Sonic is easily Sega's most successful and celebrated franchise. Despite being pioneers of the early gaming industry, today the company has pulled away from producing consoles and switched its focus to developing third-party games for a variety of other companies - with the occasional project on retro gaming. 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, even though many of them are critically acclaimed, few left fans 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 thing that easily brings back a feeling of total nostalgia and fun is a good co-op game, particularly local co-op games that have players controlling characters while sitting beside each other. 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.

7 Sonic Superstars

Metascore: 76

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.

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). It 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 included extra mini-games that support multiple players - particularly as the Wii U GamePad had been 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 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.

2 Sonic Adventure 2

Metascore: 89

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 an expanded two-player mode that allowed gamers to play as different characters in a battle. 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: 91

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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