There are a ton of different 2D games starring Sonic the Hedgehog, and you may be wondering just which the best and the worst are, so we’ve compiled this ranked list to help you out.
As a note before we begin, when making this list, I wanted to focus primarily on his major 2D outings, so games on the Game Gear and WonderSwan were removed. Let’s be honest here: Those games would just pool around at the bottom of the list and would delay us from talking about the Sonic games that actually matter. Also, no Sonic Boom because no one likes that subseries.
14) Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode I (2010)
Let’s be upfront here: Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode 1 barely qualifies for this list. It was originally developed to be a mobile game but somehow got a console release and was given a numerical digit to try and entice fans of the series to play it. Something as simple as running in Sonic 4 feels wrong, and nearly all aspects of the game lacked any and all originality. It just took concepts that worked in other games, slapped them together into a meager offering that won’t even take you two hours, and Sega called it a day.
That fact that Sega doesn’t even acknowledge this game anymore says all you need to know about the quality of Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode 1. As such, Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode 1 is an easy pick for the worst 2D outing for the character on this ranked list.
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13) Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode II (2012)
While we’re on the Sonic The Hedgehog 4 hate train, I will admit that while Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode 2 isn’t as bad as its predecessor, and so is higher on this ranked list, it isn’t exactly great either. Improved visuals and some better physics, as well as the ability to play with co-op, do a little bit to help elevate this game, but not enough to make this worth recommending.
The level design is still subpar and the boss fights drag on for far too long. The Sonic 4 duology could have worked if there had been more time and effort put into them, but the end result just feels like a cheap cash grab on fans’ nostalgia at a time when Sonic fans were eager to relive their glory days.
12) Sonic Rush Adventure (2007)
Sonic Rush Adventure tries to rekindle some of the excitement of the Sonic Adventure era but in name only. The visuals are a downgrade from what Sonic Rush produced only two years earlier, giving flatter and more boring visual aesthetics. There are also a significant amount of touchscreen minigames that are implemented whenever you are sailing around the oceans that separate each level. You have to physically travel to them, which requires you to use specific ships, which all need to be created and upgraded by using materials found in levels, leading to replaying these levels to grind out resources. It’s not offensively bad or anything, but grinding and incessant minigames shouldn’t be the intended focus of a Sonic game.
11) Sonic Advance 2 (2003)
Many people tend to hold the Sonic Advance games in high regard thanks to the stability that the trilogy offered fans of the Blue Blur in the mid-2000s. While I personally don’t think of them as masterpieces by any stretch of the definition, they each have their own distinct priorities and execution that emphasize all of the elements that make Sonic distinct. Sonic Advance 2 was all about speed and my God does this game feel fast. This is the fastest that Sonic and friends have ever felt as you blaze through levels in a non-stop flurry of spectacle.
While there are plenty who do like that approach, Sonic Advance 2 suffers from having level design that varies wildly in terms of quality and generally much shorter levels that don’t emphasize platforming or anything other than just holding right to reach the goal. Add in one of the most insufferable quests to get the Chaos Emeralds in all of Sonic history, and you have a game that has its fans, but they’re not as prevalent as the other handheld Sonic games.
10) Sonic the Hedgehog (1991)
I always feel awkward about putting the first game a in franchise so low on a list ranking the quality of each installment, but there’s no denying that Sonic the Hedgehog has its issues. Its first level, Green Hill Zone, is perfect. You have three stages of unparalleled level design and speed that easily showcased why Sonic could serve as a rival to Mario.
And then you have the rest of the game, which is mediocre at best. While the soundtrack of each of these levels is iconic, the rest of the game limits Sonic’s speed and instead places you into slow-moving platforming scenarios that rob those early moments of the game of their impact. Factor in the fact that Sega themselves were trying to figure out what made Sonic games so endearing and you have a game that serves more as a proof of concept than all-time classic.
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9) Sonic CD (1992)
For the longest time, Sonic CD had this mystique surrounding it due to how difficult it was to actually play the game, given its limited release on the Sega CD. Nowadays, with Sonic CD being much more accessible, it’s not quite as praised as it was before, but it still has its charms. Each level has three different versions that you can explore, each centered around a different time period, and the levels are incredibly large and expansive, begging to be explored.
If you’re someone who loves to comb each level for secrets, then Sonic CD is for you, but if you’re just going from level to level and don’t care about getting the best ending, then there really isn’t a whole lot to keep players engaged when compared to the other Sega Genesis Sonic games. It has more complex mechanics when compared to the first game, but that’s about it, resulting in it being one of the lower-ranked games on this list.
8) Sonic Superstars (2023)
Following up on the amazing Sonic Mania was never going to be easy, but Sonic Superstars does an admirable job. Its central gimmick of four-player multiplayer is neat, but if you’ve ever played the multiplayer of a Sonic game, like in Sonic the Hedgehog 2, then you’ll know that it’s not essential.
When you’re playing solo, the levels are fairly well-designed and look pretty, but the game grinds to an immediate halt whenever you have to fight against bosses. They’re a slog to get through and kill the pace of what would otherwise but a straightforward and fun Sonic game. I will say this though; definitely bring those Chaos Emerald powers back since their implementation was cool and fun.
