Unlicensed developers and fans have created unofficial media, especially video games, relating to the Sonic the Hedgehog franchise. These products include video games, video game mods, ROM hacks, comics, and animations. They are part of the wider Sonic fandom.
Due to the popularity of the franchise, some of these products have received media attention. Sega is permissive of most fangames, as long as they are not for profit. Some Sonic fan game developers have gone on to work on official Sonic content, most prominently Sonic Mania (2017), while others have subsequently created original games that feature Sonic-inspired mechanics.
Video games Fan games The following are all original games based on the Sonic series:
Green Hill Paradise Act 2 is a 3D Sonic game built by Daniel "SuperSonic68" Coyle and other collaborators with the 3D Sonic Games Development Kit. This game gained notability for receiving a positive response from Sega.
Sonic Utopia is 3D Sonic game demo, which demonstrates 3D Sonic gameplay in a large open world.
Sonic Before the Sequel is a 2D Sonic game created by Felipe "LakeFeperd" Daneluz, set in between the events of Sonic the Hedgehog and Sonic the Hedgehog 2. The game's original release in 2011 had a soundtrack with reused music coming from different video game franchises like Kirby, but a second release in 2013 came with original music specifically for the game. The game received wide critical praise for its faithfulness to earlier titles. Two sequels, Sonic After the Sequel and Sonic Chrono Adventure, were later developed and released in 2013, the latter incorporating Metroidvania and time travel elements. Daneluz would later develop an original platform series with Sonic-inspired mechanics, Spark the Electric Jester.
Sonic Dreams Collection is a parody game by Arcane Kids presented as a Dreamcast development kit containing cancelled Sonic games. The game caught media attention for its bizarre nature and its intent to lampoon the Sonic fandom.
Sonic Fan Remix is a 2.5D Sonic game created in Unity that features reimagined levels from past Sonic games.
Retro Sonic is a 2D Sonic game created by Christian Whitehead. It is the first game to use the Retro Engine (the engine used for the 2011 remaster of Sonic CD), and later merged with two other Sonic fangames, Sonic Nexus and Sonic XG, to form Retro Sonic Nexus, a collaboration project led by Whitehead. Retro Sonic Nexus was ultimately cancelled in 2011, splitting up the three projects, while Whitehead went on to work with Sega to develop remasters of early Sonic titles, later directing Sonic Mania.
Sonic Robo Blast 2 is a 3D Sonic game that uses a modified version of the Doom Legacy engine and has been in development since 1998. The game gained notability for being the first 3D Sonic fangame, and it continues to be updated by its developers and supported by its community to the present day. A kart racing variant, Sonic Robo Blast 2 Kart, was released in November 2018 using the same engine; a sequel, Dr. Robotnik's Ring Racers, was released in 2024.
Chao Resort Island is a fangame for Microsoft Windows and macOS, based upon the Chao-raising minigames in Sonic Adventure.
Sonic World is a game heavily based upon the Sonic Adventure titles and Sonic Heroes. It features over 30 playable characters and the ability to make Heroes-style teams, as well as remastered levels from various Sonic games. An upgraded version called Sonic World DX received its first demo release in 2020, and remains in active development.
Sonic Z-treme is a homebrew Sega Saturn game that aims to recreate concepts from the canceled game Sonic X-treme using original code. It can be made to run on real Saturn hardware if it is burned to a disc.
Sonic the Hedgehog 2 HD is a high-definition fan remaster of Sonic the Hedgehog 2 in development. The final version is planned to feature additional stages and the ability to play levels as Knuckles the Echidna. Some previous members of the development team would go on to work on Sonic Mania.
Sega Master System Brawl is a homebrew fighting game designed for Sega Genesis hardware. It is a platform fighter that features characters and arenas from several different Master System games, such as Sonic the Hedgehog, Alex Kidd in Miracle World, Kung Fu Kid, Dynamite Dux, and Vampire: Master of Darkness.
Sonic Eclipse Online was a popular 3D Sonic game on the game creation platform Roblox. After the developer Arnold "DoctorRofatnik" Castillo had his account banned for accusations of sexually preying on a child, which were propagated by YouTuber Ruben Sim, Castillo transferred the game to a friend's account and continued profiting from it. Roblox refused to take the game down as they did not view it as a safety concern. Later, after being notified, Sega had the game taken down via a copyright infringement notice. (Castillo was later sentenced to 15 years in prison for transporting another child across interstate lines for sex.) The case was used by People Make Games and Bloomberg Businessweek to accuse Roblox of practices compromising child safety.
Sonic Smackdown is a 2D Sonic fighting game developed by ArcForged. The game features 17 playable characters and 1-on-1 battles with similar mechanics to games like Marvel vs. Capcom. The game has seen play in several fighting game community tournaments. An updated version, Ultimate Sonic Smackdown, is currently in development and adds tag team mechanics with support for teams of up to 3 characters.
Sonic Omens is an episodic 3D Sonic game that garnered controversy regarding its funding through Patreon. Discourse surrounding the project led Sonic social media manager Katie Chrzanowski to clarify via Twitter that "So long as no profit is involved, there is usually no issue with y'all using our blue boy to hone your art and dev skills – but, for legal reasons, I can't promise all content is OK".
