Platform guide
All Sonic Wii games
Nine Sonic discs came out for the Wii in Europe between 2007 and 2011 — three of them exclusive to the console, three Olympic crossovers with Mario, and one that shares its name with a PlayStation 3 game while being a substantially different game. Because the Wii sold in enormous numbers, nearly all of them are cheap.
The short answer
Sonic Colours (2010) is the one to buy — the best 3D Sonic of its generation and cheap. Sonic & Sega All-Stars Racing (2010) if more than one of you plays. Sonic Unleashed on Wii is not the PlayStation 3 game with that name. Everything here also plays on a Wii U.
Every Sonic Wii disc, in release order
| Game | Year (EU) | What it is |
|---|---|---|
| Sonic and the Secret Rings | 2007 | On-rails platformer |
| Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games | 2007 | Sports — crossover |
| Sonic Riders: Zero Gravity | 2008 | Racing — hoverboards |
| Sonic Unleashed | 2008 | Platformer — separate Wii build |
| Sonic and the Black Knight | 2009 | On-rails platformer — sword |
| Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games | 2009 | Sports — crossover |
| Sonic & Sega All-Stars Racing | 2010 | Racing |
| Sonic Colours | 2010 | 3D platformer |
| Mario & Sonic at the London 2012 Olympic Games | 2011 | Sports — crossover |
Game by game — the buying notes
Sonic and the Secret Rings (2007)
A Wii exclusive, and the first Sonic built for motion control: you hold the remote sideways and tilt to steer while Sonic runs forward on his own. The Arabian Nights setting is genuinely striking. The controls are the argument — some people never get on with them, others rate it among the better Wii Sonics.
Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games (2007)
The first time Mario and Sonic shared a game, and one of the best-selling Wii titles there is — which means used copies are everywhere and cost almost nothing. Motion controls for every event, and four players out of the box.
Sonic Riders: Zero Gravity (2008)
Hoverboard racing with a gravity mechanic, the sequel to the GameCube-era Sonic Riders. Also came out on PlayStation 2, and the Wii version adds motion steering that you can turn off. Cheap and largely forgotten.
Sonic Unleashed (2008)
Not the same game as on PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. The Wii version has fewer daytime running stages and more than three times as many night-time Werehog levels — twenty-five of them — with the daytime boost rebuilt around motion control. If you read a review of Sonic Unleashed, check which version it was about; this one is longer, slower and much heavier on the night-time combat.
Sonic and the Black Knight (2009)
The sequel to Secret Rings, with an Arthurian setting and a sword you swing with the remote. Another Wii exclusive. Short, strange, and the last of the two-game storybook experiment.
Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games (2009)
Vancouver 2010 with snow events and a dream-event mode set in Mario and Sonic locations. As common and as cheap as the first one.
Sonic & Sega All-Stars Racing (2010)
A kart racer with the whole Sega roster — Sonic, Super Monkey Ball, Jet Set Radio, Samba de Amigo. Good, and better than the Sonic name suggests. The Wii version supports the plastic wheel; the DS version released the same day is a separate build with its own track list.
Sonic Colours (2010)
Spelt Colors in America. The best 3D Sonic of its era and a Wii exclusive at the time — bright, fast, and short enough not to outstay its welcome. Remastered in 2021 as Sonic Colours: Ultimate for newer consoles, but the Wii disc is the original and by far the cheaper way in. The DS game with the same name is a different, 2D game.
Mario & Sonic at the London 2012 Olympic Games (2011)
The last Mario & Sonic on the Wii, out in November 2011 — three months before the 3DS version, which has its own events. Common, cheap, and the one with the most events of the three Wii entries.
The same name is not the same game
Sonic Unleashed is the clearest case on this console. The PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 version and the Wii version came out in the same week under one name and are not the same game: the Wii release has fewer daytime running stages, more than three times as many night-time Werehog levels, and a boost rebuilt around the remote. It is longer and much more combat-heavy. Most of what you read about Sonic Unleashed — good or bad — is about the other one.
The same trap runs through the whole handheld and Wii line of this era: Sonic Colours on the DS is a 2D game with its own levels, Sonic & Sega All-Stars Racing has a separate DS build, and on the 3DS three more Sonics share a name with a console release. The rule that saves money: read the platform on the listing before you read the title. Our DS and 3DS lists spell out which is which.
Or buy one that has already been checked
Every disc we sell is play-tested on real hardware and listed exactly as it is, with the case and manual described honestly. 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 Wii gamesQuestions we get asked
How many Sonic games are there on the Wii?
Nine discs in Europe: Sonic and the Secret Rings and Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games (2007), Sonic Riders: Zero Gravity and Sonic Unleashed (2008), Sonic and the Black Knight and Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games (2009), Sonic & Sega All-Stars Racing and Sonic Colours (2010), and Mario & Sonic at the London 2012 Olympic Games (2011). Sega Superstars Tennis is not counted — it is a Sega crossover rather than a Sonic game — and Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode I was WiiWare, which went with the Wii Shop Channel in 2019.
Which Sonic Wii game should I buy first?
Sonic Colours. It is the best 3D Sonic of its generation, it is cheap, and it does not depend on motion controls. After that, Sonic & Sega All-Stars Racing if more than one of you is playing.
Is Sonic Unleashed on Wii the same game as on PS3 or Xbox 360?
No. The Wii version has fewer daytime stages than the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 release, and more than three times as many night-time Werehog levels — twenty-five of them — with its daytime boost rebuilt around the Wii Remote. It is a substantially different, longer and slower game. If a review made you want Sonic Unleashed, check which version it reviewed before buying the Wii disc.
Which Sonic games are Wii exclusives?
Sonic and the Secret Rings, Sonic and the Black Knight and, at the time, Sonic Colours. The first two were never released on anything else; Colours was remastered as Sonic Colours: Ultimate in 2021 for newer consoles, but the Wii disc remains the original and the cheapest.
Do Wii games play on a Wii U?
Yes — a Wii U plays Wii discs in its built-in Wii mode, with Wii Remotes. A Wii cannot play Wii U discs, and neither console plays GameCube discs unless it is one of the early Wii models.
Are Wii games region-locked?
Yes. A European disc plays on a European Wii, not on an American or Japanese one. Everything we sell is the European version unless the product page says otherwise.
Do you ship Sonic Wii 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.
On a handheld: all Sonic DS games and all Sonic 3DS games — or the whole series in order. Same console, different franchise: all Mario Wii games.
Dutch reader? Sonic-games — het hele aanbod in het Nederlands.
