Best Sonic Games Of All Time

Remember that this is a dynamic reader-ranked list that re-orders automatically depending on each game’s rating in our database.

In order to rate any of the games on the list below out of 10, logged-in Nintendo Life users can simply tap the ‘star’ and assign each game a personal rating. Enjoy!

It was over three decades ago that Sonic the Hedgehog — the blue dude with the most ‘tude — first burst forth onto the Mega Drive in Japan and Sega finally presented a credible challenger for the platforming crown Nintendo’s jumping plumber had been wearing since the mid-1980s. In the three decades since, the blue blur has starred in a host of platform games: some 2D, others 3D, some fantastic, others not-so-much.

Regardless of his myriad hits and misses, Sonic has proven that he has something far more important than merely his speed and aforementioned ‘tude: Sonic’s got staying power.

To celebrate his 30th birthday we asked Nintendo Life readers to rank every 2D Sonic game, and by combining the results with an existing list of the 3D games, we can now present to you the definitive ranking of every Sonic game ever — the ones that appeared on a Nintendo platform, that is (sorry-not-sorry Sonic 2006).

Remember: the order below is updated in real-time according to each game’s corresponding User Rating in the Nintendo Life game database. Even as you read this, it’s entirely possible to influence the ranking below. If you haven’t rated your favourites yet, simply click the ‘star’ of the game you wish to rate below and assign a score right now.

So, grab a chili dog and a companion from your ever more ragtag bunch of sidekicks, and let’s check out the best (and worst) Sonic games on Nintendo systems.

Please note: We’re only featuring Sonic platformers that have appeared on Nintendo platforms — be it as part of a collection or as an individual release — so you won’t find Knuckles Chaotix or Sonic the Hedgehog Pocket Adventure or anything that’s not a platform game (no Mean Bean Machine or Tails’ Skypatrol shmup action or Sonic Drift karting, then).

Also, the 8-bit Sonics that appeared on both Master System and Game Gear are only featured once below. And finally, Sonic Spinball — or Sonic the Hedgehog Spinball, to give the game its full and proper title — was an edge case, but we couldn’t bring ourselves to exclude it. If its presence offends you, just imagine it isn’t there and bump everything below it up one spot. Easy!

Okay, ready now? Prepare for some excellent erinaceidae platforming. Just not straightaway…