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In theSonic The Hedgehog series, anyone can be a speedrunner. All but a select few games starring the Blue Blur centre around one very basic concept: go as fast as you can, obstacles and living beings that happen to be in the way be damned. Memorisation is the key – while a standard Sonic title might run you three or four hours at best, you can expect to triple that retrying stages for a better time.
So, what better series than Sonic to ask this question of: how long would it take if you wanted to beat every mainline game? How many hours would disappear down a Perfect Chaos-sized drain during such an undertaking? We’ve crunched the numbers (and the rings!) and we’ve got the answer.
First, let’slay down some rules, as the Sonic series has dabbled in more genres and more consoles than any reasonable hedgehog should know what to do with. For the purposes of our list, we’reonly counting mainline console-based games, which means no spinoffs (i.e. racing, puzzle, or party games) or handheld titles.
Furthermore, in order to qualify, a game must:
Be a traditional platformer, either 2D or 3D
Have been developed either entirely or in large part by Sonic Team themselves.
Thisomits titles like Sonic R and Sonic Rush, which is a fab DS outing but which was produced by Dimps. There has to be some limitation, or the breakdown would be pushing 40 games.
Updated October 24th, 2024 by Bobby Mills: Move aside, Sonic: it’s the Year of Shadow. Everyone’s favourite edgy hedgie is having a bit of a moment – between a starring role in the cinematic threequel (played by Keanu Reeves, no less!), a slew of merch, and most notably Shadow Generations, an all-new game concluding his traumatic tale. Of course, it needs adding to our list, so buckle in!
Sonic The Hedgehog
2 Hours
We’ve all gotta start from somewhere, and it’s right here for Sonic:a basic debut title on the Genesis that was bundled in with the console, and hence functions more as a tech demo for its supposed ‘blast processing’ (in truth a nonsense term.)
Sonic 1 isastonishingly rudimentary in comparison to its sequels; there’s no spindash, the level design favours slow single-block platforming over raw speed, and there areonly six full zones. Super Sonic is similarly MIA, rendering the Special Stages mostly pointless.
Even those who fall prey to the struggles of Labyrinth Zone (our kingdom for a few more air bubbles, Sega) should be able to knuckle through in no time flat.Expect to topple Eggman around the two-hour mark, with only an extra 30 minutes at most should you desire to pursue the Chaos Emeralds.
Sonic 2 is a rare case of a sequel that isbetter than the original in essentially every important facet. The stages now allow for cinematic, rip-snorting speed, there’s an ample selection of zones, and the addition of Miles ‘Tails’ Prower ups the cute factor (and gave younger siblings across the globe something to do.)
The gameboasts 11 zones to Sonic 1’s six, effectively doubling the package– but you’ll be hurtling through them at such a breakneck pace that it only marginally boosts the playtime.
Three hours is the ballpark you’re looking at, with the sole caveat being if you elect to unlock Super Sonic via the brutal Special Stages. Attempted 3D gameplay at 10fps on a 16-bit console just ain’t it, chief.
Sonic 3 & Knuckles
5 Hours
Thedevelopment history of Sonic 3is almost as much of a rollercoaster as the game itself – almost. Originally conceived as one giant package, it rapidly became apparent to Sonic Team that therewas just too much being crammed in for the poor, creaking Genesis cartridges to handle. After convincing the executive board - which likely took nothing more than dangling the carrot of doubled profits under their noses - the game wassplit asunder.
Sonic 3 released first, followed by Sonic & Knuckles. Being that they’re two halves of the same game, they basically walk, talk and squawk exactly like each other.Individually, they’ll run you about two and a half hours; but attach the two cartridges together via ‘lock-on’ tech (or simply play any of the rereleases) and you’ll get the uninterrupted five-hour epic it was always meant to be. This one’s a beaut.
For almost three decades,rumours swirled rampant that Michael Jackson, the King of Pop himself, assisted with the composition of 3&K’s soundtrack. One listen to the thumping beats of Carnival Night Zone should be all the evidence most folks need (as was the fact Jackson was photographed at the Sega offices.) But due to Jackson beingmired in controversy at the time, his involvement was never explicitly confirmed.
It remained an open secret until 2022, when Sonic creator Yuji Nakacasually verified the rumours on Twitter. That’s one way to put thirty years of mystique to bed.
Sonic CD
3-6 Hours
Sonic CD isa wildcard when it comes to length. Released for theill-fated Sega CD add-on for the Genesis(which, like the Sega 32X, can best be analogised as life support), its setup and exploratory level structure is wholly unique within the series. If you simply bumrush to the end of each stage,you’re only seeing half the experience– Sonic CD’s true depth lies in itstime travel system.
Trigger magical signposts scattered throughout each zone, and you can travel toeither the distant past or far future. While in the past, if youwreck Eggman’s Badnik generators, you can prevent his invasion there from ever occurring. Do this in all the levels, and younab yourself the good ending(alternatively, you can just gather all the ‘Time Stones’ from the Special Stages).
All told, then, Sonic CD’s as long as you make it.Two or three hours is average for a straight playthrough, while completionists will stick around for six or so.
Sonic Adventure
10-15 Hours
We’reentering the 3D era now, and despite all the bluster you’ve likely heard about how Sonic"had a rough transition" to the third dimension, it’s not strictly true. Though it has some imperfections by modern standards, Sonic Adventure remains an earnest classic, and a childhood favourite for many. It’s also thelongest title in the chronologyso far by some distance.
