Sonic the Hedgehog is a beloved franchise, sometimes despite its own best efforts to be a raging dumpster fire. The 2020 film was one of the best (and only) films of 2020 despite all its flaws, which is indicative of both the good and the bad of Sonic. The franchise certainly has earned its place in people's hearts as well its place in pop culture as a laughing stock.

Related: Cancelled Sonic The Hedgehog Games You Never Knew Existed

While great Sonic games are truly great, the bad ones are downright atrocious, so low quality that most other franchises wouldn't have survived, but SEGA continues to make and release Sonic games at an alarming rate.

Updated September 2nd, 2021 by Ritwik Mitra: The Sonic franchise doesn't really enjoy the heights it had reached at one point anymore. Now, most fans always have second thoughts whenever another game is announced in the series, which is indicative enough of just how far the franchise has fallen since its glory days. There's really no middle ground when it comes to Sonic games — either the title is going to be the second coming of the Sonic series... or an atrocious mess that Sonic fans will criticize till the end of time.

20 Worst: Sonic The Hedgehog Genesis (33)

Sonic The Hedgehog Genesis

To celebrate the fifteenth anniversary of the Sonic series, a port of the original Sonic the Hedgehog title was released for the Game Boy Advance. However, unlike the original classic, this version was a mess that most fans hated with a passion.

The major issue with Sonic The Hedgehog Genesis was that the game's technical performance was absolutely atrocious on the Game Boy Advance. It seemed that the team took the catchphrase "Gotta Go Fast!" too literally and spent the least amount of time possible on this unplayable mess.

19 Best: Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed (82)

Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed

Sonic is no stranger to kart games, with some titles being significantly better than others. Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed is one such title that was certainly one of the better kart games to be released.

The game nails the most important aspect of kart games that is necessary to ensure success — fun factor! The exciting art style and fast-paced action makes for a great party game that will keep players on the edge of their seats for every race.

18 Worst: Sonic Free Riders (47)

Sonic Free Riders

Sonic Free Riders was doomed to fail from the moment it was launched. For starters, the game was slated to be a launch title for the Kinect, which is already enough to justify its failure for the majority of people who are aware of just how much of a failure the Kinect really is.

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Along with this, the game also featured poor motion controls and a lackadaisical story mode that felt like an afterthought. Players looking for a good Sonic racing game should steer well away from Sonic Free Riders.

17 Best: Sonic The Hedgehog 4: Episode I (81)

Sonic The Hedgehog 4 Episode I

While Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode II was an atrocious mess that most people would like to forget, the same can't be said for its predecessor. Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode I was a great game that played around with both new and established mechanics to great effect.

The game wasn't groundbreaking by any means but was still a decent enough title for Sonic fans to enjoy. The Wii version was definitely the best release, earning a respectable 81 rating on Metacritic.

16 Worst: Sonic Adventure (48)

Sonic Adventure

Sonic Adventure wasn't a bad title by any means when it was released, but one has to admit that the game hasn't aged well at all. This was abundantly clear when the game was released on the Xbox Live Arcade and PlayStation Network.

Newcomers to the Sonic franchise will definitely not be convinced by playing this janky title, which can be a downright pain to get through at times. Players are better off trying out more modern titles instead if they want a more balanced viewpoint on the Sonic series.

15 Best: Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (82)

Robotnik battling Sonic in a vehicle

This entry refers primarily to the Xbox 360 Arcade port of the classic title, but is overall still a recognition of the Genesis at its best. While the first game was a showcase of the Genesis's speed and power as a gaming console, the sequel added in so much more for fans to love. New characters, faster levels, cooler set-pieces, and a great soundtrack help push the game over the edge.

Related: Sonic: Worst Things Dr. Eggman Has Ever Done, RankedIt can be argued whether Sonic 2 or Sonic 3 is a better title, and most would likely go to bat for Sonic 3. That game truly was a swan song for the Genesis, pushing everything about the console to its limits without the need for gimmicky add-ons (aside from the Knuckles cart). Sonic 2, while maybe not as bombastic, still has excellent platforming and is a great representative for the classic trilogy.

14 Worst: Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode 2 (54)

Sonic the Hedgehog 4 Episode 2

In 2010, following the trends of both episodic games and the resurgence of 2D platformers, Sega and Sonic Team released Sonic the Hedgehog 4 on digital markets and storefronts. The game, despite having designs for modern Sonic, was a direct sequel to the classic series of games. While critics were mostly fine with the game, they noted that there was something off about the physics engine of the game. It was outright a less satisfying experience to play compared to the Genesis classics as a result.

