Platform guide
All Sonic 3DS games
Seven Sonic cartridges came out for the Nintendo 3DS between 2011 and 2016. Three of them carry the same name as a console game released in the same week — and are different games, with different levels and different makers. That single fact is the most expensive thing to get wrong when you buy one.
The short answer
Sonic Generations (2011) for a 2D Sonic, Sonic Lost World (2013) for a 3D one. Both are handheld-only games despite sharing a name with a console release. Sonic Boom: Fire & Ice (2016) was the last one and is the scarcest. All seven run on any 3DS, 3DS XL, 2DS, New 3DS or New 2DS XL — which also plays every Sonic DS card.
Every Sonic 3DS cartridge, in release order
| Game | Year (EU) | What it is |
|---|---|---|
| Sonic Generations | 2011 | 2D platformer — own levels |
| Mario & Sonic at the London 2012 Olympic Games | 2012 | Sports — crossover |
| Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed | 2013 | Racing — separate build |
| Sonic Lost World | 2013 | 3D platformer — own levels |
| Sonic Boom: Shattered Crystal | 2014 | Platformer — Sonic Boom |
| Mario & Sonic at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games | 2016 | Sports — crossover |
| Sonic Boom: Fire & Ice | 2016 | Platformer — Sonic Boom |
Game by game — the buying notes
Sonic Generations (2011)
Shares its name and its twentieth-anniversary premise with the console game, and shares almost nothing else: a different level list, built by Dimps for the handheld. Judged on its own it is a decent 2D Sonic; bought expecting the console game it is a disappointment. Read the platform, not the title.
Mario & Sonic at the London 2012 Olympic Games (2012)
The 3DS entry in the Olympic series, four months after the Wii version and again with its own event list. Common and cheap; a filler cartridge rather than a reason to buy.
Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed (2013)
Not the same game as the console version — this one was built from scratch for the 3DS by a different team, and the reviews were much harsher for it. The console versions are the ones people remember fondly. Buy this only if the 3DS is the console you own.
Sonic Lost World (2013)
Came out the same day as the Wii U version and is again a different game: its own stages, its own bosses, built for the smaller screen. The Wii U one is the better of the two, but this is the only way to play a Lost World on a handheld.
Sonic Boom: Shattered Crystal (2014)
The handheld half of the Sonic Boom launch, alongside Rise of Lyric on the Wii U. Exploration-heavy and slow for a Sonic game, and it sold badly — which is why it is now cheap and reasonably scarce at once.
Mario & Sonic at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games (2016)
The 3DS version arrived in Europe on 8 April 2016, two and a half months before the Wii U one, and has its own events and a story mode the console version lacks.
Sonic Boom: Fire & Ice (2016)
The last Sonic game released on a 3DS cartridge, in September 2016, and a clear improvement on Shattered Crystal — faster, better paced, and largely unnoticed because the Sonic Boom name had already been written off. Printed in small numbers, so it costs more than the game before it.
Three names, six games
Sonic Generations, Sonic Lost World and Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed each exist twice: once on a console and once on the 3DS, released within weeks of each other under the same name. They are not ports and not cut-down versions — different level lists, different teams, and in the case of Racing Transformed an engine built from scratch. The console versions review better in every case. If you are buying for a 3DS this is what there is; if you are buying because you read about the game somewhere, check which version that review was about. The same thing happens one console down, on the Sonic DS list, with Sonic Colours and All-Stars Racing.
Or buy one that has already been checked
Every 3DS cartridge we sell is checked for authenticity and play-tested on real hardware, with the save verified. We have been doing this since 2019, with 1400+ verified reviews at 5.0★, and we ship tracked to all 27 EU countries.
Browse tested 3DS gamesQuestions we get asked
How many Sonic games are there on the Nintendo 3DS?
Seven cartridges: Sonic Generations (2011), Mario & Sonic at the London 2012 Olympic Games (2012), Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed and Sonic Lost World (both 2013), Sonic Boom: Shattered Crystal (2014), Mario & Sonic at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games and Sonic Boom: Fire & Ice (both 2016). On top of those, every 3DS also plays the eight Sonic DS cards.
Is Sonic Generations on 3DS the same game as on console?
No. It shares the name, the anniversary premise and the release window, and that is where it stops: the 3DS version has its own level list and was made by a different studio for the handheld. The same is true of Sonic Lost World and Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed — three of the seven games on this list share a name with a console game while being something else. Check the platform on a listing, not the title.
Which Sonic 3DS game should I buy first?
Sonic Generations if you want a 2D Sonic, Sonic Lost World if you want a 3D one. Sonic Boom: Fire & Ice is the better of the two Boom games but costs more, because almost nobody bought it new.
Can I still buy Sonic 3DS games digitally?
No. The 3DS eShop closed in March 2023, so a cartridge is the only way left to buy any of them.
Are 3DS games region-locked?
Yes. A European cartridge works in any European 3DS, 3DS XL, 2DS, New 3DS or New 2DS XL, but an American or Japanese one will not. Everything we sell is the European version unless the product page says otherwise.
Do you ship Sonic 3DS games across the EU?
Yes — tracked shipping from the Netherlands to all 27 EU countries, no customs charges inside the EU, and 30 days to return an order. Your country’s exact rate appears at checkout before you pay.
One console down: all Sonic DS games — or the whole series in order. Same platform, different franchise: all Mario 3DS games, all Zelda 3DS games and all Pokémon 3DS games.
Dutch reader? Sonic-games — het hele aanbod in het Nederlands.
