Glitches

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Glitches are mistakes in games caused by overlooked data. While some are useful, others may be harmful to your game or console. Here is a selection of them.

Game Crash in Labyrinth Zone
If you roll past the finishing sign in Labyrinth Zone Act 2 the game will crash. This glitch is much less likely to occur in the Mega Drive version of the game.

Marble Zone "Go through blocks" glitch
Some of the blocks in Marble Zone Act 2 and 3 allows you to crouch through them, however you will die if you attempt to stand up while crouching in the blocks.

Final Zone Glitch
It is impossible to defeat Dr. Robotnik If you hit him two times on the last hit, you will have to hit him another 255 times to defeat him.

Die after defeating Dr. Robotnik
If you hit Dr. Robotnik once more when he is trying to escape, it is possible to jump really quickly as far as you can and die.

Background Glitch
In any level in this game, first enter debug mode on any level, kill yourself, and then right before you fall out of the screen become one of the debug mode rings or any other object and take yourself back to the top and place yourself down. Then the screen will mess up. (also works with Sonic 2, Sonic 3, and all lock-ons of Sonic & Knuckles).

Spike Bug
It is possible for Sonic to bounce off of spikes multiple times and eventually die even if he has a shield.

Sonic dies by going too fast
In a rare case, when Sonic goes through the two shuttle loops, Sonic may die after exiting the second shuttle (before the section with tons of rings in the air). This is because the game is not programmed with blast processing and the game will register Sonic falling out of camera view as falling into a bottomless pit.

Walk around the Signpost Area
When you go past the signpost at the end of the level if you go to the right past the screen and jump just as the signpost stops, you can walk around the signpost area.

Level Select and Debug Mode
This may or may not be a glitch; it is clear that the level select and the debug mode were created deliberately, probably for playtesting purposes, but it is entirely possible that the decision to leave them in the game during distribution was accidental and therefore that the fact that they remain accessible to this date is an oversight in the game's code, as is consistent with the definition of a glitch. In any case, many of the glitches in this section are attributable to the availability of these features; therefore, it is common courtesy to indicate the manner in which this availability is achieved.

At the title screen, scroll down past the bottom; another possible choice, options, will appear. Enter the options menu and play the following sounds in order: 19, 65, 09, 17. September 17th, 1965, is Yuji Naka's date of birth; this is probably why they would use such a passcode. If you hear a ring sound, press start to restart the game and return to the title screen. Otherwise, play the sounds in order again.

Once you have successfully entered the passcode and returned to the title screen, but before your choices appear, hold down A. After your choices appear, continue holding down A and press start. If you are now at the level select screen, proceed to the next paragraph; otherwise, start over.

At the level select screen, scroll down to the sound test at the bottom-righthand corner of the screen. Play the following sounds in order: 1, 9, 9, 2, 1, 1, 2, 4. November 24th, 1992, is the American and European release date of Sonic the Hedgehog 2(Japanese version may have a different code). If you heard a ring sound, proceed to the next paragraph; otherwise, start over from the beginning of this one.

Hold down A until this paragraph says otherwise. Go to any level you want and press start. Wait for the title card to disappear. You may now stop holding down A. The purpose of debug mode is likely to test the programming of game features that are not ordinarily set to appear at the player's position; as such, using it, you can spawn objects. You cannot, however, spawn player characters, bosses, monitors that aren't teleportation monitors, or large, immobile chunks of the level, such as walls or the ground. You are also able to fly and pass through solid objects. In order to place a certain object, you must first transform into it. To transform into an object whilst Sonic, press B. While you are an object, the controls are as follows: A to change what object you are; B to transform into Sonic; C to place the object you currently are. You can also use the control pad to go anywhere in the level, regardless of obstructions such as gravity, hazards, or solid objects. It is possible to use this power to stop yourself from falling off the screen when you die and thereby save yourself from death; be warned, however, that if you place an object after saving yourself from death but before transforming back into Sonic, the game will freeze. Also be warned that if you place a monitor and then destroy it, all subsequent monitors placed will already be destroyed. Similarly, if you place a checkpoint and then activate it, all subsequent checkpoints placed will already be activated; however, this is irrelevant to gameplay, seeing as how checkpoints that have been placed using debug mode will not actually behave as checkpoints anyway.