The 2012 follow-up, Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode 2 would be the second title in a trilogy that would never reach completion. Although critics noted that physics issues were mostly mixed, the boss battles and level design lacked the flair and charm of the original series. It was limp and uninspired, and the price point was far from attractive for its length. That and the PC port was a bit of a garbage fire in terms of controls.

13 Best: Sonic Rush (83)

Sonic Rush

The DS was home to a number of Sonic titles, and most of them weren't even that bad. There was a wide selection of oddities, including a whole Bioware RPG set in the Sonic universe with some of the worst music the DS soundcard was capable of producing. However, the system also brought Sonic Rush, one of the fastest and finest platformers on the system.

The game was a follow-up to the Sonic Advance series, cutting back a lot of Sonic's friends while also adding the enigmatic Blaze the Cat, who quickly became a fan-favorite. Critics praised the game for its tight controls, great level design, and easy to pick-up and play gameplay. It was a refreshing take on the series that was celebrated as one of the best DS titles of 2005.

12 Worst: Sonic Shuffle (54)

Sonic Shuffle

Despite Sonic being so fast, it was always a shame to see him chasing trends during his peak years. This includes one of the most bizarre entries to the series that was an official product: Sonic Shuffle. The Dreamcast title from 2000 is clearly inspired by the success of Nintendo and Hudson Soft's Mario Party series, focusing on creating a digital board game with chaotic minigames.

Related: Games Still Trapped Exclusively On Sega Dreamcast

However, Sonic Shuffle would have been better off being a direct rip-off rather than trying its own thing with a story mode and extra layers. While Mario Party is like busting out a game like Sorry!, Sonic Shuffle had so many mechanics and rules that it made getting into a game a slog. This is not including long load times and slow gameplay overall. It, at least, isn't the party game mode from Sonic and the Secret Rings, but that's a low bar most things can clear easily.

11 Best: Sonic Advance 2 (83)

The Eggman boss battle in Sonic Advance 2

The Sonic Advance series on the Gameboy Advance are regarded, in hindsight, as some of the best games from that era of Sonic's life. While the 3D titles were fumbling in how to deliver fast and fun gameplay, the 2D successors on a portable console were running victory lap after victory lap.

Sonic Advance 2, according to critics, delivered some of the largest and most expansive 2D levels the series had seen to that point. Although it rehashes a lot of what the first title did, its biggest addition is more playable characters and levels tailor-made for those traits. Each character can approach the same level in different ways, leading to new and exciting strategies. Plus, the visuals are gorgeous for the console, full of color and life. The GBA series is certainly a shining beacon of the franchise's glory days.

10 Worst: Shadow the Hedgehog (51)

Shadow the hedgehog gun

Spin-off games about side characters are something that has worked extremely well for Nintendo over the years and in 2005, SEGA decided to take a crack at it. Shadow the Hedgehog follows the "edgy" counterpart to Sonic, Shadow.

In a quest to discover the truth about his past after being created by Dr. Eggman's grandfather. The game featured more of the messy 3D platforming of other Sonic games at the time combined with third-person shooting, because why shouldn't Shadow have a gun. Not a single gameplay aspect of the game feels anything but imprecise and a failed attempt to make a serious and mature entry.

9 Best: Sonic Advance (87)

Sonic Advance

At a time when the main console entries for Sonic had shifted over to 3D characters and gameplay, it seemed as if the series 2D roots had been lost. However, the Gameboy Advance was a portable powerhouse for 2D sprites, so it made perfect sense for a new 2D Sonic game to be produced.

Featuring Sonic, Knuckles, Tails, and Amy all as playable characters, Sonic Advance went right back to the formula that made the series great and did an excellent job revisiting it. The game succeeded enough to warrant two direct sequels also on the Gameboy Advance.

8 Worst: Sonic The Fighters (47)

Sonic the fighters

Originally an arcade cabinet and later brought to the Xbox 360, Sonic the Fighters is an awful, 3D fighting game, featuring 10 Sonic characters (many of which never made a reappearance) and an 8 level ladder to defeat Metal Sonic and Dr. Eggman. The game is as barebones of a fighting game as possible and not good by the standards of 1996 or any other year.

