Sonic Riders is a 2006 racing video game created by Sonic Team and Now Production. It was published by Sega for the GameCube, PlayStation 2, and Xbox. Players control characters from the Sonic the Hedgehog series on hoverboards and compete in races and battles against computer-controlled opponents or other players. The game was released in Japan and North America in February 2006. A European version followed the next month, and a Windows version was released later that year. A Game Boy Advance version made by Backbone Entertainment was canceled.
The game was made to celebrate the 15th anniversary of the Sonic series and was the first major Sonic racing game since Sonic R (1997) by Traveller's Tales. Sonic Team aimed to create a game better than any previous Sonic racing game. It was designed to appeal to Sonic fans and players who enjoy extreme sports games. The development team did not use ideas from other games. Sonic Riders was also the last Sonic game made with Yuji Naka, who helped create the franchise and worked as an executive producer. He left Sega shortly after the game was released.
Sonic Riders received mixed reviews from critics but was commercially successful. It was later re-released as part of the GameCube and PlayStation 2 bestseller lines. Critics mostly criticized the gameplay, controls, and design, but praised the game's visuals, soundtrack, and feeling of speed during races. The Windows version faced technical issues. Many considered the game unexciting and not very good, though it had some strong points. The game had two sequels: Sonic Riders: Zero Gravity (2008) and Sonic Free Riders (2010). Both were developed and released with similar commercial success.
Gameplay
Sonic Riders is a racing game where characters compete by riding special vehicles called "Extreme Gear." These vehicles include hoverboards, hover skates, and hoverbikes that use anti-gravity technology to float. Players race to complete three laps around a track before their opponents. Each race includes up to eight characters. A key part of the game is the air tank, shown in the lower right corner of the screen. Air is the energy source for Extreme Gear, and it decreases as the race continues. Players can use a Boost to gain speed quickly, but this uses a lot of air. If a player boosts into an opponent, their character will attack and overtake them.
Air is used faster when performing actions like drifting, which helps players make sharp turns, or building tension before a jump, which uses air to jump higher. If a player runs out of air, their character must run on foot and cannot boost, attack, corner easily, or use charged jumps. Players can refill air by using pit stops on the track, which pause the race to recharge air, or by performing tricks during jumps or while riding in an opponent's slipstream. Higher-quality tricks restore more air. Players can also collect rings on the track. Collecting enough rings allows their character to level up, increasing ability strength and maximum air capacity.
Each character in Sonic Riders has unique abilities that affect their performance. Some characters cannot use certain types of Extreme Gear. Characters are divided into three classes, similar to Sonic Heroes: Speed characters can ride rails, Power characters can break objects, and Fly characters can fly through boost rings. Each track has shortcuts accessible only by specific classes. Players can use collected rings to buy new Extreme Gear at an in-game shop. Each Extreme Gear has unique stats. The game includes eight areas, each with two track variants, totaling 16 tracks. Only a few tracks are available at the start; others are unlocked as the game progresses.
The game’s Story Mode has two campaigns: the "Heroes" story, featuring Sonic, Tails, and Knuckles, and the "Babylon" story, featuring Jet the Hawk, Wave the Swallow, and Storm the Albatross. These stories happen at the same time. Players must win races with predetermined characters to continue the story. Completing the Heroes campaign unlocks the Babylon campaign, which ends with both stories connecting. Players can also compete in World Grand Prix mode, racing through five tracks to earn the highest score. The game includes Mission Mode with 100 missions, each requiring players to complete specific tasks within a time limit, such as collecting items or destroying obstacles. Completing missions earns medals and unlocks new characters and Extreme Gear. Up to four players can compete in single race and battle modes.
Sonic Riders includes 16 playable characters, some of whom appear in other games like Nights into Dreams, Space Channel 5, and Super Monkey Ball.
Plot
Jet, the leader of the Babylon Rogues, looks at the Key to Babylon Garden, an important object passed down through the family. It is said to reveal the secrets of their Babylonian ancestors. Doctor Eggman arrives and says he can use the Chaos Emeralds to bring Babylon Garden back to life. He asks the Rogues to help him find the Emeralds. The Rogues agree and steal one, but they meet Sonic, Tails, and Knuckles, who are also searching for the Emerald. Sonic tries to stop them, but Jet escapes with the Emerald.
The next day, Sonic, Tails, and Knuckles see a digital billboard showing an Extreme Gear race called the EX World Grand Prix. To enter, racers must give up a Chaos Emerald, and the winner will receive all seven. They learn the Rogues are participating and decide to join the race too.
