Today, SEGA of America hosted a Birthday Livestream show in celebration of Sonic the Hedgehog’s 35th Anniversary via the official Sonic the Hedgehog Twitch and YouTube channels. Throughout the multi-hour stream, fans were treated to guest appearances from Sonic himself, familiar faces from the community, as well as a number of surprises fitting for a birthday party, including the announcement and release of Sonic Frontiers – Definitive Edition on Nintendo Switch 2, available today!
Below is a recap of all the Sonic gaming and 35th Anniversary news announced during today’s birthday livestream:
- Sonic Frontiers – Definitive Edition for Nintendo Switch 2
- Fans were treated to a shadow-drop of the popular 2022 open-zone adventure, Sonic Frontiers – Definitive Edition! It includes the base game, and all previously released game updates and boasts improved graphics and performance. Sonic Frontiers – Definitive Edition is now available digitally and physically on Nintendo Switch 2. Check out the launch trailer here: https://youtu.be/FlkkchmzVrA
- Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds Patch Update + Free Characters
- The Patch 4 Update for Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds will drop later today at 5 PM PT, including the free Classic Sonic character and machine! Players will now get to compete as the Blue Blur in his classic 90’s form. Axel and Amigo were also revealed as free characters to be released in August and September of 2026, respectively. Viewers were also treated to live gameplay of the upcoming Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles DLC Pack, which will be coming to Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds on Wednesday, July 29, 2026, at 12 AM UTC. Watch the trailer here: https://youtu.be/tctfdcxI7PQ
- Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds World Championship 2026
- Racers from around the world will now have the opportunity to compete and show who’s got Sonic speed in the upcoming Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds World Championship. The Online Qualifiers begin Tuesday, June 30 at 12 AM UTC through Sunday, July 19 11:59 PM UTC, which will then culminate in the World Championship Finals happening in New York City later this year on Friday, October 9. The Top 24 racers will have the chance to compete live in front of a global viewing audience for first place. Throughout the Qualifiers, fans will also be able to earn Twitch Drop rewards for Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds by watching participating streamers on Twitch!
To register, head HERE.
- SONIC PICO PARK Gameplay and New Characters!
- Fans were treated to new gameplay from the recently announced SONIC PICO PARK as well as the reveal of two new characters: Shadow the Hedgehog and Sonic Pico Cat! Both will be joining Sonic, Tails, Knuckles and Amy as playable characters and fans able to speed into SONIC PICO PARK later this year for some chaotic fun.
- Sonic the Hedgehog 35th Anniversary Project
- To celebrate the last three and a half decades of Sonic the Hedgehog, the 35th Anniversary Project was announced during the livestream, which will consist of a variety of Sonic game collections and legacy cartridges for fans to enjoy. Please see the breakdown below:
- Classic Sonic Collection
- Experience the Classic version of Sonic on the Nintendo Switch with Sonic Origins, Sonic Mania, and Sonic Superstars! This physical edition will also include a special 35th Anniversary reversible coversheet and logo patch. The Classic Sonic Collection will be launching October 2026 at $49.99 USD.
- Modern Sonic Collection
- The Modern Sonic Collection featuring Sonic Frontiers, Sonic Colors: Ultimate, and Sonic Forces for the Nintendo Switch is the perfect bundle for fans of Sonic in his modern era. This physical edition will also include a special 35th Anniversary reversible coversheet and logo patch. The Modern Sonic Collection will be launching October 2026 at $49.99 USD.
- Sonic the Hedgehog 1&2: Legacy Cartridge Collection
- Published by iam8bit, the Sonic the Hedgehog 1 & 2: Legacy Cartridge Collection will both be available for pre-order today, June 23, each at $99.99 USD and will ship later this year. Encased in Blue Blur and Two Tail Amber designs respectively, both cartridges are SEGA Genesis compatible and are to be considered museum-grade archival editions, with a limited 1 in 8 infused with Chaos Emerald Energy. Experience Sonic from the beginning and pre-order HERE.
- Sonic Steam Franchise Sale
- Going until Thursday, June 25, 2026, the Sonic the Hedgehog franchise is currently on sale via Steam. Fans can enjoy major price cuts – up to 90% off! – to popular titles including Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds, Sonic Frontiers, Sonic Mania, SONIC X SHADOW GENERATIONS, and more!
