The Sonic the Hedgehog series features many incredible characters, but none are more iconic than the blue blur himself. Sonic is the mascot of Sega, and one of the most recognizable characters in all of the gaming sphere. From 1991 to the present, we’ve been blessed with numerous entries (over 30, in fact) that have only on occasion failed to deliver.

A lesser known fact about the series is that there is an intended chronology to the events. Spanning the Classic, Adventure and Modern eras, little callbacks and connections render most games bearing Sonic's big blue face part of a broader canon. Here's every mainline title and where it slots into things.

Updated on January 23, 2024 by Bobby Mills: The Sonic series continues to grow, and it's an impressive feat that it's managed to maintain a (largely) consistent canon for three decades. While we recently added Superstars and Frontiers to our breakdown, we figured we ought to round out the core timeline with some slightly deeper cuts we'd initially omitted. Enjoy!

To qualify for this list, a game must have been developed either entirely or in large part by Sonic Team. This means titles like Chronicles, Rush, Advance and so on will be excluded. The sole exception will be Sonic 4, as this is a numbered sequel to the Genesis classics.

24 Sonic The Hedgehog

Where It All Began

Launching in 1991 for the Sega Genesis, the original Sonic the Hedgehog was the launch title for what would become one of the most iconic game series of all time. It was intended to show off the console's 'blast processing,' which didn't actually mean anything in reality.

The game introduced us to Doctor Robotnik (who would later go on to adopt his original Japanese name, Eggman, in the West), an evil scientist who is Sonic’s arch-nemesis. Sonic 1 is short and sweet, rocking a sole six zones; but also fairly tough, as Sonic did not yet have the ability to spindash.

23 Sonic The Hedgehog 2

Tails Joins The Fight

Sonic the Hedgehog 2 came out in 1992, hot on the heels of its smash hit predecessor, and is commonly cited one of the best platformers to speedrun because it gave Sonic the ability to spindash. It's speed in a can.

Sonic 2 remains a fan favorite because of its great level design and the introduction of Sonic’s best friend, Miles 'Tails' Prower. The two-tailed fox becomes a playable, albeit fairly useless, character if a second controller is plugged into the Sega Genesis.

22 Sonic CD

Trouble Keeps You Running Faster

Sonic CD is one of the lesser-known Sonic adventures because it was developed for the Sega CD, an add-on for the Genesis that allowed the console to play disc-based games. Much like the Sega 32X, which similarly bolted haphazardly onto the Genesis, it was a botched attempt to artificially elongate its shelf life.

As for the game itself? Launched in 1993, Sonic CD was ahead of its time, pun intended. The main conceit involves time travel, as you are able to move between the past and present to ensure a good future in each zone. It even introduced us to Metal Sonic, a mechanical stooge who's one of the more popular Sonic villains, and Sonic's longtime admirer Amy Rose.

21 Sonic Chaos

Bite-Sized Blast Processing

Sonic Chaos is the first title designed for the Game Gear, following 8-bit Master System versions of the original two mainline games. At the time, the title was considered to be a landmark achievement given the limitations of its platform. Those limitations being considerable, if you weren't aware.

However, over time, people have come to realize that Sonic Chaos wasn't the greatest. Lackluster level design, a runtime that taps out under five hours, and a glacial frame rate haven't exactly endeared it to legions of newfound fans through the decades.

20 Sonic Spinball

Well, He's Basically A Pinball Already

Some may question our logic for placing what is ostensibly a pinball game alongside the rest of our picks for 'mainline Sonic the Hedgehog', and we get it, you persnickety lot – but look past the label here, and you'll soon find that Sonic Spinball is every bit the platformer of its peers. It just so happens to feature blatant pinball elements along the way.

Sonic Spinball is a clunky game, make no mistake. There's slowdown, there's much to criticise about the control scheme, and the difficulty spikes are oddly sharp. Sharper than that one pit in Mystic Cave Zone, even. Yet its dark soundtrack and moody atmosphere (and, to date, only canonical appearance of Sally Acorn and the Freedom Fighters) have granted it a permanent place in more than a few hearts.

19 Sonic The Hedgehog 3

Perfection Zone: Act 1

Shipping in 1994, Sonic The Hedgehog 3 is arguably the best game in the original trilogy. Or is it merely the first half of the best game in the original trilogy? Opinions differ — we'll explain more in a moment.

You could play the game solo as either Sonic or Tails, and even play with both to turn it into a (rudimentary) couch co-op game. Sonic 3 introduces us to Knuckles the Echidna, who becomes a new antagonist after stealing all of Sonic’s Chaos Emeralds before you even begin the first level. Gullible but good-hearted, he sees the light in time.

