Sonic Riders

Sonic Riders (2006)

by NOW Production, Sonic Team, Sega
Genres:Racing
Themes:Science fiction
Game modes:Single player, Split screen
Story:Sonic Riders is the fourth racing game in the Sonic the Hedgehog series, preceded by Sonic Drift, Sonic Drift 2 and Sonic R. The game was released to start off the 15th anniversary of the release of the Sonic the Hedgehog series. For a short while, the Microsoft Xbox version of the game was released with a free Sonic X DVD. This game introduces five new playable characters, the Babylon Rogues and the E-10000 series. A sequel to Sonic Riders, entitled Sonic Riders: Zero Gravity, was released in 2008 for the Wii and PlayStation 2, followed by the Kinect-required game Sonic Free Riders for the Xbox 360 in 2010. This was the last Sonic the Hedgehog game for the GameCube and Microsoft Xbox.Show more
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Stories about this game (19)
What’s your memory of Sonic Riders?Share your favorite moments and see what others remember about this game.
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user avatar@donkdaddyuser avatar@donkdaddy
January 29, 2025
Against all odds, this 2006 Sonic airboarding spinoff still has a somewhat active tournament scene on PC, and the game was never released on any digital storefront. The game already has a PC port and an active modding scene, it just needs that availability push so people can finally experience it on modern hardware. There truly is no other game like Sonic Riders and its sequels, and it deserves to be preserved.
This game has a PC port and a shockingly large community. It's not my cup of tea, but it's a work of art that people put effort into. It deserves to be preserved, especially for younger Sonic fans.
It's my favorite racing game back in the PS". Nothing compares to the original and I would love to hear that it's available again. Definitely love the style and aesthetic of the character's design.
I really want this on GoG because a PC version ALREADY EXISTS, BUT ISN'T AVAILABLE OFFICALLY ANYMORE! Not to mention, even when you finally setup the weird dvd the game is made in a very old way, and can be a pain to use with modern controllers. Most of my gameplay is on an emulator, and modded versions, but it'd be great if a modern port could make better online, or even possibly expanding the modding with those who wouldn't normally be confident with emulation.
user avatar@Kobun42user avatar@Kobun42
January 30, 2025
Out of all the Sonic racing games that exist, Riders has been by far my favorite. I may have some nostalgia for it, but replaying it today it's still a ton of fun, especially since it's not exactly a Mario Kart clone like the Sonic Drift series or the Sonic and All-Stars series is. It's unique, fun, and was killed off too early because SEGA wanted to make a half-baked Kinect game (You know who you are, Free Riders)
user avatar@dracomageatuser avatar@dracomageat
February 03, 2025
I got this game when it came out and still have it to this day, though the console I played it on has long since worn out. Me and my sister would play it with everyone who'd try and it was such a fun and deep racing game that we put hundreds of hours into and still didn't find every trick, combination or unlockable. Truly iconic Sonic and the hoverboards and skates were such a fun, unique themeing for a racer that we've not seen much since.
user avatar@Anti_Pyro96user avatar@Anti_Pyro96
February 07, 2025
The only good thing to come out of Sonic the Hedgehog's 15th anniversary. This is one of the most interesting and fun racing games that isn't a Mario Kart ripoff. Sure it might be a little challenging for newcomers, but once you master the game, it is a lot of fun. This game and Zero Gravity are the best racing games in the Sonic Riders series. Please have this and Zero Gravity be re-released to modern hardware. These two games need to be preserved
user avatar@FontaXGuser avatar@FontaXG
January 31, 2025
When I was little, I used to watch my brother play this game on his WXP, it looked pretty weird, but entertaining (It ran at 10fps, according to my older brother) then years later I got to play it on the ps2, and it was the best racing game I've ever played, I still play it to this day, (not so legally) but if they made the pc version playable on modern pc's, it would be one of the best things in life.
user avatar@LandyRSuser avatar@LandyRS
January 31, 2025
Sonic Riders isn't the most well-designed racing game out there, but it's a fascinatingly technical attempt at breaking from your average kart racer gameplay. It's no surprise that the game has developed a cult following, and even a steady competitive scene, spawning several different overhaul mods that tune the mechanics and content in different ways from one another. Riders is fun, stylish, and scratches itches that haven't quite been reached by the Sonic racers that followed. Unfortunately, not only is Sonic Riders unavailable through legal means nowadays, but the PC port simply isn't great. Several graphical effects are absent or broken, multiplayer is limited to 2 players instead of 4, and numerous unofficial patches are required to get it up to speed on modern systems. While Riders itself has game design issues, such as the lack of a tutorial, and some mechanics being more obtuse than they should be, fixing those is likely outside of the scope for your average Sonic re-release. It would be more than enough to see this game receive engine-related fixes and tune-ups to make it cooperate better with the computers of today - especially, say, Steam Decks - and to play it in a form much closer to its original GameCube release.
user avatar@BenBitsYTuser avatar@BenBitsYT
February 02, 2025
I had this game on the PlayStation 2 when I was little and 100% completed everything in the game. The fact that it hasn't been ported to modern consoles yet is astonishing! If this game has online multiplayer, this is about to be incredible!
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