Team Sonic, including Amy Rose, races against the Rogues in several events. During the final race, Wave damages Sonic’s board, letting Jet win the Grand Prix. Jet uses the Chaos Emeralds to make Babylon Garden appear, hoping to find the legendary treasure of the Babylonians. Eggman steals the Key from Jet and takes it to the garden, where Amy tries to stop him by grabbing his ship. Sonic gets a new board and chases Eggman, but Jet challenges him to another race, wanting to stop Eggman first.
Jet and Sonic reach Babylon Garden and find Eggman holding Amy hostage. Together, Jet and Sonic rescue Amy and take back the Key. Jet uses the Key to open a hidden door, leading the Rogues into a Babylonian ruin. Team Sonic follows them inside and meets the Babylon Guardian, a large creature that guards the treasure. Both teams fight the Guardian, and a chest appears. Eggman returns and tries to take the treasure, but he is surprised to find it is only a carpet. Jet uses the Key to make the carpet fly, revealing it is an early version of an Extreme Gear. Team Sonic and the Babylon Rogues part ways, with Jet promising to race Sonic again someday.
Development
The creator of Sonic Riders wanted to make a game that was different from traditional racing games. They aimed to include exciting tricks and dynamic gameplay. Because performing tricks in a car was not practical, the team chose activities like surfing and snowboarding, which allow more freedom for stunts. Hoverboards were selected as the main vehicles because they could be used in any environment and remained fun to play with.
Sonic Riders was developed by Sonic Team and Now Production for the GameCube, PlayStation 2, Xbox, and Windows. It was created to celebrate the 15th anniversary of the Sonic series. Kenjiro Morimoto directed the game, and Takashi Yuda produced it. Yuji Naka, a co-creator of the Sonic series, was the executive producer. He contributed ideas early in the game’s development and later advised on its progress. After the game’s release, Naka left to start his own company, Prope, to focus on creating original games. The game runs at 60 frames per second and includes a 2D animated opening scene made by Production I.G and directed by Kazuto Nakazawa. Additional cutscenes were created using computer-generated animation by Marza Animation Planet.
Sonic Riders was the first major racing game in the Sonic series since Sonic R, released in 1997. Fans had asked for another Sonic racing game, and Sonic Team believed they could create something better than previous games. They wanted a unique style of gameplay that allowed players to perform tricks, which was not possible in a car. Hoverboards were chosen for their flexibility. The game was designed to attract fans of Sonic and extreme sports, while multiplayer modes were added for casual players. Sonic Team did not use ideas from earlier Sonic games to ensure the experience was completely new. Characters were selected based on their relevance to the game’s story. The Babylon Rogues, the game’s antagonists, were created to represent "Air Pirates" as Sonic’s rivals. Levels were designed to be exciting while still including classic Sonic elements.
A version of Sonic Riders for the Game Boy Advance, called Sonic Extreme, was developed by Backbone Entertainment for three months but was never released. It used a game engine similar to Out Run and was planned to launch with other versions. Sega of Japan asked Backbone to add more 3D elements without changing the production timeline. This would have required rewriting the engine entirely, which Backbone believed was impossible. As a result, Sega canceled the project.
The game’s music was composed by Tomonori Sawada, Fumie Kumatani, and Kenichi Tokoi. Two vocal themes were written and performed by Runblebee: "Sonic Speed Riders" (written by Sawada) and "Catch Me If You Can" (written by Runblebee). Yuda stated the music was designed to be fast-paced and create an exciting, heart-pounding feeling during races. A soundtrack album titled Sonic Riders Original Soundtrack "Speedbeats Grand Prix" was released on March 16, 2006.
Release and marketing
Sonic Riders was first announced in the September 2005 issue of Famitsu, and later shown at the Tokyo Game Show in the same month. Early reviews of Sonic Riders were mostly positive, though some critics pointed out that the game’s controls felt unresponsive. Mike Jackson of Official Nintendo Magazine said, “If the handling is improved, this could be a great racing game. If not, it may not be enjoyable,” and predicted a review score of 60%. NGC Magazine had a more favorable opinion, comparing Sonic Riders to SSX (2000) and saying it was more fun than Kirby’s Air Ride (2003, which they scored 51%). IGN noted that the PlayStation 2 demo had some minor visual glitches, but the PlayStation 2 and GameCube versions were otherwise the same. They also said, “What we saw of Sonic Riders suggests a fun and original racing game is coming.”
The console versions of the game were released in North America on February 21, 2006, Japan on February 23, 2006, Europe on March 17, 2006, and Australia on March 23, 2006. BradyGames published an official strategy guide for the game before its release in Western countries, while Shogakukan released a separate guide for Japan in April 2006. As part of the 15th anniversary celebration of the Puyo Puyo series, Sonic appeared as a guest character in the Windows version of Puyo Pop Fever (2003). The Windows version was released internationally in late 2006, though it was not released in Japan. It still supports Japanese text and voices. The Windows version was later re-released as part of the PAL-exclusive Sonic PC Collection on October 1, 2009.
