series. You’re allowed to disagree with me, but that won’t change how much I enjoy games you don’t like or vice versa. On top of that, I love every game on this list, and the difference between 5th and 1st place is minimal.
Honorable Mentions
I could yap forever about a ton of different Sonic games, but for brevity’s sake, here are a few games I really enjoy that just barely didn’t hit the top ten for me. These are all worth looking into if you’re trying to explore more of the series.
10Sonic & SEGA All-Stars Racing Transformed
A Really Fun Racing Game, That’s About It
First up on this list is a weird one, but I reallywanted to talk about at least one spinoff. Racing Transformed is one of my favorites. It did the land, sea and air kart racing gimmick around the same time Mario Kart did, and it’s got a massive cast of characters.
The main appeal of this game is the massive track variety, most of which reference various SEGA series and feel really great to drive through. It’s just a great Kart racer, and extremely underrated in my eyes.
9Sonic: Project 06
It’s Kind of a Fangame, But it’s Peak
Sonic the Hedgehog (2006)
You might be wondering why a fan remake of one of the worst-received Sonic games is up here, but it’s my list and I can put what I want on it. Project 06 feels like the true “Sonic Adventure 3”, and it’s an absolute blast to play once or a hundred times.
The movement feels incredible, the levels are great to blast through, getting combos with Shadow feels great, using Sonic’s gems is awesome, and Silver actually functions. The only reason it isn’t higher is that it doesn’t have a story or multiplayer, but otherwise it’s well worth the $0 price tag.
8Sonic 3 and Knuckles
Classic Sonic’s Peak
Sonic Superstars
In terms of the older classic Sonic titles, Sonic 3 and Knuckles is very easily my favorite of the bunch. The level design is always the main sticking point for me with these games, and this one has absolutely refined it. Not a single level feels dull or boring.
Review: Sonic Superstars
Sonic Superstars shines brightest when it’s sticking to what made the Genesis titles so successful.
There’s also incredibly good music, no matter which version of the soundtrack you’re listening to, all three characters have unique and cool routes, and Hyper Sonic is a great reward for collecting all the emeralds twice. It’s always great to come back to.
7Sonic Unleashed
Better Than You’ve Been Led to Believe
Sonic Unleashed
Contrary to popular belief in 2008,Sonic Unleashed is great and always has been. The werehog levels are a bit of a pacebreaker, sure, but it’s still pretty fun to land combos, get off satisfying QTEs, and put off collecting moon medals until it’s too late.
It’s got its problems, but the game truly shines with the day levels, being some of the most charismatic and energetic Sonic levels of all time. There are certainly reasons to dislike it, but if you try it with an open mind, you’ll probably really like Unleashed.
6Sonic Adventure 2
Absolutely Iconic for a Reason.
Sonic Adventure 2
Sonic Adventure 2 is one of those iconic touchstonesof the entire medium of video games, with songs like Live and Learn, Pumpkin Hill, City Escape, and pretty much every level being absolutely memorable and iconic to gaming culture.
It doesn’t hold up super well under intense scrutiny, but saying it’s anything less than great would be a disservice to just how fun this game can be if you’re willing to give it a chance. The speed stages are the best, yeah, but treasure hunting and shooting are pretty good too.
5Sonic Adventure
I Like it More Than 2 (Sometimes)
Sonic Adventure
Depending on the day, this game and SA2 can swap places in my mind,but today I’m just in the SA1 mood. I’d say it generally has higher peaks but lower lows than SA2, and they average out to about the same amount of enjoyment overall.
I really love the Sonic, Gamma, Tails, and (kind of) Knuckles stages, and I somewhat tolerate Big and Amy. It’s all worth it for the really sick final boss against Chaos though. Everything about this game wraps up as an iconic, awesome experience.
4Sonic Colors
Pure Fun and Whimsy
Sonic Colors
It may be lacking in the writing department, butSonic Colors is genuinely just a fun, concise experiencethat always makes me feel happy whenever I boot it up. It’s got some of the best vibes in the series, and the gameplay isn’t slouching either.
It’s just fun to run through these shorter levels, and even with the large number of 2D segments, the flow usually keeps going and the addition of Wisps here actually makes the game even more enjoyable. Just verify to play the Wii version.
3Sonic Mania
Incredibly Polished, Solid Platforming
Sonic Mania
Getting a new classic Sonic game after so long was a surprise, and what was an even better surprise was seeing it be made by passionate young developers known for making fan-games and mods. They absolutely blew it out of the park with Sonic Mania.
Review: Sonic Mania
It’s a game that screams polish, flavor, and personality. Each zone feels unique from the game it comes from, each new zone is absolutely beautiful, and the music is some of the best in the series, which is incredibly high praise. It’s peak.
2Sonic Frontiers
Rough, But Incredibly Joyous
Sonic Frontiers
There comes a time when you play a solid 7 or 8/10 game that resonates with you so hard that it becomes one of your favorites, andSonic Frontier’s freedom of movement, incredible bosses, and simple but satisfying combat did that for me.
On top of just being really fun to move around in this game, the levels are all enjoyable, the music is absolutely incredible and one of my favorite soundtracks, and I can’t say it’s anything other than one of my favorite Sonic games ever.
1Sonic Generations
A Projected Banger
Sonic X Shadow Generations
Sonic Generations is easily one of my favorite Sonic Games ever, with fast, straight-to-the-point platforming, two incredibly fun characters, a ton of optional collectibles to grab, andwith the additions Sonic X Shadow Generations is making, it can only get better.
With the already incredibly fun, solid Sonic levels, only being improved with the addition of the Drop Dash, plus the really sick-looking new Shadow levels, this is easily going to be one of the best Sonic games. Let’s hope they don’t somehow fumble it (again).
Shadow Shows Off New Abilities in Sonic X Shadow Generations ‘Doom Powers’ Trailer
Shadow’s got a whole arsenal of new powers at his disposal in Sonic X Shadow Generations, and they’re all on display in this latest trailer.
