TheSonic the Hedgehoggames were not easy games. They weren’t hard, at least not to the level of games likeBattletoadsorDark Souls. Some levels inSonicgames almost felt as though the game was playing itself, and that the player could set the controller down or close their eyes and still finish the level without much of a problem.
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Then there are the levels inSonicgames that test the player’s skill - and patience. These levels are typically set up a little differently than the other stages. Some have underwater sections, some required precise jumping, and some have strategically placed bumpers that will sendSonicflying toward a less-than-ideal landing spot.
Updated on July 02, 2025, by Jeff Drake:The original list had what is generally accepted as the hardest levels in the Sonic games. There are more though. Many more. This update will add additional entries to help round out the list of hardest Sonic levels - as well as hopefully give gamers that are uninitiated to the Sonic games a bit of a heads-up. These new entries might not be as rage-inducing as the originals, but that in no way means they’re easy. So buckle up, and let’s explore even more of thehardest levels in Sonic games.
15Final Rush - Sonic Adventure 2
Final Rush is the final level inSonic Adventure 2. Final stages in games are typically the hardest. They are designed to make players use every trick and strategy they have learned while playing the game. This level is made even more difficult due to the player having tocomplete five missions during the course of the level.
The player needs tonavigate a series of rails, collect 100 rings, find a Chao, and fight Artificial Chaos. Oh yeah, there’s also a time limit to keep players on their toes.
14Titanic Monarch - Sonic Mania
Sonic Maniais something fans of the series never get tired of seeing: a 2DSonicgame that tries to recreate the lightning in a bottle that was the original threeSonicgames. Titanic Monarch is the final level inSonic Mania—the final regular level, anyway.
The biggest hazard in Titanic Monarch is the traps that are set for unsuspecting players. These traps include many locations withcleverly placed spikes near bumpers, but there are more devious traps involving the gravity-altering plasma balls the player must use to progress. Longtime players ofSonicgames should expect to spend around 20-30 minutes to clear both acts.
13Lost Impact - Shadow The Hedgehog
The biggest complaint most gamers have regarding theSonicseries is that most of the games, including the 3D offerings, are too linear. There isn’t much exploration in aSonicgame. There are some, but for the most part, the goal is to make it to the end of the level, and this is usually not a branching path.
Lost Impact does not fall into this category. This level is too sprawling for its own good. Theobjectives are also not very clearat times. This forces players to roam the expansive stage trying to figure out what to do next. Spike traps are an expected obstacle. Lack of clear objectives is not.
12Scrambled Egg Zone - Sonic 2 (For Game Gear)
Sonicgames have spike traps. Has that been mentioned yet? Spike traps seem like they would be easy to avoid. The spikes are stationary and don’t shoot at the player or turn invisible. They just sit there, waiting to make Sonic lose all his rings. Scrambled Egg Zone does something with spike traps that most of the otherSonicgames never forced on the player.
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Scattered among the Scrambled Egg Zone are warp tubes. Players should be on alert when using these tubes because many of themdrop Sonic into a spike trap. When this happens the player isn’t given much time to react. At times, the Scrambled Egg Zone forces players to jump from one moving platform to another, which is made more precarious due to the bed of spikes waiting for Sonic below.
11Marble Zone - Sonic The Hedgehog
It’s funny how the firstSonicgame is seen as a challenging gamenowadays, but back in the day was considered too easy. This is because, back in the day, it was competing with the notoriously difficult NES games - like theMega ManandCastlevaniagames.
Marble Zone is the second zone inSonic the Hedgehog. The first zone was deliberately easy to ease players into the game. Marble Zone says, “Okay, you get it. Time to turn things up a few notches”. This zone, particularly Act 2, has sections with lava pits. In Act 2 there are areas where the player mustperform precise platform jumps over large lava pits.
10Eggmanland - Sonic Unleashed
Let’s start off this list with perhapsthe most notoriouslevel in aSonicgame. This might not be the hardest level in aSonicgame, but it will challenge the player in numerous ways. For starters, the Eggmanland level inSonic Unleashedis long. Be prepared to spend around thirty to forty-five minutes playing through this level. It’s not uncommon for first-time players to spend hours trying to complete this level.
The difficulty in Eggmanland is increased by the various sections in the level. This isn’t a straightforward level either. There are many sections where the player mustjump from small platform to small platform, and of course, this takes place over either a lake of lava or extreme heights.
9Metropolis Zone - Sonic The Hedgehog 2
The first few levels inSonic 2aren’t too tough to finish. Hilltop Zone has its difficult parts - which usually involved lakes of lava. Then the player hits the Metropolis Zone, and the familiar high level of difficulty of the first game comes flooding back. The Metropolis Zone is relentless.
Spike traps are everywherein this level - especially in acts two and three. There is also the ubiquitous lake of lava at the bottom of the stages. In act three the player needs to jump across small platforms with spears that occasionally pop out. This takes place over lava. One mistimed jump and the player loses a life and has to start over.
8Labyrinth Zone - Sonic The Hedgehog
Back in the 90s, all side-scrolling platformers seemed to have three things: bottomless pits, ice stages, and underwater stages. Nobody knows why, that’s just the way it was. The three stages (acts) in the Labyrinth Zone ofSonic the Hedgehogare filled with underwater areas.
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The underwater areas in this level significantly slow Sonic down,add momentum to his jumps, and present the danger of suffocation. The player must keep Sonic alive by using the air in the large air bubbles that emerge from the ground at certain points. Download the music that plays when Sonic is running out of air and use it for an alarm tone - oversleeping will never be a problem again.
In this level, the player controlsRogue the Batthrough space as she explores three planetoids with the main objective of finding three emerald pieces. Scattered around the planetoids are platforms that the player can use if they misjudge a jump, and rockets Rogue can ride to get to different areas.
The problem with this stage is the risk the player takes when gliding from one area to another. It’s veryeasy to get lost while glidingaround the level. The next thing the player knows there’s nothing they can reach, and nothing below them as they fall.
6Carnival Night Zone - Sonic 3
The secondSonicgame had the Casino Night Zone, which was a pretty annoying level. Then Sonic Team must have asked themselves, “How can we take this concept to the next level, and annoy players to the point they want to break their controller in half?” That’s the Carnival Night Zone inSonic 3.
This stage is similar to Casino Night Zone inSonic 2in that the playerfeels like the ball in a pinball machine. There are bumpers everywhere, as well as long corridors that have thefloor and ceiling tiled with bumpersangled to send Sonic back to the entrance. For some reason, there are even underwater areas in this stage as well.
