I’m Here – Sonic Frontiers Definitive Edition Nintendo Switch 2 Review

When the initial rumblings of Sonic Frontiers Definitive Edition started in 2026, I was excited to see what SEGA and Sonic Team could do with a new version of the game. The original is one of my favorite Sonic ventures, taking a bold leap forward for the series in several ways. And the Switch 2 getting a version of the game on par with its PS5 and Xbox Series X counterparts would be fantastic.

But does this return to the Starfall Islands deserve the definitive branding? Or is the blue blur a bit slower than usual? After spending several hours revisiting Sonic Frontiers, I ran away largely positive.

Publisher/Developer: SEGA, Sonic Team
Platform: Nintendo Switch 2
Price: $49.99
Release Date: June 23rd, 2026

What is Sonic Frontiers?

Sonic Frontiers is Sonic Team’s big stab at taking the Blue Blur and giving him a larger playground to run through. Taking heavy inspiration from grand odysseys and tearful kingdoms, Sonic runs through the Starfall Islands to save his friends and take down the imposing Titans keeping them trapped in Cyber Space.

The game is split into four different gameplay styles, each offering an exciting evolution on the tried-and-true Sonic gameplay. In many regards, Frontiers feels like the culmination of what the series has strived to accomplish since Sonic Adventure.

Flowing Into the Light – Cyber Space

Taking heavy inspiration from past Boost-style Sonic games like Generations and Unleashed, Sonic speeds through 3D and 2D stages. I said the following about the Cyber Space levels in my original review, overall enjoying my time with this side of the adventure.

Sonic controls differently compared to the games these level designs originally were featured in.  Giving a new layer to how one completes, say, Sonic Adventure 2’s City Escape or Green Forest. Adjusting and working with a new control scheme goes a long way in making these feel fresh. The source of challenge for these levels are the different missions in each one, always being the same.

Getting all of them completed is quite a challenge sometimes. So it’s a lot of fun playing them over and over to get that awesome S-Rank and access additional Vault Keys. These keys unlock the Chaos Emeralds on each island.

It’s also worth noting that the Definitive Edition has all the ‘Final Horizons’ Cyber Space stages included. Those stages add new mechanics, such as low-gravity effects and a super-charged boost, with level layouts fresh and more open, similar to Sonic Adventure.

One of my favorites has to be Level 4C, where you race against a Cyber Space version of Tails. The level features several pathways to take, and picking the right ones is key in finding all the stage collectables and landing the best time.

Stillness and Motion – Island Exploration

Speeding around in Cyber Space is only part of the adventure, with the meat of Sonic Frontiers residing in the immersive Island exploration. With five biomes to explore, Sonic uses moves new and old to save his friends. In many ways, running around these large open zones is liberating. I said the following regarding the strong flow state Frontiers can put you in.

Sonic Frontiers involves a lot of collectibles, but know they are well worth your time. Collecting character-specific tokens for Sonic’s friends to continue the main quest, fighting various robot creatures to get experience points and gears to access more cyberspace levels, and completing the various challenges across the islands to get power/defense upgrades. The upgrades make combat easier, which is useful for higher difficulties. The challenges are similar to Breath of the Wild’s shrine puzzles in some regards. But the rewards are more so the act of completing them. And after various updates, more is present in the open zone now. Including substantially harder challenges that reward you with collectibles that can be traded in for a bigger boost meter.

A Sonic Battle – Combat System

As you explore the Starfall Islands, Sonic puts up his dukes and fights several robotic creatures across the adventure. It’s a simple combat system, with the Blue Blur having his homing attack, a combo move, and several other options.

My overall thoughts on the combat system were that while basic encounters are mindless fun, the boss encounters keep things engaging, as they mixed Sonic’s speedy platforming skills into his new parries and combo attacks.

Boss fights show the combat system’s potential. This involves a mixture of normal combat encounters that push you to parry attacks and engage in full-on platforming challenges. A majority of the fights are enjoyable with this set up but some could’ve used more work.

One example is a boss on Ares Island. You have to switch between grind rails and ride across each one fully to open up a weak point. The camera perspective makes it difficult to switch between the rails.

Breaking Through It All – Titan Battles

The peak of Sonic Frontiers’ combat system has to be the grandeous Titan battles. After Sonic collects six Chaos Emeralds, he confronts each of the four Titans and climbs up them. Taking inspiration from Shadow of the Colossus, he climbs up them and collects the final Emerald.

