The Sonic the Hedgehog series features many incredible characters, but none are more iconic than the blue blur himself. Sonic is the mascot of Sega and one of the most recognizable characters in all of gaming. From 1991 to the present, we’ve been blessed with numerous Sonic The Hedgehog games that have rarely failed to deliver.
All the games on this list are main console games where Sonic the Hedgehog is the protagonist, so games such as Shadow the Hedgehog and Knuckles’ Chaotix are not included. With that being said, it’s now time to learn about the chronological order of every mainline Sonic the Hedgehog game.
Updated on October 30, 2023, by Kyle Chamaillard: We have decided to revisit this list to place Sonic Superstars in the timeline and also switched a few things around based on some new insight from the Sonic Team.
26 Sonic The Hedgehog
Launching in 1991 for the Sega Genesis, the original Sonic The Hedgehog was the launch title for what would become one of the biggest gaming franchises.
The game introduced us to Doctor Robotnik, an evil scientist who is Sonic’s arch-nemesis. Sonic 1 is short and sweet, but also fairly tough as Sonic did not yet have the ability to spin dash.
25 Sonic The Hedgehog 2
Sonic the Hedgehog 2
- Platform(s)
- Genesis
- Released
- November 21, 1992
- Developer(s)
- Sega
- Genre(s)
- Platformer
Sonic the Hedgehog 2 came out in 1992 and is one of the best platformers to speedrun because it gave Sonic the ability to spin dash.
Sonic 2 is a fan favorite because of its great level design and the introduction of Sonic’s best friend, Tails.The two-tailed fox is a playable character if a second controller is plugged into the Sega Genesis.
24 Sonic CD
Sonic CD is one of the lesser-known Sonic adventures because it was developed for the Sega CD, an add-on for the Genesis that allowed the console to play disc-based games.
Launched in 1993, Sonic CD was ahead of its time, pun intended. The game involves time travel, as you are able to move between the past and present. It even introduced us to Metal Sonic, one of the more popular Sonic villains.
23 Sonic Chaos
Sonic Chaos is the first title designed foremost for the Game Gear, as it followed 8-bit Master System versions of the first two mainline games. At the time, the title was considered to be a landmark achievement given the limitations of its platform.
However, over time, people have come to realize that Sonic Chaos wasn’t the greatest game around. Lackluster level design and a glacial frame rate haven’t exactly endeared it to legions of newfound fans through the decades.
22 Sonic Spinball
Some may question our logic for placing what is ostensibly a pinball game alongside the rest of our picks for ‘mainline Sonic the Hedgehog’, and we get it, but look past the label here, and you’ll soon find that Sonic Spinball is every bit the platformer of its peers – it just happens to feature blatant pinball elements along the way.
Sonic Spinball is a clunky game, make no mistake. There’s slowdown, there’s ample criticism of the control scheme, and the difficulty spikes are oddly sharp. Yet its dark soundtrack and moody atmosphere have granted this mixed entry a permanent place in more than a few hearts.
21 Sonic The Hedgehog 3
Shipping in 1994, Sonic The Hedgehog 3 is arguably the best game in the original trilogy. Or is it the first half of the best game in the original trilogy? Opinions differ – we’ll explain more in a moment.
You could play the game solo as either Sonic or Tails and even play with both to turn it into a couch co-op game. Sonic 3 introduced us to Knuckles the Echidna, who becomes a new antagonist after stealing all of Sonic’s emeralds before you begin the first level.
20 Sonic & Knuckles
Sonic & Knuckles came out a few months after and is the canon continuation of, Sonic 3. It was the first game to feature Knuckles as a playable character.
Using the Sonic and Knuckles cartridge’s “lock-on” technology, you were able to stick Sonic the Hedgehog 3 on top of the cartridge to play ‘Sonic 3 & Knuckles’. That’s the game Sega initially wanted to make before time constraints forced them to split Sonic the Hedgehog 3 and Sonic and Knuckles into separate titles.
19 Sonic The Hedgehog: Triple Trouble
The sequel to Sonic Chaos, which is in and of itself something of a sequel to the Game Gear versions of Sonic 1 and 2, Sonic the Hedgehog: Triple Trouble is kind of the culmination of that portable branch of the franchise. It’s a purely Game Gear affair, with a sturdier lasting legacy than Chaos.
In fact, Triple Trouble’s relative decency helped spawn a recently finished fan campaign to recreate the game in 16 bits. It’s worth looking into!
18 Sonic 3D Blast
The Sonic series has faced a ton of problems since its shift to 3D. So, it’s somewhat ironic that the character’s very first venture into 3D was such a disaster that most people don’t even remember it!
Sonic 3D Blast was meant to be a celebration of Sonic’s fifth anniversary. Instead, it’s mostly remembered as a game with one of the worst camera systems in industry history.
17 Sonic Mania
Sonic Mania
- Platform(s)
- PS4, Xbox One, Switch, PC
- Released
- August 15, 2017
- Developer(s)
- PagodaWest Games, Headcannon
- Genre(s)
- Platformer
Sonic Mania launched in 2017 and is one of the best Sonic games ever made. In fact, it quickly became the highest-rated Sonic game in 15 years.