Reception
According to the review website Metacritic, Sonic Riders received "mixed or average" reviews.
Reviewers had different opinions about the game's visuals. GameSpot said the graphics were well-made and praised the bright colors and character designs, but noted that the game sometimes slowed down and looked "drab and muddy" during those moments. GameSpy also liked the graphics, calling them one of the game's best features. IGN had mixed feelings: they appreciated the background details and effects but criticized the rough shapes and unclear textures, saying the visuals were not as attractive as other games. Nintendo World Report (NWR) agreed that the graphics were inconsistent. About the music, IGN and GameSpot said it was similar to other Sonic games, but IGN added that some tracks matched the game's settings well. NWR called the soundtrack appropriate. The PC version of the game, released later, was criticized for not working well on some computers.
Reviewers generally had little praise for the gameplay and controls. GamesRadar+ said the movement felt too loose and caused unfair deaths. Eurogamer thought the game started with promise but became too complicated and confusing over time. IGN said the game was neither a good racer nor a fun snowboarder, but a weak mix of both. They also said the hoverboards were not useful since Sonic is already fast on his own. GameSpy said the game did not clearly focus on racing, attacking, or performing tricks, and that the actions did not affect the outcome as expected.
However, the game's speed was often praised. IGN said Sonic Team did a good job with speed and excitement, making races unpredictable and fun. GameSpot called the rough terrain riding creative. Eurogamer said the speed was exciting and reminded them of older Sonic games. GamePro thought the speed was fun but made the game feel more like a rollercoaster than a real game. Many reviewers said it was hard to keep up the speed. GamesRadar+ said it was "almost impossible" to avoid losing speed, and Eurogamer called it the game's biggest problem. The pitstop system, which required players to stop to fix their vehicles, was criticized as confusing and unenjoyable.
Overall, reviewers considered Sonic Riders an average game in the Sonic series. IGN said it was an improvement over the previous Sonic game, Shadow the Hedgehog, and might be fun for fans, but questioned some design choices and thought it was made to take advantage of the popularity of snowboarding games like SSX. GameSpot said the game was sometimes fun but had weak gameplay. GamesRadar+ said the Sonic franchise, once famous, now seems to be used for games that are not well-made.
Sonic Riders was a commercial success. When it was released, the GameCube version was the second best-selling game for the system and stayed in the top 10 until June 2006. In 2006, the game sold 930,000 copies worldwide, with an additional 560,000 copies sold in North America by the end of March 2007. In the UK, the game entered the top 40 and later reached number one. Later, the GameCube and PlayStation 2 versions were included in special sale collections called Player's Choice and Greatest Hits.
Legacy
After the success of Riders, Yuda confirmed a sequel would be made. Sonic Riders: Zero Gravity was released for the PlayStation 2 and Wii in 2008. Plans to release the game on the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 were made but never completed. The gameplay of Zero Gravity is similar to Riders, but it replaces the air system with a gravity-changing feature and includes other small changes. Like Riders, Zero Gravity received mixed reviews from critics. A third game, Sonic Free Riders, was released in 2010 as a launch title for the Xbox 360’s Kinect device. This game changed the gameplay to use motion controls for movement. Critics gave Free Riders poor reviews, mainly because the motion controls were unreliable. Free Riders was the last Sonic racing game with Extreme Gear until Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds (2025), which also allows players to use Extreme Gear.
Although critics generally did not praise the Babylon Rogues, they have appeared in the Sonic series on occasion. Archie Comics included a short version of the game in their Sonic the Hedgehog comic series and added more story details about the Babylon Rogues in Sonic Universe. When IDW Publishing started making Sonic comics, the Babylon Rogues were reintroduced in the 2019 Annual and appeared in later storylines. Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds also includes the Babylon Rogues as playable characters.
In May 2011, an unfinished sports game called Sonic Extreme was found online from an Xbox development kit. The tech demo shows Sonic and Shadow skating on hoverboards in a level with ramps, similar to the Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater series. The game was created by Vision Scape Interactive in 2003, which also made the cutscenes for Sonic Heroes (2003). The company had shared the idea with Yuji Naka, hoping to develop a full game. Although Naka approved a design plan, Sega stopped communication with the studio after Heroes was released. When Riders was announced, Vision Scape employees were surprised by its similarities to their demo and considered legal action. They were later told that a non-disclosure agreement gave Sega ownership of any ideas using a Sega IP. When the demo leaked online, many publications noted its resemblance to Riders.