Best Sonic games to play in 2024: 2D & 3D

Sonic games are split into the Blue Blur’s 2D adventures and the faster-paced 3D titles. Here are the best Sonic games to play in both 2D and 3D

There have been a lot of Sonic games since The Hedgehog with Attitude first sped onto Sega consoles in the early nineties. The original Sonic games were 2D adventures that saw him collect rings and battle robots to free his friends from the control of the notorious Doctor Eggman (also known as Robotnik). Most games follow this basic plot to some degree, although Sega has mixed it up on occasion.

Throughout history, Sonic games have transitioned to 3D and back to 2D again. Now, both the 2D and 3D series run concurrently, catering to fans who prefer the classic 2D Sonic approach, or the fans who discovered Sonic more recently and prefer his high-octane 3D adventures. Below, we’ve listed the best 2D Sonic games you can play, followed by the best 3D Sonic games.

Best 2D Sonic games

Here are the best 2D Sonic games to play in 2024:

Sonic 4

Sonic 4 was late to the party, but it’s a welcome addition.

Split into two different games, Part 1 of Sonic 4 didn’t fare so well, appearing as a pretty bland 2D Sonic adventure and one that focused more on cumbersome platforming than speed. However, Part 2 redeemed the game, putting the emphasis back on zooming around the stages, and it even saw the return of Tails. The 3D Sonic series was starting to stagnate and Sonic 4 was an attempt to recapture Sonic’s 2D glory years and take the series back to its roots.

While this wouldn’t happen until Sonic Mania and Sonic Generations, Sonic 4: Part 2 was a worthwhile effort. The classic Sonic gameplay will give fans a nostalgia kick, but Sonic 4 represents the blue hedgehog’s identity crisis before the franchise discovered the right direction to run in. For those wanting to play through Sonic’s entire 2D back catalog, Sonic 4 is worth playing, but unlike the numbered entries that came before it, will never be considered legendary.

Sonic Superstars

2D Sonic has never looked so good!

The most recent 2D Sonic entry is great fun, adding some new levels and cool gameplay ideas that haven’t been seen since Sonic Colors. Sonic Superstars tries to marry classic 2D Sonic action with these ideas but not all of them work. The game places a lot of emphasis on multiplayer, recreating that Sonic 2 feel as two players race across the map together.

The issue is that one player tends to get left behind or slow down the other, so players need to work in tandem to keep the momentum. It’s a novel idea, but it falls flat when two players with different styles end up being matched together. As far as a single-player Sonic experience, Superstars doesn’t really move the needle but is still a fun addition to the Blue Blur’s 2D library.

Sonic Rush (plus Rush Adventure Colors DS)

Sonic Rush introduced Blaze the Cat as a new member of Sonic’s team.

Sonic Rush is only available on the DS and in 2024, this is frustrating because Rush is an excellent Sonic game and one that deserves a remaster. It also nails the balance between speed and platforming. The Sonic Rush series is the spiritual successor to the Sonic Advance games and took advantage of the DS’s dual screens to let Sonic zoom around at speeds faster than any games that came before it. Behind all that speed was a traditional Sonic platformer, with the usual gameplay loops applied – and we mean loops literally.

Teaming up with the new character Blaze the Cat to once again track down the Chaos Emeralds and defeat Eggman, Sonic Rush represented an evolution of the 2D Sonic formula. The Rush ability was then adapted by the 3D Sonic games, and we honestly can’t imagine the series without it. The game later received a sequel and the DS version of Sonic Colors also reused the Rush template, effectively making it an unofficial Sonic Rush 3.

Sonic Advance (plus Advance 2 & 3)

Sonic Advance is a must-play for those who enjoy the original Genesis games.

Sonic Advance holds a special place in the hearts of many 2D Sonic fans. The game essentially copied the style of the original Sonic trilogy on Genesis, but did so faithfully. It was also the first game to add Amy Rose as a playable character. While Sonic Advance replicated the classic formula, every stage was brand new and even Tails and Knuckles were along for the ride. This is the game that reminded everyone what was so great about 2D Sonic and two sequels followed.