Related: Sega: Things Fans Should Know About The Cancelled Sonic X-Treme

All the models look terrible and the game moves like a sluggish mess. The Xbox 360 release gave online capabilities which did nothing to improve the game, just allow for this terrible experience to be shared over the internet.

7 Best: Sonic & SEGA All-Stars Racing (89)

Sonic All star racing

Unconventional is a strong descriptor for the series as a whole, but making a racing game with the world's fastest hedgehog that involves driving cars is a bizarre concept that totally worked. Sonic characters mixed in with other iconic SEGA characters, like AiAi from Super Monkey Ball and Ryo-F from Shenmue.

The game features very high-quality arcade-style racing, making a very comparable SEGA version of Mario Kart. Even with it being a great game, it still seems weird that Sonic would ever drive a car for any reason.

6 Worst: Sonic Boom: Shattered Crystal (47)

Sonic Boom Shattered Crystal

One of the prequel games to the cartoon of the same name, Sonic Boom: Shattered Crystal is a 3DS title focused on exploration and puzzle-solving, two things Sonic isn't known for. The levels feature hard stopping points where Sonic is no longer allowed to run, forcing the switch to a different character to make use of their special abilities to move forward, putting a hard roadblock in the "gotta go fast."

The game also forces several playthroughs of every level to be able to advance forward in the game. A few classic Sonic racing levels shine through but not nearly enough to make this game enjoyable.

5 Best: Sonic Adventure 2 (89)

Sonic Adventure 2 - Shadow and Sonic

Learning from past mistakes is a common theme in many video game franchises, but something Sonic doesn't always manage. That said, Sonic Adventure 2 took the original and refined it in a way that made for an excellent sequel.

Related: Sonic Adventure: Reasons Why The First Game Is Better (& Other Reasons Why The Sequel Is Superior)

Cutting down on the amount of time spent in open-worlds and the amount of over-top voice acting, refining the game-play to levels based on classic Sonic, shooting for Tails, and exploration for Knuckles. The game also has a dark story with similar levels played through dark characters, with no open-world nonsense in between. The game also brings back the fan-favorite Chao World, which is objectively the best part of the game.

4 Worst: Sonic the Hedgehog (2006) (43)

Sonic the Hedgehog 2006 - sonic and a woman looking at one another

There are some pretty wildly insane things about the 2006 release of Sonic the Hedgehog, including the fact that it's not the worst-rated Sonic title. This 3D open platformer has no real idea why people like the original games and misses the mark entirely. Sonic, doesn't go very fast and is forced to stop constantly and none of the other characters are ever interested in any capacity.

The telekinetic Silver is just one of many aspects of this game that is wildly bonkers by itself. The game has very few redeeming qualities and features Sonic having a not very platonic relationship with a human girl, something that many children of the 2000s will never forget.

3 Best: Sonic Mania Plus (91)

Sonic Mania Plus Coop Tails and Sonic

The Sonic franchise is a wild rollercoaster of emotions and the 2018 release of Sonic Mania Plus is the most recent turn. Having a 2D classic Sonic platformer that is excellent just goes to show that you really shouldn't fix what ain't broke.

The game was developed by people making bootleg Sonic games because they were frustrated with the current state of games. This classically styled platformer works to revitalize the franchise, whatever nonsense that may result in.

2 Worst: Sonic Boom: Rise of Lyric (32)

sonic-boom-rise-of-lyric

The WiiU exclusive Sonic Boom: Rise of Lyric proves how resilient the blue hedgehog is because very few game series, or any media, could release something so awful and continue to exist. The strangest part is that the cartoon of the same title is pretty solid as far as cartoons go.

Related: Things That The Sonic Series Does Better Than Mario (& Other Things That Mario Is Superior At)

The combat is incredibly boring and repetitive and the platforming is nearly unplayable with unresponsive controls and bad design. Nothing about the game is redeeming or interesting and proves as a completely terrible entry, even worse than Sonic the Hedgehog (2006).

1 Best: Sonic CD (93)

Sonic Cd

It feels weirdly appropriate that space and time traversing are the main features of the highest-rated Sonic game. Sonic CD sees Sonic try and save Little Planet, an extraterrestrial body from Dr. Robotnik.

It combines classic 2D platforming with strange time travel mechanics that change the level based on the period your in. The game has one of the more interesting stories with top-tier gameplay, creating an excellent combination.

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