The Starfall Islands — Sonic's first genuinely open world. Image: Sonic Team / SEGA
Sonic Frontiers is Sonic Team's first open-world Sonic game, released on 8 November 2022. It drops Sonic onto the Starfall Islands with a grappling ability, a skill tree and a genuinely melancholy story. It is uneven and visually rough in places — but it is the most interesting 3D Sonic in over a decade, and free updates significantly improved it.
At a glance
| Developer | Sonic Team / SEGA |
| Released | 8 November 2022 |
| Platforms | PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, Nintendo Switch |
| Structure | Five open islands plus classic-style Cyber Space stages |
| Length | ~20 hours main story · 30+ for full completion |
What is "open-zone" Sonic?
SEGA calls it open-zone rather than open-world, and the distinction is meaningful.
Each island is a large explorable space filled with rails, springs, loops and grind sections layered over the terrain — classic Sonic level furniture scattered across an open map. You run freely, but the momentum comes from hitting those set pieces.
Progress works through a loop: solve small environmental puzzles to reveal map sections, collect Memory Tokens and Portal Gears, unlock Cyber Space stages, gather Chaos Emeralds, then fight a Titan.
The Titan fights are the highlight — enormous, spectacular boss encounters set to licensed rock tracks, and unlike anything else in the series.
What are Cyber Space stages?
Short linear levels in the style of older 3D Sonic games, accessed from the open zones. Each has objectives: finish fast, collect rings, find five red coins.
They are the most divisive element. The level design reuses layouts from Sonic Generations and Unleashed, and the physics feel noticeably different from the open zones — heavier, more restrictive.
Some players find them a welcome return to structure; others find them a step backwards each time.
Rails and springs layered across open terrain — the "open-zone" idea.
What did the free updates add?
Three substantial updates arrived after launch, all free:
- Update 1 — Sonic's Birthday Bash, a photo mode and a jukebox
- Update 2 — Sights, Sounds and Speed, adding new challenges and Battle Rush mode
- Update 3: The Final Horizon — the big one. A new area on the final island, playable Amy, Knuckles and Tails with their own movesets and skill trees, new Titan fights, and an alternate ending.
The Final Horizon is significantly harder than the base game and was criticised for a steep difficulty spike, later softened by a patch. But playable extra characters and a new ending, given away free, materially change the value proposition.
What are the weaknesses?
Visual pop-in. Rails and platforms frequently appear only as you approach them. It is most severe on Switch and last-generation consoles, and it undermines the sense of a coherent world.
Empty terrain. Between the set pieces, the islands are sparse — large stretches of grass or sand with nothing in them.
Combat is shallow. The skill tree adds moves, but most encounters resolve by mashing the attack button through a Cyloop.
Repetitive collectathon. Gathering tokens and gears becomes routine well before the end.
Is it worth playing in 2026?
Yes, if you have any affection for the series — and it is one of the few 3D Sonic games worth recommending to newcomers.
What lands is the tone. The story, written with input from Ian Flynn, is unusually reflective for Sonic, and the conversations with Sage and the Koco give it a genuine melancholy the series rarely attempts.
The Titan fights and the soundtrack are outstanding. The moment-to-moment traversal, once you have the skill tree filled out, is the best 3D Sonic has felt.
Go in expecting an ambitious, flawed experiment rather than a polished open-world game, and it holds up well. It also discounts heavily now.
Where can you buy it?
- PC — Steam and the Epic Games Store
- PlayStation, Xbox and Nintendo — via their respective stores
Buying advice — and what "ALL DLC" means here
Very little. All three content updates, including The Final Horizon with its playable characters and new ending, were free. The only paid extras are small cosmetic and Monster Hunter collaboration packs. The standard edition is effectively the complete game. Avoid the Switch version if you have another option — the pop-in and resolution are noticeably worse there.
A note on cracked builds: illegal, a known malware vector, and frozen at whichever version was cracked — almost certainly the launch build, without The Final Horizon, playable Amy, Knuckles and Tails, or the alternate ending. You would be pirating the smaller game. IGGG Guides does not link to pirated software.
FAQ
How long is Sonic Frontiers?
About 20 hours for the main story, 30+ including The Final Horizon and full collection.
Can you play as Tails, Knuckles or Amy?
Yes, in The Final Horizon update — free for all owners.
Is The Final Horizon hard?
It is significantly harder than the base game. A patch softened the difficulty after launch feedback.
Is it open world?
SEGA calls it open-zone: five large explorable islands with classic Sonic level furniture, rather than a continuous open world.
Which platform is best?
PS5, Xbox Series X|S or PC. The Switch version suffers most from pop-in and lower resolution.
Do you need to know the Sonic series?
No, though the story references past games and characters that longtime fans will appreciate more.
The verdict
Sonic Frontiers is the most ambitious Sonic game in years and the most interesting failure-adjacent success the series has produced. The Titan fights are spectacular, the traversal is genuinely fun once unlocked, and the writing has real weight.
Pop-in, empty terrain and shallow combat keep it from greatness. But with three free updates and a whole extra chapter added at no cost, it is far better value now than at launch.
Best for: Sonic fans and anyone curious whether 3D Sonic can work.
Skip if: you need a polished, densely populated open world.
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Last updated: 6 September 2026