Best Sonic Co-Op Games

Sonic is easily Sega’s most successful and celebrated franchise. Despite being pioneers of the early gaming industry, Sega’s since pulled away from producing consoles and switched its focus to developing third-party games for other consoles — with the occasional retro gaming project. Even with their shift in priorities, Sega has been producing Sonic games for over thirty years and shows no signs of laying the iconic series to rest.

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With over a hundred games falling under the Sonic name, it’s not a surprise that, despite many gems, a few left gamers feeling underwhelmed. Many fans of the franchise chase the feeling of classic Sonic games, and the series’ dip into 3D wasn’t always well-received. One aspect that invokes fun and nostalgia and fun is a good co-op game — particularly local romps that allow players to share the couch. The Sonic series is no stranger to including multiplayer modes in their games, and some of the most beloved installments allow gamers to play alongside each other.

Updated January 31, 2025 by Stephen LaGioia: While online gaming has taken off over the last two decades, many gamers are finding the return to couch co-op to be just as fun, if not more so. Sega’s fast-paced platforming hit Sonic proves highly fitting for this experience, with its bombardment of quick, thrilling stages for Sonic, Tails, Knuckles, and other characters to traverse. As the series has shifted back somewhat to its more classic scrolling roots, these recent 2D Sonic games have also seen the return of couch and split-screen co-op. And with an increasingly strong selection of great local Sonic multiplayer games, it was time to revisit and add to this list.

10

Sonic The Hedgehog 4

Metascore (Critics): 74

This long-awaited two-part sequel in the mainline Sonic series was met with mixed reception as a whole, with some criticizing the easy difficulty, uninspired boss fights and puzzles, and rehashed stages. Still, the experience brings much of that same vibrant, fast-paced platforming that gamers of the 90s got to love.

Besides, the game’s more laid-back feel lends itself nicely to the included co-op, which is well-implemented here. A second player can take control of Tails, who can keep up with the speedy Sonic with his propeller-like tail and ability to fly. The familiar locales and undemanding level design make a nice foundation for more casual co-op platforming.

9

Sonic Superstars

Metascore: 73

Sonic Superstars is the most recent installment in the side-scrolling adventures of Sonic and friends. Released in 2023, players were excited about Sonic Superstars after the promise of a four-person local co-op mode where gamers could each be one of the iconic quartet: Sonic, Knuckles, Tails, and Amy.

The game was a return to the classic Sonic format, with an emphasis on fun and collaboration. While it was a good addition to the series, and a welcome callback to Sonic’s roots, Sonic Superstars didn’t sell particularly well and audiences felt it didn’t add much in the way of new content.

8

Sonic The Hedgehog 3

Metascore (XBLA Version): 79

Systems

Released

February 2, 1994

Platform(s)

Sega Genesis, PC

Sonic the Hedgehog 3 was coasting from strong momentum following Sega’s Sonic hit from ’92. This sequel still didn’t receive all the attention and accolades of its more ground-breaking predecessor, to be sure. Yet, this debut of Knuckles (mainly via the separate Sonic & Knuckles which was originally supposed to be part of this game) thrived in terms of vibrant game design and swift, thrilling platforming.

Sega had shifted attention and resources to the Saturn (and a few other more obscure devices) by 1994, but the game served as a great swan song for the 16-bit classic Genesis. Sonic 3 takes a more classic approach after Sonic CD left a bad taste in many fans’ mouths.

At the same time, Sega fleshes out the 2D formula with deeper level design, new bonus stages, and added features like the ability for a solo player to use Tails. As Sonic’s sidekick can now fly around and even carry Sonic, a second player can more easily keep up with the hedgehog and work in synchronicity, smoothing out the co-op experience.

7

Team Sonic Racing

Metascore: 72

Players experience a different kind of quickness and exhilaration in this Sonic-themed kart racer, which hosts 15 franchise heroes facing off in sleek sports cars within familiar biomes. In the vein of Mario Kart, players can take part in fun party gameplay with various multiplayer modes, getting an edge via tricks, drifts, and power-ups scattered about.

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Yet, the game also brings a fairly fleshed-out campaign mode with a basic story premise to string everything together. As the title implies, it also emphasizes team races, with elements like swappable items and slingshots/slipstream boosts between racers. Features like this further drive home the team-based play and inject some racing depth.