Then he turns into Super Sonic and becomes undefeatable. I praised these flashy battles in my original review, saying the following.

With bombastic metal music blasting from your screen, you engage these massive threats. Despite having more flash than substance, the raw spectacle of these encounters is breathtaking and feels like the reward for exploring the Islands. What makes these feel even better is that Sonic’s entire moveset for normal encounters carries over, but only powered up and with new visual effects. Paired with smartly used quick-time events and effective cinematics, these are the strongest moments of Sonic Frontiers without question.

The music for these sections of the game does so much in amplifying how awesome the encounters become.

Undefeatable Encounters – The Powerful Score

I highlighted the power of the Titan themes extensively, with my personal favorite being ‘Undefeatable’, saying the following about the head-banging track.

This is conveyed further by how heavy the guitar and drums are on the track. Both instruments have almost Doom Eternal-esque energy, joined with the singer frequently screaming his vocals, which do so much to keep the player energized and ready to face their fears. Capping off this amazing track are the closing seconds. It ends with a softer melody, where the heavy lyrics from earlier are re-contextualized.

This part of the track always plays when Sonic lands the finishing blow, flying through Giganto and killing the Titan. ‘Running from the past is a losing game, been down this past before, already know this story…’ This grand, epic fight is just another day for Sonic the Hedgehog. And him almost having a sigh of relief, impressed with the fight this challenger presented him is reflected in the tracks conclusion.

What Does Sonic Frontiers Definitive Edition Add?

When Sonic Frontiers originally launched, it featured a Quality and Performance Mode on next-gen platforms (PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S). However, that wasn’t featured in the Nintendo Switch version, with the game instead running at a capped 30 FPS and at a low resolution in both handheld and docked modes.

In addition, all platforms featured poor draw distance for the many floating platforms and rails in the sky, as I cited in my review. With the Definitive Edition, that draw distance issue is largely fixed. When running in either Quality or Performance Mode, you can see objects much further in the distance, helping greatly with the game’s many platforming challenges.

Performance & Quality Modes

When compared to the original Nintendo Switch version, Frontiers Definitive Edition is a much better-looking experience. In Quality Mode, the game looks sharp on the Switch’s handheld display and largely hits its 1080p target in Docked Mode. However, while Performance mode runs at a locked 60 FPS in both handheld and docked modes, the resolution takes a sharp hit in handheld mode.

It can look objectively worse than the Switch 1 version running in Handheld Boost mode at times. Considering games like Devil May Cry V: Devil Hunter Edition and Square Enix’s impressive efforts with the Final Fantasy VII Remake titles on Switch 2, it’s a shame to see Sonic Team struggle to get the Hedgehog Engine running well on Nintendo Switch 2.

In many regards, it mirrors Shadow Generations on Switch 2, hitting a stable 60 FPS at the cost of a reduced resolution (720p in that game’s case).

Extra Rings, Please – No Upgrade Path

Another similarity to Sonic X Shadow Generations on Switch 2 is that there is no upgrade path for Frontiers Definitive Edition. It’s more daming considering the recent Sonic Racing CrossWorlds has a proper Switch 2 Edition, with an upgrade path and a full physical cart to buy.

Meanwhile, Sonic Frontiers Definitive Edition has no full physical release, opting to be a Key Card similar to other third-party releases on Switch 2. It’s a missed opportunity, considering it includes all the post-launch updates, such as the Juke Box, Final Horizions Campaign, and more. Having it all on a cart would’ve been a great way to celebrate the series big 35th Anniversary.

Closing Thoughts on Sonic Frontiers Definitive Edition

Revisiting this modern adventure, I loved my time playing Sonic Frontiers Definitive Edition. Despite my disappointment with the game’s performance in Handheld mode and the lack of an upgrade path for owners of the Switch 1 release, the overall experience is still a solid one for fans of Sonic’s speedy gameplay. Sonic Frontiers is a bold step forward for the series, and the game holds up six years later. I can’t wait to see Sonic Team’s next attempt at Open Zone platforming, and with the series celebrating its 35th Anniversary, let’s hope for another 35 years of green hills and radical highways to run through.

This game was reviewed using a code provided by the publisher.