It was a return to the side-scrolling days of Sonic, featuring some iconic levels in Sonic history and some completely new ones. Sonic Mania Plus, an enhanced version of the game with bonus content, came out a year later in 2018.
16 Sonic Superstars
Sonic Superstars
- Platform(s)
- PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, PC
- Released
- October 17, 2023
- Developer(s)
- Sonic Team, Arzest
- Genre(s)
- Platformer
In an attempt to recapture the magic and nostalgia from the original trilogy of Sonic games, Sega published Sonic Superstars in 2023 to a mostly positive reception. The character designs look great, and there are plenty of creative ideas scattered throughout the game, but it struggles to ever reach the same heights as the games that inspired it.
One of the biggest disappointments with Sonic Superstars is that despite its focus on multiplayer, there are no online options, so you must play through the campaign with someone in the same room as yourself. There is a lot to like here, but there is also a ton of room for improvement.
15 Sonic Adventure
Sonic Adventure was the first main Sonic game to make the jump to 3D on the Sega Dreamcast. You could play as Sonic, Tails, Knuckles, Amy, Big the Cat, and E-102 Gamma in the game, with each character having their own unique story.
Launching in 1998, it went on to become the best-selling Dreamcast game of all time, even getting a remaster in the form of Sonic Adventure DX: Director’s Cut for the Nintendo GameCube.
14 Sonic Adventure 2
Despite coming out in 2001, Sonic Adventure 2 still features some of the best levels in any Sonic game. It was more fast-paced and action-oriented than the original game, focusing on just two separate stories. The hero story features Sonic, Tails, and Knuckles while the dark story features Shadow, Doctor Eggman, and Rouge the Bat.
A year later, an enhanced port of the game called Sonic Adventure 2: Battle was developed for the Nintendo GameCube.
13 Sonic Advance
Sonic Advance is the earliest major game in the series to reflect the rapidly changed landscape that Sega faced at the beginning of the new millennium. Financial woes had piled up, forcing Sega to exit the console industry and go third party; bringing 2D Sonic back was a refreshing concept, but doing so for the Nintendo Game Boy Advance, rather than a Sega piece of hardware, spoke volumes to how quickly Sega was forced to adapt.
It’s a good game, and opens a fresh trilogy of 2D handheld titles in style, though it’s arguably eclipsed by what came afterward.
12 Sonic Advance 2
The tail end of 2002 introduced the sequel to Sonic Advance followed in very short order by the next big 3D game, Sonic Heroes. We’ll get to that one in a second, but Sonic Advance 2 was praised at the time for its considerable mechanical additions over its predecessor and generally refined replayability factor.
Alongside Sonic, players can also enjoy the game as Tails, Knuckles, or Cream the Rabbit. Have you ever heard of Cream the Rabbit? We bet the answer isn’t a universal yes. After completing the game with the aforementioned quartet, you can also unlock Amy.
11 Sonic Heroes
Sonic Heroes was the first multi-platform Sonic game as it shipped in 2003 on GameCube, PlayStation 2, Xbox, and PC. The game revolves around four playable teams: Team Sonic, Team Dark, Team Rose, and Team Chaotix.
Each team varies in difficulty with Team Rose being best suited for beginners and Team Dark being a better choice for experienced players. Just uh, don’t expect much from the story.
10 Sonic Advance 3
The Game Boy Advance trilogy of 2D Sonic games came to a close with Sonic Advance 3, a further refinement of the core formula that added the ‘team-up’ mechanic so that players would always have a sidekick alongside them as they traverse through the game’s seven sizable levels. (If you were fortunate enough to play your GBA alongside friends with GBAs of their own, that sidekick becomes a second player.)
Eggman accidentally blows up the world at the start of Sonic Advance 3, which, if nothing else, is a pretty impressive way to get things rolling.
9 Sonic The Hedgehog (2006)
Sonic ‘06 came out on PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 consoles. It was planned for the Wii as well, but the console simply wasn’t powerful enough to play the game, so it got canceled.
You could play as Sonic, Shadow, or Silver the Hedgehog, who was introduced in Sonic ‘06. The game is… quite frankly, not good at all. It’s commonly held as the franchise’s nadir, and considering that some fans felt like things were on a downward spiral for a while beforehand, well, you get the picture.
8 Sonic And The Secret Rings
Sonic and the Secret Rings was the first Sonic game for the Nintendo Wii back in 2007. Sonic is the only playable character in the game as it’s a bit of a departure from the typical Sonic Adventure style of games.
The player has less freedom in Sonic and the Secret Rings as it features an on-rails movement style. The game also takes advantage of the Wii’s great motion controls.
7 Sonic Unleashed
Launching in 2008 for the Wii, Xbox 360, and both the PlayStation 2 and 3, Sonic Unleashed introduced us to Sonic the Werehog.
During the day, you play as Sonic and blast through levels at high speeds. At night, you play as Sonic the Werehog and go through slower-paced levels focused on action sequences. Critics lauded half the game whilst lambasting the other half, which is at least a notable step up from some of its contemporaries.