6

Sonic Colors

Metascore: 78

Sonic Colors was released for the Nintendo Wii and DS in 2010, although the two versions were developed by different teams and ended up very different. The Wii version was developed by Team Sonic and was intended to be a refresh for the franchise, aiming for the popular market – particularly thanks to the Wii revolutionizing the idea of family gaming.

To streamline gameplay, Sonic Colors made Sonic the singular main character and once again returned multiplayer to its separate mode. This two-player mode was a simulation of Sonic and had players compete as robot versions of the blue hedgehog (or as their Miis).

A co-op mode called ‘Eggman’s Sonic Simulator’ has players control cute Sonic-modeled robots and even personalized Mii’s through vibrant Sonic stages. This romp was thought to be the best addition to 3D Sonic games for many years, although it didn’t quite compete with the love Sonic Adventure 1 & 2 received.

5

Sonic Advance 3

Metascore: 79

Sonic Advance 3 was released exclusively for the Nintendo Game Boy in 2004. There are three total games in the Sonic Advance series, and Sonic Advance 3 was the first to introduce cooperative play within the actual game instead of a separate multiplayer mode.

Sonic Advance 3 asks players to control two different characters simultaneously or have a second player take control of the other character. After unlocking them by rescuing them in the main game, players can choose between Sonic, Tails, Amy, Knuckles, and Cream when playing – which gives the game good replayability. Like the previous games, a battle mode featuring up to four players was included that allowed players to compete by racing or collecting Chaos.

4

Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed

Metascore: 82

Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed was the fourth installment in Sega’s answer to Mario‘s party game spin-offs, Sega Superstars/All-Stars. The second with Sonic as the titular character, the game is fast-paced with a series of levels in which the kart players race to transform into boat and plane hybrids depending on the situation.

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Like Mario Kart, Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed included a four-person split-screen co-op mode, and the Wii U version even added mini-games that support multiple players — fitting as the Wii U GamePad was designed with creative multiplayer modes in mind. The game was popular upon release and is a fantastically fun — if not slightly ridiculous — addition to the Sonic spin-offs.

3

Sonic The Hedgehog 2

Metascore: 87

Sonic the Hedgehog 2 saw the introduction of beloved Sonic sidekick Tails (Miles Prower), who simply mimics Sonic in the main game. Lucky for Tails fans, he is playable in the multiplayer mode. Released in 1992, it was the very first Sonic game to introduce a co-op mode and the presence of Miles made it markedly different from the first Sonic game.

When Sonic & Knuckles, introducing fan-favorite sidekick Knuckles for the first time, was released two years later, it featured a special cartridge that allowed other Sega Genesis cartridges to fit inside it. This means that Knuckles could be added to Sonic 2 as a new playable character, but sadly, he wasn’t featured in the multiplayer mode.

It should be said that while the competitive multiplayer (and Sonic 2 as a whole) is solid, co-op is more of a mixed bag, with a somewhat stripped-down Tails and basic design on this front.

2

Sonic Adventure 2

Metascore: 73

Sonic Adventure 2 is the classic 3D Sonic game that introduced Shadow the Hedgehog to the universe. Released in 2001, Sonic Adventure 2 was one of the more well-received 3D Sonic games and is thought to be a staple of the franchise. Not long after its release, Sega left the console development business, and Sonic Adventure 2 was quickly re-released on the Nintendo GameCube.

This re-release introduced a few cool new features. Perhaps the biggest is an expanded two-player mode that allowed gamers to play as different characters in a battle. Though, the new ‘Tiny Chao Garden’, which connected to the GBA, also brought unique fun and charming gameplay reminiscent of the pet-tending experience of the Tamagotchi.

The battle stages generally mimicked the individual stages from the game and featured the chance to play multiple iconic Sonic characters like Amy and Tikal, who are typically NPCs. Sonic Adventure 2’s two-player mode was very popular and is believed by some to be the best provided by a 3D Sonic game.

1

Sonic Mania Plus

Metascore: 87

Sonic Mania Plus is one of the more successful recent additions to the Sonic franchise, thanks to its return to the classic style with all the right things updated. Although Sonic Mania was received well, the expanded version added even more content including remixed levels and additional characters.

Like classic Sonic games, players can choose between Sonic, Tails, and Knuckles, either controlling two characters at once or having a second player assume the role of the other character. Like Sonic Advance 3, allowing two-player mode within the actual game was very popular, and the game didn’t stop there. It also featured a split-screen co-op mode where players raced to the end of a level, and a fun two-player mini-game called “Mean Bean.”

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