Fire theme

Stages with a fire theme incorporate fire, lava and extreme heat as obstacles. These stages often take place underground or inside active volcanoes, although industrial settings incorporating molten metal have also been used. Some levels have sections in which lava will chase the player, requiring the player to keep ahead of the flow or suffer swift death. Badniks in such levels also tend to be equipped with fire-based weapons, as do the boss vehicles.

Stages with a fire theme

 * Marble Zone, Sonic the Hedgehog (1991) - Marble Zone introduced many of the elements common to later fire-based levels, including lava pools and flows, fireball-shooting obstacles, and platforms that begin to burn when you stand on them.
 * Under Ground Zone, Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (8-bit, 1992)
 * Hill Top Zone, Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (1992) - Hill Top Zone was the first zone to be set in (and around) a volcanic landscape, and the first to include badniks with fire weapons.
 * Volcanic Vault, SegaSonic the Hedgehog (1993)
 * Angel Island Zone, Sonic the Hedgehog 3 (1994) - From halfway through Act 1 and onwards, the Fire Breath robot sets the zone on fire. However, there are no fire-based obstacles and the zone otherwise has nothing in common with the fire theme, although the boss and sub-boss do have fire-based weapons.
 * Lava Reef Zone, Sonic & Knuckles (1994)
 * Poloy's Forest, Tails Adventure (1995) - This stage also contains elements of a forest theme.
 * Volcanic Tunnel, Tails Adventure (1995)
 * Volcano Valley Zone, Sonic 3D (1996)
 * Red Volcano Zone, Sonic Blast (1996)
 * Red Mountain, Sonic Adventure (1998)
 * Lava Shelter, Shadow the Hedgehog (2005)
 * Egg Factory, Sonic Riders (2006) - This industrial stage features pools and waterfalls of molten metal.
 * Crisis City, Sonic the Hedgehog (2006) - Crisis City has the standard elements of a fire-themed stage, but is unusually set in an urban environment.
 * Flame Core, Sonic the Hedgehog (2006)
 * Chaotic Inferno Zone, Sonic Rivals 2 (2007)
 * Evil Foundry, Sonic and the Secret Rings (2007)
 * Eggmanland, Sonic Unleashed (2008) - This level features lava, although it is mainly an amusement park.
 * Molten Mine, Sonic and the Black Knight (2009)
 * The Cauldron, Sonic and the Black Knight (2009)
 * Magma Rift, Sonic Free Riders (2010)
 * Crisis City, Sonic Generations (2011)
 * Lava Mountain, Sonic Lost World (2013)