Sega broke the bank for this Dreamcast hit, and it shows. There areno less than six campaigns, each led by a different character: Sonic, Tails, Knuckles, Amy Rose, E-102 Gamma, and Big the Cat. Gameplay-wise, you’ll be engaged in anything from platforming to fishing to shooting galleries; the variety keeps things fresh.Vast hubs connecting the individual levels further bloat the runtime, as do the reams of cutscenes.
Each campaign will clock in around two-to-three hours, so expect your total to nestle somewhere in the region of 12 hours. If you’re playing the DX port, which includes a whole host of side missions,you’ll be pushing 20+ for full completion.
Sonic Adventure 2
10 Hours
Perhaps observing the backlash to the staggering number of stories (and aimless hub wandering) of the original Sonic Adventure, Sonic Team opted todial things back and streamline the flow in the sequel. It works wonders – you simply select the Hero or Dark path, and then that’s all she wrote as far as faff is concerned.
There’s nothing to get between you and the action, and obviously,we recommend picking the Hero campaign first. City Escape is an unmatched opener.
Inconsistency still reigns supreme regarding the gameplay styles, however. Sonic and newcomer Shadow build upon SA1’s firm foundation, delivering reaction-based thrill rides; but Tails and Eggman areinexplicably stuck in clunky mechs, and Knuckles and Rouge are saddled with tedious treasure hunts. By the time the credits roll on the Last Story, you’ll have spentcirca ten hours.
Sonic Adventure 2features an ‘emblem’ system, which would go on to be a recurring series staple. These emblems track your overall progress towards 100%, and can be earned forsimply beating a stage, beating it with an A rank, finding a hidden Chao, and so on.
There arehundreds of these thingsto be earned if you’re so inclined, but it’s no easy feat.30-40 hours are calling your nameshould you take the plunge.
Sonic Heroes
Heroes representsa desire to get back to basics. Gone are the dour themes of Adventure 2, which featured such cheery moments as Gerald Robotnik being executed by firing squad and Shadow’s friend Maria contracting a terminal illness. Instead, we’ve gotthe Genesis-style act structure, a wacky and colourful narrative about Sonic and friends taking on a corrupted Metal Sonic, and very little extra fluff. RIP the Chao Garden.
At its core, Heroes isonly about a three-hour experience, having a measly seven zones to its name. Its whopping actual playtime is achieved byasking that the player complete it a grand total of four times: once as Team Sonic, then Teams Dark, Rose, and Chaotix.
There’sprecious little variation between each runthrough, so this soon descends into tedium. Dedicated players will bring the curtain down on Metalaround 15 hours in– but we wouldn’t blame you for bailing.
Shadow The Hedgehog
15-20 Hours
Shadow the Hedgehog, the first mainline entry in the seriesto not feature Sonic as the principal protagonist, is traditionally viewed as the pointwhere things started to go off the rails– and the first of several yardsticks that determined who was a loyal enough fan to not jump ship.
A relentlessly, comically grimdark affair, Shadow swaps the typical robot-bopping mayhem fora bizarregun-toting Ratchet and Clank clone.
As the Ultimate Life Form, you’ll navigate a handful of levels, mostly consisting of drab cityscapes and grey laboratories.Depending on your moral actions therein(which typically boil down to ‘kill all good guys’ or ‘kill all bad guys’), your route through the game will change, andyou’ll achieve one of ten non-canon endings.
Reach all ten,and you get the Last Story, which imparts the game’s canon conclusion. A single route won’t take you more than three hours,but like Heroes, expect to push 20 if you’re committed to seeing it through.
There area mind-numbing 326 possible unique paths through Shadow the Hedgehog. Each of these is counted separately in the in-game records, and each has its own name.
This means that technically,for 100 percent, you’re going to need to put in over 200 hours, making it the longest Sonic game in existence.
Sonic The Hedgehog (2006)
Oh, dear. Heralded by a photorealistic E3 trailer that perhaps cranked fan expectations a tad high, Sonic 2006was intended to be a fresh start for the Blue Blur, and a bold stride into the HD age. The entire internet knows that isn’t how it ended, and has spent 15 years refusing to allow Sega to forget it, beating the deceased equine long past the point it stopped being original or funny. Alas, the truth remains:Sonic 2006 is a stinker.
Scuttled byan unmovable Christmas deadline and behind-the-scenes chaos, the result is frequently described as one of the worst games ever made. Glitches of all types abound, there’s a loading screen every few feet, and the narrative is impenetrable.
It alsogreatly outstays its welcome. Each of the three campaigns - Sonic, Shadow and Silver - issix to eight hours in length, plus a dire Final Story. If you can tolerate the jank, prepare to sinkalmost 20 hours of your lifeinto this misfire.
Sonic And The Secret Rings
10-12 Hours
Part of the blame for why Sonic 2006 turned out the way it did can belaid at the feet of Sonic and the Secret Rings. This first installment inthe ‘Storybook Series’(which inserts Sonic into famous works of literature, and which only saw two games) began development when it became evident'06 could not run on the Wii,and Sega was damned if it was going to miss out on that sweet Nintendo cheddar.
What we have here isa motion-controlled auto-runner. It’s about as fun as that sounds. Sonic will automatically run through the Arabian Nights-inspired environments, and your task is totilt the Wiimote as needed to keep him alive. Jumping and braking are unfathomably awkward, and a number of waggle-based gimmicks just don’t work, period.
Secret Rings is alsonotorious for its baffling level progression. Stages unlock with no rhyme or reason, and you often need to backtrack to what appear to be bonus missions to progress. By the time Erazor Djinn has been sealed away,you’ll have clocked ten-plus hours, very few of them any fun.