Ashura Glitch
To do this glitch you must enter the level select and debug mode codes and be four rings. Then press the A button one more time and you'll be nothing press the set down button and you will be a big water fall. Place it at the first hill in Emerald Hill Act 1 or 2 and you should be Ashura.

Emerald Hill Zone Scrolling Glitch
The bottom two foreground layers of Emerald Hill Zone do not scroll properly, meaning that they are permanently misaligned.

Chemical Plant Zone Collision Bug
First, play normally through the game (or use level select) to get to Chemical Plant Act 1. Take the lower path, and then continue to go further until you get about 1/4 of the way through the loop, but remember to avoid the boost. Then start going backwards, avoiding all the boosts you see, and then once you see a ramp, remember to roll down it, but do not press any button while rolling. Eventually you should fall down when you're not meant to. (also works with Knuckles in Sonic 2)

HUD Flashing Glitch
Every time you hit a boss the HUD will flash.

Confused Tails Glitch
First, play any level, but it has to have a spring where you can stand on it. First, you and Tails must run towards it and right before you hit the spring jump on it while Tails tries to get to you in a couple seconds Tails will try to do a spin dash to get to you, but this glitch disallows him.

Lay Down in Mid-Air Glitch
First of all, you need to activate debug mode. Then, enter debug mode in-level, and go a few pixels away from the goal then place two monitors, one on the right and one on the left with a little space in between the boxes and get up between the boxes and jump on the one on the left and when it goes all white and blue hold down then you should hear yourself spindashing, but you might go to the end of the level or you will be where you were, but in the air standing up, if you do it wrong you will be at the start of the level.

Out of bounds in Sky Chase Zone
If you Spin Dash really fast it is possible to fall off of Tails' plane and die.

14 Continue Cheat Code Glitch
Activating the 14 continue cheat code in the options menu (by playing the sounds 01, 01, 02 and 04 in order while in the sound test option) will result in non-stop Oil Ocean Zone music. Please note that very late versions of Sonic 2 (including the version in Sonic Compilation) do not have this glitch.

Boss Corruption
If you go below where the boss is meant to be using debug mode and, then you approach back towards the boss Dr. Robotnik might use corrupted sprites (note that this glitch does not always work, sometimes his sprites are only glitchy for a few frames before they correct themselves)

Sprite Corruption
Once you get on to Tails' plane quickly enter and exit debug mode. All of Sonic's sprites (except for his standing and looking up sprites) will be corrupted, but they will correct themselves once Tails' plane starts approaching towards the left.

Walk in Mid-Air Glitch
Once Sonic latches on to the Death Egg quickly enter and exit debug mode and Sonic will be using his walking animation.

Super Tails Glitch/Super Star Tails
This glitch requires the use of debug mode. You must also be Sonic and Tails. First, turn in to Super Sonic. Then, place a position switch monitor using debug mode. Finally break the monitor and, while Sonic loses his super form, Tails should turn into Super Tails. This form is speculated to be incomplete, however, as there are no flickies surrounding him unlike in Sonic 3 & Knuckles. In fact, it is entirely possible that Super Tails had not even been conceived of at the time of Sonic 2's development, as it's fairly clear that all switching places with Tails here does is cause him to behave exactly as though he had obtained both the speed shoes and the invincibility item, both graphically and mechanically.

Another Walk in Mid-Air Glitch
If you attempt to transform into Super Sonic after touching the end-of-level signpost you will be walking in mid-air and you'll need to reset the game.

Mess Up Level Graphics and Physics and Tails
To perform this glitch, activate debug mode (see above) and play as both Sonic and Tails. This is the game default, so if you haven't changed any settings, you don't have to worry about the playing as Sonic and Tails part. Use debug mode to outrun Tails and get to somewhere far away from him so that he has to fly to return to you. While he's flying after you, spawn and smash a teleportation monitor. Turn into an item immediately afterward to prevent yourself from dying in the ensuing chaos and confusion. Move around for a bit until you can see yourself on-screen. In most levels, if this is done properly, the ground will lose physical integrity, causing you to become prone to slipping into it occasionally as though it were not entirely solid. Also, Tails will probably slide around on one foot or without walking. In some levels, this glitch will also screw up the graphics. For this purpose, it is particularly recommended trying it out in Aquatic Ruin Zone.

