Summary
Sonicis easily Sega’s most successful and celebrated franchise. Despite being pioneers of the early gaming industry, Sega’s since pulled awayfrom producing consolesand 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 producingSonicgames for over thirty years and shows no signs of laying the iconic series to rest.
With over a hundred games falling under theSonicname, it’s not a surprise that, despite many gems, a few left gamers feeling underwhelmed. Many fans of the franchise chase the feeling of classicSonicgames, 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. TheSonicseries 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 July 15, 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.
The list mainly focuses on cooperative gameplay, but also highlightscompetitive/split-screenmultiplayerSonictitles in a couple of cases — namelySonic the Hedgehog 2andSonic Adventure 2.
This long-awaited two-part sequel in the mainlineSonicseries 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.
Sonic Superstarsis the most recent installment in the side-scrolling adventures of Sonic and friends. Released in 2023, players were excited aboutSonic Superstarsafter the promise of afour-person local co-op modewhere gamers could each be one of the iconic quartet: Sonic, Knuckles, Tails, and Amy.
The game was a return to the classicSonicformat, 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 Superstarsdidn’t sell particularly well and audiences felt it didn’t add much in the way of new content.
Sonic the Hedgehog 3was coasting from strong momentum following Sega’sSonichit from ‘92. This sequel still didn’t receive all the attention and accolades of its more ground-breaking predecessor, to be sure. Yet, thisdebut of Knuckles(mainly via the separateSonic & Knuckleswhich was originally supposed to be part ofthisgame) 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 3takes a more classic approach afterSonic CDleft 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 evencarrySonic, a second player can more easily keep up with the hedgehog and work in synchronicity, smoothing out the co-op experience.
Players experience adifferentkind of quickness and exhilaration in thisSonic-themed kart racer, which hosts 15 franchise heroes facing off in sleek sports cars within familiar biomes. In the vein ofMario Kart, players can take part in fun party gameplay with various multiplayer modes, getting an edge via tricks, drifts, and power-ups scattered about.
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.
Sonic Colorswas 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 Colorsmade 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 vibrantSonicstages. This romp was thought to be the best addition to 3DSonicgames for many years, although it didn’t quite compete with the loveSonic Adventure 1 & 2received.
Sonic Advance 3was released exclusively for the Nintendo Game Boy in 2004. There are three total games in theSonic Advanceseries, andSonic Advance 3was the first to introduce cooperative play within the actual game instead of a separate multiplayer mode.
Sonic Advance 3asks 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.
Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformedwas the fourth installment in Sega’sanswer toMario’s party gamespin-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.
LikeMario Kart,Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformedincluded 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 theSonicspin-offs.
Sonic the Hedgehog 2saw the introduction of belovedSonicsidekick Tails (Miles Prower), who simply mimics Sonic in the main game. Lucky forTails fans, he is playablein the multiplayer mode. Released in 1992, it was the very firstSonicgame to introduce a co-op mode and the presence of Miles made it markedly different from the firstSonicgame.
WhenSonic & Knuckles,introducing fan-favorite sidekick Knucklesfor 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 toSonic 2as a new playable character, but sadly, he wasn’t featured in the multiplayer mode.
It should be said that while the competitive multiplayer (andSonic 2as a whole) is solid, co-op is more of a mixed bag, with a somewhat stripped-down Tails and basic design on this front.
Sonic Adventure 2is the classic 3DSonicgame that introduced Shadow the Hedgehog to the universe. Released in 2001,Sonic Adventure 2was one of the more well-received 3DSonicgames and is thought to be a staple of the franchise. Not long after its release, Sega left the console development business, andSonic Adventure 2was 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’, whichconnected 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 multipleiconicSoniccharacters like Amyand Tikal, who are typically NPCs.Sonic Adventure 2’stwo-player mode was very popular and is believed by some to be the best provided by a 3DSonicgame.
Sonic Mania Plusis one of the more successful recent additions to theSonicfranchise, thanks to its return to the classic style with all the right things updated. AlthoughSonic Maniawas received well, the expanded version added even more content including remixed levels and additional characters.
Like classicSonicgames, 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. LikeSonic 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.”