18 Sonic & Knuckles

Perfection Zone: Act 2

Sonic & Knuckles came out a few months after, and is the canon continuation of, Sonic 3. It was the first game to feature Knuckles as a playable character, as the title perhaps would imply.

Using the Sonic and Knuckles cartridge’s fancy 'lock-on' technology, you were able to stick Sonic the Hedgehog 3 on top of the cartridge to play 'Sonic 3 & Knuckles', the concoction that birthed a thousand memes. That’s the game Sega initially wanted to make before time constraints forced it to split Sonic the Hedgehog 3 and Sonic and Knuckles into separate titles.

17 Sonic The Hedgehog: Triple Trouble

Not Triple The Resolution

The sequel to Sonic Chaos, which is in itself something of a sequel to the Game Gear versions of Sonic 1 and 2, Triple Trouble is kind of the culmination of that portable branch of the franchise. It's a purely Game Gear affair, with a sturdier lasting legacy than Chaos. For one thing, it brought us Fang/Nack/Jet the Sniper/Wolf/Hunter/Weasel/Jerboa.

In fact, Triple Trouble's relative decency helped spawn a fan campaign to recreate the game in a 16-bit visual style. It's worth looking into!

16 Sonic Mania

Givin' Me A Little Mania

Sonic Mania launched in 2017 and promptly pulled the rug out from critics and gamers alike who were poised to trash it. In fact, it quickly became the highest-rated Sonic game in 15 years, so palpable is its love for the pixel era.

It was a return to the side-scrolling days of Sonic, featuring some resuscitated iconic levels in Sonic history and a smattering of completely new ones. Sonic Mania Plus, an enhanced version of the game with bonus content including returning faces Mighty and Ray, came out a year later in 2018.

15 Sonic Superstars

"We Want The New Super Mario Bros. Audience"

In an attempt to recapture the magic and nostalgia from the original trilogy of Sonic games, Sega published Sonic Superstars in 2023 to a mostly positive reception. The character designs look great, and there are plenty of creative ideas scattered throughout the game, but it struggles to ever reach the same heights as the games that inspired it. It suffers from a pervasive feel of genericism.

One of the biggest disappointments with Sonic Superstars is that, despite its focus on multiplayer, there are no online options, so you must play through the campaign with someone in the same room as yourself. Likewise, the speedier sections are not well adapted to co-op, so the more competent players will be leaving their poor mates in the dust. There is a lot to like here, but there is also a ton of room for improvement.

14 Sonic Adventure

Aw Yeah, This Is Happening!

Sonic Adventure was the first main Sonic game to make the jump to 3D on the Sega Dreamcast. You could play as Sonic, Tails, Knuckles, Amy, Big the Cat, and E-102 Gamma in the game, with each character having their own unique story. Far from being a 'rough transition,' it's a bona fide classic.

Launching in 1998, it went on to become the best-selling Dreamcast game of all time, even getting a remaster in the form of Sonic Adventure DX: Director’s Cut for the Nintendo GameCube. It was also the debut of musical maestros Crush 40, who dropped banger after banger between the 90s and 2010s.

13 Sonic Adventure 2

Live And Learn!

Despite coming out in 2001 — which makes it a venerable 20+ years old — Sonic Adventure 2 still features some of the best levels in any Sonic game. It was more fast-paced and streamlined than the original game, focusing on just two separate stories. The Hero story features Sonic, Tails, and Knuckles while the Dark story features Shadow, Doctor Eggman, and Rouge the Bat.

A year later, an enhanced port of the game called Sonic Adventure 2: Battle was developed for the Nintendo GameCube. This is the version that most folks grew up on, as it was bundled in with the GameCube for a brief period. Those first few notes of City Escape are enough to get anyone's nostalgia tingling.

12 Sonic Heroes

What Goes Up, Must Come Down

Sonic Heroes was the first multi-platform Sonic game, as it shipped in 2003 for GameCube, PlayStation 2, Xbox, and PC. The game revolves around four playable teams: Team Sonic, Team Dark, Team Rose, and Team Chaotix. This, sadly, necessitates playing every stage in the title a whopping four times, which quickly bloats the runtime.

Each team varies in difficulty, with Team Rose being best suited for beginners and Team Dark being a better choice for experienced players. Just don't expect much from the story, which trades the mawkishness of the Adventure duology for candy-coloured tweeness.

11 Shadow the Hedgehog

Where's That [Redacted] Fourth Chaos Emerald?