Fight Several Final Bosses at Once
To perform this glitch, activate debug mode (see above). Go to Death Egg Zone. Engage Silver Sonic in battle, then place a teleportation monitor and smash it, preferably before you get hit by one of Silver's attacks. Immediately turn into an item so as to prevent yourself from dying. Move around for a bit until you can see yourself on-screen, then turn back into Sonic in the small hallway that appears to serve as the vessel's entrance. You will notice as you continue into Silver's chamber that the game is now able to scroll past it, as though you had already defeated the robot. Continue to the chase scene with Robotnik without first defeating Silver. Once you have chased the man into his machine, turn into an item and go back into Silver's chamber. As you pass Robotnik's original position, you'll notice he's still there. For the purpose of this glitch, it is inadvisable to chase Robotnik whilst an item. Therefore, transform back into Sonic and chase Robotnik again. Repeat as desired, then defeat Silver Sonic (optional; you don't have to defeat him, but if you don't, the final bosses will look glitchy) and continue one last time into Robotnik's chamber.

You will now be locked inside, as is usually the case during a boss. If this was done properly, you will be fighting multiple final bosses. Be advised that this fight is tough and ridiculously unfair, particularly if you restrict yourself to the use of only honest game tactics from that point on. Also be advised that spawning too many final bosses with this technique may cause the game to crash, presumably due to lack of sufficient virtual memory to process the sheer quantity of stuff that's happening. Incidentally, spawning any number of final bosses with this technique will probably cause the game to run very slowly. At some point, parts of the final bosses may even become invisible, probably due to lack of sufficient virtual memory to render them, thus making the battle all the more unfair. Sometimes, the game has so much trouble with the final bosses that it can't even figure out how to make you spill rings when you get hit, so if you have any rings, you just keep getting knocked back without losing them when you get hit, so that evens the playing field a bit.

Get Out of the Barrier
In a very rare and hard case, it is possible to glitch out of the barrier for the Barrier Eggman in Flying Battery Zone. This glitch can only be performed with Hyper Sonic. After you hit the "eye", you have to perform the Hyper Flash/Sonic Boom. This move is extremely hard to perform but if performed correctly, Sonic will glitch out of the left side.

Endless Spin Dash
This glitch can only be performed in Sandopolis Zone and Carnival Night Zone. When the player is performing a Spin Dash charge on one of those break away platforms, the player may fall into to sand. When you manage to get on land, the character will automatically spin dash and will continue for some time. In Carnival Night Zone, the player has to perform a spin dash on the ledge next to a spinning barrel. If the barrel comes to the player while charging the Spin Dash, the dust will stay behind the character and the same thing from Sandopolis will occur.

Knuckles Fights the Carnival Night Boss
If the player doesn't go through the hidden path and takes the default path, the Egg Capsule will not appear and the end of Knuckles' level and the player can't go through the teleporter and advance to Ice Cap Zone. If this happens, the player will be forced to climb up the tunnel that Sonic and Tails take and has to fight the Graviton Mobile, piloted by the EggRobo. After the boss, the player can just jump into the cannon and is blasted into Ice Cap Zone, but Knuckles enters the stage through the teleporter.

Doomsday Zone With Non-Super/Hyper Transformations
This glitch can only be performed using the level select cheat code. It is possible to enter Doomsday Zone as Super Tails or Super/Hyper Knuckles, however their sprites will be corrupted, and Super Tails will not lose rings. The only way to avoid the sprite corruption other than hacking is to enter and exit debug mode rapidly (by pressing B twice).

Tails' Invisible Air Spring
In Flying Battery Zone, in the player jumps on an Egg Capsule (with a Spring on the top), Tails will follow and when the player springs up, Tails will also spring up, even though he didn't even touch a spring.

Knuckles vs Eggman
When playing as Knuckles, fight any of the bosses and then die. When the player fights the boss again, instead of the EggRobo, the pilot will be Robotnik. For some reason, in Flying Battery Zone, the boss will always be Robotnik.

