Sonic Frontiers

Sonic Frontiers is an action-adventure by Sonic Team and SEGA. On the Starfall Islands, Sonic combines freely explorable areas with fast platforming sections, puzzles and combat. The search for the Chaos Emeralds and his friends leads him to ruins of an ancient civilization. Besides the open zones, there are separate Cyber Space levels with classic Sonic structure.

The game was released on Nov 8, 2022 for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S and Nintendo Switch. In November 2023, a release on the Epic Games Store was added. The standalone Definitive Edition for Nintendo Switch 2 launched in Germany on June 23, 2026.

Native versions exist for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, Nintendo Switch and Switch 2. On Xbox, the game supports Smart Delivery. The Switch 2 Definitive Edition bundles the base game with extra content and improves the visuals. It is not a mere backward-compatibility mode of the first Switch version.

In the open zones, the player largely decides which puzzles, obstacle courses or fights Sonic tackles next. Platform structures are set into the landscape instead of being linked only by a sequence of fixed levels. In between, portals lead to compact Cyber Space stages that are again more focused on speed, precision and a specific target route.

Three major free content updates followed the base game after release. In particular, The Final Horizon added an additional storyline, more playable characters and challenges in 2023. Separate from these are item packs and costumes such as the Monster Hunter collaboration. The Switch 2 Definitive Edition includes the game along with the three content updates, several bonus packs, a digital artbook and a mini soundtrack.

Steam lists for Windows at least 8 GB RAM, a Core i5-3470 or Ryzen 5 1400, and a GTX 660 with 2 GB or Radeon HD 7870 with 2 GB. The recommended configuration calls for 12 GB RAM, Core i5-6600 or Ryzen 5 2600, and GTX 1070 or RX Vega 56. In both cases, 30 GB storage, DirectX 11 and a processor with AVX/SSE4 are required.

Steam lists the minimum configuration as 720p at 30 FPS on low settings, and the recommended one as 1080p at 60 FPS on high settings.

The story takes Sonic to an island group with the remains of a lost civilization. Amy, Tails and other familiar faces are separated from him, while Dr. Eggman's experiments with the islands' technology connect the events with Cyber Space. Landscapes, towers and scattered machines are not just scenery: their challenges drive progress and lead deeper into the story.

Portals in the ruins lead to Cyber Space. The courses there focus on more linear platforming mechanics, jumps and high speed. They thus contrast with open exploration. The courses also offer additional tasks and performance goals. The Cyber Space stages are a regular part of the game and not a separate multiplayer mode.

Against the machine foes, Sonic uses attack combos, dodges, parries and counters. A skill tree unlocks new techniques. Some enemies cannot be defeated with fast attacks alone and require recognizing their patterns. Against particularly large Titans, transforming into Super Sonic, which depends on collecting the Chaos Emeralds, becomes more important.

With the Cyloop ability, Sonic draws an energy line while moving. When a loop is closed, it affects enemies or certain elements of the game world. Speed thus serves not only for getting around, but also as a tool in combat and exploration. Combined with other unlockable abilities, the combat pace differs from the classic Sonic stages.

Progress links explorable islands with collectibles and unlockable challenges. Sonic searches for the Chaos Emeralds, unlocks portals and meets the little Koco. Besides the direct route to the next task, players can pursue optional exploration, puzzles and time goals. The structure rewards not only quickly running through a stage, but also deliberately exploring the game areas.

Players can choose a more precision-focused action style or a faster control variant. SEGA also allows automatic chaining of unlocked attacks. These options change how the same single-player game plays, not its basic flow.

Released on Sept 29, 2023, the free expansion The Final Horizon adds an additional storyline on Ouranos Island. For the first time, Amy, Knuckles and Tails are playable there. Custom abilities, tasks and trials permanently expand the main campaign.

Since June 23, 2026, the native Definitive Edition has been available in Germany. According to SEGA, it offers improved graphics and includes the base game, the three major updates, the Monster Hunter pack, further bonus content and a digital artbook. Nintendo lists a 26.5 GB download size.

SEGA does not offer an upgrade from the original Switch version to the Switch 2 Definitive Edition. Save files can be transferred from Switch to Switch 2, but not the other way round. Some older collaboration DLC items are lost during the transfer, according to the manufacturer. The Switch 2 version should therefore be considered a standalone purchase.

Sonic Frontiers is a single-player game. The PC version on Steam supports German on-screen text and German voice-over. The Switch 2 Definitive Edition also offers German. Which other languages are available depends on the platform version. Action or speed controls and automatic combat combos allow different playstyles.