- Sonic Forces (Working Title) x Nex Playground
- Get ready to experience Sonic in a whole new way! Nex, the maker of the Nex Playground, the active play system, together with SEGA created Sonic Forces (Working Title) for the Nex Playground. As seen on the livestream, the Nex Playground ensures players will be moving and staying active throughout their game experience. Sonic Forces (Working Title) will be available for Nex Playground consoles later this year.
- Sonic Forces (Mobile)
- Taking center stage in Sonic Forces, this June is Idol Sonic, to celebrate 35 legendary years! Players will be able to unlock Idol Sonic during this limited-time event and leave rivals speechless with three brand new abilities.
- Sonic Live in Concert
- Announced during today’s livestream, Sonic Live in Concert is adding over 30 more shows for folks to experience around the US and the world! For a list of the new dates and locations, please see below. For more information on where to buy tickets, please see HERE.
- Dec. 18, 2026 – London, UK
- Feb. 18, 2027 – Indianapolis, IN
- Feb. 19, 2027 – Detroit, MI
- Feb. 19, 2027 – Birmingham, UK (Matinee Added)
- Feb. 20, 2027 – Milwaukee, WI
- Feb. 21, 2027 – Manchester, UK
- Feb. 21, 2027 – Chicago, IL
- Feb. 22, 2027 – Sheffield, UK
- Feb. 23, 2027 – Minneapolis, MN
- Feb. 24, 2027 – Brussels, BE
- Feb 24, 2027 – Waukee, IA
- Feb 25, 2027 – Kalamazoo, MI
- Feb. 26, 2027 – Pittsburgh, PA
- Feb. 27, 2027 – Cincinnati, OH
- Feb. 28, 2027 – Columbus, OH
- March 2, 2027 – Cleveland, OH
- March 3, 2027 – Toronto, ON
- March 4, 2027 – Montreal, QC
- March 5, 2027 – Syracuse, NY
- March 6, 2027 – New York, NY
- March 7, 2027 – Wallingford, CT
- March 9, 2027 – Portsmouth, NH
- March 10, 2027 – Schenectady, NY
- March 11, 2027 – Boston, MA
- March 12, 2027 – Newark, NJ
- March 13, 2027 – Washington, D.C.
- March 14, 2027 – Hershey, PA
- March 16, 2027 – Red Bank, NJ
- March 18, 2027 – Philadelphia, PA
- March 19, 2027 – Durham, NC
- March 20, 2027 – Knoxville, TN
- March 21, 2027 – Richmond, VA
- March 23, 2027 – Chattanooga, TN
- March 25, 2027 – Memphis, TN
- March 26, 2027 – Kansas City, MO
- March 27, 2027 – Tulsa, OK
- Announced during today’s livestream, Sonic Live in Concert is adding over 30 more shows for folks to experience around the US and the world! For a list of the new dates and locations, please see below. For more information on where to buy tickets, please see HERE.
- Sonic the Hedgehog 35th Birthday Spotify Playlist
- Together with Spotify, fans can now listen to a playlist of 35 songs that Sonic would want to listen to on his birthday! To celebrate with Sonic, head to Spotify, search “Sonic’s 35th Birthday” and also exclusive artwork from illustrator Natalie Haines
- Sonic’s Chaos Hunt
- Sonic and his friends were using the Emeralds to power Club Chaos, an epic 35th anniversary celebration, but they destabilized and scattered across the US. Race against Dr. Eggman to help Sonic collect all the Emeralds so we can power the party. Check out this exclusive video from Sonic’s very own Takashi Iizuka about the event: https://youtu.be/OSNi9KBdvz8
- SEGA
50$ for all of the modern sonic games including frontiers? Why buy frontiers definitive edition when you can buy this bundle with 2 extra games for the same price.
yall could at least drop sonic adventure 1 and 2 and heroes on switch 2 online bruh….man i hate sega lol
Sonic Heroes and Sonic Unleashed would have been way better choices and much deserved for the modern collection. Instead they brought back Sonic Forces out of all the modern Sonic games.
They deserve all the hate and L’s. That’s the modern collection? No Adventure, Adventure 2, no Heroes, Shadow, Riders, Zero Gravity, no 2006, Unleashed, Secret Rings, Black Knight, Rush, Battle, or Advance series. This is garbage! Just the Sonic and Sega managent being trash as usual fire all of them! Ian Flynn, Aaron Webber, and Iizuka! We can’t even get remakes because of them. End that IDW deal too.
The live stream and birthday bash is awesome! I wish they could announce one remaster or ported old Sonic collections at the end or a new mainline Sonic game.
I liked it, but there wasn’t a ton of new announcements. That legacy cartridge thing looks cool.