Climb in Mid-Air Glitch
When Knuckles defeats Dr. Robotnik in Casino Night Zone a wall will disappear. If you are on the wall while it disappears you'll be climbing in mid-air.

Vulnerable Super Sonic
Super Sonic is vulnerable against spike balls. This causes him to lose all of his rings and turn back to normal Sonic.

Flying Tails in Bonus Stage
Tails can fly in the bonus stage. Hold Jump whilst entering Bonus Stage, Tails will jump when the Bonus stage starts, press jump to fly as normal.

Super Sonic in Bonus Stage
It is possible for sonic to transform into Super Sonic in the bonus stage, All Seven Emeralds are required, Hold Jump whilst entering Bonus Stage, Sonic will jump when the Bonus stage starts, press jump to Transform.

Game Crash in Marble Garden Zone
First of all, please set the character to Sonic and Tails (character value 00 in level select). Then go to Marble Garden Act 1. Play normally until you are on the pathway towards Dr. Robotnik. Next, make Sonic stand still, then pick up controller 2 and defeat the boss using just Tails. If you did it right the game should crash once the signpost lands. This is because Sonic and Tails are not where they should be.

Wechnia Glitch
To play as or have Wechnia as a partner, go to the Options menu and select "Color Test". Three pairs of 00 should be surrounded by <>. Hold and press until the first pair is 06. Release, hold and press until the second pair is 0B. Release, hold, and press until the third pair is 11. Now release and press. Three pairs of 04 should now be highlighted. Hold and press until the second 04 is now 00. Release, press, then proceed to the main menu. The option "Stage Select" should now be below Options. Select it, then choose your character or partner as **********. You will have Wechnia. However, most likely this will crash the game, as the character uses corrupt sprites.

Out of Bounds in Sonic World
 5DKUVBHPd5s "Out of bounds" glitch in Sonic Jam's Sonic World

If you try to jump in at the very edges of the lake it is possible to get out of bounds in Sonic World and there will be nothing but green texture with a cloudy light blue sky. If you go far enough it is also possible to loop the map and you will be back where Sonic World is supposed to be however there will be no objects, no lakes, no buildings etc. The world and the character will constantly flash with very strange effects. Please note that this may crash your console.

Ancient Light Glitch
To do this glitch you must not have yet got the Ancient Light. Go over to where the Ancient Light is and stand in front of it. Spin Dash so you hit it but still fall off the cliff, you will hear Sonic say "NO!" then it goes up top to the scene where Tikal's spirit is telling you about the Ancient Light.

Ice Cap Glitch
After going up the hill to get inside the cave, you will notice a drawbridge right when you enter the room. Instead of going through all of the obstacles, you can simply go through the drawbridge by jumping towards it (when it's still up). Also, after going through the bridge, there is the section of the level that has a gate (pushing it triggers Sonic to get on a snowboard), and on the left, there is a wall of snow. If you would like to attempt this glitch (this could take time), repeatedly spin-dash towards the wall of snow on the left. Then, Sonic will go through and will appear to fall towards a reflection of the sky above.

Station Square Small Boat Harbor
South of the train station in Station Square, you will notice the boat pier. On the right side of the small harbor, continuously spin-dash towards it. You will then notice that Sonic is now out of Station Square's boundaries (normally, the coast would block you from going any farther). Now you can do whatever you want in that area, even though you still have a risk of death. However, this process may take a while.

Knuckles Destroys the Capsule
In Knuckles' section of the Lost World, if the player performs a triple punch on one of the fire blocks that push out of the wall, Knuckles will glitch through and land on the under loop section for Sonic's section. After going through the wall, the player can jump on the capsule and Knuckles' objectives will automatically be complete.

Defeat the Egg Hornet in one go
After the Egg Hornet drills into the ground, if the player keeps using the Homing Attack as Sonic, the Egg Hornet will stay in the ground and sustain damage.

Die After Winning
After defeating bosses such as the Egg Hornet, if the player jumps at the Egg Mobile and has no rings, the character will give their victory line, but die, causing the player to perform the fight again.