Sonic Advance 2 and 3 largely repeated the style of the first game, but they also added some new innovations such as allowing characters other than just Sonic and Tails to partner up and pull off some unique moves. Like the Rush games, the Sonic Advance series is crying out for a remaster as it’s presently locked to the Nintendo Advance. The Sonic Advance trilogy can be considered a true continuation of the original Sonic games, and this is what makes them so beloved.

Sonic Origins

Sonic Origins contains the original Sonic trilogy, Sonic & Knuckles, and Sonic CD.

Okay, we’re cheating a bit with this one as Sonic Origins is several games in one, including Sonic 1, 2, 3 (& Knuckles), and Sonic CD. These are Sonic’s adventures from the Genesis/Mega Drive era and every single one of them is legendary. Sonic Origins updates and repackages every game and allows each entry to borrow elements from the other. For example, you can play as Knuckles in Sonic 1 or use Sonic 3’s expanded TV powers in Sonic 2, and so on. This was unheard of back in the Genesis days.

Each game generally involves traditional 2D Sonic platforming as he, possibly accompanied by Tails or Knuckles, races through the zones, collecting rings, and Chaos Emeralds while thwarting Eggman’s latest invention at the end of each stage. Sonic Origins feels like the definitive old-school Sonic experience and is a must-play for longtime fans of 2D Sonic or those looking to experience it for the first time.

Sonic Mania

Sonic Mania is a modern retro Sonic – and it’s incredible.

Sonic Mania is a love letter to old-school, Genesis-era 2D Sonic, and it is a sublime experience that combines the best of them all. In terms of visuals, Mania looks a lot like Sonic 1 blended with Sonic CD, but it also remixes some stages from Sonic 2 and 3, as well as adding some epic new Zones of its own. In many ways, Sonic Mania is the Sonic 4 we always wanted, just twenty years later.

Like the early Sonic games, Mania lets players control either Sonic, Tails, Knuckles and even Amy Rose as they blitz across levels old and new while smashing some of Eggman’s latest inventions as well as some returning classics. From a lore point of view, Sonic Mania serves as a sequel to Sonic CD and even sees the return of villains like Metal Sonic as the gang races through time and space.

Sonic Mania is the pinnacle of 2D Sonic, taking everything that worked from earlier games and marrying it with some more recent innovations from the series.

Best 3D Sonic games

These are the best 3D Sonic games to play in 2024:

Sonic 3D (Blast)

Sonic 3D is the start of Sonic’s 3D journey.

As the name suggests, Sonic 3D on Genesis was Sonic’s first foray into the world of 3D. While it wasn’t as successful as Mario’s transition, the game paved the way for something much greater. Sonic 3D featured an isometric top-down view that hasn’t aged well in all honesty. While Sonic’s 2D adventures have become legendary, Sonic 3D feels like a lost chapter. It’s a shame because while not perfect, Sonic 3D represents a gateway for the series and is a rather unique experience in terms of gameplay.

It emulates the 2D games in many ways but moves the action to Flickies Island where Sonic, with help from Tails and Knuckles, needs to save as many Flickies (little birds powering Eggman’s robots) as he can to truly complete the game. Sonic 3D is a far cry from the modern 3D Sonic games, but every fan owes it to themselves to check it out and see how Sonic morphed into the hedgehog we know today.

Sonic Heroes

Sonic, Knuckles, and Tails are playable as a trio in Sonic Heroes.

After the success of the Sonic Adventure games, Sega tried something new by letting players control three heroes at once, each with different strengths and abilities. Want to go fast? Use Sonic. Need to fly over some objects? Tails has you covered. Need to bash some robots to bits? Knuckles is your echidna. Other teams also replicated this dynamic, letting Shadow and the Chaotix Crew get in on the action.