Sonic GT is a finished 3D Sonic game built on the fan-made Bumper Engine. It iterates on gameplay elements from the series' official 3D entries. The creator would later refine many of the game's mechanics for an original project, Rollin' Rascal, which was crowdfunded via Kickstarter in 2024.
Sonic 3D in 2D is a reimagining of Sonic 3D Blast as a classic-style 2D Sonic game. Unlike the original, Tails and Knuckles are included as playable characters and retain their abilities from the classic titles.
Virtua Sonic is a 3D Sonic virtual reality game built on the base of Sonic GT. The player takes control of Sonic from a first-person perspective and must pump their arms in the air to accelerate forward. Additional speed can be acquired by taking advantage of the game's level terrain. It debuted at the 2020 Sonic Amateur Games Expo and supports SteamVR-compatible headsets.
Sonic and the Fallen Star is a 2D Sonic game featuring original levels and music. It is inspired by multiple 2D Sonic titles, Sonic Heroes, and the Before the Sequel and After the Sequel fangames. A sequel, Sonic and the Moon Facility, was announced in 2023, but later cancelled in February 2024, with an unfinished demo published online in February 2025.
Sonic Time Twisted is a 2D Sonic game in the style of the 16-bit titles, mostly following that of Sonic the Hedgehog 3 and Sonic CD. It includes multiple playable characters, original levels, and time travel elements.
Sonic.EXE - The Game is a 2D Sonic horror game made in GameMaker. A playable adaptation of the 2011 creepypasta Sonic.exe, the game went viral after YouTuber PewDiePie uploaded a Let's Play of the game onto YouTube, consequently driving new attention to the source material.
Sonic Galactic is an upcoming 2D Sonic game and imagining of a Sonic game on the Sega Saturn. The demos of the game have been well-received, often being compared to Sonic Mania. The game features Sonic, Tails, Knuckles, Fang the Sniper, and a new character: Tunnel the Mole, as playable characters, alongside new levels and mechanics.
Sonic the Hedgehog RPG (also known as Sonic SatAM RPG), is a 2D episodic role-playing Sonic game made in Love2D by a team led by Reggie "RedG" Meisler. The game is set in the universe of the 1993 Sonic the Hedgehog animated series. , five episodes have been released. Sixth episode is in development. Sanic 06 is a virtual reality game for the Oculus Rift created by indie developer AjDaLolma, creating it using the Unity game engine in six weeks. Released in 2014, the game consists of rooms containing various deformed 3D models of Sonic characters who play voice clips when approached, described by Zolani Stewart of Kotaku as "spanning between the humanoid, the odd-legged creature, the gross monstrous depiction and the non-applicable." Sanic Ball is a racing game involving rolling in a ball at high speeds, where the balls are designed to resemble various Sonic characters including Sanic, Sulvur (Silver the Hedgehog), Dr. Aggmen (Doctor Eggman), and Shrek. The game was played during AGDQ 2019's "Sonic Block".
Unofficial ports The following are unofficial ports and remakes of Sonic games for various systems:
Somari is a pirated version of Sonic the Hedgehog released for the Nintendo Entertainment System in 1994. However, rather than starring Sonic, the game features a character named "Somari", who is essentially Nintendo's mascot Mario wearing Miles "Tails" Prower's shoes and using Sonic's movesets. There are many other versions of this game with different titles, characters and level order, with some featuring Sonic as a playable character in place of Somari. Years later, a fan developed a ROM hack of the original Sonic the Hedgehog based on Somari.
Sonic 3: Angel Island Revisited (also called Sonic 3 A.I.R.) is a port of Sonic 3 & Knuckles to PC and mobile devices based on the ROM file for the original Genesis release. The port was first released in 2019.
Sonic 1 SMS Remake and Sonic 2 SMS Remake are unofficial remakes of the 8-bit Sonic the Hedgehog and Sonic the Hedgehog 2 Master System games, released in 2019 and 2020 respectively for Microsoft Windows and Android. The remakes feature widescreen gameplay and add new playable characters, levels, and game mechanics from other Sonic games.Sonic SMS Remake official website
A Commodore 64 port of the 8-bit Sonic the Hedgehog was released on December 21, 2021. It is the first game to require the REU expansion cartridge, due to the game's intensive design for the C64 base hardware.
Sonic Chaos is an unofficial remake of the 8-bit 1993 game of the same name. It features Sonic Mania-style gameplay elements, sprites and graphics, as well as new game mechanics and boss fights. The remake is in development.
Sonic P-06 is an unofficial remake of Sonic the Hedgehog (2006) for Windows powered by Unity. It is in development and has released several demos.
Zippy the Porcupine is an Atari 2600 demake of the original Sonic the Hedgehog.
A tech demo based on the 16-bit version of Sonic the Hedgehog was created for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System, featuring the third act of Green Hill Zone. The demo was developed with the original game's code optimized for and playable on Super NES hardware.
Sonic Triple Trouble 16-Bit is an unofficial remake of the titular Game Gear game for Windows, released in 2022 created by Noah N. Copeland. Proposed as a theoretical successor to Sonic 3 & Knuckles for home consoles, the remake features similar gameplay, graphics, and sound to that of official 16-bit Sonic games. Other additions include updated level design and the ability to switch between Sonic and Tails in real time.