Sonic the Hedgehog came out on the Sega Genesis in 1991, and it still feels fast. You play a hedgehog who can run at supersonic speeds. He races through levels full of springs and vertical loops, and curls into a ball to spin through enemies. The music was composed by Masato Nakamura, bassist of the J-pop band Dreams Come True. It sold over 40 million copies across all platforms and inspired several clones.
Some of those clones turned out great. The top three games here are the ones players recommend most to Sonic fans, ranked by how many different people named each one. The other four are games that retro writers tie to Sonic, ordered by how many of them do. Sonic games themselves are left out.
7 Games Like Sonic Where Moving Fast Pays Off
Rocket Knight Adventures (1993)
Rocket Knight Adventures is a 1993 platform game made by Konami for the Sega Genesis, and like Sonic it puts a heavy focus on blazing fast speed. You play Sparkster, an opossum knight with a rocket pack and a sword. Hold the attack button to charge a rocket attack, then let go and he bursts off in one of eight directions. The rocket attack also bounces off walls, so it doubles as a way to reach higher ground.
The big difference is that it plays more like an action game than a straight platformer. Its designer, Nobuya Nakazato, also made Contra games, and some stages turn into side-scrolling shooters. The kingdom is under attack from an army of evil pigs, and every one of the seven stages ends with a boss fight. Play it on Genesis.
Freedom Planet 2 (2022)
Freedom Planet 2 is the sequel to the game at the top of this list, and it still has more than a little bit of Sonic in it. By building up speed you can run through loop-de-loops and grind on rails. The stages have multiple routes and a boss at the end. The old cast is back, joined by a new playable character, Neera Li, who focuses on melee attacks and long-range Frost Arts.
The big difference is the guard button, which makes your character briefly invincible to dodge a hit. You will need it, since fast attacks and complicated boss patterns demand well-timed guards. Critics noted it became less similar to Sonic and adopted its own style, with taller characters and more detailed pixel art. It came out on Windows in 2022, and the console ports followed in April 2024. Play it on PS4 or Switch.
Ristar (1995)
Ristar comes from the same room as Sonic. Before Sega settled on the blue hedgehog, the team came up with a rabbit who would throw items at enemies, and that shelved idea came back near the end of the Genesis as Ristar. The game engine is based on Sonic 1, and some sound effects will be familiar to anyone who played those games. On first impressions it does feel a lot like Sonic.
The big difference is that Ristar grabs instead of running. He is a cartoon star with long, stretchable arms that he uses to move and fight. Swing around a Star Handle to build momentum, let go, and with enough speed he becomes invincible. Ristar came out in 1995, and the move to the Saturn overshadowed it. Play it on Genesis.
NiGHTS into Dreams (1996)
NiGHTS into Dreams is a 1996 action game from Sonic Team for the Sega Saturn. Development was led by Sonic Team veterans, Yuji Naka among them, and the concept goes back to 1992, during the making of Sonic the Hedgehog 2. A true Sonic sequel never came to the Saturn, so the team made a game similar to Sonic in spirit instead. It is relatively easy to play, and Sonic fans may feel at home.
The big difference is that you fly. Nights flies through the dreams of two teenagers, Elliot and Claris, and every level has a time limit and a score to chase. Fly a full circle around enemies to paraloop them, and hold a button to go a lot faster. Some copies came with the Saturn 3D controller, an analogue pad designed alongside the game. Play it on Saturn, or the HD version on PS3.
Billy Hatcher and the Giant Egg (2003)
Billy Hatcher and the Giant Egg is a 3D platform game made by Sonic Team for the GameCube in 2003, and it came from Sonic's creator, Yuji Naka. Players keep naming it for Sonic fans, and it even hides a few familiar faces. Eggs with a Sonic Team logo hold animal friends of Sonic Team characters, Sonic and NiGHTS among them.
The big difference is the egg. Billy cannot do much by himself, but rolling an egg makes him faster and more agile. Roll over fruit and the egg grows, then a rooster call hatches it into a helper animal or an item. Speed matters less here, since mission grades also count your combat. It is a gentler game than Sonic, and a sweet one. Play it on GameCube.
Spark the Electric Jester 3 (2022)
Spark the Electric Jester 3 comes from Felipe Daneluz, a Brazilian indie developer who made several Sonic fangames before he made his own series. The first Spark grew out of one of those fangames, Sonic After the Sequel, which mixed ideas from Sonic and Kirby. The third game came out in August 2022, and a critic wrote that it refines Sonic-style 3D platforming to an art. Players who recommend it to Sonic fans keep saying it plays like the 3D Sonic games, Sonic Adventure most of all.
The big difference is that Daneluz wanted Spark to be its own thing. He intended it to be different from Sonic games, and the series mixes fast-paced platforming with melee combat, so you fight as much as you run. The first game was funded on Kickstarter in 2015, and critics praised its gameplay and soundtrack. Play it on Switch.
Freedom Planet (2014)
Freedom Planet started life as a Sonic the Hedgehog fangame. Lilac was originally a hedgehog before she became a dragon, and the villain, Lord Brevon, has eyebrows that resemble Doctor Eggman's mustache. It even runs on an engine that previously powered a number of Sonic fangames. Players who recommend it to Sonic fans keep calling it a clone of the classic games, and they name it far more than any other game.
The big difference is the fighting. You pick one of three heroes, and each has an attack and a special button. Lilac's Dragon Boost is an eight-directional air dash that makes her briefly invincible. Critics praised the balance of Sonic elements with original content but were mixed on the long cutscenes. If you want to skip the story, Classic mode skips all the cutscenes entirely. Play it on Wii U, PS4 or Switch.
Which one to play
There you have it, the whole list of games like Sonic. Three of them come from Sega itself.
If you want the classic Genesis feel, play Freedom Planet and then Freedom Planet 2. If you loved the 3D games, Spark the Electric Jester 3 is the one. For a Sonic Team game with a new idea, try NiGHTS into Dreams and its flying. For younger players, Billy Hatcher is the gentle pick. And for a hidden pick, dig out Ristar on the Genesis.
