The Sonic The Hedgehog franchise holds an odd place in the video game industry. The mascot platformer is one of the most iconic characters in gaming history, yet many people believe the blue hedgehog has an underwhelming collection of games. This opinion of Sonic's catalog isn't universal, as although some believe there are no good sonic games, there are others who believe the franchise is competitive with Nintendo's Mario.
It's difficult for gamers to know whether the Sonic franchise is for them or not without trying the games for themselves. For those who are looking to try one of Sonic's adventures, we've listed the main series games in order of their Main Story completion time according to howlongtobeat.com.
Updated May 18, 2022, by Jack Pursey: The Sonic the Hedgehog franchise has been riding a wave of success lately, though the blue hedgehog's gaming ventures have not been the source. Instead, Sega's mascot character has found success on the silver screen, with two Sonic the Hedgehog movies that have both been financial successes. It's fair to say that few people expected the movies to be so successful, especially after the first one's infamous trailer was initially released. This success has brought with it a wave of new fans to the long-running gaming series. To give new and existing fans an idea of what game to play first/next, this list has been updated to include some key information, such as each game's best feature and the platforms that they can be played on.
17 Sonic the Hedgehog (1991) - 2 Hours
- Release Date: June 23, 1991
- Available Platforms: Sega Genesis, Arcade, Game Boy Advance, PC, Nintendo 3DS, iOS, Android, Amazon Fire TV, Apple TV, Nintendo Switch
- Best Feature: The game's historical relevance and nostalgia value
The one that started it all, the original Sonic The Hedgehog was released all the way back in 1991. The blue hedgehog was created with a clear goal: to be the driving force behind Sega's quest to topple Nintendo. Sega was, of course, unsuccessful in this mission, but the original game was an excellent attempt to compete with Mario.
16 Sonic CD - 2 Hours
- Release Date: September 23, 1993
- Available Platforms: Android, PC, Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 2, iOS, GameCube, Apple TV
- Best Feature: The memorable soundtrack
Sonic CD was initially released on the Sega CD in 1993. The game was originally planned to be an enhanced port of its predecessor, Sonic The Hedgehog 2, though poor sales in Japan resulted in a change of direction. The change paid off, as Sonic CD was a commercial success and is considered one of the franchise's best releases to date.
15 Sonic the Hedgehog 2 - 2.5 Hours
- Release Date: November 21, 1992
- Available Platforms: Sega Genesis, Arcade, Android, iOS, Nintendo 3DS, Nintendo Switch
- Best Feature: It fine-tunes and improves upon almost every aspect of its predecessor
The aforementioned second game may have struggled to sell in Japan, though it performed outside of the country, becoming the Sega Genesis' best-selling game worldwide. Sonic The Hedgehog 2 stands proudly alongside Sonic CD as being considered among the franchise's best-ever releases, as the game features some of the series' most well-designed levels.
14 Sonic the Hedgehog 3 - 3 Hours
- Release Date: February 2, 1994
- Available Platforms: Sega Genesis, PC, Sega Saturn, Xbox 360, Wii
- Best Feature: The crisp visuals that looked fantastic in 1994
Despite the name, Sonic The Hedgehog 3 was the fourth entry in Sonic's main series, with Sonic CD releasing the year before it. The game was a commercial success, becoming the Sega Genesis' seventh highest selling game, though it sold considerably fewer copies than Sonic The Hedgehog 2. The drop in sales from the second game wasn't indicative of the quality, though, as Sonic The Hedgehog 3 continued the IP's hot streak.
13 Sonic & Knuckles - 3 Hours
- Release Date: October 18, 1994
- Available Platforms: Sega Genesis, PC, Xbox 360, Sega Saturn, Wii
- Best Feature: Knuckles is a playable character for the first time
Sega didn't waste any time with releasing Sonic's next game after Sonic The Hedgehog 3, as the Sonic & Knuckles initially hit stores just over eight months later. As the title suggests, the game differentiated itself from its predecessors by making Knuckles a playable character.
The choice of characters wasn't just a visual gimmick, as the pair have different strengths and weaknesses; Sonic has a higher jump and shield abilities, whereas Knuckles can scale walls and glide.
12 Sonic and the Black Knight - 3 Hours
- Release Date: March 3, 2009
- Available Platforms: Wii
- Best Feature: The Legacy Missions
A three-hour runtime is excusable for Sonic & Knuckles and Sonic the Hedgehog 3 due to the games releasing in the early 90s, though it's far harder to justify it for Sonic and the Black Knight as the game was released in 2009. For context, Assassin's Creed II and Infamous were released the same year, both of which take around 18 hours to beat. Sonic and the Black Knight's short runtime was one of the game's many shortcomings, which made it both a critical and commercial disappointment.
11 Sonic Forces - 4 Hours
- Release Date: November 7, 2017
- Available Platforms: Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PC
- Best Feature: The excellent modern visuals, which are among the best in the entire series
Sonic Forces was released as recently as 2017, making the full-priced game's 4-hour runtime extremely disappointing. Much like Sonic and the Black Knight, Sega can't defend the game's short runtime for being quality over quantity, as the game was poorly received by both fans and critics, exemplified by its Metascores that ranged between 56 and 62 across its four releases.