7) Sonic Colors DS (2010)
People tend to forget that the DS version of Sonic Colors was a 2D-only game, but given the fact that this game was developed by Dimps, who handled basically every handheld Sonic game up until that point, it often gets overshadowed in favor of its Wii cousin. It’s a shame since Sonic Colors is a pretty entertaining game, mostly thanks to the Wisp powers you get throughout the adventure. Going back to previous levels and playing around with the new Wisps you unlock is fun, but there’s very little incentive to actually backtrack and replay those stages since most of them are indistinguishable from one another outside of a basic theme. For a quick playthrough though, it’s a good time and scratches that Sonic itch. As such, Sonic Colors occupies a solid middle place on this ranked list of the best and worst 2D games featuring Sega’s blue hedgehog.
Related: Who Is Faster: Sonic or the Flash, Explained
6) Sonic Advance 3 (2004)
If Sonic Advance 2 decided to focus on speed, Sonic Advance 3 was all about Sonic’s friends. As horrific as that may sound to some, they’re actually utilized pretty well in here. You can approach each level with two of five different controllable characters, with each pairing offering different moves and physics. This actually incentivized experimentation, since each stage was large enough and went by at a slow enough pace where you wanted to explore and find all of the missing Chao in each level. As such. there’s a surprising amount of content in Sonic Advance 3 and has some of the best boss fights in the series, so I would easily consider this one of the most underrated games in the entire franchise.
5) Sonic Rush (2005)
In many respects, Sonic Rush is a relatively simple Sonic game that doesn’t really do a whole lot of the surface. As the first DS Sonic game, it keeps a lot of the elements that worked in Dimps’ earlier Sonic Advance games. However, the addition of Blaze the Cat as a second playable character added some complexity to the gameplay given her unique physics that still emphasized speed. The levels are all varied, made even better by the absolutely fantastic soundtrack by Jet Set Radio’s Hideki Naganuma. Seriously, if you want a great Sonic soundtrack, listen to this one.
But the game’s high marks come from the introduction of the boost mechanic, which allows Sonic and Blaze to blitz past obstacles at a speed that’s comparable to Sonic Advance 2 yet still retains the solid level design of earlier games. It’s just an incredibly fun experience that will put you in a good mood the second you start it up.
4) Sonic Advance (2002)
Sonic Advance may be the first of Dimps’ efforts to make a handheld Sonic game on a Nintendo system, but it’s easily their best. While the later games in this subseries would emphasize speed and partners above all else, Sonic Advance has wonderful level design with four different playable characters, each having their own unique pathways to overcoming platforming challenges.
To a subsect of the Sonic community, Sonic Advance does a better job of embodying what it would mean to be Sonic the Hedgehog 4 than the actual Sonic the Hedgehog 4. There’s a solid difficulty scale, the levels find a good balance between spectacle and engagement, and while it may be over a bit too soon, there are plenty of reasons to go back and play it thanks to the additional characters.
3) Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (1992)
Sonic the Hedgehog 2 is a classic in every definition of the word. It improved upon all of the missteps of the first game by adding ways to accelerate on your own, designing levels that reward you for your skill by allowing you to go fast, and just having more Sonic goodness. There’s just a lot less frustration playing Sonic 2 when compared to the first game and while some levels may not exactly be amazing, I wouldn’t call any of them bad like in the first game.
My only real complaint with the game is that the special stages within the game, known as the half-pipe, is clunky to play and often feels more unfair than not. That being said, the fact that I could only criticize what may be considered by some to be an optional part of the game goes to show just how great the core of Sonic 2 is.
2) Sonic 3 & Knuckles (1994)
By themselves, Sonic the Hedgehog 3 and Sonic & Knuckles are fine enough games. Together, they’re arguably one of the most complete Sonic games ever made, which is why they have such a high place on this ranked list. Outside of a slight visual design, these games introduce plenty of new level mechanics, power-ups, bosses, and set pieces that always keep players on edge, ready for whatever may come next. There’s no denying the fact that this game is densely packed with content, made all the better by the inclusion of Knuckles to the game who sports his own unique mechanics and physics. Sonic 3 & Knuckles was a major risk for Sega, releasing two games that needed each other to create a cohesive experience, but it paid off with a game that stands as one of the best games on the Sega Genesis.
1) Sonic Mania (2017)
“By the mania, for the mania.” For as nonsensical as that phrase may mean, it embodies what makes Sonic Mania so great. It was a game crafted by Sonic the Hedgehog fans who deeply care for and understand the series. The game is crammed full of content, whether it be the immaculately designed levels that look better than anything the Sega Genesis could produce, tons of extra modes to experiment with, five playable characters, and an awesome soundtrack that pays homage to all of the classics. You can argue that the game is only as good as it is because it apes the classics, but when they’re done this well it’s very hard to complain about it.
Sonic Mania is everything you could have ever asked for from a Sonic game. It has the speed, the platforming, the mechanics, and the soundtrack that you would expect from the series. It is as close to a perfect Sonic the Hedgehog game as you could get and sits comfortably as not only the best 2D Sonic the Hedgehog game but also one of the best 2D platformers of all time, and as such, it’s got the top spot on our ranked list.
If you’re looking for more, check our our ranked list of every 2D Mario game.