Tails in Emerald Coast
There are a few different ways to get him in Sonic's Emerald Coast stage. The most popular way to get him in is to have him fly in the lefthand corner of the hotel; he will glitch through the graphics, then fly him to the picture of the casino. Then have him fly through the part of the hotel right in front of the beach, but if done incorrectly he will fall through the sand to his death.

If you stand right in the sliding doors leading to the casino, if done in exactly the right spot, he will glitch on top of the invisible box in front of the picture of the casino, however, the camera will likely be stuck. Follow procedures above to get him into the stage.

The final way to get him in there is to preform the glitch that gets him permanently stuck in the Casino area. preform that glitch, don't do the stories with any of the other characters. Select Sonic on trial mode, then go back and select Tails. He will have no stages, press "A" then "OK", and if done just right, he will be in Emerald Coast.

Strangely, only the first half of the stage is playable. When going to the second part, water and a spring in the middle of nowhere will show, and he instantly dies.

Knuckles in Twinkle Park
Note: This glitch is incredibly hard to do.

Pick up the statue in front of the Burger Shop, bring it with you to the entrance of Twinkle Park. Push him down on the right side of the railing. It needs to have enough space so Knuckles can slip through, but it has to push him through the wall, as well. If done correctly, Knuckles will glitch through the wall. He will be falling through space, but if you fly in a certain direction, you will see the track. Usually, you will die there, but strangely, at the beginning, you can fall infinitely.

Amy in Emerald Coast
Get the statue in front of the Burger Shop, take it to the gates of Emerald Coast. Place him on the right, place Amy in between the two, and have her hammer jump. If done correctly, she will be glitched into Sonic's version. However, she cannot complete the level, as she cannot outrun the whale.

Fall in Metal Harbor
First, you would need to have the Dreamcast version of the game and two controllers in order to do the cheat that allows for Sonic to go through the level with a board under his feet (pressing the "Y" button on a second controller conjures up a board like the one used in City Escape). After getting to the Goal Ring in Metal Harbor (not on the board of course, since doing so is impossible), when Sonic starts his victory pose, press Y on the second controller and Sonic will slide off on his board into the water as the level statistics pop up. He'll seemingly fall forever into the abyss.

Treadmill Pillar Glitch
This glitch can only be preformed by Sonic, Tails, or Shadow. Once the character of your choice enters the Hero Garden, have them jump on the white pillar up the small stairway. When they reach it and start running, Sonic, Tails or Shadow will get stuck and will keep running without moving anywhere. To stop this glitch, jump. This glitch cannot be performed by Knuckles or Rouge because their controls are different and cannot be performed by Eggman because he can't jump high enough to reach the pillar.

Chao Lobby Glitch
While in the Chao Lobby, you can use any character to float above the Garden entrances. Simply jump, fly or glide towards the top of the entrances and you will notice the standing in mid-air effect.

Normal Chao Garden Glitch
When inside the Normal Chao Garden, use Sonic (Shadow may be used also) to homing-attack against the corner of the Garden. This corner is on the left of the entrance to the Chao Stadium (basically, you should be facing the ocean). After using the homing-attack a number of times, Sonic (or Shadow) will go through the Garden boundaries. The screen will start to continuously shake and you can go as far as you want. However, going way too far could have a possibility of your game crashing.

Rouge Eye Glitch
Use Rouge in the Hero Garden. The stairs that leads to a circle then a ledge has a circle roof on it, have her climb on it (it's hard to get right the first time), and pause it when she moves towards you. If done correctly, her pupil and iris will look like it has fallen over.

Team Blast Glitch
In any version switch to fly formation. Press the attack button and switch to power formation at almost the same time. This may take some time, but -- if done correctly -- will fill your blast guage almost 1/3 of the way. Do it a few more times correctly, and you'll have a full guage.

Chaos Inferno Adjusted Angle Glitch
This glitch can be only performed by Team Dark as Team Sonic's Team Blast has too many scenes and Team Chaotix and Team Rose don't reach the part where the boulders are chasing the team in Ocean Palace. Use Team Dark in Ocean Palace, when you reach the part where the boulder chases you, switch to Speed Formation and keep running until you reach the part close to the speed booster. Activate Chaos Inferno and you will see a "zoomed out" version of the Team Blast.

