If you’re aSonicfan or want to get into the Sonic series, the PlayStation 5 isn’t the best platform. Due to the lack of PS3 backward compatibility, you can’t play Sonic Adventure 1, 2, or Sonic Unleashed, and all of those can be played on Xbox Series X|S.

Thankfully, there havebeen many great Sonic games maderecently on the PS5 that’s helped Sonic fans play earlier titles, not to mention brand-new Sonic instalments. There still isn’t a lot to offer, largely due to Sonic being Nintendo exclusive during the early eighth generation, but you do have quite a few amazing games to play.

People who make fan games often get tossed aside in the business, but Christian Whitehead is one of the rare success stories. Creator of many critically acclaimed Sonic fan games, he developed the amazing iOS ports of Sonic 1 and 2 before helming Sonic Mania, the best Sonic game in over 15 years.

Comparing the levels on offer here to the classic games is wild and truly shows the evolution of the fan game community. It feels very similar to Doom 2 in that thecommunity-created levels are just leaps and bounds abovethe default maps. Out of the 2D Sonic games, only Sonic 2 rivals in quality because the levels are just that well-designed and smooth to play.

It’s wild that, for the longest time, the best ports of Sonic 1 and 2 were on iPhones. Thankfully,Sonic Originsfixed that problem, although not at first. Sonic Origin’s launch was a mess, with plenty of issues, but the game’s since been patched, and it’s the best way to experience these classic titles.

You have most quality-of-life features expected from remasters like this, minus a rewind option. There’s even a mission mode, which is pretty awesome, and even more games available as DLC if you want more old-school Sonic goodness.

An open-world Sonic game could have been a disaster, but Sonic Frontiers not only delivers a fun, thrilling experience but has a pretty unique open-world design. For one, movement feels great, which is debatably the most important aspect of a Sonic game. The point of contention for critics is the open-world design.

Yes, it does feel like a toy play set, but it’s very fun to go through, and the game doesn’t encourage you to collect everything. If you want to get the platinum trophy, you don’t need anywhere close to 100 percent items, and this keeps the game’s pacing fast and flowing. Sadly, the actual levels are a bit of a letdown as they’re simply reused from other 3D Sonic games, but overall, Sonic Frontiers is a very good 3D Sonic entry.

Sonic Colors has to be one of the greatest 3D Sonic games out there, but it was stuck on the Wii for a criminally long time. This Ultimate version launched on modern consoles, and for most, it will do the job. The game’s still just as fun with its amazing movement and level design.

You even have some cool cosmetic DLC you can play around with, and like Sonic Origins, most of the issues at launch have been patched. Sega even added an original soundtrack option, a highly requested feature. There are still some minor audio and gameplay bugs, which might frustrate speedrunners, but everyone else will have a great time.

After Sonic Frontiers, the next Sonic game was Sonic Superstars, going back to the 2D roots. What made this game special was the multiplayer, which was actually a feature dating back to Sonic 2, but Superstars heightened it like never before.

With up to four players locally, you can blast through the entire campaign, and it’s a really fun multiplayer title. Playing it single-player can be a little bland, so having friends here makes the experience so much better, akin to Super Mario 3D World.

Sonic Generations is, no doubt, the best 3D Sonic game and a title that should be in the top three best Sonic games overall. It’s a little short but so fun, and it hasthe best levels ever created in the series, helped by online leaderboards, encouraging you to play over and over to beat your friends.

This remaster introduces a whole new campaign centered on a character who deserves their screen time. Not only do you get Sonic Generations, but Shadow Generations, adding six new stages to the experience. The new levels are really good, with the standout being Kingdom Valley, the best stage from Sonic 06.