The game largely emulated Sonic Adventure in terms of style, but with the added gimmick the character switching. To some players, being forced to switch characters every few seconds became tiresome and frustrating, but other Sonic fans adore Sonic Heroes and consider it to be Sonic Adventure 3. Heroes also positions Metal Sonic as the big bad rather than Eggman.

Sonic Frontiers

Sonic goes open world in Sonic Frontiers!

Sonic Frontiers is an interesting beast. It marries traditional 3D Sonic gameplay with open-world exploration and a new combat system. It strangely works as often as it doesn’t work, creating an experience that some players will love but others will find jarring. In many ways, Sonic Frontiers is Sonic’s Breath of the Wild moment, and the game shows what’s possible for the future of the franchise.

Those who like the idea of exploring a lush island using Sonic’s signature speed and engaging in all manner of puzzles will love it, but those who just want to play some old-school Sonic will be better served elsewhere. While some ideas feel half-baked, Sonic Frontiers is still a triumph and every Sonic fan should give it a try. It also opens up some tantalizing options for the future of the franchise.

Sonic Colors

Sonic Colors is one of the best 3D Sonic games you can play.

Sonic Colors is one of the most beloved Sonic games of all time and was remade in 2021 on modern systems after previously only being released on the Wii (and with a DS version that more resembled Sonic Rush). The game is loved because it was seen as a return to form for the franchise after the universally panned Sonic The Hedgehog (2006) and its mixed-bag sequel Sonic Unleashed.

Not only did Sonic Colors make Sonic fun again by reviving the best parts of Sonic’s gameplay – the speed – it also featured some new gimmicks that made the game more fun rather than bogging it down. It even made full use of the rush move that was added in Sonic Rush on the DS.

Sonic Colors featured something called Wisps, color-coded powers that gave Sonic cool new abilities allowing him to tackle obstacles in creative new ways, such as blasting off like a rocket! The setting was also special, this time pitting Sonic against Eggman in a robot-infested theme park.

Sonic Generations

Sonic Generations allowed 2D and 3D Sonic to team up

Sonic Generations includes old-school 2D Sonic gameplay along with the modern 3D style all-in-one game that’s designed to be a celebration of both. In Generations, ‘Classic Sonic’ from his 2D era is brought forward in time and meets his newer, 3D self. The two then team up to defeat each other’s versions of Eggman and restore the timeline. Generations reused levels from previous Sonic games too, picking the best stages from Sonic’s past and recreated them.

This allowed Zones from 2D Sonic games to be reimagined as 3D levels and locations from more recent Sonic games to receive a 2D makeover, so we could experience them like they were old-school Sonic levels. From a modern point of view, Sonic Generations is the best 3D Sonic game, even though it incorporates 2D elements. A sequel called Sonic Forces was released in 2017 but didn’t have the same charm as Generations. It did continue the partnership of classic and modern Sonic though.

Sonic Adventure (plus Adventure 2)

Sonic Adventure is a stone-cold classic, as is the sequel.

Not counting Sonic 3D, Sonic Adventure was the first proper 3D Sonic outing and the game that was used as a template by all 3D Sonic games ever since. Sonic Adventure allowed players to explore a semi-open world hub while chatting with NPCs and going to different locations to tackle a range of stages. All of these stages were memorable and fun, so much so that some of them were recreated in Sonic Generations and beyond.

The game’s story saw Sonic hunting for the Chaos Emeralds which had spawned a creature known simply as Chaos that threatened the whole world. Sonic and his gang even had to team up with Eggman to defeat the creature, and every member of Sonic’s team got their own playable sections and chance to shine. Sonic Adventure is the game Sega has been trying to emulate ever since it came out with few ever really matching its greatness.

Sonic Adventure 2 came close, and in the minds of some players is just as good as its predecessor, with both games getting as close to 3D Sonic perfection as possible. Sonic Colors and Generations were both amazing Sonic games, but the true heir to Sonic Adventure is yet to be seen.

So, there you have it, the best Sonic games in 2D & 3D. For more gaming guides and lists, check out more gaming content below:

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