Spelling Mistake
At the start of Final Fortress when playing as Team Sonic, the on-screen text will read "This must Eggman's headquarters" when it should be "This must be Eggman's headquarters".

Die When Not Supposed To
First of all, you have to play the extra mission of Ocean Palace as Team Chaotix. Play normally until you reach the first checkpoint. When you see the next enemy, edge slightly to the left away from the ground. Do not go too far away. Now continue to move forward, and if the glitch was done correctly the enemy will detect you and the game will stop your movement causing you to fall and lose a life. If it was done incorrectly the enemy will not detect you or it will detect you but no life lost.

Sound Looping Glitch
Please note that this glitch is very hard to do and may require a lot of practice. The character must either be Vector or Charmy because Espio cannot go high enough and the rest of the characters cannot do the same mission. To do the glitch as Vector, go through the level until you reach the first current. Then press the jump button twice to float upwards on it. Do not stop moving or else the glitch is impossible to do. If it was done correctly the sound that plays when an enemy detects you will play a second time as the game still thinks it hasn't detected you. To do the glitch as Charmy switch to him after floating as Vector then start flying.

ARK Wall Jump Glitch
In any level aboard the ARK, homing attack any wall near an automatic door. Now wall jump towards the automatic door. The door will open before the player can touch it and Shadow will preform an extra long wall jump.

Spotlight Glitch
In Digital Circuit, find any spotlight that points down into an abyss. In a rare and difficult to preform instance, if you jump into the abyss, and the spotlight shines on you while Shadow says:"Damn, not here." you will fly back upwards, but you still lose a life.

Knuckles finishes Flame Core
Normally, Sonic is the one who finishes Flame Core in Sonic's story, but through a glitch in Knuckles' section of the level, Knuckles will finish the level in Sonic's place. Simply glide to the upper most section of the area (right next to the door where the player switches back to Sonic) and press the jump button. If performed correctly, Knuckles will end up in a black section between the two rooms. If the player glides to far away, Knuckles will die. After gliding into the other room (with Sonic in front of the door), the player can finish the stage with Knuckles. And in the section when the player is falling, Sonic's yelling line will play. The player can then reach the goal ring, Knuckles will strike a victory pose, and the player will be graded.

Omega finishes Wave Ocean
When you first start Wave Ocean as Omega, turn to the small pire and walk as close to it as possible. Then hit the jump button to hover, at first it will not let him pass but it will if you go up high. Then go to the rocks where Sonic did the loops and land on each one. (Do not hold the jump button to hover, press it multipule times. If you hold it, Omega will not make it and die.) When you get to the small island, walk to the small pire and do the same thing as you did on the other one. Then go to the rock next to it and stand on it. It is hard to stand on it but you have to stand on the top. Then hover to the cliff where Sonic ran down by hitting the jump button multipule times. When you land on the bottom, jump to the other side of the loop and walk up the cliff. When you get to the top, walk to the first house on the right. Hit the jump button multiple times to hover over it. When you get past it, keep hitting it to keep hovering. From there you shoud be able to fly towrds the Goal Ring and finish as Omega.

Stuck on Walls
This glitch can occur many times when playing as Knuckles or Rouge. If the player is on a wall, and is trying to jump off, Knuckles or Rouge may stick to the wall and the player may be forced to die on purpose or climb back down (if there is any land below them). thumb|300px|right|Go to 5:45 and you will see this glitch in action.

Flying Box Glitch
In New Soleanna, play with Sonic, jump on a box and start doing repeated spin kicks. The box will start to fly and get to the atmosphere. Stop doing the spin kicks, and Sonic will land in the sea, in one of the buildings, or the abyss.

Stuck in walls
Much like in the Classic games, if you go to fast into a wall as Classic Sonic you will get stuck there and be forced to restart.

Glitchy Classic Sonic Animations in Green Hill
There is a 3D hill that Classic Sonic runs down in Green Hill. If the player stops and walks back up a certain way, Sonic will start running in place. Pressing up to look up will cause him to look forward, and pressing down will cause him to look towards the screen.

Golden Sonic Boost
In Speed Highway, if one were to run out of rings as Super Sonic during the segment where Sonic is running down the building, Sonic would turn back to normal, but the the boost would stay gold.