Sonic the Hedgehog 3 was released for the Genesis in North America on 2 February 1994, in Europe on 24 February and in Japan on 27 May 1994. Sega Technical Institute in California developed it, with Hirokazu Yasuhara directing and Yuji Naka producing.
Sonic 3 and Sonic & Knuckles were planned as one game but were split in two because of a McDonald's Happy Meal promotion and the cost of a large cartridge. Locking Sonic 3 onto the Sonic & Knuckles cartridge rebuilds the full game, Sonic 3 & Knuckles.
The music has a story of its own. Michael Jackson was reportedly hired to work on it but left uncredited, and his involvement became public only in 2005. The 1997 PC Sonic & Knuckles Collection already replaced several tracks, Sonic 3 is missing from the Sega Genesis Mini, which AtGames attributed to soundtrack licensing problems, and Sonic Origins uses rearranged music. In the US, Sega spent US$20 million marketing the game.1
Names and releases
| Region | Title on the box | Platform | Date | Publisher | Src |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NA | Sonic the Hedgehog 3 | Genesis | Feb 2, 1994 | Sega | 1 |
| NA | Sonic & Knuckles Collection | Windows | Mar 14, 1997 | Sega | 1 |
| EU | Sonic the Hedgehog 3 | Genesis | Feb 24, 1994 | Sega | 1 |
| JP | ソニック・ザ・ヘッジホッグ3 | Genesis | May 27, 1994 | Sega | 1 |
| JP | ソニック&ナックルズ コレクションSonic & Knuckles Collection, with some music replaced | Windows | Feb 14, 1997 | Sega | 2 |
| EU | Sonic & Knuckles Collection | Windows | Mar 20, 1997 | Sega | 1 |
| WW | Sonic the Hedgehog 3Virtual Console; regional dates between August and September 2007 | Wii | 2007 | Sega | 2 |
| WW | Sonic the Hedgehog 3Xbox Live Arcade, by Backbone Entertainment | Xbox 360 | Jun 10, 2009 | Sega | 1 |
| WW | Sonic 3 & KnucklesSteam; delisted when Sonic Origins was released | Windows | January 2011 | Sega | 1 |
| WW | Sonic OriginsRemaster of Sonic 3 & Knuckles by Headcannon; also on Switch, PS4, PS5, Xbox One and Series X|S. Sources give 22 or 23 June 2022 | Windows | June 2022 | Sega | 1 |
Also known as: ソニック・ザ・ヘッジホッグ3 JP2ソニック3 JP2Sonic the Hedgehog 3 & Knuckles WW1Sonic 3 & Knuckles WW1
Box art by region
NA Sonic the Hedgehog 3 
JP ソニック・ザ・ヘッジホッグ3
Box art © its publishers, shown to identify each release. Scans: libretro-thumbnails.
Version differences
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ContentSonic 3Sonic 3 & Knuckles
On its own Sonic 3 has fewer zones. Locked onto the Sonic & Knuckles cartridge it becomes Sonic 3 & Knuckles, which adds Knuckles as a playable character in Sonic 3's zones, Super Emeralds, Hyper forms and an extra ending.1
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AudioGenesisPC (1997)
The 1997 Windows Sonic & Knuckles Collection replaced the music of several zones and the ending; the replacement tracks later turned up in a prototype that surfaced in 2019, suggesting they predate the Genesis versions.2
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AudioGenesisSonic Origins
Sega could not use the original soundtrack in Sonic Origins, so Jun Senoue rearranged several tracks based on music written before Michael Jackson's involvement.3
Translations
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Spanish Official
Sega2022Windows · Sonic OriginsReleased
Sonic Origins lists Spanish (Spain) among its supported languages on Steam.4
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Russian Official
Sega2022Windows · Sonic OriginsReleased
Sonic Origins (2022), which includes a remaster of Sonic 3 & Knuckles, lists Russian among its supported languages on Steam.4
Where to play legally today
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Steam Purchase
Sonic Origins
Remaster of Sonic 3 & Knuckles (with some music replaced)
Checked: 2026-10-134store.steampowered.com
Reception
Sonic 3 was the best-selling Genesis game in the US in February 1994, with at least 1.02 million copies sold there; Sonic 3 and Sonic & Knuckles together sold about four million cartridges. Critics at the time widely called it the best game in the series.1
Sources
Checked: 2026-10-13Text reviewed: 2026-10-13
Spotted a mistake? Write to atlas@old-games.net.