The most popular character to emerge from the Adventure games was Shadow, the enigmatic 'Ultimate Life Form' who resembles Sonic and has mysterious ties to the Eggman family. Originally intended to stay dead after SA2, fan demand ensured he was resurrected for Heroes; and there, his amnesia blatantly set up a standalone solo game. It... was rather odd.

Shadow the Hedgehog ditches simple, cartoony platforming for a curious attempt at aping Ratchet and Clank, with a tryhard tone that hovers cautiously between PG and PG-13. Shadow's toting an assortment of comically hyperrealistic firearms, cursing (very, very mildly), and there's even a morality system. Will you kill Eggman's robots, or Black Doom's aliens? Oh, the deep, profound choices.

10 Sonic The Hedgehog (2006)

Probably Best It Erases Itself From Existence

Sonic 2006, known colloquially as '06, came out on PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 consoles. It was originally planned for the Wii as well, but the console simply wasn’t powerful enough to play the game, so it got canceled and Secret Rings entered development in its place.

You could play as Sonic, Shadow, or Silver the Hedgehog, who was introduced in this title. The game is, quite frankly, abysmal, and it's all but certain you'll have heard of its misfires. It's commonly cited as the franchise's nadir, scuppered by a strict holiday deadline and chaos amongst Sonic Team (who were in over their heads) that saw the departure of longtime creative Yuji Naka. It never stood a chance.

9 Sonic And The Secret Rings

Arabian Blights

Sonic and the Secret Rings was the first Sonic game to hit shelves in 2007, and exists only because '06 was deemed incompatible with the Wii. Sega ordered a Blue Blur outing for that hot-as-lava console, and voila. Sonic is the only playable character in the game, as it’s a bit of a departure from the typical Adventure style.

You have less freedom in Sonic and the Secret Rings; it features an automatic, on-rails movement style. Sonic dashes his way through the pages of the Arabian Nights, and your job is to tilt the Wiimote to ensure he doesn't end up a hedgehog pancake. The jumping's floaty, the waggling is woolly, and it's just not a whole lot of fun.

8 Sonic Unleashed

Unappreciated In Its Time

Launching in 2008 for the Wii, Xbox 360, and both the PlayStation 2 and 3, Sonic Unleashed introduced us to Sonic the Werehog. This fluffy abomination is borne of Dark Gaia's influence, and emerges at night to engage in fairly monotonous button-mashy brawling.

During the day, you play as Sonic au naturel, and blast through levels at high speeds. At night, you control the Werehog and go through slower-paced stages centering around combat and acrobatic pole-swinging. Critics lauded the former half of the game whilst lambasting the other half; but in recent years, Unleashed has enjoyed a tremendous critical reappraisal from fans. It's now regarded as one of the finer, higher-budget adventures in Sonic's 3D catalog, having been treated far too harshly in a post-'06 market.

7 Sonic And The Black Knight

He's The Knight Of The Wind

The second (and final) entry in the Storybook Series that Secret Rings kicked off, Black Knight inserts Sonic into another work of classic literature. This time, he's pulled into the Arthurian legend, and must help the timid sorceress Merlina take down a corrupt, ghoulish copy of King Arthur.

Though the gameplay remains on-rails, Sonic's speed can now be controlled freely with a control stick, making things more precise. He's also lugging about Caliburn, a scathing, talkative sword, whom he can swipe at enemies if you waggle the Wiimote. Black Knight's brief, and its swordplay is an acquired taste – but late and post-game stages offer depth and engrossing replayability.

6 Sonic The Hedgehog 4

Remove The 4 And We'll Talk

Sonic the Hedgehog 4, launching on every system under the sun in 2010, was the much-anticipated sequel to Sonic 3 and Knuckles – and Sega really should have known better than to put it out in this state. What started life as a mobile game developed by Dimps was given a console upgrade, and had the fourquel moniker slapped on it. To say it was a tad underwhelming would be selling it several leagues short.

Episode 1 came first, while Episode 2 was launched two years later in 2012. The game attempts to mimic the Genesis originals, but with the addition of a homing attack. The physics are busted, the music blows, and the whole package ends inside of five hours. Pass.

5 Sonic Colors

The Colors Feel So Right

Sonic Colors was heralded as a return to form for Sonic, and would cement the Boost formula Unleashed had toyed with two years prior. The game was launched in 2010, and features a mix of third-person and side-scrolling perspectives (though the ratio was disappointingly in favour of the latter), something we would see more of in the future. Alien Wisp powers provide further variety.

Sonic Colors: Ultimate, a remastered edition of the game for PC, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One, came out in 2021. It adds in races against Metal Sonic, HD visuals, and a handful of extra collectibles.