10 Shadow The Hedgehog - 5 Hours
- Release Date: November 14, 2005
- Available Platforms: PlayStation 2, GameCube, Xbox
- Best Feature: The gunfighting offers a nice change of pace from traditional Sonic gameplay
Despite Sonic's name not featuring in the title, Shadow The Hedgehog is considered a main series entry in the Sonic franchise. The game was branded as a more mature and edgy take on the Sonic universe, with Shadow having multiple guns at his disposal. The game's shift in tone didn't do the series any favors, and the game was dealt with a brutal Metascore of 45 on PlayStation 2.
9 Sonic Colors - 5 Hours
- Release Date: November 11, 2010
- Available Platforms: Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Nintendo DS, Xbox One, Wii, Xbox Series X/S, PC
- Best Feature: It features many of the franchise's best 3D stages
Sonic Colors had a large weight of pressure on its shoulders, as it had the tricky task of revitalizing the series after the disappointment of Sonic and the Black Knight. Although the game isn't considered to be among the very best Sonic games, it was still seen as a return to form for the franchise, with both the Wii and DS versions being thoroughly enjoyable.
8 Sonic Mania - 5.5 Hours
- Release Date: August 15, 2017
- Available Platforms: Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PC
- Best Feature: The great balance of new ideas and classic gameplay that returns to the series' roots
Sonic Mania is considered by many to be the franchise's best release of the last decade. This perception is fairly damning to the current state of the Sonic franchise, as not only does the game return to the playstyle of the original Sega Genesis titles, but it was also made by a team known for their fan-made games rather than Sonic Team.
7 Sonic Generations - 5.5 Hours
- Release Date: November 1, 2011
- Available Platforms: Nintendo 3DS, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, PC
- Best Feature: The enjoyable blend of classic and modern gameplay
Sonic Generations was released in 2011 and, much like Sonic Colors, was proof that Sonic Team could still make enjoyable 3D platformers post-Sonic Adventure 2. As the name suggests, Sonic Generations mixes the series' 2D and 3D styles.
The innovative idea was well executed, with the two different playstyles ensuring that the game never feels too one-dimensional.
6 Sonic Lost World - 7.5 Hours
- Release Date: October 18, 2013
- Available Platforms: PC, Wii U, Nintendo 3DS
- Best Feature: The eye-catching visuals that are bursting with color
Sonic Lost World was a rare case of a modern Sonic game having high expectations. This is because the two previous main series games were Sonic Colors and Sonic Generations which, as mentioned before, were both well-received by both fans and critics. Unfortunately, Sonic Lost World didn't keep the run of form going, with the colorful visuals being one of the game's only standout features.
5 Sonic Adventure - 9 Hours
- Release Date: December 23, 1998
- Available Platforms: Dreamcast, GameCube, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, PC
- Best Feature: It did a great job of reinventing the series into the world of 3D
Sonic Adventure was initially released on the Dreamcast in 1998 before coming to GameCube, PC, Xbox 360, and PlayStation 3 sporadically afterward. The game looked to breathe new life into the series by featuring 3D graphics for the first time. Although the game hasn't aged particularly well, it was considered to be one of the best releases of the year when it was first released and subsequently set the standard for the 3D Sonic games that followed.
4 Sonic Adventure 2 - 9.5 Hours
- Release Date: June 19, 2001
- Available Platforms: Dreamcast, GameCube, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, PC
- Best Feature: The Hero and Dark campaigns offered solid gameplay variety
Sonic Adventure's direct sequel was released just over two years after its predecessor and received similarly high praise. The game was especially praised for its range of playstyles, largely thanks to there being two separate campaigns. Sonic Adventure 2 has a "Hero" campaign, which puts players in control of Sonic, Tails, and Knuckles, and a "Dark" campaign that follows Doctor Eggman, Shadow the Hedgehog, and Rouge the Bat.
3 Sonic Heroes - 12 Hours
- Release Date: December 30, 2003
- Available Platforms: PlayStation 2, GameCube, Xbox, PC
- Best Feature: The variety in campaigns and character mechanics
Sonic Heroes was the first main series game to release after Sonic Adventure 2, putting large expectations on Sonic Team to keep the impressive 3D form going. Unfortunately, Sonic Forces saw a drop in quality from the pair of Sonic Adventure games, though it was still an enjoyable platformer nonetheless. The game expanded on Sonic Adventure 2 by having four separate campaigns instead of two, where the characters were grouped into teams of three.
2 Sonic Unleashed - 13 Hours
- Release Date: November 18, 2008
- Available Platforms: PlayStation 2, Wii, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Java
- Best Feature: The "Werehog" gameplay was an interesting idea and provided a nice change of pace
Sonic Unleashed was the first main series Sonic game to release on the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 after the disastrous Sonic The Hedgehog (2006). Unsurprisingly, Sonic Team made significant changes to the game's playstyle to ensure that it wouldn't be associated too closely with its predecessor. The change saw Sonic temporarily transform into a werewolf-like creature known as a "Werehog," turning the platforming franchise into an old-school beat 'em up game for a significant portion of its runtime.
1 Sonic the Hedgehog (2006) - 16 Hours
- Release Date: November 14, 2006
- Available Platforms: PlayStation 3, Xbox 360
- Best Feature: It falls firmly into the "so bad it's good" category and can be genuinely fun when in the right mood
Sonic The Hedgehog (2006) tops this list by a comfortable margin, though given the game's quality, that isn't necessarily a good thing. The game is one of the most infamous releases of the seventh generation of consoles. Among its many issues are an out-of-place story, awkward camera angles, and a plethora of other technical issues. Despite this, it's hard to deny that many people have enjoyed the game over the years, as the adventure falls firmly into the "so bad it's good" category of modern video games.